It had been a month and a half since the funeral as the summer sun trickled into Marie’s room at the Germain’s house. Marie was painting. It wasn’t good. Her dad bought her a canvas and an easel, because her therapist suggested some artistic expression, no matter how bad.

On her desk was her class schedule for the fall. Her dad suggested she wait another year, but Marie wanted to at least try. It was hard enough re-taking her freshman year. She didn’t want to wait longer.

She tested out of algebra, finally, and surprised herself by landing in a pre-calc class with Albert. She was the most excited to take chemistry this year. Percy was going to teach it. He and his family had gotten an apartment closer to Presley High for an easier commute. It also opened up more room for anyone who needed a place off the streets.

She was also going to take a drawing class. Mr. Ross was a pretty fantastic teacher. And judging by the portrait she was finishing, she needed a bit more guidance in her art. She wanted to do whatever she could do to appease the pain.

Billy popped his head in the door as Edgar and Albert waited behind him. “Hey, Marie.”

Marie ushered them in before she finished painting the leg of the easel and stepped aside. Billy approached her, studying the painting closely. She didn’t know why. Everything was black. The entire canvas, front and back, covered in black paint. There was nothing else on there. Even the easel it was standing on was black. Marie set down her paint and brushed her hands. “I’m calling it Grief.”

Billy nodded. “I like it.”

Edgar gave a nod of approval. Marie tried to smile, but found she couldn’t. Albert gave her a hug.

“Ugh, I’m covered in black paint,” Marie said.

“I don’t care,” he said.

Marie hugged him close before giving him a kiss. Billy passed her a ticket, laminated and on a lanyard.

“What’s this?” Marie asked.

“You have a seat reserved for my senior project,” Billy said. “It’s not for another two years. Don’t feel obligated to come if you’re not ready. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy, after all.”

“We’ll see how I am in two years,” Marie said, looking at the lanyard. She gave him a curious look. “Have you been alright? Working on a tragedy?”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s been therapeutic. Though I’ve been working on a comedy on the side as well,” Billy wasn’t smiling. “Sometimes there are nights where I just need to work on something happy.”

Marie gave him a side hug, which Billy turned into a full hug. She let him, because that’s what friends did.

Edgar was still admiring Marie’s painting. “It’s the best I could do with my skill,” she said sheepishly.

As she came closer, she saw tears in Edgar’s eyes. “It’s beautiful.”

They talked a little more before they left. Albert had another medical professional check up with Alice, and Edgar and Billy were going with some friends they’d met at the internship.

Marie glanced out the window. The wall was almost completely taken down on this side of the city. There were other houses being built just past the farmlands. It was a beautiful August day, and fall would be coming soon. She needed to enjoy the warm days while they were still here. It was another thing her therapist had suggested. She hadn’t left the house much.

She walked to the dinning room where her dad was working on a lesson plan. They offered him his old job back as a middle school science teacher, but he declined it for a middle school position closer to Presley High. Her dad never gave the reason, but she had a suspicion it was so he could be at Presley as quickly as possible if Marie needed him to be there.

Sophie was at the end of the table, writing a letter to her parents. She finished the back of the first page and was writing a second. Sophie gave Marie a smile, and Marie again tried to smile back. Marie’s dad stood up, encompassing Marie in a hug and kissed the top of her forehead.

“I want to go on a walk,” she said.

He nodded. “I’ll come with you.”

Marie didn’t argue. She had a hard time being by herself without having panic attacks. At least her dad could guide her to a quiet place if she started to panic on the streets.

The warm summer air was inviting, coaxing Marie to not feel so many negative emotions. They walked through the gate of the Official’s homes, and Marie saw a discarded sign from a protest. Her chest started to tighten before her dad left to pick it up.

“Haven’t seen one of these in a month,” he said, tearing it up and throwing it in the garbage. Marie didn’t bother to read it. The last riot wasn’t nearly as big or lasted nearly as long. That alone had given her a small glimmer of hope.

Marie watched as people moved about, some singing, some talking. It would still take a bit for her to get used to the singing, but when she thought about Presley High and the incoming freshmen, she wouldn’t mind being a backup dancer to one of their frightened first-day-of-school songs, and to make sure no one was eating lunch alone in the bathroom. Marie wanted to make sure someone was looking out for them. Freshman year had to be the hardest year of high school.

“It’s a beautiful day,” her dad said.

“It is.” If I could have punched Josef in the face, Abe could have experienced this day too.

The pain was still there, a constant throb in a section of her heart. Her dad gave her shoulder a squeeze as they approached the abandoned place where the hobos used to live. They were going to tear down the barn soon and turn it into a park. Lincoln Memorial Park if Marie had her way. The city needed a few more parks for children to play in.

