Racing against the clock, Mika detached them from the dock. Ava pushed the steering wheel forward. It trembled violently in her hands as the pod left the secured attachment. Tiny rocks hit the roof and sides—metal scratched the underbelly. A rumble passed beneath their shoes. For a second, she imagined dying.

The way they designed this pod, it was clear Zephyrus thought things out beyond his ship’s architecture. The exterior walls stuck out in a way that made it easy for objects and space rocks to puncture a hole. Basically, they were floating in a ball. Knowing this left an unsettling feeling in Ava’s stomach.

Breathe in… Breathe out…

She dove the pod deeper, unavoidably catching larger debris drifting from the ship. Mika tapped away on the control panel, bouncing away parts with the pod’s limited barrier. Ava pushed them further out into space, and as she did, she caught sight of the damage. It was worse than she imagined.

Like a kebab, a red ship was speared through one of the engines. Its sharp exterior and high-tech vibe were iridescent and memorable. And there was no mistaking that emblem. With its arrow stamped across a circle and arrowhead pointing up right—that was a Mars warship.

A quake erupted through the walls as they grazed a destroyed pod, trembles moved her skull. Ava grasped the steering wheel tighter and maneuvered away. They were closing in on Earth’s gravity quicker than she expected.

Breathe in… Breathe out…

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Mika asked, his breathing shallow.

Ignoring him, Ava steered them further away, tossing and turning until it almost felt like she’d get seasick. She dove deeper in, whisking away at the last moment to avoid what debris she could. Each time Mika tapped on a few symbols. They were getting the hang of it. We can do this.

When they finally reached the outer wall of the rubble, Ava breathed a sigh of relief. They were much closer now. The blue marble took over the entire view of the windshield, shadowing the stars as they descended to Earth.

Breathe in… Breathe out…

Chunks of metal hit the right side. The pod jerked, ramming into more debris. Sirens and red lights flashed, sending the pod into a crazy mayhem. The straps held Ava down into the damn chair, roughly dug into her collarbone. This pain was nothing compared to what dying in space would be like. Her grip tightened as she maneuvered them out of there.

Mika’s hands flew across the glass panel as jagged metal passed by. Each finger tapped furiously on the lit symbols until finally they were welcomed by the calming silence. “You took out the barrier,” he nitpicked. “And put a large dent in the side. If we’re hit one more time, we’ll be sucked out!”

“Then it’s a good thing we’re past all of that,” she said, pointing back at the death trap.

His eyes narrowed. “All of that is coming straight behind us.”

Ava didn’t respond. She refused to get into an argument with him during re-entry, specifically because she might bite her tongue.

Her hands repositioned on the steering wheel for better support, while Mika set the automatic landing in place. Her skin paled, lighting with the flames from outside. The fire grew fearsome and screeched against the pods surface, jerked them about as they passed through dense clouds. Sparks ignited just outside the windshield. Ava’s breathing sped up. It felt like her lungs would burst.

Breathe in… Breathe out…

Metal fireballs flew by, shooting off into separate directions like scattering comets. Many fell straight towards their destination. The Earth closed in, swirling into blues and browns. A high pitch scrape ran across Mika’s side of the pod. It pierced their ears, forcing Ava to let go of the steering wheel to cover her head.

Vibrations overtook her body, overtook her mind. She wasn’t sure if that was the pods doing or her body was trembling from fear. Terrified. The debris ignited, making it excruciatingly hot—cooking them alive. I should have put on a fucking space suit!

The ceiling broke apart and separated into the sky, exploding on the crust.

A cool relief instantly overcame Ava for a brief second. Then fear.

The wall ripped apart on her right. Her hair whipped back, violently pulled at her skull as it tried sucking her out. Wind slapped her in the face. Electrics burned. The world screamed. Her thoughts blanked out.

I can’t feel.

I can’t breathe.

I can’t breathe!

Sand dunes spread out across the never-ending horizon. Mika’s fingers struggled above the glass panel. The pod jerked violently, ripping apart the left wall. The windshield shattered into pieces and sucked out into the raging inferno.

Mika smacked his hand down.

Ava’s shot into the air.

