The drug had been ready for a while but they weren't certain how to bring it up with Dominic. He was the only person who could successfully add it to the sleep filtering drugs they would be using during the journey. It had to be complex and undetectable so the others wouldn't find out. If they were caught before the fact, the biggest worry would be that they wouldn't succeed. Not to mention, they would probably be harshly punished for their betrayal. If they succeeded, all of them would wake up being unaware of why they had no powers. Just that they were gone. All except the three. 

Dominic was easily roped in. He voiced that he liked the idea of them becoming normal but Abigail could see that he was hiding something. They all had been those days. Secret meetings behind eachother's backs. Plans put into motion and alliances that would carry over to the next world. So that no one could actually tell who was on who's side anymore. She had a loyalty to her husband of course, but also to her brother. A more powerful man than Nathaniel. But she would never let on. They wouldn't be able to trust her if they knew. Everyone thought that they were so sneaky. Whatever happened behind Arthur's back was a secret. Yeah, right. She knew what he knew. Which was quite a bit. And she could find out how much she had to avert his attention. 

*

"It must be the physiology of this planet." Nathaniel replied with a straight face. "I don't think we can ever get them back." He added. With any luck they wouldn't have to find out if it would effect their children too. 

The others looked at them with suspicion in their eyes and Kenneth voiced their thoughts. "How can we know that? I want you three working on the problem to see if you can't get this figured out. In the meantime, I'll keep in contact with Arthur. We can't let ourselves become vulnerable because of this. We already slept longer than we expected to." He rubbed his hand through his hair. Eyes flitting around. "There's this empty spot. Something I'm missing."

It was the connection to the tree. They had no power so they couldn't connect to the tree any longer. Nathaniel understood. They would all feel the emptiness for the rest of their lives. 

*

He lay there cold in bed one morning. Hadn't he just been alive the night before? They'd talked in length about how they would get rid of all of the evil red force that had corrupted them. Finally they would be able to rest. Had that been last night? It seemed so but also much longer. A hole or many holes filled Abigail's mind and she wept. 

Last night he had spewed nonsense. Babbling like he always did these days. Run-on thoughts and theories that she understood every word of. They had always been close. So able to connect and understand eachother with the very minimalist of words. It was the reason they had fallen in love so quickly. 

And here he was beside her asleep. Like in the ship, she imagined. How long ago had they fallen asleep? She touched his face. Almost certain he would wake up from the slight graze of her fingertips on his cold skin. Why was he so cold? And why was she crying?

"Mom?" A quiet voice broke into her thoughts and she turned he head toward the doorway. "The ambulance came here." The men in blue jumpers pushed past the boy into the room. 

"Ma'am, you're supposed to report deaths right away." One of the men chastised Abigail. "It isn't safe for you or your child to keep a dead body in the house for so long. It's a law, you know." 

They busied themselves taking the 'dead body' out of bed and into a white bag they had brought with them. And Abigail pressed herself toward the corner of the room. Confused as to what they were talking about. Why was there a dead body in her house?

Luhan scurried over to his mother. "I called them. Don't be mad, ok?"

But she could never be mad at him. Why would she be? He was her everything now.