“Emer?” I duck my head and stare up at her. “Did you hear me?”

“I thought I said yes,” she replies, looking both nervous and uncertain.

“No,” I shake my head. “You didn’t say anything.”

“Well,” she stammers, trying to make up for her lack of response. “I’d lov – like to. I’d really like to. When?”

I blink. “I haven’t really thought about it,” I confess. “But you need to study, so … what about the day before your test? Would that be okay?”

“Yeah,” she nods, giving me a beautiful grin. “That’s completely okay. But my mom – “

“She told me it was all right,” I assure her as I remember the last time I talked to her mother. “I hope … that you are all right with it, too.”

“Of course!” she nods her head rapidly. “I’m excited,” she says. Her cheeks are red, and her eyes sparkle with an excitement I have not witnessed before.

I am as excited as she is. I ponder; do I look the way she does now, with my eyes lighting up the way hers are?

“I will let you study,” I say, backing away slowly. My feet pad the floor as I walk backwards, and the hushed pitter-patter sound disturbs the silence. I reach for the door, but before I leave, I call, “Emer?”

“Yeah?” She asks, her eyes widening with curiosity.

I look away for a moment, and when I look back at her face, her eyes are darker. “Take care of the flowers, okay?” I ask of her. Walking away, I close the door and lean against the wall. I close my eyes, lift my head, and stand there, contemplating whether I did the right thing.

What is the right thing? What is ‘right’?

I reach for the door, my fingers brushing the doorknob, but I pull away before my fingers turn the knob open without my permission. With a last look at the closed door, I turn around and leave.

-----

It’s a new day. It is a new day, and the sun is out, and it’s wonderful, but I feel lonely.

I feel lonely, because I know everything is coming to an end.

And how I wish it wouldn’t. I do not have a right to wish for anything, and yet, I am wishing for this. But not for myself. For Emer.

Everything is for Emer. And if I could change the future for her, I would. If I could alter the past, I would.

But although I can do many things as an Exon, one thing I can never do is manipulate time.

I wish I could tell you, Emer. I wish I could confess everything that I am sure is about to happen. But I can’t let you worry. I can’t see you sad. I do not want to remember you that way. I have to remember you as the girl, the human, the person who influenced and shaped the life that was given to me.

The Institute did not give me life, Emer. You did.

I owe you everything for that.

When I enter the living room to wait for Emer, I sit down at the couch and pull aside the curtains. As I stare at the lawn, I remember the snow, and the memories we made in the cold. I remember the day I first met her. I remember the way she looked as the wind blew at her hair, or the way her laugh sounded, or the way her face moved when she smiled. I remember her. I remember everything I learned.

Although she found my eye flashing red-gold to be annoying at first, I am so glad I stored our memories together.

I walk away from the window and see the Rubik’s Cube on the table. Hesitantly, I walk forward and pick it up. It is entirely solved.

I exit the living room, and when I do, I see Emer descending the stairs. “Oh hey, Luhan,” she greets.

“Emer,” I answer. “Are you ready?”

“Sure,” she says as she follows me out of the house. We walk together towards the train station, and as we board the next train, she asks, “Are we going to the Market?”

“Yup.”

“What’s that for?” She questions, looking at the Rubik’s Cube in my hand.

“Oh,” I say, hiding it from her eyes, “It’s for something.”

She doesn’t prod me any longer, and we ride the train with little conversation.

We arrive at the Market. We pass by a large fountain and a few little stores. I turn to Emer to say something, but her hand reaches out and grasps mine, stopping my words from coming out of my mouth. Her eyes meet mine, and she lets go of my hand.

“Sorry,” she mutters, folding her arms across her chest as she walks.