“I’m not tired like that. I mean, I am, but I’m . . . I’m tired of living like this. I thought everything was going to be different and it’s just all bad news. Like, how can Death-Cast even be sure that you’re going to die when they don’t know whether I’m going to live? Couldn’t they throw some hope our way?”

“We don’t know what’s happening in those offices. They might not be sure but don’t want to cause further hysteria.”

“If the product is broken, they should say that shit!” Orion shouts, scaring people around us. “I’m not trying to have you marching to your death if you’re not supposed to die!”

“Let’s go talk about this elsewhere.”

“No! This is our first date, and we need to live it while we can!”

I get up and pull him away. He doesn’t fight me, which is upsetting. Orion losing that fire means his spirit is breaking on a day where he’s been finding out who he can be in a life where he’s not scared of dying. I’m frustrated and disappointed that Death-Cast has ruined this trust. I won’t be around to watch the company go under, but they’ll deserve it.

His phone rings again.

“I said I’d call her back . . . ,” Orion says, reaching for his phone. “It’s Scarlett.”

“Do you mind?”

Orion shakes his head. I assumed he wouldn’t, but I didn’t want to turn my back on him.

I answer the call. “Hey, Scar.”

Scarlett is crying even harder than Orion. “The airline grounded all their planes.” She goes on to explain everything I already know about the Death-Cast updates with no new insights. “They can’t risk it, especially after what happened on my last plane. I’ve tried explaining my situation, but there’s nothing anyone can do.”

This is how it ends.

I’m going to die without seeing my sister one last time.

“I don’t know what to do, Val!”

“Take a breath, okay?”

“I’m going to try a different airline, or see if I can use our rent money and savings on a private jet. Private jets would still fly, right?”

I don’t understand how air traffic works, but I know I have to take care of my sister when she’s hyperventilating like this. “Scar, I need you to breathe.”

She tries taking deep breaths, but she gets overexcited. “Maybe you’re not even going to die, since Death-Cast has proven they don’t know what’s going on.”

So Death-Cast clearly doesn’t have the grasp on the End Days that we’d all like. But we’ve seen many of their predictions come true today. I can’t expect to be the exception.

I can play along for my sister, even if it’s only for a little bit. “Maybe I’ll live.”