“I heard another explosion. A transport on its way to evacuate the clearing had stalled and crashed into a tower. Took the whole thing down.” Her eyes meet mine. “Your father started collecting stragglers, and Orcher told me to check the houses, and someone else was calling the Embassy for more evac transports.”

She faces the house we’re standing in front of. It’s the first one on the street. A black crater is blown in the yard and a charred tree stump is lodged in the garage wall.

Victoria grinds her teeth. “They were trying to pack. I told them to get out, that there wasn’t time, that—”

She chokes. Tears run down her face, and she keeps wiping at them long after her skin is dry. It’s a full minute before she starts talking again.

“They ran outside…and that happened.”

I see what the crater is: a gas line explosion.

“I was still inside. If I had waited a few more seconds, they’d still be here. If I had gone out first, they’d still be here. If I—”

Victoria can’t finish. She turns away and starts shaking. I glance at Glacia, but she’s not looking.

“It’s not your fault,” Glacia finds the courage to say. “There’s no way you could’ve known.”

“I know.” Victoria sucks in another breath. “But I was responsible for them. Because of me, those people are dead.”

I bite my cheek and nod even though I don’t agree. Glacia’s right: there’s no way she could have known. And now here she is, back in that place. Because of us, Victoria has to relive this memory like I relived Father’s death, knowing there were so many ways to avoid what happened but never getting a second chance.

“The fires spread to most of the neighborhoods and some of the city before the Embassy transports reached us. And now it’s this.”

I swallow a hard lump that formed in my throat. I know what I want to say.

“I’m sorry we made you come back here.”

Victoria hugs her arms to her chest and shakes her head. “Orcher told me I didn’t have to. He said he’d ask Larson to come instead.” She looks back at the crater. “But I think I needed a reminder that this was real, that it wasn’t just a bad dream. Sometimes it’s better not to forget.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

I meet Captain Blitner for breakfast again on Wednesday morning. Like yesterday, he orders a lemon croissant and Wickberry Cider, but I get two slices of cinnamon cake and seedberry juice.

We reach Stationary Plaza just after eight o’clock. Captain Blitner lets me do most of today’s work. There are more than three hundred data orbs to analyze, but I push through. He watches and comments about my efficiency from time to time.