Page 95 (1/2)

Together we careen out into the corridor, sprinting up the slight incline in pitch blackness There’s not the tiniest scrap of light, thoughout i ahead Tarver keeps his hand wrapped firer with each step My blood races, s work for the first time in what feels like weeks

Tarver collides with the ladder, the clang of impact lost in a flood of curses He shoves me up in front of hi and the clang of our feet on the rungs The ladder bucks beneath us as shudders run through the station I collapse on the ground just above the hatch, and Tarver scraht here, just enough for us to make out the doorways and the rubble, and beyond it the clearing lit by starlight so bright it dazzles my eyes

We scramble for the exit just as the floor caves in, and for a horrible ravity outside ith gravity inside--ure out which way is up Tarver’s hand closes aroundourselves up and over the lip of the cave-in

For long, labored s heave for air, and though Tarver tries a few tiet back to his feet, eventually he’s forced to concede defeat and we just lie there, listening to the last re in on itself

After the underground darkness, the stars see myself up so that I can look down at Tarver, who’s still half dazed, searching for breath

"You stupid, stupidthe path the starlight takes across the bridge of his nose, over his cheekbones "We have no way of signaling now If those were ships up there, they’ll never find us You’ll never go home"

Tarver presses a hand into the dirt and hauls hiht so he can look at me properly "I am home" He lifts his hand when I start to protest "My parents would understand If they kneas happening here, they’d tell nal orking They would have seen it"

"It was killing you," he says simply

I’ue, but remain unsaid Because now, here, for the first ti the way it stea forand sleeping so little But ers through his, doesn’t tre inside er to our feet and move away from the sinkhole that used to be the station

Tarver starts to let go of h his, and he watchesmoment I don’t pull away He lifts our joined hands and kisses ainstthe girl you love suddenly or being unable to touch her while she wastes away

"How do you feel?" he asks, watching me intently

"Incredible Alive Tarver, how did you know?"

"I didn’t" He’s still watching our joined hands "But I just--I sensed they didn’t want us hurt They just wanted to be free I guessed"

A little chill ripples through me, and at my shiver, Tarver hauls off his jacket and wraps it around uess," I point out