CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Final Thoughts

The cryolab sat before us like the mouth to the underworld. I kept eyeing it nervously as Jax spoke about the ship’s navigational systems. It was like sitting in front of the toilet and waiting to hurl. You knew it would be scary and gross, but you had to do it in order to feel better.

Jax turned toward me. “That’s how we’ll avoid running into nebulas or comets…”

I gulped down my fear. I tried to give him a reassuring smile, but my stomach twisted in knots.

“Jennifer, you okay?” Jax put a hand on my shoulder.

Yara scoffed beside us, like I was playing sick on purpose to get his attention.

I ignored her and held my arms around my stomach. “Yes, I’m just feeling a little queasy.”

Jax looked at everyone behind me. “Why don’t the rest of you go to the cryolab and get ready? Jennifer and I’ll join you shortly.”

Theo and Terrance took off with a few grunts, and Yara made sure to fire her laser eyes at me before she turned away. I turned to Jax, my chin trembling. I hated myself for letting fear get the better of me.

Jax cupped my chin in his hand. “Talk to me—what’s wrong?”

A thousand doubts ran through my mind. “What if we don’t wake up? Or what if I’m the only one who wakes up? What if the computer wakes us up at the wrong time, or—”

Jax put a finger to my lips. “We’ve both done this before. I’ll be right beside you the entire trip. When you wake up, I swear on my daughter’s grave, I’ll be there by your side.”

I blinked back tears. “There are some things even you can’t control.”

“I have a good feeling about this. We can do this, you and I. We can save those animals and live in a society without high-rises, sprawling green land on all sides.”

His dreams were mine. The only difference was that he had the conviction to override the fear.

Jax held my face in both his hands. Tears rimmed his eyes. “I’m not going to force you to do anything. You can still go back.”

I thought of flying in a hovercraft back into the city, returning home to Valex, Len and Pell, seeing Maxim again. I’d still be stuck in a world where I didn’t belong. I’d be a nobody. This was the chance for me to be a true hero.

“No.” I put my hands over Jax’s and brought his hands down from my face. “I want to go.”

He looked like relief had splashed him in the face. Laughing, he leaned over and kissed my forehead. When he pulled back, his eyes were so intense.

Wonder if he thought of kissing me anywhere else.

He took a deep breath, looking at me like I was his salvation. “Then what are we waiting for?”

I followed Jax into the cryolab with so many emotions running through me that my head felt like a thunderstorm. Jax had feelings for me—it was in his eyes. The idea was so new to me; I had no idea how to feel about it, and there was no more time to think.

Nurses lowered me into my cryotube and hooked me up. I couldn’t see Jax’s face, but I knew his tube was next to mine, as promised. I wished I could stick my arm out through the side and hold his hand. Instead, my arms were laid on either side of me. My breathing grew heavy, and the nurse instructed me to count down from ten.

10 What if I have feelings for Jax?

9 Wouldn’t it just get in the way of our mission?

8 I wonder what Paradise 15 will look like.

7 Will Valex and Len forgive me?

6 I hope Pell succeeds in life.

5 Everything is getting cold.

4 Will our mission be a success?

3 Would my parents be proud?

2 Will Maxim come after me?

1

The End