Her neck violently whipped forward, growing lighter and lighter as the seat slowed under the planet’s gravity. She was within the debris and had a picture perfect view of the entire world. The sunset had never looked so beautiful before. Its blood orange colors radiated off her skin, reflecting as starry rainbows on shards of glass.

She was floating.

The chair dropped. Her hair whipped back. Mika’s chair ejected. The pod burned, tearing apart until the last metal fragments were droplets in a storm. Thank the stars he made it out in time.

The ground fast approached. No parachute deployed. Ava couldn’t even find a switch to set one off. She frantically searched for something—anything. But there was nothing. Nothing. This was it. After all that. This was how she died.

Her fingers gripped the chair’s arms. Harsh wind stung her eyes, tried to force them closed, but she fought and watched the ground. She wanted to know when her death came.

A sticky substance foamed over her fingers, over her skin. It gurgled from the chairs edges, turning white into neon pink and rapidly grew to her chin. It covered her entire body in a luxury bath, hardened into a rubber ball, until every drop formed into one giant bubble.

Ava held her breath as the gunk pressed in. It kept her firmly against the seat. Foam pushed its way into her mouth—into her nose. It tasted like soap and had the disgusting scent of licorice. It brought the dead of silence and squeezed her lungs closed.

She couldn’t hear her screams.

The ball rammed into the planet. Sand exploded on impact, spreading out like a shield of its own. Ava bounced and bounced and grew dizzier by the second, traveled across the dunes and into the furthest trenches of the Sahara Desert.

The ball rolled from side to side until it came to a complete stop. She was upside down. Every part of her… exhausted. She could barely think, let alone breathe normally. Even as the foam dissipated and seeped into the dry sand, she felt as if a heavyweight pressed on her. It was hard to move her arm, let alone one finger.

Who knew Earth’s gravity could be such a bitch.

A whistle pierced through the sky. Another pink ball flew towards a dune not far behind. Mika. She had to get to him. She couldn’t give up now. Not when they were so close to finding out the truth.

Ava unbuckled the straps and collapsed to the sand. She staggered to her feet, one foot in front of the other. Her legs shook so much it felt like it would never stop. Her fingers dug into the burnt orange sand. She crawled the dune, she climbed, she walked. Ran. She pushed further until she stood at the highest peak.

Meteors showered across the sky and into the distant horizon, shifting the land under their heavy impact. Some were red, others burned under a hot scorching flame. A dust cloud settled on top of a short dune a yard away, and like its hideous color, the white seat stood out like a sore thumb.

Ava took off running down the sand, sliding half the time. Her shoe caught a hidden scrap of metal. She tumbled like a rag doll until she rolled and ran again. Mika climbed his way out of the seat, shook his black hair of sand. The sight of him made her run faster.

He struggled to his feet and used one hand to lean on his knee for support. As Ava kept running, he ran a hand across the bottom of his shirt. He made sure it was tucked in, still. I can’t believe he’s worried about that at a time like this.

“Mika!” Ava called out and jumped over more debris. “Mika!”

His gaze quickly found her, and it was not long after, he staggered in her direction. Mika ran, not teleported. He used too much energy even for that low leveled ability. This wasn’t good. I need to get to him.

Flames seared through the skyline above, colliding with the dunes. They shook the ground, sharp hand-sized metal flew over the vicinity. Mika stumbled and fell back onto the slope. His whole torso moved up and down as if he couldn’t get enough oxygen into his lungs. Ava picked up the pace and slid the rest of the way down.

Once she hit the bottom, she ran as fast as she could up to Mika. It felt like it took forever to reach him, and when she did, she barely had time to take his hand. A meteor hit the dune behind them. Sheer violent force shook the world. Twisted metal debris rained all around—whites and reds.

Mika gripped her back and Ava burrowed into his body.

Soft, feathery hair brushed her cheek. He breathed her in. His heat was cool compared to the sands when it should be just as hot if not hotter. When the violent shakes descended, Ava placed a palm on his forehead. His skin was clammy—he shivered.

She pulled away hoping to find life left in his gaze. He laid in the sand, wistfully gazing into her eyes. There was a captivating spark, and past all the sandy dust, he had a lopsided grin. “Your driving is horrible,” he whispered.

She pursed her lips. “Give me a break. It was my first time driving in space.”

