Etherworld (34 page)

“Then why don't you go with him to Patrick's planetarium tonight?” he says. “You've been helping your mom take care of me, and we both appreciate it. But we want you to have this time, sweetheart. You're never going to get it back.”

“But you just got here.”

“And I'm not going anyplace,” he says, tapping me on the nose. He hasn't done that to me since I was six, and when he does it now, it almost breaks my heart. “I promise. When you get back, I'll be here. And so will your mom.”

I know my father is still pretty fragile, but I lunge over the arm of the couch and hug him as tight as I can.

“I love you, Regan,” my dad says.

“I love you, too,” I say.

It's funny. I was worried that things wouldn't be the same between us when this was all over—that he'd have gone through too much to be the person he was before, and maybe I would have too—and I was right: things aren't the same.

They're actually better.

We're alive, our family reunited. And we all know how lucky we are.

When we pull back from the hug, Josh approaches us carefully, lingering next to me like he doesn't want to intrude.

I reach out and take his hand. “Hey, you.”

“Hey. How are things over here?” he asks, grinning at me.

“Great,” I say.

“Regan was just telling me how excited she was about going to the planetarium tonight,” my dad tells him.

“Really? Patrick said you weren't coming,” Josh says, a bit confused.

“I changed my mind,” I say, giving my dad a little smile.

“Good. Everyone is about to leave, though,” Josh says.

“Go ahead; have fun,” my dad says.

Josh takes my other hand and pulls me off the couch. And just as we're about to step away, my dad adds, “And be careful, okay?”

Josh tips his head at him, respectfully. “We will.”

After a few last minutes of good-byes, everyone is filing out of the house, thanking my mom for having them over. I thank her too, and give her a kiss on the cheek, but when I linger a bit, she nearly pushes me out the door. Now Josh and I are right behind Patrick and Zoe, whose fingers are intertwined as they head for his car at the end of the driveway.

It's dusk, and the sky is full of pinkish hues from the setting sun. The O2 levels are so good, there's no need for shields. I'm standing on the sidewalk where Josh's bike is parked, watching all my friends gather along the curb and talk about the quickest way to get to the sector where the observatory is located. I know the best way to get there, of course, but I keep quiet. I like listening to them bicker and tease one another, like family members do.

“Ready to have some fun?” Josh says finally, as he hands me a helmet.

I smile, glancing back toward the light coming through the window of the house.

“Yeah, I think I am.”

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HarperCollins Publishers

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WE'VE RACKED UP A LOT OF IOU
S
IN THE nearly four years we've worked on
Elusion
and
Etherworld
, and we want to thank everyone who helped us on our journey. We couldn't have done it without each and every one of you.

A huge thank-you to our families, particularly our husbands, Brian Klam and Ben Lindvall, without whom we never would've made it past the finish line; our ultrafabulous daughters, Lily and Sadie Klam; and our parents, Yvonne C. Gabel, Paul C. Gabel, Randy Guttridge, and Barbara Robinson—your encouragement meant the world to us.

Thanks to Julie Anbender, for all your time and effort. And to Ryan Guttridge, who answered phone calls and emails with an amount of patience that went far beyond the duty of blood relatives; we will forever be indebted to you for your overwhelming knowledge of science and technology. Thank you!

As for our agents, Christy Fletcher, Josie Friedman, and Esther Newberg—you were the first people we picked for our team for a reason: you're the best. Thank you!

Thanks to our amazing and fabulous editor, Jill Davis, who bravely plunged into
Etherworld
, skillfully nursing us through Aftershock, and to Sarah Shumway, for helping to bring this duology to life. To the incredibly talented Erin Fitzsimmons and Tatiana Plahkova, who designed the book covers, thank you for creating such incredible art.

We owe a great bit of debt to the rest of the Harper team: Susan Katz, Kate Jackson, Rosanne Romanello, Rhalee Hughes, Samantha Dell'Olio, Lauren Flower, Onalee Smith, Amy Ryan, Karen Sherman, Kathryn Silsand, and Laurel Symonds.

And finally, thanks to our awesome publisher, Katherine Tegen. It's been an amazing ride!

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HarperCollins Publishers

..................................................................

CLAUDIA GABEL AND CHERYL KLAM
have each written several books. They met when Claudia, now an editor at Katherine Tegen Books, edited Cheryl's previous novels. You can find Claudia and Cheryl online at www.claudiagabel.com and www.cherylklam.com or on Facebook and Twitter.

UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

HarperCollins Publishers

..................................................................

Elusion

UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

HarperCollins Publishers

..................................................................

Katherine Tegen Books is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

ETHERWORLD
. Copyright © 2015 by Claudia A. Gabel and Cheryl Klam. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

www.epicreads.com

ISBN 978-0-06-212244-5

EPub Edition September 2014 ISBN 9780062361233

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FIRST EDITION

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