“What?”
“I told Zeph that I would be the death of him,” her voice cracked. “And now he’s gone.”
Rylie came to her and pulled her in close. “I’m so sorry. So, so sorry. I didn’t know.”
Janet was stiff in her sister’s arms. She should be crying but not even a single tear had fallen since after her arrival. If she cried, the numbness would go away, and she desperately wanted to remain numb.
Rylie dragged Janet to the bed, repeating sorries again and again, and tucked Janet in it. Her sister crawled in after her and they snuggled under the covers like they had so many times as children. Like they had growing up as friends. Best friends. There was no one else on Kepler to take that place. It didn’t matter how many times they wronged each other, or how many fights they’d gotten in. They were family. They shared blood. True loyalty was earned through trials of fire, and they both had been burned up more than their fair share.
“I love you, Janet.”
Janet clenched her eyes shut. “I love you too.” She sucked in a deep breath. “I’m sorry, too.”
“What for?” Rylie lifted the blanket up to peer at her.
Janet frowned sadly. “For making your life hell for growing up with me.”
“I’m used to it.”
“I only wanted to protect you.”
“I know that now. Lily has told us a lot, at least enough to glean the truth of what happened out there.”
Janet shifted forward and rested her brow gently against her sisters and closed her eyes. “You mean how much she played her Terra game?”
Rylie laughed. “There’s that sardonic humor.”
Janet opened her eyes and smiled softly before the numbness returned and the smile slipped away. She pressed her hand to her chest.It’s a start.
“She beat it, you know,” Rylie continued. “The entire Terra campaign. And there’s something more…”
“What?”
“Her main opponent was someone named Hector. She said Hector was Mr. Heartface’s tag in the game. She’s demanding that Mr. Heartface come here to live with her.”
Janet stiffened, her eyes widening. She reached down for the receiver Hector had given her but knew it was no longer in her pocket.Zeph, Hector, and Mr. Heartface?
“Da and Ma do not like the idea of an android playing with her, but she beat a game that most adults can’t. So, who knows?”
“Hector?” Janet squeaked out. Where is Mr. Heartface? She’d never asked what happened to the android after the EPED had taken them. Maybe the android had a piece of the Cyborg left in it. She’d seen stranger things. Recently.
“Yeah, huh, did you know him? Was he on the ship too?”
Janet sat up, her pulse racing. “Yes. Yes, he was.”
Thoughts flooded her head. Hector had been there all along. Even if he’d only been ephemeral.Maybe, just maybe…there was something left alive.Knowing there was a chance, and knowing how powerful Cyborgs were, it was enough for her to spare a tendril of hope. She grasped onto it and held it tight.
“You okay?” Rylie asked, lifting onto her elbow.
Janet settled back into bed beside her. Her smile returned, albeit small, and it wanted to stay. She wanted it to stay. She scrubbed her face with her hands and met her sister’s curious gaze.
“I have so much to tell you,” she said.
“I’m all ears.”
She’d never loved her sister more.
I can get through this.
