Chapter 6

SIX

A nd there it was. Quinn fought the urge to bang her head against the window. “Good-bye, Mom. Don’t worry about me. I’ll call when I can.”

She hung up before her mother could protest, then turned off her phone entirely. The city lights blurred as she stared out the window, but for once, the tears weren’t from frustration or anger. They felt more like release.

A knock at her door made her jump. She opened it to find Lydia, armed with two bottles of wine and a determined expression.

“I figured you could use this.” She held up the bottles. “Also, I may have panic-packed seventeen different outfits and need you to help me narrow them down.”

Quinn laughed, stepping aside to let her in. “How are you planning to fit seventeen outfits into our weight allowance?”

“That’s future Lydia’s problem. Present Lydia needs wine and her best friend’s advice.” She looked around at Quinn’s methodically packed boxes. “Of course, you’re already organized. Did you color-code your packing list?”

“Maybe.” Quinn grabbed wine glasses from a box marked Kitchen - Essential . “And before you make fun of me, may I remind you of the Great Camping Disaster of 2019?”

“One time! I forget proper hiking boots one time, and you never let me live it down.”

They settled on Quinn’s living room floor, surrounded by Lydia’s explosion of clothing and Quinn’s precisely labeled boxes. The wine flowed freely as they sorted through what to take to another planet—a task that kept striking them as increasingly absurd with each glass.

“Okay, but seriously,” Lydia held up a sweater, squinting at it critically, “what’s the fashion situation on Nova Aurora? Are we talking Star Trek uniforms or Game of Thrones fantasy wear?”

“Because those are definitely the only two options.” Quinn sorted through a pile of Lydia’s shoes. “Why did you pack six pairs of heels?”

“What if they have fancy alien parties? I don’t want to be underdressed for my first intergalactic social event.”

“Your priorities continue to astound me.” Quinn took another sip of wine. “We’re going to study potentially revolutionary geological phenomena on another planet, and you’re worried about party shoes.”

“Someone has to balance out your all-science-all-the-time approach.” Lydia tossed a sparkly dress into the maybe pile . “Speaking of which, how many rock samples are you trying to smuggle with you?”

Quinn glanced guiltily at a box labeled “Essential Research Materials.” “They’re for comparative analysis.”

“Uh-huh.” Lydia crawled over to the box and opened it. “Quinn! This isn’t ‘essential research materials’—this is half your rock collection.”

“You never know what might be relevant for cross-planetary geological comparison.”

“We’re going to another planet. With actual dragons. And you’re packing rocks from Earth?”

“They’re scientifically significant samples.”

Lydia fell back dramatically onto the carpet. “You’re hopeless. Absolutely hopeless.” She propped herself up on her elbows, fixing Quinn with a serious look. “Are you scared? About tomorrow?”

Quinn traced the rim of her wine glass, considering the question. “Terrified,” she admitted. “But also... excited? It’s like when we’re about to start a new research project, and you know you’re on the verge of discovering something groundbreaking.”

“Except this time we’re the ones being groundbreaking. First human geologists to study alien planets.”

“ If it’s real,” Quinn couldn’t help adding. “This could still all be an elaborate hoax.”

“A hoax where Gerri somehow knew about your board meeting meltdown an hour after it happened?” Lydia shook her head. “Face it, Quinn. We’re about to become intergalactic scientists. It’s literally the coolest thing ever.”

“What if we fail?” The question slipped out before Quinn could stop it. “What if their geology is so different that all our knowledge is useless? What if we can’t help them?”

Lydia sat up, her expression softening. “Then we learn. We adapt. We figure it out like we always do.” She reached over to squeeze Quinn’s hand. “You’re the smartest person I know, Quinn. If anyone can understand alien geology, it’s you.”

“Now you’re just trying to make me feel better.”

“Is it working?”

Quinn smiled despite herself. “Maybe a little.”

“Good. Now help me decide between these three black dresses because they all look exactly the same to me.”

