Page 82 of Ember Rising

“Is it weird that I sort of miss the island? At least I think I do. Maybe it’s just the people we left behind.”

“It’s not weird at all. I miss Flavius a lot. And our little cot. And the waterfall.”

She hums in agreement. “It’s primitive, but that’s what strips away all the unimportant stuff, you know? You find out exactly what people are made of. You don’t worry about the small stuff.”

“Would you ever want to go back?”

She doesn’t answer for a few seconds. “Maybe. It’s hard seeing how much the volcano destroyed.”

“Camp will bounce back. The genetically engineered plants grow fast and can endure anything.”

“Do you want to go back?”

I bend the copper, fitting it around the twine. “I don’t know. I at least want to make sure everyone who wants off the island gets to leave it.”

“My dad would have loved you so much. He would have fought me for your attention.”

I stand up, making sure the copper flashing is secure. “My mom would have loved you, too.”

“At least you’ll get to meet Mae. She’s the pretty one. And I can’t say I’m the smart one, because that bitch is smart, too.” She laughs. “God, I miss her so much.”

“No one’s prettier than you. Stand up and let’s see if this thing fits.”

She gets to her feet. I wrap the twine around her waist and secure it, then do the same with the second one.

“That’s damn sexy,” I say.

Briar laughs and puts her arms around my neck. “You’re amazing.”

I put my arms around her waist and pull her close. “I hope it works.”

“I wish we were in the pool right now, feeling the waterfall spray.”

I brush the hair back from her face with my fingertips. “When this is all over, we’ll live somewhere beautiful like that.”

“I want a bossy little Marcus Junior.”

I smile and kiss her. “Bossy?”

“You heard me.”

“Well, I want half a dozen little Briars, so we’re gonna be busy.”

“Seven kids? I don’t know about that.”

“The first one’s gonna be named Lucinda. Our first girl, I mean.”

She sighs softly and kisses me. “I’d love that.”

“First, we have to save the world. You ready to get back to that?”

“Yes. We’re getting close.”

“Just a couple more days.”

She lays her cheek on my chest and I put my other arm around her.

“I need her to be okay.”