Derek sighed. “There are things that magic cannot fix,” he said. “But Jax and Hansa are okay with that. They said they’d adopt once they decide they’re ready to be parents.”
“Love prevails in the end,” Kailyn chimed in. “No matter what we do, we always end up together. We fight our way out of everything, tooth and nail, so we can be with the people we love most in this world. And if we can’t create new life together, there is always a soul somewhere out there, in desperate need of a home and a loving family. I guess that’s what keeps us standing, despite everything that the universe has hurled at us.”
“I agree,” Vivienne added. “It’s why The Shade functions the way it does. Why GASP is expanding. Why we manage to succeed at everything we do,” she said. “We’ve got love flowing through our veins, in a way.”
“Well, it’s that and the fact that we’ve already seen the worst in ourselves,” Lucas interjected. My father, sitting next to him, nodded in agreement, as did Claudia. “And we’ve decided that we can do better, that we can be better, and, most importantly, that we can do our damn best to stop others from making the same horrible mistakes we did.”
Many of our enemies had been reprehensible and impossible to change, in any way. In most cases, we had to destroy them in order to give the world a chance to survive. But in some wonderful exceptions, we managed to gain new friends and allies. Claudia, Lucas, and my father were just three examples.
The Shade was home to many creatures that had started out dark but had later changed their ways. And so were Eritopia and Neraka. Everywhere GASP left its mark, hope blossomed and a better future was made possible again.
Rose
A couple of days went by in blissful silence. Mom reached out once more after they landed, to tell me how incredible the place was and how much they were all loving it. She said Strava had turned Dad and the others into frolicking teenage kids again; they were all swimming, hunting, and exploring through the night and sleeping through the day.
I had eyes on the resort via the video feed that Jovi had connected to Corrine’s telescope. Whenever I looked at it, everything seemed peaceful. Black dots moved around occasionally, throughout the day, before they’d disappear for hours—my dad and the whole gang exploring the area.
Caleb, Ben, and River joined me in the Great Dome that morning to catch up on all GASP-related issues. After we’d heard from our parents when they landed, we’d all instantly relaxed. Frankly, I was more worried about traveling in a light bubble throughout the cosmos, than I was about our people relaxing on a relatively unknown planet. But, since everything was okay, my mindset had shifted to a more productive attitude.
“How is the selection going for Neraka’s shift change?” I asked Ben, who’d taken it upon himself to oversee all the screening processes. He’d spent half of the past couple of days on Calliope with Phoenix and Draven, just for that.
“Pretty smoothly, actually,” Ben replied. “We’ve already covered 20 percent of the positions. I think we’ll be done and ready by next week, if we keep this up.”
“This new generation of Shadians joining GASP has definitely helped,” River said. “They’re young, extremely capable, and eager to prove themselves.”
“Those are some of the qualities that make the selected candidates stand out, actually,” Ben said, flipping through some personnel files. “I’ve got a kid here, for example, one of the ten I’m due to screen tomorrow. He’s half vampire, half fire fae, which is, if I’m not mistaken, pretty unheard of. You know, since we, as vampires, don’t exactly react well to fire on our skin.”
“He was recently turned, wasn’t he?” Caleb asked, frowning as he motioned for Ben to give him the file. He checked the kid’s profile, then nodded. “Yeah. A year ago. He’s well-adjusted, too, and seems to have retained all his fae abilities. The amazing part is that this is the one vampire you can’t burn alive.”
“This is the first instance of a fae turning vampire successfully, right?” I replied, my heart throbbing with excitement.
“Pretty much, yeah,” Caleb said. “According to the notes in his file, he was warned of all the possible risks, yet he went ahead and did it anyway. I’m impressed.”
“It means that Caia and Vita can turn, too, if they want. Or Grace, right?” River asked.
I understood her vested interested in this topic, given that Caia and Vita were her granddaughters and possibly two of the most precious creatures in River’s entire existence. They’d floated the theory of fae turning vampire before—as we knew now, it was possible. It was just particularly risky for fae with a predominant fire ability.
“We can consider this a preliminary yes,” Ben replied. “But I think we should monitor this kid going forward and attempt a couple more transformations before we clear Caia and Vita for this. Maybe have Varga, Lenny’s brother, assigned with him?”
“I agree. Varga is strong and capable enough to keep the kid in check, if needed,” I said. “It’s one thing to try it on a human. But fae have different physiognomies and their genetic structures are literally out of this world. Vampirism stems from the Supernatural Dimension, but the fae belong to the In-Between. There are still many biological unknowns for us, especially when we conceive hybrids.”
Caleb chuckled softly. “You’re all still placing bets on what Voss will turn out to be, huh?” he replied, changing the subject. “My money’s on winged wolf, by the way.”
“If only!” Ben shot back. “I’m betting on Field’s Hawk genes. Aida, unfortunately, is only half wolf. Her genetic package may not be as influential as Field’s.”
I leaned back into my chair, crossing my arms and pursing my lips as I looked at my brother. He shrugged, raising his eyebrows at me.
“What?” he asked.
“There’s no other GASP business for us to talk about, is there?” I replied.
