But Zoe’s sister isn’t so lucky. The only thing Adam and I could do was take the recording of Lynne’s final words to Aether. When they offered us more money to keep quiet about it, we convinced them to set up a trust fund for Zoe’s sister instead. Maybe that will be enough to give her a better future than the one we saw. And since Trent didn’t have any family, we had them donate money to a homeless shelter instead. He would appreciate that, I think.
Dr. Walters told us he plans to destroy the accelerator to prevent Aether from sending anyone else to the future. I hope he succeeds, but I’m not convinced it will stop them. They may not have been behind our deaths, but they weren’t exactly innocent either. I plan to keep a close eye on them.
And in thirty years, Adam and I will be ready for our younger selves. We’ll find a way to save Trent and Zoe—maybe in an alternate timeline, maybe in this one.
This time, we know we can change the future.
I take Adam’s hand as we leave the hospital, as we take our first steps into our new, unknown future. Together.
Adam pulls into the restaurant’s parking lot, and my stomach twists when I see where we are. Seriously, of all the places to eat in LA, he had to pick this one?
“We’re eating here?” I ask as he shuts off the car.
“Is that okay? I know it’s not fancy, but they have great burgers…” He studies my face with a frown. “We can go somewhere else if you want.”
I’m tempted to suggest another place, somewhere that won’t bring back bad memories, but no, I’m being silly. I smile at him. “This is great.”
He opens the door to the restaurant for me, and I take a deep breath to steel myself before walking in. Everything is exactly as I remember it. The NOW HIRING sign in the window. The smell of fried food. The waitress in a red skirt the size of a belt. Oh God, it’s even the same waitress.
Her eyes pass over us and I wonder if she’ll recognize me as the weird girl with the freaky memory. But then it hits me—I don’t care if she does. I’m not ashamed of my eidetic memory anymore. My gift helped me stop Lynne and save Chris and myself. I’ll never forget the terrible things I’ve seen, but I’ll always remember the good things too. Zoe’s smile and Trent’s laugh. That first kiss with Adam in the rain. My mother’s voice.
We sit at one of the tables with the hard, wooden seats and checkered tablecloth. It was Adam’s idea to go on a real date like a normal couple. I’m not sure we can ever be normal, not after what we’ve been through together, but I’d like to try.
“I interviewed here for a job last week,” I say after we look through our menus. “Didn’t get it, obviously.”
“Really? No wonder you wanted to eat somewhere else.” He adjusts his glasses, looking worried. “We can still go…”
“No, it’s fine. And it’s not like I need the job anymore.” Thanks to Aether, I don’t need to worry about that. A few days ago I didn’t even think I had a future. Now the possibilities seem almost endless.
Adam begins folding one of the paper napkins in front of him. “So what will you do now?”
I watch his long fingers work, the movements almost hypnotic. “I’m going to get my own place after I turn eighteen. I’m going to start college in the fall to become a social worker. And”—I look up to meet his gaze—“I’m going to help you develop the cure.”
His eyebrows shoot up. “You are?”
“If you want my help, that is. I’m not a genius like you and don’t know all that chemistry stuff, but I thought I might be able to help with the business side of things or something…”
“I would love your help, Elena.” He gives a little laugh. “No, I need your help. I’m supposed to do all these great things in the future, but I have no idea where to even begin.”
“You’ll figure it out.”
“Maybe. I’m just glad I won’t have to do it alone this time.” He slides an origami rose across to me and I smile, gently touching the soft edges.
“I was also thinking about getting another tattoo,” I say.