Place: Old United States, Dallas, TX, H.S.P.C. Headquarters

Time: 2:05 a.m. Ice Year 36

Everyone is a little crazy, some more than others. Unfortunately, Nova fell into the “more than others” category. This was spotlighted by her current conversation with her ex. She summoned her best glare.

Nova repeated her peace mantra in her head, so she didn’t scream. Ah crapsticks, she should’ve never told her ex-boyfriend that she would think about getting back with him. She had used the word think, that being the important word. How long would she stand in her apartment doorway and listen to his begging?

“I changed my mind. I do that. A lot.” Nova cut off Troy’s nonsense when he took a breath. She leaned her shoulder on the doorway of the apartment she shared with her sister-in-law, Clare. Her eyes flashed up to Troy’s face hoping she conveyed her seriousness. Since her irises were bloodred, usually a dirty look was enough of a deterrent for men. Troy, however, wasn’t budging, and she knew why. He wanted a Davis. That’s all she was. She wasn’t Nova. She was just a nobody with the right last name.

“But two days ago, you said you’d take me back,” the agent whined.

“I said think.” That’s it. Time to go. She needed to get to her bedroom before she hit him. She got a kink in her neck looking up at him, and she tipped her head to the side to work out the ache. In moments like this, being the size of an elf annoyed the crap out of her.

“I thought you were forgiving. Is this because of Sky?” Troy flashed his pretty, charming smile. The one that made her want to slap him. He was a tall lanky H.S.P.C. agent, and regular women thought him handsome and oh-so-fucking fascinating. Normal women thought Nova was out of her mind for insisting the break-up stay permanent. She realized all that, but the knowledge didn’t sway her decision. She’d marry a sketchy rough-and-tumble harvester before she would date Troy again.

“I told you I love Sky and that he’s sick. That’s a separate issue.” Irritation bubbled up in her stomach. She recognized that she was close to freaking out. There were items in her apartment she didn’t want to break. Her father was out of superglue, and her mother made her promise to work on self-awareness. She had to get away from Troy and into her room before she erupted.

“But—”

“No.” Nova closed the door in Troy’s face and sagged against the wood. “There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.” She murmured her mantra to the empty living room as she forced her turbulent feelings to settle. Her stomach rolled, and her head started to pound. As she rubbed her forehead, her eyes popped up to the grandfather clock next to the couch. It was 2:05 a.m.? Damn, what was she even doing awake? Sleep would help her reset. Time for bed. A coma sounded good right about now.

Nova crossed the thick carpet and had reached the door to her bedroom when she heard the entrance to the apartment open. She spun around. If that was Troy, she would throw a chair at him, and he would deserve it. Over and over again, her dad stated it wasn’t okay to toss furniture at people, but she was almost positive Gears would pardon her this time. She would tell Luna she was completely self-aware the whole time.

Her sister-in-law, Clare, tiptoed into the room toward the healing booth where Sky was quarantined. Clare apparently hadn’t seen her roommate yet. Nova crossed her arms over her chest and waited for the other woman to notice her presence. Rarely was Nova overlooked. Her eyes didn’t let that happen.

“You scared me!” Clare exclaimed when she finally spotted her. Her sister-in-law spun on her heels and then took a dainty step back. She didn’t outright jump, but at eight months pregnant, hopping around was out of the question. “What are you doing up at this hour?” Clare tossed some of her thick blonde hair back from where the curls cascaded over her shoulder.

“Troy came by. He kept pounding on the door until I opened up. He was calling me Nutty-Nova like an endearment.”

“You’re not getting back with him, are you?” Clare’s pink lips puckered like she’d eaten a tart fruit.

“No. I got up to punch him, except at the last minute, sanity returned. I closed the door in his face.”

“Thank goodness.” She sighed as her shoulders dropped. “You’re very forgiving, Nova, one of your good traits, but he doesn’t deserve it.” Clare paused. “That’s your only good trait, being that you’re all—” Clare waved her hand up and down. Nova understood the reference to her perpetual rioting mental state. Her emotions could ascend then descend at the drop of a hat. It was a side effect of her gift, but knowing that didn’t make it better.

“I know.” Couldn’t argue there.

“And I guess you’re kind sometimes.” Clare appeared thoughtful as if this was the first time she was considering who Nova was. She should’ve left the room while she had the chance. Talking to Clare was like having a conversation with a mix of her parents.

“You are kind and all,” Clare continued. “But he slept with everyone the year you were together. I mean it. Like, he slept with the whole H.S.P.C. Headquarters.” Clare waved her arm around like Nova didn’t know where they lived. Some days conversing with Archer’s wife was exhausting.

“Yes, I know. Thanks for the recap.” Nova rubbed her forehead. Getting back with Troy was a dreadful idea. He wanted her only because her brother was Archer Davis, the son of the famous Gears. Archer and Clare were a power couple in the H.S.P.C., and Troy had used her to get closer to the family. Besides, she had Sky. Troy had never accepted that she had fallen in love with her patient upon first sight.

But that was neither here nor there, and Clare still hadn’t gone on to her bedroom. The realization that they stood in the middle of the living room struck Nova. At two in the morning, no less.

“Why are you up?” Nova asked.