“Nope,” he said. “Everything is running smoothly. Everybody knows what they’re doing. I swear, I don’t understand why Dad was so reluctant to go on a vacation. GASP is running like a lean, mean, well-oiled machine.”
River laughed. “Derek just hasn’t been away from his GASP baby since he first founded it. He knew, deep down, that it would function just fine without him. He said so himself.”
“Yeah, and now he’s out on Strava, swimming, hunting, and doing whatever else you’re supposed to do while on a break,” I replied. “I’m willing to bet that, two weeks from now, they’re going to tell us they’re staying for another week or two.”
Ben chuckled softly, scratching the back of his head. “You know, Strava isn’t inhabited or owned by anyone. We might as well turn it into a resort planet, from top to bottom. Make it into a prime vacation destination.”
We all thought about it for a minute.
“For free?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Free for registered GASP members, maybe. The others could pay, in gold, money, or goods. Nothing exorbitant, but enough to help fund our space exploration operations. Think about it… We need certain materials to build our spacecrafts. We might as well capitalize on Strava.”
“That makes sense. I mean, there’s only so much that magic will cover on its own,” I replied. “We could build multiple resorts across the two main archipelagos, for example. Enough to bring in the numbers without having an impact on the planet’s environment. The revenue could totally fund some of the materials we need… Yeah, sounds good. I’m on board. Let’s work on a business plan over the next few days and have a proposal ready for Mom and Dad when they get back.”
“Draven’s still checking the Druid archives for info on Strava’s extinct population, right?” River asked Ben, who replied with a nod. “If nothing comes up, and it’s all clear, we could open a GASP base there, too. Heck, if it’s such an amazing place, we could consider it a potential second home, not just for us Shadians, but for any Eritopian or Nerakian who might be interested.”
Ben gave her a warm smile. “I knew I married the smartest gi
rl on Earth.” He kissed her softly on the lips. He shifted his focus back to me and grinned. “And we should definitely try Strava ourselves after our parents get back.”
“You’ve been itching to go since the kids mentioned it, huh?” Caleb asked.
“Absolutely!” Ben replied, making me chuckle. “You’ve seen the place. It’s fantastic! Let’s do this second-generation vacation next, then let Grace and Lawrence, Hazel and Tejus, and Yelena and Benedict do a third-generation round. We can take Pippa and Jeramiah and Victoria and Bastien, too.”
“Send all the Novaks to Strava, but in generational turns, so as not to overwhelm the planet, huh?” I shot back, outright laughing to the point of tears.
My brother had this way of stepping back and looking at the whole picture, then oversimplifying everything to best suit his narrative and his personal needs. That skill certainly came in handy during diplomatic meetings and negotiations with foreign supernaturals, but it didn’t really fly in the family.
“Pretty much, yeah,” Ben replied.
“Just say you want to do all kinds of crazy stuff without having the kids around,” I said, reminding him that I could see right through him. “I’m not going to scold you for it. I’m behind you 100 percent on this. We need a vacation of our own on Strava. No kids and no parents. No GASP and no Shade. Just us, the sand, the ocean, and the jungle, in a land far, far away.”
Ben crossed his arms, his lips stretching into a conspiratorial grin.
“See, this is why Mom was always afraid to leave the two of us alone for too long when we were kids,” he said. “When we put our minds to something and worked in tandem to achieve it, it spelled trouble for the Novaks.”
“Only, this time, we’re the smart and reasonable adults,” I said, laughing. “I think we can sell this as a feasible plan.”
Both Caleb and River nodded in agreement. It meant the world to me to know that our loved ones supported us on this and pretty much any other ambitious endeavor we took on. Ben and I had grown incredibly close over the years, and we’d been helping mom and dad run GASP for decades, now. The bigger it grew, the more work came to us, since there was only so much our parents could do over the course of twenty-four hours.
“We could even call Strava ‘the Second Shade,’” Caleb suggested.
Ben’s eyes lit up, and he made a quick note on the back of a file. “Writing this one down, putting it into the final presentation,” he muttered.
“Shall we start planning for our own half-month vacation, then?” River asked, eager to get ready for Strava. “I mean, in less than two weeks, our founders are coming back. Perfect timing for us to take their place.”
“We might as well!” Ben replied enthusiastically.
A vacation on Strava didn’t sound bad at all. We’d been at this for plenty of decades ourselves, as relentless and as dedicated as my dad. I, too, looked forward to some swimming under the moonlight, fresh blood by the firepit, and nothing but lush jungles to explore at night.
In the meantime, however, we had a multi-universal organization to run, a Shade to look after, and some peace missions to pursue. On top of that, we had some new places to explore. Those required extensive research and preparation, and, to be honest, were my favorite part of my role in GASP.
Sofia
Three days in and we were already practically unrecognizable. We didn’t even realize how much pressure had gathered between our shoulder blades until we kicked back with zero responsibilities. Derek and I couldn’t get enough of each other. We spent half of each day locked in our bedroom, rediscovering one another, as if for the first time. The other half was spent resting and practically oversleeping.
