Pan still caught her breath when Aria and Irini entered the room. Both ran. They’d found a cart to carry their finds, and Pan could see three separate parts atop it.

“Why did you scream?” Aria asked.

Pan rubbed her upper arm. “It’s not important. Brynn rescued me.” Pan gestured to empty air – at least to her friends’ eyes.

Everyone stared at Pan, including Brynn. Aria’s eyes flicked to the ghost’s supposed location. Aria studied the space, and her eyes narrowed. Irini glanced between Brynn and Pan. Her eyes grew wide.

“They don’t see me.” Brynn crossed her arms. “Now, please relay how pleased I am to see Aria.”

Pan frowned. She glanced at Aria. “She says she’s happy to see you.”

Aria just nodded.

“Ask her how she’s been.” Brynn shooed Pan to the task. “Go on.”

Pan hesitated a long moment. Then, to Brynn, she said, “She doesn’t think you’re real because you’re far too powerful. She’s thinks I’m crazy.”

Brynn laughed, and it hurt to hear. “She should have seen what just happened.”

“I don’t think…” Aria began.

She paused, and a beat of silence passed. Aria stared hard at Brynn, and Irini looked from her hand to the ghost.

“I think I see a faint red mist,” Aria said. “I’m not sure if it’s her.” Aria took several steps back.

Pan’s eyes widened. “Where do you see it?”

“My thread leads to her.” Irini’s hand, with its invisible golden thread, shook. She pointed at the spot where Brynn stood.

Aria’s eyes got as wide as Pan’s. “You’re telling the truth.”

“Yes,” Pan breathed. “Yes, I am.” She felt her shoulders fall with relief.

“Is she scary?” Irini’s voice rose just above a whisper.

Pan looked at Brynn. “She’s a bit creepy. It’s hard to find a ghost who’s not.”

Brynn harrumphed.

Irini’s lip quivered. Aria’s attention moved from Brynn to Pan. Pan’s oldest friend read all the secrets in her aura. She saw the pain that Brynn’s continued presence brought. She saw things that weren’t anger, things that Pan would rather remain hidden. But, at least, Aria believed Pan now.

Pan sighed.

“Did you ask her about the station?” Aria reclaimed the wagon’s handle. She pulled it close.

Pan gave Brynn a sidelong glance. “She knows about the station. She wasn’t sure if I did it, but we’ve cleared that up. She doesn’t know who it was..yet.” Pan turned to Brynn, still suspicious the ghost might have something to do with the station’s destruction. “Do you think you can find out who destroyed Tingaran station?”

Brynn gave a short nod. “Indeed I can. Shall I meet you at the waypoint, or will that be impossible from this moment forward?” Brynn’s red eyes flared. She smiled still. “You know, I did warn you.”

“I know, but to be fair, I escaped the ones you warned me about. I doubt you knew anything about these two.” Pan pointed at Irini and Aria. “Or, would have me believe you’re omniscient?”

Brynn looked so alive. “You know I’m not. So, you won’t return to your job?”

“I left my post. By now, someone may have noticed. That’s rule number one. Don’t leave.”

Brynn held up a finger. “Ah, but you left with the tug, and you didn’t pack all your things. They’re going to think something happened to you. You can come out of this looking innocent. You just have to lose our dear Aria and this little Irini.” Brynn pointed one long bony finger at the two.

So much for alive.

Pan frowned. “You don’t know much about Irini yet, do you? She can find me anywhere.” Pan glanced at Irini, then back to Brynn. “Do you think I should send a message?”

Brynn raised her eyebrows. “You wish to defer to your mentor? I said you should send a message hours ago. Now, it’s up to you, but I wouldn’t do it at this time.”

Pan felt a tenseness leave her shoulders. She pushed her black hair off her collarbone. “You can meet me aboard my tug, which by the way, we need your help to fix. So, don’t travel to Tingaran yet.”

Brynn watched Pan, as did Aria and Irini. Pan felt naked.

No doubt, Aria saw it all; every inconvenient emotion. Irini might know it too. In any case, Irini’s awe of the reaper probably evaporated in the moment. Pan did not look intimidating and powerful when she talked to Brynn. Brynn seemed just like her old self, and just like her old self, she bared Pan’s vulnerabilities.

“You’re going to help, right?” Pan asked.

Brynn smiled. “I’ll help.”

“Good.” Pan stepped towards the door. “Let’s go fix the ship.”

Aria and Irini flanked Pan. They searched the factory floor for Brynn. Irini’s eyes followed the thread and found the ghost’s airspace with ease. Aria lost the trail.

Brynn’s eyes flicked to Aria and Irini. “You know...you don’t have to murder anyone, but if one of these just so happens to die, you can get that seventh power. Fix your problem.”

Pan glared. “You’re superstitious. Six is not a bad number.”

Aria frowned. “Six of what?”

Pan put a hand on Aria’s arm. “It’s nothing. Stop thinking.”

