Sloan stood in front of the Orb, her heart pounding. She wasn't going home. In the ten minutes it had taken her to run from the crater to the digsite, she'd accepted the complete undoing of everything. Mia was right. As soon as they landed back on Earth, they'd lock her up, and what good would she be to Michael in jail?

  Trevor was dead. She'd shot him right through the heart, close enough to hear the spray of blood eject from his mouth. She'd done it in front of everyone. Max might lie and say it was an accident, but everyone else would testify her actions were premeditated-that she'd murdered Trevor. And of course, she had murdered him. She wasn't sorry about it either.

  It had felt good to watch him step back in shock and fall clumsily into the sand. Mia had screamed, which had scared Sloan more than the experience of killing another human being. Mia must hate her now. Another reason not to stay.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  If this were a portal to an earlier version of Mars, Sloan believed it might be the perfect place to hide until it was clear what to do next. Supposedly, the Martians were nice. The absurdity of the thought made her lightheaded. She pushed two fingers into the wall of flames.

  The Orb responded by sending a pulse through Sloan's right arm, down her chest, and into her belly. Whatever had entered her body was drawing her ever closer to the flames. The glow of light danced inside her pupils, making it hard to keep her eyes open. She shut them momentarily, and when she did, the Orb grew arms and snaked them around her waist.

  "I'm not ready," Sloan said, straining to open her eyes, pulling back against the Orb.

  "You'll be ready, soon," the Orb said aloud.

  And with that, Sloan disappeared entirely inside the portal.