The nights were ours to do with as we pleased. We swam in the ocean at midnight, then went for a hunt in the jungle and spent time with our group around the firepit. After that, we went on trips around the island. The small boats came in handy, as we managed to cover tens of miles in a single venture.
Noagh was surrounded by thousands of other small islands, some just dry patches of white sand no bigger than our bedroom, while others boasted hills and mountains with rich greenery and deep jungles. We’d managed to identify approximately sixty different species of animals and insects of all shapes and sizes. Most of the predators were nocturnal and wore natural colors that matched their environment.
The predominant wildlife were mostly different types of deer and boar-like creatures, primates, and reptiles, along with the bluish panthers, the white sand wolves, and the underwater creatures that put blue whales to shame with their majestic figures.
We snapped as many photos and videos as we could, storing all our data on Bowie. That little sphere was a phenomenal gadget with an impressive memory, able to hold dozens of terabytes without diminishing its performance. The kids left us alone, and I took comfort in the fact that they had eyes on us via the telescope. If something went wrong, they would most likely spot it, either on live feeds or on the recordings.
Derek and I went for a walk a couple of hours before sunrise. We’d had a full night and an entertaining hunt with Lucas, Vivienne, and the others. We’d made a habit of walking alone along the strip of the white sand beach prior to retreating to our room.
I loved how the bluish moon cast its light on Derek. It gave his pale skin a sapphire-like shimmer, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him. It didn’t take him long to notice.
“This moon puts us in a good light, doesn’t it?” he asked, the corner of his mouth twitching.
I chuckled softly, then put my arm around his waist as we walked south along the shore. “I’d love to explore it at some point,” I said. “I wonder what kind of soil it has to make it glow like this. It makes me feel like I’m seeing the world through a special filter.”
“It’s most likely a combination of exotic minerals. It looks a lot like Earth’s moon, if you think about it. Except, of course, for the bluish hue,” Derek replied, looking up. I followed his gaze, and we both stared at the moon for a while. “It’s seen its fair share of asteroids.”
Shadows swirled across the moon’s surface—scars from its collision with passing space debris of different sizes. Nothing was ever truly safe in this universe, from the looks of it. A simple moon could suffer irreparable damage to its surface, simply because it was in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
“I think we should explore this island tomorrow,” Derek said. “Let’s see what the atoll holds on that side.”
“More islands, probably,” I replied with a smirk.
“Yeah, but who knows what creatures live there?” Derek sighed. “This place is amazing. I’d like to see as much of it as possible before we go back.”
“We’ve got a week and a half left, darling, and we could always extend our stay,” I said softly. “The Shade hasn’t burned down yet, which means the kids are doing a good job.”
Derek smiled. “They’re so considerate, too,” he replied. “Notice how they’re not buzzing us every few hours to check up on us?”
“Well, we are on a vacation, honey.” I chuckled. “That does come with some ‘do not disturb’ benefits.”
I’d had some time to think about many things since we’d landed on Strava. One thought, in particular, had settled in the back of my head, demanding my attention. I’d been mulling it over for well over a day now, and, as I let out a deep, wholehearted sigh, I decided to bring it up with Derek.
“What do you see in the future, for the two of us?” I asked him.
He looked at me for a little while, as if not fully understanding the question.
“What do you mean?” he replied.
“I mean us, Derek,” I said, my voice low. “What are we doing? Where are we going? What are we going to do with ourselves? Is this everything?”
He shook his head. “No. Not at all,” he said. “But I wouldn’t know how to answer all those questions, either. Not right now, I guess. But I have a feeling you want to say something more with this, my love, so why don’t yo
u?”
I chuckled softly. “You know me too well.”
“And yet, you continue to surprise me,” he said, then stopped and turned to face me. “What’s on your mind, Sofia?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, I do… but I’m not sure if you’ll agree.”
“How can I agree or disagree if I don’t know what’s troubling you?” he asked, the shadow of a smile crossing his face. I narrowed my eyes at him in response.
“You’re still a remarkable smartass, you know that, right?” I shot back.
Derek laughed. “I have to keep up with you!”
It was then that I found the courage I needed to ask a more specific question.
“What do you think about having more kids?” I murmured, keeping my eyes on his and searching for every little change in his expression. “I know it would be too dangerous for us to turn human again after our trials and tribulations, but maybe we could adopt.”
He looked at me but didn’t say a word. It made me feel nervous, but the warmth in his blue eyes took some of the edge off.
“Ever since Aida had Voss, I’ve been feeling this emptiness inside me, a kind of longing,” I added. “I guess I miss being a mom. I miss both the good and the less pleasant parts of the job, if I’m honest. We’ve done such a good job with Ben and Rose… I think we can do it again. There are kids on Earth who need a home and a family. I want to hold a little human in my arms again and watch him or her grow, right before my eyes.”
Derek kept quiet, but the look on his face made my heart swell. There was so much love pouring out of him, I could almost feel it, as if I were a sentry.
“I’d love to have another go at parenthood. That’s all,” I continued, still uneasy with the silence. “It’s not a requirement or anything. I don’t want you to think I’m putting any pressure on you. Not at all. It’s a decision we should make together. I’m just putting it out there.”