several inches over the past three months, as if the atmosphere aboard the Kuyddestor encouraged growth. For him at leastânot for Chase, who had already been shorter than Parker and now felt positively dwarfed.
âCheers to you, Chase,â said Vidal, who sat in the corner with her friend Lieutenant Chiao. âHow old are you now?â
âFourteen,â said Chase. The same age as Parkerâat least for a few months.
A flat little voice rang across the room. âNo, youâre not.â
Everyone turned to look at Lilli, who sat perched on the arm of a chair, balancing a plate with an untouched piece of cake on her knees. It was rare that she spent time in the officersâ lounge, and rarer still that she spoke. She looked at everyone defensively, shrinking back into herself.
Please donât vanish, please donât vanish , thought Chase. âWhat do you mean?â he asked.
She stared at him for a moment. âYouâre thirteen.â
âNo, I was thirteen. Now Iâm fourteen.â
Lilli shook her head. âYou were twelve. Now youâre thirteen.â Chase began to say no again, certain she was wrong, but she interrupted him, reciting facts rapid-fire. âWe celebrated your twelfth birthday last year. Mom surprised you with a blackberry tart instead of a cake. We packed up our dinner and ate a picnic at the lake. I remember this.â
Heat rushed over Chaseâs face. Why had he thought he was thirteen? Because Parker had guessed that was his age, and heâd never even questioned that assumption. It wasnât like heâd ever had a reason to talk to anyone about his age. He looked around the room and saw pity on everyoneâs faces. They didnât know everything about him, but they knew enough to feel bad for the boy with no memory. A boy who couldnât remember his last birthday.
Slowly he set his half-eaten cake on the table. When he raised his gaze, the first thing he saw was Maurusâs dark eyes locked on him. The second thing he saw was that Lilli was no longer sitting on the chair. She was no longer in the room at all, but no one had noticed that sheâd vanished.
He felt like he was going to explode.
Maurus stood up quickly, setting his empty plate down. âChase, will you come with me?â Without waiting for a response, he guided Chase out of the quiet lounge and into the hallway, where they walked a while without speaking, their footsteps ringing on the metal floors.
âYouâve had a harder time adjusting to the ship than Parker has,â Maurus finally said.
Chase said nothing at first, placing his hands briefly against his burning cheeks. âHeâs got all these friends already, and interests.⦠I justâI donât know what to do. What am I supposed to be doing now?â
Maurus hesitated. âAdjusting to your new life. Getting reacquainted with your sister. Building new memories for yourself.â
âHow do I do that? Am I supposed to forget about everything that happened to me? Stuff like this always happens and gets thrown back in my face.â
âIt will always be a part of who you are. But as time passes and you learn more and grow more, hopefully the experiences you have will fill you up and make your amnesia seem like a smaller and smaller part of you.â Maurus looked ahead. âOn Lyolia, belief in fate is a very strong part of our culture. I think you have a very special fate, and the unique events of your life will bring you closer and closer to it.â
It was strange to hear Maurus sharing this deeper, philosophical side of himself. Chase tried to think of something to lighten the conversation and move away from the topic of fate. âYeah, Iâm definitely special. Iâm the only person I know who has a birthday and gets a year younger.â
Maurus smiled and squeezed Chase around the shoulders with one arm. âDo you want to go back to the
Rebecca Hamilton, Conner Kressley