Marie heard a rustling sound and turned. Someone was leaning over a dumpster. Her dad’s hand tightened around Marie’s wrist, and Marie understood the panic that took hold of him. Despite how strong her dad had been these past few months, he had his own regrets about that day he was working through. Her dad rarely let her out of his sight. Marie often found him sleeping on a cot right outside her room. At first she thought it was to help her through the nightmares, but she hadn’t had one in a week, and he still remained right outside her door.

School was going to be difficult for both of them.

Marie didn’t feel panic. Instead she was struck with a memory of the first time she’d seen Nik. It was crazy that Nik had been hiding in plain sight the whole time. Marie frowned as the gentleman scooted out of the dumpster.

It was Nik.

Nik was doing the exact same thing she had seen him do many months ago. Her mouth dropped open as she saw him studying a toaster before putting it in a bag. He tightened the strings over the bag before he threw it over his shoulder and started walking. Marie stared at him. She should have called out to him, but she was still surprised that he was there. Her dad, too, simply stared. Nik’s eyes rested on them, and realization dawned on his face. “Oh. Hello.”

“What are you doing here?” Marie asked.

Nik glanced away as he shifted his grip on the strap of his backpack. “Searching for parts.”

There was a silence between the three of them. Marie wanted to grab him and take him back to the Germains, to show Sophie Nik was fine, but something made her pause.

“Hey, I’m sorry about your friend,” Nik said quietly. “He seemed like a great guy.”

The throb of pain pulled even harder. Marie gave a nod. It was all she could do.

“He died too young,” Marie’s dad said.

Nik’s face morphed into pain. “Too young.”

“President Arnold’s been arrested. You don’t have to hide anymore,” Marie said. “We’re at Sophie’s parents place right now. It’s big enough for you if you want to stay.”

Nik gave a small smile before he shook his head. “Thank you, but no. I don’t mean any offense, but I enjoy being on my own. Give Sophie my regards, though. Now that I know where you are, maybe I’ll visit from time to time.”

Marie played with the ends of her hair. “Yeah. She’d like that.”

Nik nodded. There was silence among the three of them. “And Tom? How’s he?”

Marie sensed a curiosity that stemmed from the idea that once, long ago, they had been friends. “He’s doing some community service instead of jail time,” Marie said. “His family is here in the city, and he’s working with a team of artistic people. He’s in contact with Sam and his wife Saca in the clearing. They’re working together to find the best way to connect the two places so it’s easier to travel between.”

Nik nodded. “Guess he’s not too old for something like that.”

Marie tried to smile, but smiling was difficult for her to consciously do. Nik looked like he was ready to leave, but paused. He brought his backpack around and opened it again, looting through the strange electronics inside before he pulled out something around the size of his thumb. “I was meaning to give this to someone. It might as well be you.”

He tossed the object towards Marie, who caught it. She studied the strange contraption, amazed at the handiwork. “What is it?”

“It’s a second prototype for the chip. It’s big, but I’m sure you can get a team of inventors together to get it smaller and work better. Tom might be able to help,” Nik said as he shouldered his bag again. Marie had been playing with the prototype. Nik smiled. “Tap it twice to turn it off or on.” Marie’s eyes widened before she tapped the device. It hummed to life. This opened up a ton of possibilities. “If anything, it gives more options than simply having the chip or not. It might be good to turn it off or on when you want.”

Marie looked up at Nik again. “I want you on the team, too. Are you sure you don’t want to stay with us? We could really use your help. The government would pay you a huge sum for this idea alone.”

Nik shook his head. “I helped cause the world to be in the situation it was in. The least I could do is give the rising generation something to help them not make the same mistakes. Peace takes work, and I believe you can do it.”

Nik wasn’t one to lie. Marie learned that much in the short time he spent with them. Marie tried to feel good about this, but it was another emotion that had a hard time feeling sincere. She cupped the invention in her hands. “Thank you, Nik.”

Nik gave her and her dad a short nod before turning around and heading down the street. Marie wasn’t sure if he was staying in Musical Land or going out among the other explorers. He was probably going to do his own thing.

Marie turned her face toward the afternoon sun to feel the warmth. There were still people out there who were afraid of her. There were also people coming from the clearing that would refuse to get the chip. She didn’t expect people to suddenly give up the anger and hate in their hearts overnight. But as the days stretched on and people opened up to the possibility that they had all been wrong, she could almost feel the energy in the city shift. She couldn’t focus too much on what others thought. She could only choose for herself what she wanted to do.

Her hands started to shake, and she handed the invention over to her dad. She didn’t want to break it. Her dad noticed her shaking hands. Marie tried to smile. “I’d like to go home now.”

He nodded, taking her shoulder and leading her back.

The breeze picked up, and Marie could faintly hear music. Someone was singing, something happy judging by the tone of the song. Marie turned to it, listening to what sounded like a child singing. It was full of hope and happiness. It didn’t feel too far away; something still within reach. Marie closed her eyes, turned her face toward the song, and hummed along.

The End