| |
June 2058
Church bells rang as Sam wrapped Nora tenderly in his arms and kissed the stuffing out of her as if no one else existed. The two beamed with happiness as they faced the crowded pews, everyone now on their feet clapping and cheering as the minister introduced the married couple for the first time. Tears filled my eyes and my cheeks ached from smiling. The pair made their way up the aisle toward the back of the church as the organist played a festive wedding march.
Will, standing beside me, grinned and heckled the groom as the procession of well-wishers made way for us to offer our congratulations. “It’s about time you figured out you were missing your better half.” Will shook Sam’s hand, and pulled my uncle into a hug. The two exchanged an expression of fondness and respect.
In the aftermath of the uprising, people banded together and were learning to trust one another. President Callahan had made some major changes, and was holding public elections for representatives in each region of the country. Robert Slate had taken the position in our district. The survivors from Gettysburg had settled in the area around Harmony, or had moved on to Lancaster or Hershey. With the help of the Amish, houses and barns were being raised left and right, including the log home Sam had built on the other side of the lake for us. Zeph and I, Maggie and Nora, and the menagerie of farm animals the sisters had saved in their exodus from Stanton would homestead together—at least for the time being.
The smell of roast pork filled the air and my stomach grumbled as Will drew near with two plates piled high with food. The Chengs had set out a nice spread, and neighbors from all over had brought dishes to contribute.
It was late afternoon and the sun hung low in the sky, warm but not stifling, a fresh breeze blowing off the lake. Will handed me the plates, spread out his suit jacket and offered me a seat on the ground under the shade of a maple tree. He sat down beside me and took in the scene, settling his plate on his lap and digging in.
“Everyone seems so happy,” I said, contentment resonating in my tone as I took a forkful of zesty salad. Zeph and Beth had rounded up some of the other EVO kids and had organized a game of tag. We watched as we ate. My brother raced around, capturing and tickling the little ones. He and Sam had been working with the Network scientists to develop a special set of gloves that would protect others from his touch. Flesh-toned and lifelike, you couldn’t tell at first sight that he was even wearing them.
Zeph, with Beth at his side, looked happier than I’d ever seen him. The idea that he had someone besides me who would be there for him, accepting him for who he was, gave me hope for his future. Whatever his purpose, he had found peace in owning his power and taking responsibility for using it wisely.
Will’s dad shot a glance our way and smiled as Maggie tossed her head back in laughter. The two were growing close and Will couldn’t have been happier for his father, who had taken up the role as Principal at the school in town and procured a house for him and Will on the lake, not far from us.
“What about you?”
“Hmmm?” I finished my last bite of corn bread, sipped my ice tea, and set the plate aside.
“Are you happy?” Will slung an arm around my shoulder and pulled me against his body, planting a tender kiss on the side of my head.
I turned to gaze into his eyes, the cool blue-gray sparkling in the dappled sunlight that danced through the leaves.
“Happier than I ever thought possible.” Our lips met and lingered. Whatever differences we had in principle, we made up for in love and acceptance of each other as individuals. I’d come to understand that we were more than products of our DNA. Will had made sacrifices for me that I would never forget, and I had chosen to kill Malevich to save him and Sam, acting on a greater instinct than the one programmed into me by my mother. In the end, right or wrong, I’d done what I had to do to protect the ones I loved.
Mrs. Higgins interrupted the moment.
“It’s nice to see you two swept up in the romance of the day.” Her short hair was speckled with gray and her infectious grin had a warm blush creeping into my cheeks. “Can I interest you in one of my chocolate donuts?” Her rich brown eyes twinkled with pleasure as she lowered the plate to Will, who raised a questioning brow and took two when she nodded and laughed. “Don’t tell Mr. Higgins. I scolded him when he tried to steal an extra one.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” Will said, and took a huge bite of the donut. He closed his eyes and a groan escaped his lips. “You’re the best, Mrs. H.”
The woman blushed and ambled off to share her treats with the children. She stopped at a picnic blanket nearby and offered one to Neri, who was smiling and laughing at the sounds her baby was making as they played. Isabella had been born just before Christmas and was already crawling and trying to stand up. She was a beautiful baby, graced with her mother’s red hair and fair skin, and blue eyes as deep as the ocean. So far, she hadn’t exhibited any unusual genetic anomalies, but time would tell.
Will had admitted he had feelings for Neri, but assured me they were more of the brother and sister variety. She reminded him of the younger sister he’d lost, and he felt especially protective of Neri because of it. Will licked the chocolate from his fingers, wiped them on a cloth napkin and then snuggled me in a warm embrace.
“Have you thought about what I asked you?” he said, catching me staring longingly at Neri.
“I have.” A smile edged my lips and a warm bubbly sensation washed over me.
“Well?”
“Sam wants us to wait until I turn eighteen.”
Will sighed out a frustrated breath. “I don’t know if I can wait until October.”
I laughed. “It’s only four months from now. Impatience will get you nowhere.”
“I guess an October wedding wouldn’t be so bad,” he conceded, tightening his grip on my shoulders and resting his chin on the top of my head. Warmth and peace cascaded through me. He had been incredibly patient in spite of the steamy make-out sessions that had become a regular occurrence between us. Although he wasn’t pressuring me for sex, I knew it was on his mind as often as it was mine. We’d agreed to wait until we were married, if only to give everyone time to settle into our respective homes and rebuild our lives.
