"You know, Carol, down the way, said she saw bright lights in the cave that day. We didn't know what it meant," her grandmother said.
Grandad nodded."She did. Would not change her story. The police thought it was kids setting off fireworks in there or something. A coincidence, and nothing more."
"Well, guess it was me. Anyway, I wound up on Disguised Serenity."
"Is that a new-fangled definition of Heaven?" Grandad asked.
"No, that's the name of the space station. Disguised Serenity. It was all these old, big, huge spaceships from a junkyard that had been welded together to make this trading post. It was practically its own little world."
She took a bite of pie. "You two are surprisingly awesome about this. I'm surprised you haven't called the police or the EMS or something."
"Oh, they'll be here shortly," her grandfather said.
Tina blinked. She wasn't sure if he was serious or not."Well, I don't have much time anyway. I have to go back."
"What? You just got here."
"Kolvin," she said, and saw him in her mind's eye. It made her smile more than the pecan pie did.
"What is Kolvin?"
"He is a boy. A very big boy that loves me. And I love him."
Her grandparents looked at each other, then back at her.
"What?"
"Shockingly, Aunt Lucy wins the pot," Grandma said. "She said you left for love and would be coming back either in love or with a man or something like that."
Tina blinked, unsure that she heard that right."Wait. You all had a betting pool about what happened to me? That's kind of morbid."
"We all watch too many true crime shows," her grandmother said.
"My money was on a serial killer," her grandfather said. "I've never been happier to lose a bet, though, kiddo."
"Thanks, I think?"
"What did you have your money on, Grandma? Or do I want to know?"
"That the tide got you. A lot of us thought that, honestly."
So, they thought she was killed by a serial killer or pulled out to sea? What the hell was wrong with her family? Maybe she was better off with Kolvin.
"Look, I have to go back. I really just came back to make sure you were being taken care of."
"We're fine, kid. Don't worry about us." Grandpa said. "I just need to know. Do you have anything you can use to prove to me that you're telling me the truth, and it isn't some crazy cult--which is on the board twice--and you really did travel across the stars?"
She put her hand on her chest. "Not really, I--" she felt the necklace. "Wait, this."
She pulled out the pendant and held it up like Kolvin did and squeezed the sides. A map projected into the air. She waved her hand through it, until she got it focused on the red dot. The stars filled the room.
"Wow, that's amazing," her grandmother said. "It's star charts, isn't it?
"Quite a light show," he said. "What are we looking at?"
"Where I am." she pointed at the red dot. "See that bright red? That's where I'll be. That's Sol. That's where Kolvin is."
Just saying the words, it felt like she'd committed to a life. The kind of life she's always wanted, because she knew that Kolvin would always take care of her and make sure that she was protected and cared for.