They spent the next hour finalizing their packing, reducing Lydia’s wardrobe to a more reasonable size and convincing Quinn to leave behind at least some of her rock collection.

“We’re really doing this,” Quinn said softly, sealing another box. “We’re really leaving Earth tomorrow.”

“Having second thoughts?”

“No.” The certainty in her voice surprised even her. “I mean, yes, I’m nervous and this is completely insane, but... I’m ready for something different. Something bigger than departmental politics and stolen research.”

“Something dragon-shaped?” Lydia waggled her eyebrows.

Quinn threw a sock at her. “Something scientifically significant.”

“Sure, sure. Keep telling yourself that’s all you’re interested in.” Lydia dodged another sock. “I’m just saying, Gerri runs a dating agency for a reason. Maybe the universe thinks you need more than just new rocks to study.”

“The universe needs to mind its own business.”

“The universe,” Lydia said with drunken wisdom, “works in mysterious ways. Like sending us to another planet right after you finally told off those corporate jerks.”

“I still can’t believe I did that.” Quinn flopped back onto her couch. “You should’ve seen James’s face when I mentioned the digital signature he forgot to remove.”

“I bet it was priceless.” Lydia joined her on the couch.

Quinn’s phone buzzed with a text from Gerri: Car will pick you both up at 7 AM sharp. Pack warm—Nova Aurora’s climate might surprise you.

“Warm?” Quinn frowned at her packed boxes. “I thought she said it was climate-controlled?”

“Maybe their definition of climate-control is different from ours.” Lydia jumped up, suddenly energized. “Oh! What if they have, like, magical heating systems? Or maybe the dragons keep everything warm with their fire breath!”

“Or maybe,” Quinn said dryly, “they just have different temperature preferences than humans.”

“You’re no fun.” Lydia started rummaging through Quinn’s closet. “Where’s that nice wool coat you got for the Iceland expedition?”

“Already packed. In the box labeled ‘Winter Gear’ because some of us plan ahead.”

“Show-off.” Lydia collapsed back onto the couch. “I can’t believe this is our last night on Earth. That’s such a crazy sentence to say out loud.”

Quinn looked around her apartment—at the walls covered in geological maps and scientific posters, the bookshelves stuffed with research papers and textbooks, the window view of Manhattan she’d once thought represented success. It all felt smaller now, like she’d outgrown it without realizing it.

“What do you think your parents would say if they knew where we were really going?” Lydia asked.

“My mom would probably still find a way to make it about my lack of a love life.” Quinn mimicked her mother’s voice: “‘Quinn, dear, even alien men won’t want to date a woman who’s too focused on her career.’“

“While my mom would be convinced we’re joining a cult.” Lydia grinned. “Though I suppose ‘leaving Earth to study alien geology’ does sound a bit cult-like when you say it out loud.”

“Everything about this sounds crazy when you say it out loud.” Quinn stood and walked to her window. The city stretched out below, lights twinkling in the darkness. “We’re leaving our whole world behind. Everything we know, everything we’ve built...”

“For the chance to discover things no human has ever seen.” Lydia joined her at the window. “To study geology that doesn’t play by Earth’s rules. To be somewhere that might actually value what we can do instead of trying to steal it or dismiss it.”

Quinn turned to look at her friend—her brilliant, adventurous, slightly crazy friend who’d stuck by her through every academic battle and professional setback.

Lydia bumped her shoulder playfully. “We’ve got this, Quinn. Whatever’s waiting for us on Nova Aurora, we’ll face it together. Just like we always have.”

“Even if there really are dragons?”

“ Especially if there are dragons.” Lydia’s eyes sparkled. “Though I still think you should keep an open mind about the whole dating thing. I mean, if a hot dragon shifter happens to appreciate your brilliant mind and revolutionary geological theories...”

“And we’re done with this conversation.” Quinn moved away from the window, but she was smiling. “We should try to get some sleep. Seven a.m. is going to come way too early.”