Pan pulled Aria and Irini towards the door. She didn’t need to prompt Brynn. Brynn floated languidly, as if she relaxed in a pool, but she made steady progress.

Brynn’s eyes turned blue. “Will you need another rescue from this den of lost souls? Or should I go ahead?”

“Us, need a rescue?” Pan scoffed. “Why are you asking? Of course, we might need it.”

Brynn smiled. “I’ll take you the short way.”

Pan and Irini knelt inside the tug’s engine. They sat close together amid a labyrinth of twisting tubes and wires. A hatch above led to the tiny living quarters, a welcome haven from the view among the pipes. Too bad they couldn’t flee upwards.

The engine stretched on and on. Pipes and columns filled the tall room. When Pan first entered the tug, she’d been told about its disproportionately large and complex engine. She saw it and thought it looked like a piece of art, drawn by an endlessly logical mind. She struggled to service it, even during simple repairs. It turned out that even Brynn found these particular repairs baffling. What Pan wouldn’t give for the lean but muscular Liti engineer that came to the waypoint two times out of every five service trips.

As Brynn floated back and forth, squeezing through tight spaces, Pan moved her head side to side, following the ghost.

“What’s she doing?” Irini asked.

“She doesn’t know,” Pan answered.

Brynn’s voice echoed across the engine room. “It wasn’t my idea to use a tug. That’s all you had.”

“Did you hear something?” Irini gave Pan a worried glance.

“I did, in fact, hear a ghostly complaint,” Pan said. “What did you hear?”

Irini looked around the engine room. Her mouth fell open, and she looked close to tears.

“It’s just Brynn.” Pan gestured to the place where Brynn’s ghost wove among the pipes.

Irini nodded. “But, she’s a reaper.”

Brynn snaked closer. Her red pinprick eyes peered through a forest of pipes. Pan couldn’t tell if Brynn was happy or not. In any case, she looked sinister, but Pan wouldn’t share that information with Irini.

“She can’t hurt you.” Pan frowned. “And, even alive, she wouldn’t have tried. You survived your arcanemorphosis, so Brynn would have let you be.”

“She killed a lot of people though – kids like you. And, you’re afraid of her.” Irini curled tight and hugged herself.

“Yeah,” Pan said drearily. “I still think about it sometimes.” Without raising her gaze, Pan called to Brynn. “Do you need more time to figure it out?”

“As it happens, I do.” Brynn flowed through the pipes, running like water. “You don’t want to stick around?” Brynn collected herself and reformed. She stopped at Pan’s side.

Because Brynn was so close, Pan looked up and up. “I was thinking of sleeping for a little while. Me, Aria, and Irini.”

“Go ahead. Go sleep. I’ll wake you when I have this figured out. Leave me the manual open.”

Pan put tools on the corners of the manual, a single laminated page. She got to her feet and nearly bumped her head. “Come on. She’s going to figure it out, and we can sleep.”

Pan and Irini ducked and climbed over pipes till they reached the ladder. Pan grasped a rung, but Irini nudged her out of the way. Irini wanted to go first. She climbed fast, slipping a couple of times.

“Careful. You might join her if you fall and break your important bits.”

Irini slowed but continued to move forward. She cleared the top of the ladder and pulled herself into the living quarters. Pan followed. Once she made it up, she closed the compartment. Brynn didn’t need it open, and Pan didn’t want to fall into the open hole.

When Pan straightened, she saw Irini in front of the shower door – Aria too.

Aria was wet, having just showered. She’d also changed clothes, probably to wash the carcinogenic miasma off her person. Aria crossed to the tiny kitchen. She opened the cupboards, pulled something out, and got busy. Pan watched a little longer and realized Aria made tea, with a kettle and a teabag. Pan didn’t realize she’d even stocked tea bags. She hoped they weren’t from the previous watcher, but then again, Aria would be able to tell their age…maybe.

“Were those mine?” Pan asked.

“No, I got them from my bag. I just put them in the cupboard while I showered.” Aria didn’t bother to turn around.

Our relationship is damaged. No stupid picture was going to save it.

Irini touched the shower door. “I want to shower. Do you think she’ll watch me?”

Pan narrowed her eyes. “No. Brynn wasn’t a pedophile, just a murderer. She’s busy anyway.”

Irini stared.

Pan gestured to the shower. “Go ahead. It’s safe.”

Irini got in. It took her a bit of time to start the water, but once it did, Pan turned to Aria.

“You won’t go back to your waypoint, will you?” Aria asked.

Pan shook her head.

Aria held her cup, and steam rose from it. She waited to drink. “Then, you should come home.”

“We already had this conversation. I’m not going to do it again.” Pan crossed the short space and slid into the booth.

“I’m there. Your things are there. All of the plants and places you love. You can’t have found new places and people working on a nursing ship or a waypoint station. You are utterly isolated. Come home.” Aria took a drink. When she put down her cup, she added, “Oh, don’t forget Sotir. He’s home too.”

“Well, not at the moment.” Pan placed her hands over Aria’s and sent healing energy.

