One (One Universe)

she’s very interested in her Nebraska students today. It’s going to be an exceptionally clear night, and the National Weather Service is predicting a…geomagnetic storm, I think? Which means…”
    “The aurora,” I gasp.
    “That’s what she said.” Mom grins. “The whole school’s meeting out near Blakely Creek tonight to see it.”
    An anxious energy vibrates through my chest and arms. “I’ve gotta get ready.” My hand flies up to my hair, which is a greasy mess after two days of lying around without a shower. I swing my legs out of bed, but they wobble beneath me and Mom has to catch me by the forearm. I shake her off after a couple seconds, give her an obligatory smile, and say, “Thanks,” on my way out of my room.
    “Dad’ll drive you,” she calls after me.
    “Yeah, okay!” I say as I wave her off. I’m seeing the Northern Lights — in freaking Nebraska, which never happens — and Elias tonight. I really don’t care how I get there.
    I still feel weak the whole car ride out to the clearing in the next township where all the science classes are meeting to gather around radio telescopes and watch the aurora borealis. Dad keeps glancing at me but doesn’t say a word. The car glides soundlessly down the country road. I lean my head against the window, pretending to watch the horizon as usual. Instead, I close my eyes and try to steady myself.
    When we pull up to the clearing, Dad unclicks his seatbelt. I roll my eyes. “Dad, you can stay in the car.” I open the door and find the ground with my feet — still unsteady.
    “Do you even know where your class is?”
    Looks like Dad’s more than making up for his lack of overprotective parenting skills from the other day. Weird. But okay.
    “Really, Dad, it’s fine. In fact,” I pull back my sleeve and tap my cuff, “I’ll call you when we’re done. Okay?” He raises an eyebrow at me. “There are chaperones, Mom said. We’re fine.”
    Dad nods and re-clicks his seatbelt but still scans the crowd through the car window. I put a hand on either side of the door frame and take one deep breath before a gentle touch brushes the inside of my arm and a strong grip closes around my hand so quickly it startles me. My head pounds again, and I stand upright to see Elias smiling down at me.
    He cranes his neck down to look at Dad. “I can bring Merrin home, sir, if you’d like.”
    I haven’t seen Dad look so pleased in a very long time. “If that’s okay with you, Merrin,” Dad says as he turns the key in the ignition.
    “Um…” I check Elias’s expression, and he gives me the slightest nod and smile. I’m short of breath for a moment. “Yeah, okay. See you at home, Dad. We might be here for a while — we don’t know when the lights’ll start, and they can last for hours.”
    Dad drives away, and Elias and I are once again standing together under the sunset. Leni and Daniel are with the rest of the students about 50 feet away, talking to a lady with mocha skin and a shock of short, kinky hair.
    “Is that some teacher I haven’t met?”
    Elias laughs. “No, that’s Leni’s mom.” I raise my eyebrows and look at pale-skinned, bright-haired Leni. “Stepmom, I guess. Her mom died when she was little — five, I think. Her dad remarried a couple years later — she’s been mom to Leni as long as I can remember.”
    Leni grins and waves at us, and Elias raises a hand in greeting but doesn’t move toward them. Neither do I. He looks back at me, and my mouth feels like cotton.
    I want to ask if he noticed I was gone the last few days. Want to tell him that I hate how I ran away that night. Want to tell him how he makes my heart pound, even now when we’re not alone.
    Most of all, I want to ask him to fly with me again.
    Instead, I say, “Hey,” and stand there staring up at him like an idiot while my stomach flips and twists. “Um…thanks for waiting for me. I mean…were you waiting for me? I mean… Wow, I sound stupid.”
    The corner of his mouth teases upward. “Hi.”
    I grin, unable to break my gaze from his. “Hi.”
    My heart races again, begging me to move, to join the rest of the students. But instead of propelling me away, like my head wants it to, it pulls me closer to him, so close that the buzz between us raises the hairs on my arms.
    And then he is kissing me, lacing his fingers through my hair, and oh my God, it is so nice and warm and sweet and totally not what I wanted at all.
    Suddenly, it hits me: