Page 108 of Aviatrix

There were things I wanted to do with my life. Things I thought I had time to figure out.

I never found out what happened to Dad. I never even got close to the truth.

Instead, I got distracted. Not when I was with Eli, but after. When I was picking up the pieces of heartbreak. When I was clawing my way through the ranks, trying to prove myself. When I fell for Lark. When I convinced myself that being with him mattered more than everything else.

It didn’t.

God, I was such a fool.

But I’m not going to be one anymore.

This is my life. And it’s about time I take it back.

First, I’ll go to the wreckage site. Confirm whether it was Eli’s ship. Then, I’ll contact the aliens, give them the D.C. warehouse address. After that, I’ll negotiate. I’ll fight. I’ll defend.

And once this country is safe, I’ll get back to what I set out to do. I’ll find out what happened to Dad. I can’t die without knowing why he climbed into that aircraft one day, flew into the horizon, and never came back.

I owe it to myself.

While Gary preps our quiet exit from the base, I keep myself busy. Anything to outrun the looping thoughts in my head.

In the bathroom, I splash cold water on my face and grip the sink, breathing deep, steadying myself. I signed up for this—war, death, chaos—but knowing that doesn’t make it any easier to stomach.

When my nerves finally settle enough to stand, I open the door and nearly crash into Amber.

Her eyes are red-rimmed and swollen. Her lower lip is bloody from where she’s been biting it raw.

“Hey,” I say softly. “Are you okay?”

She shakes her head. “No.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really,” she grumbles. “I just… you grow up thinking your parents are perfect. Then one day, you realize they’re… they’re…”

“Human?” I offer.

She sniffles. “You’re not pissed at him?”

“Oh, I am,” I say. “But right now, there are bigger things than my anger.”

“How could he do that to you?” she asks. “How could he?”

I shrug. “We all screw up, Amber. Some mistakes are small. Some are life-shattering.” I hesitate. “Your dad’s been through a lot. That’s not an excuse, but he never got help for the things that haunt him.”

“What haunts him?”

“That’s something you should ask him when you’re ready.”

She tilts her head, thoughtful. “What did you do when you found out?”

I smile faintly. “Threw my engagement ring at him.”

Amber lets out a shaky laugh. “Did it hurt?”

“I think it did,” I say, and wrap an arm around her. “Listen, I want you to know I’m always here for you. No matter what’s going on with me and your dad, that doesn’t have to change.”

“Thanks, Kin,” she whispers, resting her head on my shoulder. Then, after a beat, “How do you know Eli?”