She closed her eyes and focused on Aria’s nerves first. Pan had healed many people during her time on the Last Cruise, though she wasn’t supposed to. It was a battle against death after all, completely pointless and impossible to win.

“It’s just like when Chara or one of the other healers do it,” Aria said.

Pan kept her eyes closed. “Minus the line of desperate people ahead of you.”

“That’s true.” Aria remained still. “So, you’re coming back?”

“I’m distracting you actually. I’m also apologizing for making you touch the offending ship parts. I thought I’d scrub you clean.” Pan sent general healing Aria’s way, since she didn’t know how to target potential toxins.

“Thank you, Pan. It’s very gold of you.”

Pan made a noise of disgust but didn’t break off her healing.

The shower water cut off, and Irini moved around inside. Pan glanced over and saw the girl’s silhouette dressing at top speed. Then, Irini stumbled out and glanced from side to side.

“How fast was I?”

“It’s a record.” Pan withdrew her hands from Aria’s. “Need some healing?”

“No, I’m fine right now, but maybe later.” Irini looked back at the tug’s bed. “Hey, who gets to sleep in the one giant bed? It takes up the whole room.”

“You guys each take a side. The middle is mine.” Pan pointed at the exact spot she wanted.

Irini walked the hall. Once she reached the doorframe, she hopped onto the bed and crawled to her side. She disappeared from view. “Can I move the creepy doll?” she called.

“Yes, just put her in the kitchen.” Pan walked to the shower. “Better sleep.” She nodded towards Aria. “Take the other side.”

“I’m going to drink a bit longer. Then, I’ll go to sleep.” Aria looked into her cup and brought it to her lips slowly.

Pan entered the shower. She’d forgotten to use the head, but Pan would let it pass. She didn’t want to exit and find the toilet. Aria might try to beg her to return to Scaldigir…again.

Pan threw off her clothes. At that moment, she remembered Irini’s fear of peeping Brynn. Pan also remembered she forgot a clean outfit. She wasn’t afraid of Brynn peeping, but those men who’d tried to hitch a ride in her body certainly left an impression. Pan rubbed her shoulders. Now, she was naked, so very naked.

Pan sighed and started the water.

The ghosts at the factory couldn’t get her. They belonged to the decrepit building, and the anniversary of their fateful day passed slowly by.

Brynn wouldn’t come to peep. Well, maybe to deliver some bad news. Maybe, they didn’t have the right kind of screwdriver. Pan would scream that she was naked. Brynn would say something about how her soul was naked, without its living body. It would be awkward.

No, if anyone would sneak a peek at her, it would be Sotir. He wasn’t present, but if they didn’t get a move on, he had a chance to find her. Pan didn't know how she could get away. She couldn’t go to her waypoint. She couldn’t drag Aria and Irini all over the galaxy. They had their lives. She needed to drop them somewhere safe, steal the tug, and find a new place to hide.

With an outstretched hand, Pan felt the water’s temperature. It was hot. She stepped inside.

As she showered, Pan zoned out. She tried not to think about Brynn or Sotir. She didn’t dwell on Aria’s loneliness, or her own. Instead, Pan planned a drawing. Perhaps of Irini’s golden thread. Pan imagined several compositions. She could make a horrifying image of Irini, tangled in golden thread and surrounded by ghosts. No. Irini would hate that. Pan should have the golden thread lead Irini to a mountain of cake. Maybe a closed door, a curious Irini, and a golden thread that led under the crack to a fantasy world, filled with food and sparkling things. With a smile, Pan rinsed the last soap from her hair.

All washed, she crossed her arms and just stood under the water. She stared down at her feet. A shadow crossed the frosted glass, and Pan looked up. Aria’s shadow moved beyond the paper-thin partition that separated shower from the rest of the living area. Aria headed for bed. Pan was alone.

Why not think about Sotir? I could…

Pan uncrossed her arms and reached below. She froze. She should sleep. She could play with herself later.

With an abrupt twist, Pan ended the shower. She dried herself between the frosted glass and the partition. Then, she opened the door and searched for all of her companions. After a glance left and right, Pan made the five steps to her closet, grabbed something, and threw it over her head. As she let the dress fall around her ankles, she shivered.

Pan crawled on to the bed and tried not to disturb her friends. She found Floof in Irini’s arms, and Aria hugged a colorful herbivore. Pan didn’t have anything soft left for herself. She sought her place at the middle, slid beneath the covers, and worried she’d be awake for a long time. Within three minutes, she fell asleep.

Wake up!

Pan groggily opened her eyes. The world shook, or she should say her tug shook. She looked up and saw Brynn, hovering in the air space over the bed. Nearby, Aria mumbled some confused words, and Irini whimpered and cried out to the Mother Tree.

“You have a certain military minded visitor,” Brynn said. “I’m afraid he’s got you.”

Pan’s eyes widened. Their ship still needed repairs. If Pan wanted to escape Alban and Sotir, she would have to use her ill-gotten powers.