The day we had to leave to the Narval House, it was raining like crazy. Was that some sort of foreboding for the mission?

We all gathered in the Nexus hangar, cramming our stuff onto the spaceship. Stella's children had come to farewell her. Two twin girls with the same straight black hair as her. They were playing with their yellow umbrellas as if they were swords, not seeming to be worried by the fact her mother would leave them. They shouted, ran, and rolled on the ground but Stella ignored their chaos. She was busy double-checking the laser equipment and placing it in the spaceship.

Beverly, on the other hand, came alone. She had her head inside the aircraft hood, playing with the engine since apparently, she had heard a wired noise once she tried to fire it up. She had a pair of brown gloves peeking out from her pocket, and she'd woven her curly hair into two small braids.

Since we were heading to the Narval House, they'd hit us up to see if we could grab some combustibles for their spaceships along the way. So there I was, loading up the spaceship with them. Damn, those things were heavy as hell.

I passed next to Heather, who was admiring the other spaceships in the hangar. I'd forgotten how much she loved them. I wished we were on better terms because I was dying to tell her all the things I had learned about thoes stunning machines. But, maybe in another reality.

One of Stella's daughters swung the umbrella like a katana, bonking her sister on the head.

"How dare you!" She yelled, while her sister just giggled away. They chased each other until one of them slipped and fell, dropping the umbrella.

"I've got you, you can't escape!" Her sister said while raising her umbrella.

The other twin shielded her head with her hands assuming her fate. But right before the umbrella landed on her, Heather swooped in, blocking the strike with the fallen umbrella.

"Never give up." She said to the girl on the floor who looked at her in amazement.

"When you're unarmed, you gotta rely on your wits and agility." She explained to her while the other continued to push the umbrella against Heather's. "Look, she's leaving her arms wide open. That's your chance to..." Before she could finish, the girl jumped on her sister like a bear. They both ended up rolling on the ground, laughing.

"Well, I guess that's another tactic." Heather chuckled, shaking her head.

I couldn't help but smile at the cute scene of the three of them. I had never seen Heather interact with kids before, she seemed so patient and tender with them. She caught me looking and I immediately gazed away.

"Behave girls."  Stella said.

They both stopped running and turned to their mother. "Okay, Mom."

"What's this?" one of them asked, her finger hovering over the laser guns nestled in the safe box.

Stella sighed, her brow furrowing. "Nothing for you to worry about. Don't touch it."

"But I want one!" The girl protested.

"Mum, can we fly a spaceship someday?" The other one asked.

"I'd rather ride a hoverbike!" Her sister interjected.

"Can I come on the mission with you?" One said raising the umbrella, ready to fight. "I bet there are fairies on the other side!"

"Faries? Seriously? I think they'll find trolls!" Said the right one.

The conversation spun out of control, the girls' voices overlapping.

"Girls, slow down, please," Stella finally managed to interject.

The door of the hangar opened and Brooke came followed by Normand and Gabriel. Her gaze scanned us like a laser.

"Are we all done?" She said.

Beverly closed the hood and wiped away the sweat from her forehead. "This machine is in perfect state! Ready to rumble!" She said.

"Great, let's go then." Brooke ordered.

I jumped inside while Stella kissed her girls goodbye. Heather sat next to me in the back, and Brooke took the copilot seat next to Beverly, who was the driver.

Heather observed Stella and her kids through the window, concern across her face.

"I bet these two will flood Stella with one billion questions once she comes back." I said.

"That is if she comes back." Heather said.

I went cold. Heather looked away, her gaze lost and Stella hopped in.

"Gathered and good to go." Beverly confirmed ascending the spaceship softly in the air.

Both girls waved goodbye from the ground as the hangar doors opened, and we made our way through. I glanced down at the gardens of the Nexus Court.

"Ready to ascend to the sky lane 342." Beverly said.

But right before we did I spotted something on the entrance of the Nexus. Two guards were having a heated discussion with a young blond man who looked furious.

