Chapter 107

Thom pulled off the highway at an exit-ramp and headed to a well-lit gas station.

“I’ll refill and you all take a moment to recharge,” Thom said.

Good. Henry was sick of driving.

“But don’t take long,” Thom said. “We can’t linger.”

In a few minutes, Dawn returned with a couple pieces of fruit and some protein bars, sipping on a giant cup of coffee with extra creamer. Under her arm, she carried a large bag of potato chips soaked in sour cream and cheddar cheese. Thom raised an eyebrow.

She gave a sideways glance back at him. “What?”

“Do you think—”

Henry grabbed his arm and interrupted. “I wouldn’t,” he said to his dad. “Let her be.” He smiled and wagged his finger.

“That sounds familiar,” Thom said.

“It should.”

“Hey now, you can’t use my own wisdom against me.”

“Shows I’m listening,” Henry said and climbed in the truck.

Thom’s mouth fell open. He shook his head and laughed.

Thom ran inside and grabbed a tall can of carbonated elixir with a guarantee on its side to keep him awake for twenty-four hours. He chuckled and grabbed two.

It was going to be a long night.

The truck shot back onto the road, heading east. The evening landscape stretched before them while the daylight disappeared into the west. Dusk soon gave way to night and the passing scenery retreated into a shroud of darkness.

The darkness reminded Henry of the smoke and ash of the Nekura. They were enigmatic, but he surprisingly felt okay now.

“Do you feel different?” Henry asked Charley.

Her eyes were closed but she nodded her head. “Absolutely. I didn’t even know how fretful I was before I connected to the Light.”

“I hear that,” Henry said. He looked back out the window.

It was a short conversation, but a lot had been spoken.

The moon peeked out from behind the cloud cover for a few moments and the landscape breathed easier under its quiet illumination.

Henry looked at his mother. The moonlight shone through the glass moonroof of the truck. Her hair dazzled with the reflection of celestial light and glinted with silver sparks. Her hair was beautiful. How had he never noticed it before? He couldn’t believe he’d ever thought it was gray hair—it was brilliant, rarefied. It was her inescapable branding as a Salient, the daughter of the Celestials.

He looked back to Charley. She had fallen asleep. Her head had fallen backward and her face pointed at the truck’s rooftop. Her position looked monumentally uncomfortable.

Henry grabbed his jacket and scrunched it up. He lifted her head and slid it under. He set her head back down and the curls of her hair fell between his fingers. They were long and caressed his hand as he drew it back.

Her curls were insufferably soft.

“Thank you,” Charley said. She smiled and adjusted in her seat.

Henry was startled. “I thought you were asleep! I, uh, I wasn’t using it and I thought you could use it. Not that I’m trying to give you stuff I don’t want, like leftovers or garbage or something. Everyone just needs a pillow, right? You just looked so weird that I—no! I don’t mean you look weird. I just was . . .”

He stammered and looked at her.

She looked like a dove—but this time, not wounded.

The hole he was digging with his words was only getting deeper. He felt jittery.

Best to just stop talking. He looked back out the window.

He saw her smile widen in the reflection.