Peyton fell so gracefully that, at first, Mia thought she was acting. Her gloved hands moved in slow motion, bracing to soften the blow. But ultimately, they failed to do anything other than create a dust cloud that cloaked the site of her head bouncing hard off the planet’s surface. Any illusion that Peyton would be the one to save was gone. Ms. Lawrence would never go home.

  “You’re a dead man,” Trevor screamed, charging unprotected across the crater into both Stone's line of sight and fire.

  Trevor propelled his body forward so quickly it was hard not to wonder if he hadn't been gifted with two superpowers. Kai, who knelt protectively over Ms. Lawrence, began to thrust his hands up in protest. Mia started screaming uncontrollably. But suddenly, Trevor’s feet were no longer in contact with the crater. He was flying, somehow, and he jerked, pushing himself downward in confusion, his legs kicking wildly against the lift.

  Mia watched, dumbfounded, as Lilly wrapped her arms tightly around Trevor, taking him higher and higher into the atmosphere.

  Rocky, distracted by Lilly’s sneak attack, wobbled his attention just long enough for Alex to disarm him from behind, his strong fingers encircling Stone’s neck completely.

  “Say goodbye, sir. You were right. This is your last mission. Know this before we bury you. It's over. No human will ever step blindly onto Mars again. The game is over.” Alex said.

  “You can’t stay here,” Stone choked out. “They’ll send another ship, or worse, kill you and make it look like an accident. Nigel won't stop!”

  “Oh, you can go to the grave knowing Nigel is a deadman, too,” Alex said, smiling and watching Rocky’s eyes bulge out inside his helmet.

  And then General Stone went limp, and Alex, consumed with watching Lilly and Trevor wrestle midair, dropped him unceremoniously into the Martian dirt.

  “Put me down,” Trevor belted from high above the crater now, Lilly’s nails digging unapologetically into his arms.

  “I’m working on it. We’ll land when I know it’s safe.”

  “Lilly, they need us! How long before someone shows up looking for Stone and puts a bullet in all our heads?”

  Lilly ignored Trevor, which only seemed to encourage him to fight harder.

  “It’s a dumb fighting me,” she said. “I'll drop you and save them a bullet.”

  “We’ve got to get her to sickbay. She has a family back home!”

  “This is bigger than Peyton, Trevor. We’ve got to stop Nigel from bringing more people here.”

  “Everyone knows that—I'm in on the boycott. I’ll kill Sloan myself if she causes a problem.”

  "You're in on the boycott?" Lilly asked?

  "Jesus, yes!" Trevor replied.

  “You'd kill Sloan,” Lilly repeated.

  “Yes, put me the fuck down,” Trevor shouted.

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  "I'll only put you down if you swear you're going to boycott. Mia will do whatever you do. Mary Jane will do whatever Edward does. The rest of them are too scared to go without us. Except Sloan. And you said you'll handle Sloan."

  "Lilly," Trevor yelled. "I've already told you. Take me back before she dies!"

  “Ok,” Lilly conceded and turned to begin her descent.

  Mia watched them apprehensively. The closer they got, the harder it seemed Trevor wrestled against Lilly’s grip, until they were close enough to see that Trevor was biting Lilly.

  "Trevor, stop!" Mia yelled. "You're going to fall."

  But Trevor couldn't hear Mia. He wasn't behaving rationally, and then Trevor began to free-fall, silently, eerily. His white spacesuit splayed out like a starfish against the night's sky.

  “NO!” Mia screamed, grasping upward, hysterical.

  Trevor fell just as Sloan had predicted, his arms and legs flailing chaotically. Mia decided it was unlikely he would survive a fall from that height, her boots registering the impact of his body on the ground beneath her.

  “Oh my God,” Mia gasped.

  Trevor’s face was buried, his back bent up unnaturally. He was dead. He and Ms. Lawrence were both dead, and she was the only one left from Southern High School.

  “Mia, heal him,” Mary Jane screamed, grabbing Mia's arm.

  "What?" Mia said, dazed.

  "Heal him," Mary Jane repeated, dragging her forward.

  Mia stepped back, wondering if she could. Was this why she'd become a healer? Has Sloan seen this part of the future, too? Had she witnessed Mia save him? Mia looked for Sloan. She was gone. Where had she gone?

  “I can only heal people who are alive," Mia said as if in a trance.

  “Let’s find out if he’s alive, then,” Camden said, swooping Mia up and running with her.

  “Camden?” Mia said in shock, his arms supporting her body now.

  "Yeah, M7 at your service," Camden said. "You didn't think I'd miss the boycott, did you? Looks like Kai wants in."

  “Ms. Lawrence is alive," Kai said in between rushed breaths, running beside Camden now.

  “What?” Mia whispered, turning to face Kai, who shook his head emphatically.

  “Yeah, the bullet grazed her helmet and went in through the shoulder. She's bleeding pretty badly but talking. Thank God she can breathe out here. Her helmet is cooked.”

  “Breathe out here?” Presley asked. "What does that mean? Why are you saying she doesn't need a helmet?"

  “Save it for later,” Mary Jane said, chasing behind Mia, Camden, and Kai.

  "Max," Presley screamed over her shoulder. "What are you doing? Catch up!"

  And then Camden stopped running. They'd reached Trevor. He wasn't moving.

  "If he's dead, I swear to God, I'll rip my helmet off and join him," Mia said loudly.

  "Chill," Camden said, placing a hand on Alex's helmet.

  Alex had beaten them there, his large frame blocking most of Trevor’s body. Mia began to hyperventilate. She couldn't do this. She couldn't save him.

  “It looks like his back is broken. He can’t move his legs,” Alex said.

  Mia kneeled and placed her hand gently on Trevor's stomach. Max, having just arrived, crouched down clumsily beside her. "You got this," he said.

  “Hold up your hand if you hear me,” Mia sobbed gently.

  Trevor's hand twitched before collapsing back into the dirt. Mia’s heart quickened, and she positioned her hands above Trevor.

  “Stay still,” she said, visualizing the cracks in Trevor’s pelvis, the blood from his lungs, and fluid on his brain. Her body swayed with the effort of healing, but she didn’t care. Mia was trading her life for Trevor's, gladly. All of her was flowing quietly into him. She could feel him healing, breathing, thinking. It was the last thing she would ever do. Her mom would be so proud og her.

  “I won’t let you,” Peyton said, knocking Mia’s hands away. “He’s stable. I won’t lose any of you. I promised, remember? I promised to get you home.”

  Mia took a massive gulp of oxygen and held herself back from actively dying long enough to register Ms. Lawrence, alive and almost angry. She wasn't wearing a helmet. Trevor's chest rose and fell. They were all three alive.

  Mia fell back into the sand, her body wholly depleted. Peyton stood over her, holding her bloody shoulder.

  “You can breathe the air, can't you?” Mia asked.

  "Yes," Peyton answered.

  "Can all four of you go without helmets?"

  “Yes.”

  "Because you found a portal to a different world?"

  "Yes."

  “Is Stone dead?” Lilly asked.

  “Yes,” Alex answered. "Edward's handling it."

  “Can someone else fly the rocket home?” Kai asked.

  “I don’t know, but if I had to guess, yes,” Peyton said.

  "I don't want to go home, Ms. Lawrence," Mia said. "I want to go to Merrick."