Thora flew all around the Reef all night until early morning found her at the techeun station, asking for Arjaan. "I'm leaving," she told him, "I'm going away all by myself and I'm never coming back." "Why?" "Because. I have to." "Oh, Thora. I'll miss you. Is there any way... could I come with you?" "No. I can't ask you to leave your life behind." "You're the only one who cares about me. I'm an orphan. I wouldn't miss any of this at all compared to how much I would miss you." Thora thought about it for a moment. She would miss him terribly, just like she'd missed him the last month when she hadn't been able to see him at all. "Oh, alright." Arjaan followed her to her ship. "This all you're taking? Where's... where's Lola?" "She's in here." Thora dully gestured to the shoebox. "In there? Uh, Thora. You haven't gone crazy, right? Why is your dog taped inside a shoebox?" "Because she's dead! Now shut up while I try to think about where to go next!" Thora yelled, pounding her fist on the console. She gasped as ice rushed up Arjaan's legs, sealing his feet to the floor. She kicked the ice, and it shattered, and Arjaan yelped in pain. Thora turned her back to him so he couldn't see her tears. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." She felt like a completely different person than the sweet, shy, Thora who he had kissed at the park last week for the first time. She felt like a monster. Arjaan reached out, squeezing her shoulders. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize about your dog. What I said was really insensitive. What happened?" "I...." By the time she had managed to get the whole story out, she was crying again. She hated crying, but this wasn't too bad, with his arms around her and her head on his shoulder. She could tell he was tearing up as well as he ran his fingers through her hair in a comforting way. "So I need to find a better place to bury her," Thora finished, breathing hard and wiping her eyes. "But first I need to talk to the Traveler. Aunt Mara says I need to immerse myself more in the Light, to better control my Dark. We're going to the Shard, on the EDZ." "Are you crazy? That's dangerous!" "We're techeuns. Mara Sov is my aunt. Nothing is too dangerous for us." "Thora..." "You said you were coming with me, not coming to boss me around! Are you with me or not?" "I am." Arjaan sounded sad. He squeezed her shoulders, gently massaging her, until she felt more relaxed. "I'm sorry," she sniffed, "I'm just so stressed and upset about... about Lola...." she covered her face again to hide her tears. "C'mere," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her again. "I'm so sorry, Thora. I wish there was something I could do." "Keep bossing me around. Who knows, maybe you'll save my life!" Thora dried her eyes, smiling weakly. "I'm so glad I'm not alone." He kept one arm around her waist, holding her face in one hand and pressing his cheek into hers. It was very comforting. She had never felt so not-alone in all her life. "Alright, Captain. Set course for the Shard of the Traveler." "Yes, Ma'am. Wait, if you're giving orders, doesn't that make YOU captain?" "I guess so. But don't worry, you can be first mate." "Alright. I'm cool with that. As long as I don't have to save you from a crocodile." Thora laughed. "Oh, you will have to save me from far worse than crocodiles before this adventure is over." "Oh, I don't care. As long as it isn't an [i]actual[/i] crocodile. Those things are freaky." "Alright, no crocodiles. I promise." Thora found herself holding his face in her hands as he kissed her, hugging her tight. When it was over, they both sat down in the pilot seat and Thora fiddled with the navigation, setting an autopilot course to Earth. "Thanks for coming with me. I can't believe everything you're leaving behind for me." "No way. I hated it at school without you. Letting you go alone would've been a lose." Thora rested her head on his shoulder. He leaned his head against hers, clasping her hand in his, twisting their fingers together. She felt so at peace. It was almost two hours before they arrived on Earth. Thora landed her ship in a hidden grotto, locked it and put up a protective arc-field so it wouldn't be stolen or damaged. Arjaan held her hand as they followed her tracker to the Shard. She wasn't really a clingy or needy sort of person, but it felt nice anyways. "Woah," Arjaan whispered. "It's so big. And... it's like I can feel its power throbbing inside me. All the starlight in my veins is alight." "And you're a regular awoken. My Queensblood is almost hurting me right now." Thora could feel every vein in her body, her heart pumping hard, the power of the Light coursing through her. She knelt to touch the ground, trying to figure out exactly how she was supposed to commune with this thing. Why had Mara suggested the Shard, fallen and damaged, instead of going to the New City to meditate under the Traveler itself? "Thora-" Arjaan grabbed her arm. "Did you hear that?" Thora stood up slowly, nodding. Her awoken senses were warning her of the danger. "We're not alone," she whispered back.