"What the hell is going on there?" Brooke said.

Wait. That blond man. It took me a couple of seconds to recognize him. It was... Erik.

"What the hell?" I said. Stella and Heather looked at me surprised by my sudden reaction.

Erik was yelling, kicking the fence, and swearing up a storm. He looked desperate to get inside the Nexus Court, but the guards were ready to boot him out.

"Stop! Please! Beverly, stop!" I yelled, fumbling to unlock my seatbelt.

"What?! Why?" She asked confused.

"Please stop, I have to get off. Just a minute. Stop, please!" I pleaded.

"Do you know that man, Grace?" Brooke asked me.

"Yes. Please, give me five minutes." I said.

Beverly glanced at Brooke, who nodded in confirmation. We descended and came to a stop, hovering five meters above the ground since there was no proper place to park. I opened the spaceship door and peered down. It was too high to jump.

"Grace, use this." Heather said, pulling out the emergency rope ladder. She secured it to the door of the spaceship and unfolded it, letting it roll down to where Erik was.

"Thanks." I said and Heather nodded in response.

"Come on, we can't wait here forever." Beverly said.

I went down the ladder as fast as I could and found Erik and the rest of the guards looking at me in awe. With tears in his eyes, he ran to me and we both melted in a warm hug.

"So that's all it takes?" he said "I just have to get furious to make you appear out of nowhere, falling from the sky? I should've known earlier!"

The comment made me smile, the corners of my lips collapsing with my tears.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't say goodbye to you Erik. So sorry." That is all I managed to say.

"You thought you could get rid of me so easily." He said.

"I would never want to get rid of you. You are all I have left."

"Come on!" Beverly yelled from up the spaceship.

"Please be safe," Erik said. "Don't try to be a hero, ok? I know you already are."

"I promise I'll be safe." I said.

"And... I brought something." He pulled a small package from his pocket. It was an envelope that had something inside bulging, but it was sealed with many traces of tape.

"What's this?" I asked.

"I don't even remember when I did it... My memory... Well... This is something for Michael. That's all I know." He said. "In case you find him... Will you give it to him?" He asked.

"Of course." I said while saving the gift in my pocket discreetly.

"Thanks, Grace" He said and we hugged once more.

"Thank YOU for coming." I said.

Beverly's voice interrupted our moment, "We need to go now!"

With a final squeeze, we broke the hug, and under Erik's watchful gaze, I ascended the ladder back to the spaceship.

As we soared higher and Erik shrank into a tiny dot amid the towering buildings of Reg Society, I felt torn to pieces, empty pieces, none of them belonging anywhere. Not anymore.

As a kid, I thought my place was the other side, and that this would never change. Naive of me. Then, as a Narval Officer, everything changed and I felt I could truly fit into the Reg Society. At least for a while. But after all that happened, after all that time...I felt like I had no home.

Would anything change when I set foot again on thoes lands scalded by acid rain? What would happen if I saw Michael again?

And Heather... She'd changed too and I felt like I knew a part of her that might not exist anymore. Will I ever feel close to her again?

We traveled in silence. Each of us deep inside our own thoughts.

"We're close ladies. First stop, The Narval House!" Beverly announced.

I looked through the window. There it was. The unforgettable training field, those familiar windows, that shiny silver flag at the entrance... A vault of memories. Some were deeply painful, while others... well... others were the most beautiful, heartwarming, and cherished memories I've ever held. And despite the scars, the anguish, and the fury, they were still there, tenderly cradled in the depths of my soul.

Author's Note:

Hey there! 😄

I've been really looking forward to getting to this part of the story... Going back to the Narval House after five years!! Have you ever gone back to a place you hadn't seen in ages? How'd it feel? I went back to my old childhood home after years, and I was shocked to see it was way smaller than I remembered! What about you?

Thank you so much for reading, it means the world to me! 💖

Ava💫