The Rain: The End by Marietta Standlee (good summer reads TXT) 📕

that we might never again be able to experience the peace and safety we took for granted a year ago. This war will go on and on and on.

A small smile plays around the edges of my lips, and I try hard to hide it. The problem is my heart is not beating faster because of fear or aversion. No, the sweet notion of anticipation sets down in my stomach and makes my blood hum. There will be battles, chances to avenge what they did to us. And my whole body is starting to vibrate in anticipation of it. I look up at Colin and see the same gleam in his eyes. Blake is right; we're psychos.

Don't get me wrong, I would gladly go back a year ago and have none of this happen, have my family back. But it happened. We weren't given a choice in what the Gorongiath did to us.

If I could, I would want to be that girl again, the one that was making moon eyes at Ryan (shudder), if that meant none of this would have ever happened.

But we live in another reality, and in that reality, I became a different person. No matter if I was meant to be her or not, here I am. And honestly, for the most part, I like who I have become. And any chance I get to stick it to the aliens, I will take. My hate for those creatures goes so deep that I would kill every single one of them if I could, no quarter given. And I know that Colin feels the exact same way. Maybe that's why we are so good together.

Chapter 5

A couple of hours later, Briggs takes us back to Fort Lewis. Even before we landed, we saw the gigantic spaceship on the runway, taking up most of the tarmac. My eyes are wide like a kid's on Christmas morning.

"What is that?" I whisper, impressed.

"That is a space explorer," Briggs answers with awe in her voice.

"A what?" Colin asks.

Briggs lands our much smaller ship, and we leave it quickly. As we get closer to the space explorer, a wave of awe washes through me; I've never seen anything like this before. It's not as big as the space station I was held captive on, but it's a close second. It dwarfs us as we approach.

While we walk around the massive structure, we reach a ramp. At the top, by the space explorer's entrance stand, Professor Dunn, Astrid, and Sven. In deep conversation with several Gorongiaths. When they notice us, they wave us up, but even without the invitation, we would have made our way up; this is something you don't see every day. Even in our new constantly changing world.

"Hey, guys. What is all this?" I greet.

Astrid moves away from the others, surprising me with a hug. Since we buried the hatchet a while ago, we've gotten along a little better, but there is still something about her that raises my hackles. I try to be nice, though.

"I'm so glad I got to see you before we left," she says with a gleam in her eyes.

"Left?" I parrot.

She nods eagerly. "We're going into space!"

Sven walks over to us and puts an arm around his sister. "Good to see you." he greets.

"Hi, Sven." I get out.

"Professor." Colin meets Dunn as he joins us.

"She's a beauty, isn't she?" It takes me a second before I realize the Professor is talking about the spaceship.

Since nobody seems to want to enlighten me, I ask again, used to this kind of behavior from the nerds by now and proud of my ability to keep my temper in check. "What's going on?"

"The Gorongiaths gave us this ship to explore space. It's our hope to find another, more suitable planet for their flower, so they'll leave Earth and us alone." Professor Dunn explains.

"Wow!" I say eloquently, momentarily robbed for words.

"When was that decided?" Colin asks.

Dunn looks a little uncomfortable, realizing he probably circumvented several chains of command with his little project. "Well…. I talked with Ka a while back, and he generously offered us the use of one of his ships. Under the condition that when we find a planet, it will be his."

"Of course, he did," Colin mumbles dryly.

"You have heard that Ka is not to be trusted?" I affirm.

Astrid nods, "Yes, we're aware. But if we find another planet, that will help us, right? No matter who gets to keep it?"

Colin and I exchange a glance. She's right; it wouldn't matter, as long as they stopped growing the godforsaken plant here. I remember Ka telling me about other planets that might be suitable, but too far away. That was before things started to change, though. So, who knows, right?

Astrid's eyes hold a gleam I've never seen before on her as she grabs my arm and pulls me with her. "Do you want a tour?"

Her enthusiasm is contagious, and I laugh happily, before another thought stops me and turn towards Colin. "Do we have time?"

He shrugs, "We'll make it; this is something else."

"Right?" Astrid beams.

The tour takes almost two hours, and still we haven't seen the entire ship. Gorongiaths and humans mingle about as if there is no war going on between our species. I observe them working or standing together, deep in conversation.

Is that all, that divides our species, a common goal? A common purpose? I wonder. Before I dismiss that thought. Under no circumstances, can I ever see our races get along, despite the evidence right in front of my eyes. A deep dark thought enters my mind and makes me smirk, despite how sick it is. I wonder, if the scientists from both races, even right now, eye each other, trying to figure out how to dissect the other.

Colin notices my smirk and gives me a curious glance, but I shrug my shoulders, I don't think our tour guides would appreciate my dark sense of humor.

"The President sent some of his top-notch scientists to accompany