Although we were young for marriage and waiting to be with Will seemed like an antiquated notion—what with the unpredictability of life—it would have been what my parents wanted for me. Words from one of my mother’s journal entries bubbled to the surface.
I pray that one day, my children will grow into kind and generous people who will care for each other and nurture this beautiful planet we’ve had the privilege to inhabit. Above all, my greatest hope is that they will love and be loved, and that they will find happiness and peace.
The long winter had been a difficult one. I’d turned seventeen on the cusp of a revival and we’d fought the elements to survive, Sam working tirelessly with the Network to create some semblance of order throughout the States. A new police force was formed, town boards were being elected, and trade outside the U.S. had opened up again. The world’s scientists were coming together to pool their vast resources and find a way for humans to survive. Included were plans to rebuild the space program.
Mars was, after all, colonized, and certainly a viable option should Earth become uninhabitable. In the meantime, they’d managed to duplicate the solar barrier technology and mass produce it with the added benefit of temperature controls that kept the heat at bay, and clarity that eliminated the red haze that once filled the skies. Wind, geothermal, and solar energy plants were springing up across the country, and with the Colorado River diversions having been corrected, water was once more flowing to the south and west. The glacial melt from the north, though wreaking havoc with the coastline, was bringing fresh water to inland rivers, streams and lakes, and creating a healthy ecosystem for fish and wildlife.
It seemed the earth, in its infinite wisdom, was healing itself. If humans were to survive, we would have to learn to adapt and work alongside Mother Nature.
I spotted Garnet and Luke, who were swimming in the lake. She was sitting on his shoulders, trying to knock Tyler off the back of another EVO kid we’d rescued from the Industry labs. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but the memory still made me shudder. Some of the children had been reunited with family, but others—those whose families had been killed—were now living among the generous people of Harmony who agreed to take them in and offer them a home.
Luke and Tyler were living with Mr. and Mrs. Higgins, and Garnet was currently staying with me—at least until Mr. Perkins was back from the work-camp he’d been sent to. Whether it was because he was being threatened, or because he’d seen a way to profit from the Network’s undoing, he’d bet on the wrong team and was paying the price, imprisoned outside of Albany. He had six months more to serve his time and Garnet was looking forward to having him home before Christmas. As much as she’d wanted her independence, she hadn’t realized how much she missed her dad until he wasn’t hovering over her.
As for me, I’d set up shop with Neri, Maggie, and Nora in town and was seeing patients on a regular basis—Neri and I, partners in healing. We’d been working on such projects as regenerating nerves and restoring function from old injuries, curing Robert Slates deformed leg and even healing Maia’s tongue. Eventually, our celebrity status wore off and we were simply accepted as the town’s healers.
There were others like us, spread out across the States, and a Healing Summit was scheduled for summer’s end, where we would all meet to join our abilities in hopes of healing the waterways and seas from the devastations of the past.
We’d recovered enough of Dr. Bartholomew’s research data to continue the EVO program. Whatever missing pieces we’d lost with the destruction of the Industry Laboratory, we hoped to find in my mother’s journals. We’d gone back to Stanton in the fall, recovered the journals and most of the books from the underground library beneath the house, and relocated the surviving beehives.
It turned out that the notations in my mother’s old Gray’s Anatomy textbook—which Nora had found in the pack I’d left behind when I’d escaped the bunker outside of Gettysburg—gave new insight into my mother’s experiments. Nora and I were working to decipher them for the medical team in charge of the New Evolutionary Viability Organization, NEVO.
I’d begun to keep my own journals and agreed to be part of their studies—as long as it didn’t interfere with my healing practice or my plans to teach. I would work with the EVO kids, helping them discover, control, and use their abilities for the betterment of humanity. With the speed at which I was gaining knowledge and power, it seemed a shame to waste my gifts and not use them to their fullest potential. In my heart, I knew it was the best way to honor my parents.
I sighed and leaned in to Will. “I promise you one thing.”
“What’s that?” I heard the smile in his voice.
“I promise we’ll be married before the first snowfall.”
Will snuggled closer. “That works for me. I’ll have a chance to finish the house by then.” Although originally meant to be a surprise, it seemed Will and I couldn’t hide anymore secrets from each other, our growing connection too powerful to deny as we read each other’s thoughts more and more. He’d been working diligently, with the help of Luke and Tyler, to build us a small cabin in the woods not far from the new homestead. It would make the perfect wedding gift.
“I can’t wait to start decorating,” I said, touched by his hard work and thoughtfulness.
A soft laugh rumbled through his chest. “And I can’t wait to spend the entire winter hibernating with you.”
As the sun warmed my skin and my heart overflowed with love, I sensed my parents’ presence. I’d kept my promise to protect my brother and I had become a young woman they would have been proud of. I’d learned that I was more than a healer—I was a survivor.
Lifting my gaze to meet Will’s, I smiled and held tears of happiness in check. “I can’t think of any other way I’d rather spend a long, cold winter.”
Thank you for sharing Lily’s journey. I hope you enjoyed the characters and their stories.
Please remember,
The future is as bright as we make it.
Reviews are greatly appreciated! Please visit your favorite retailer or leave a review on Goodreads.