His eyes opened wider. “Are you kidding me?” When she didn’t answer, he took that as a no. “I can’t believe this. You’re really insane!”

He laughed and laughed as if life had jumped back into his body. Ava was so thankful to hear this brat's laughter. A smile spread on her cheeks, both out of relief and annoyance. Mostly out of relief. We made it home. We’re alive. And we’re together.

Mika weaved fingers through her hair, gentle and caressing. His eyes darkened beneath the burning horizon, chilled her to the bones. Yet, Ava yearned for his touch, for this wild sensation that had been plaguing her since she woke up on that damn ship.

He brought her into a passionate kiss, and Ava froze.

They were so close, he pulled her even closer to his body—to his lips. Her chest pressed onto his, tingled at the touch. Mika’s hands were warm and calloused. And for some reason Ava focused on that—not his lips, but how rough his hands felt on her skin.

It’d be easy to push him away. He was weak, beneath her, she had the upper hand, yet… she hesitated. She wanted this when she shouldn’t. That moment became her undoing, because the longer she let him kiss her, the more she gave in.

Ava kissed him back as Mika consumed her soul.

A loud explosion erupted through the sky. You’d think the heavens were calling upon their own war. The tip of a white space ship peeked out of the thick clouds with Primordial’s infinity logo branded across the top. It’s colossal-sized engines broke apart and greeted them once more on Earth.

They sat up, holding hands. Sand trembled beneath their shoes. An explosion rang through the clouds. Heavy shards of debris rained from Zephyrus’ ship, exploding across the dunes, heading straight for them.

The destruction was so beautiful and daunting Ava had to shake Mika out of his stupor. “We need to leave,” she said.

Mika grasped her shoulder. “I’ll take us home.”

“No! I need to go to The Disco Club.” She took his face between her hands, trying to get him to understand. “Harry is the only one who can unlock this disc. This might be my only chance to find out what I am.”

Mika said nothing.

Zephyrus’ ship crashed into the Sahara Desert. Earth shattering quakes erupted across the terrain and up her whole body. Flames roared as hellfire sought vengeance upon the world. It sucked the life out of her lungs. This was the beginning of the end.

A giant sand cloud folded in, roaring under a galloping speed. Ava grabbed Mika by the collar. “Please. Just trust me this once,” she pleaded.

She knew they should go home. She knew they should report back to Marc. She knew Mika didn’t have that much energy left, but she was willing to risk it all for this. Please.

They left the desert storm and arrived on a cobblestone road, worn and beaten, that led to an old castle and a pair of frowning masquerones. The Disco Club. Its sign brightened as the sun set in the distance. Random electrifying music buzzed through the air from a warm-up session no doubt.

Mika collapsed in Ava’s arms. He was too heavy to hold upright and she was too weak. She fell to her knees, dug her flesh into stone. His breath came out in heavy waves on her neck and felt icy cold—nearly as cold as Darious, if not more. She wasn’t sure who trembled more, him or her.

I’m terrified.

“Help,” Ava gasped out, each word grew louder the longer they sat on the ground in the winter frost. “Help. Someone help us. I need help! Help!”

One door cracked open. Lime green hair poked out before the bodyguard appeared. He squinted his eyes against the blinding sun until they went wide in shock. The door flew open so fast, it smacked against the brick building. He hurried over.

“He’s used too much energy. We need to get him a med kit!” Ava quickly said.

Without a word, the bodyguard swung Mika over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. His head hung limp over the bodyguards back and groaned in pain. He had just enough energy to reach out. Ava held his hand. Thank the stars he’s still awake.

They hurried up the stairs and to the couches. Long grass circled the stout legs. He set Mika down as Ava ran to the bar. Kay was busy cleaning, moving her hips to the sound check. Ava smacked the bar top and Kay jumped. “I need your energy pouches. Now!”

Wide-eyed, Kay dove under the counter. Metal clanged on the decadent tile. Glass shattered moments later. She cursed. “You!” Kay said to the worker stocking shelves. “Go to the cellar. A gray plastic box is hiding under the oldest wine we’ve got. There should be energy pouches inside. Get it and bring it here!”

Ava hurried back to Mika as Kay disappeared. He had laid down, eyes gently closed as if he were dreaming a peaceful dream. Not a beauty, but a sleeping prince.

