Midnight Sky

“Why do you always have to go?”

         I hesitated, then lifted her carefully into my lap. She felt so tiny in my arms.

         “We talked about this, Abby. I need to help Sawyer and the others find the Breach. We need to stop the Hellions from coming back for good.”

         “But why does it have to be you?”

         I rocked her gently, hoping the movement would mask the slight tremors coming from my skin. I wanted to give her the answers–that no one else would be able or willing to create a machine to stop them, that the Hellions would keep hunting us until we were extinct, that their King would probably seek vengeance for what we did to his ship–but I stayed silent. Anything I said would only make Abby more upset, and she couldn’t add stress to her illness.

         “I’ll be safe,” I assured her. “The crew will be with me. It’ll be okay.”

         Abby’s whimper crushed my heart. “What about when you’re not? What if something happens?”

         I stopped rocking and closed my eyes. Each breath I took strained my chest. “Abigail. Please. I need you to trust me. I need you to…” I need you to have faith in me. If you don’t, then I’ll doubt myself. I’ll fail.