She smacked him in the face.

Mika groaned, squinting his eyebrows together. “Don’t you dare fall asleep on me, Brat,” she said, voice shaking. “You need to stay awake… stay awake…”

Her legs wobbled, giving way to the fatigue. She collapsed on a small patch of grass. Her whole body shook uncontrollably as reality set in. This might be the end. It didn’t matter who did it, taking down Zephyrus’ ship was an act of war since it landed on Earth.

What have I done?

Mika gently placed a hand on her head. She took his hand and pressed it close, she felt safer with him. There was still a sliver of life left in his eyes and warmth on his palm. Sand covered his face under a thin layer and tumbled into the cracks of the yellow couch.

She just needed to concentrate on Mika. She needed to make sure he was okay first. It was times like this when she felt useless. If she could control her abilities, control her weapon, then he’d be fine. If there were a way to give him some of her energy, she’d do it in a heartbeat. I can’t lose him, too.

Kay crouched beside her with the gray box in hand. She snapped it open quickly, and tossed out all kinds of goodies and treats until she unburied clear pouches full of sloshy pink liquid. Ava snatched a pouch out of the box and stabbed a glass tube into the top hole.

She pressed the tube to Mika’s lips. “Drink this. It'll give you some energy.”

Weakened, he could hardly take a sip. She opened his mouth and squeezed the liquid inside. He immediately hacked and coughed and sat up. He burned her with a hot glare, but that was a good sign. It meant he was recovering.

“Drink,” Ava said, shoving the pouch back in his face. He took it, but he used her hand to help squeeze the juice out until every drop was gone. With a smirk, he motioned for another one and she rolled her eyes.

Kay frantically whispered, “Girl, what the hell happened to you? You look like shit. Gio and Josh came barging in here. And Marc was practically begging me to call him if you ever showed up.”

Marc. Her heart dropped. It'd only been a few days since he rejected Ava and she already moved on. There was too much going on right now. She didn't have time to gather her thoughts, let alone sort out her feelings. And that kiss with Mika… her mouth tingled.

Kay touched Ava’s arm when she didn’t respond. “Did you call him?” Ava asked, but Kay said no. “Good. I need you to do me a solid.”

Keeping a close eye on Mika, Ava pulled out the royal blue folder from inside the blazer. There were red droplets diluting the top, but everything else looked intact. “I need you to give this to Josh. He’ll know what to do with it.”

Kay snorted. “If I can find him. He’s been looking all over the planet for you two,” she said, but took it anyway.

“That’s probably a good thing. I need a head-start,” Ava said. “I need to see Harry. Can you watch Mika for me?”

Mika gripped the upper part of the couch. “I’m okay. I can make it downstairs.”

“You can barely sit up.”

“Then I’ll use the wall as support,” he said, sharpening his gaze over her shoulder. “I’d rather be in the basement than be under the scrutiny of these watchful eyes.”

Ava looked back. When did it get so quiet? The music had stopped. The neon lights had vanished. Workers hovered nearby, whispering to their friends behind a hand. People had their phones out. She never felt this exposed before and so very pissed off.

“Hey!” Kay snapped at the onlookers. “I’m not paying you to gossip. Go back and do your jobs. And I better not catch any of you taking pictures either!”

A few giggled. It ticks Kay off. Before she could snap again, they dispersed into their own areas and work loads.

Mika struggled to stand. His whole body trembled so furiously, he was forced to use the couch as support. But it wasn’t enough. He fell into Ava and this time she caught him.

His arm draped over her shoulder, securing his heavyweight in place. Once her arm went around his waist, he leaned further in. They were so close, the scent of lemons exploded off him as if someone dowsed him in an expensive cologne. Red tint leaked between the lines of the brown in his eyes, wanting to desperately break free.

He glanced at her lips and she smiled. He was thinking about it, too.

Kay shoved a pink pouch between their faces. The liquid sloshed as Kay shook it. She lifted a thin eyebrow, flickering her curious eyes between Mika and Ava.

“Drink these. You're as pale as a ghost.” She tossed a hand-woven blanket over their shoulders. “And this to warm you up.”

Without a word, Ava took the pouches and left for the basement.