The idea seemed to cheer him, and he smiled. "I'd like that. In the meantime, would you do me a favor? Would you take a seed of mine and keep it with you?"
"Of course. I'd be honored." She plucked from his branches a small purse of the tiny seeds, and secured it in one of the leg pockets of her cargo pants. "I'll keep them safe and plant them back home. Then, when you come, it'll be like having family there."
His branches swatted her gently, and he laughed a low, sad laugh. "Yes, that sounds fine."
Luke called from their camp. "All packed up, Luce. Time to go."
He and Hunter came through the branches to say their own goodbyes to Mr. K.
After they did their manly tree version of hugging, Mr. K smiled. "Luke, keep up the singing and take care of your sister. You're turning into a fine man that I'm proud to have known. Hunter, it's been a pleasure to meet you. Take care of our Lucy, and know that someday your quest will end, and a new one shall begin."
His words puzzled Lucy, but Hunter nodded solemnly, so she didn't pry. It probably had something to do with Hunter's quest to avenge his father's death.
The three of them walked to the giant beetle. It had finished all the fruit and lay contentedly in the sun. With backpacks strapped on, they climbed aboard and held tight as the beetle walked, then ran, then finally flew.
Chapter 106 – Drake
"Sam, what happened?"
Sam just sat there, eyes closed, saying nothing. Tears ran down her cheeks.
Drake wanted to shove Darren out of the way, but that wouldn't end well for anyone.
Sam's eyes opened, and she scowled at them both. "Back up, guys. I'm fine. Lucy communicated with me." She looked at the group that had formed around the three of them. "I don't know where they are, but the mission's finally back on track. She knows we're coming. I also talked to an old friend." A slight smile played across her lips. "Anyway, once we get to Hawaii, we'll work with them to create a plan."
Drake tried to make eye contact, but she refused to look at him. He fought down his anger. What did he have to do to win back her love and trust? At least she had good news and wasn't under mental attack.
"I'm glad they're okay," he said, "and that we'll have help when we get there. Even with all of our powers, pulling this off without casualties is going to be tricky. The IPI team and the twins will get us into the compound, but I'm still not sure how we're going to defeat Steele. Sam, maybe we can link and fight him like we did Dr. Pana? That might be enough, if we can get past his shields. I don't know."
She shrugged and looked away.
Gary and Greg went back to their seats and talked quietly. Robyn and Norm held hands and stared out the window, lost in thought. Mary sat alone reading a book. And Darren sat as close as he could get to Sam without sitting on her lap.
Drake made another attempt to engage her in conversation. "So, did Lucy have anything else to say?"
She shook her head and continued flipping through the magazine in her hands. "Nope. It was a short talk. Hard to keep the connection going."
"Ah." What else could he say? Should he apologize more? Talk about his time in jail? Was any of that appropriate right now? Probably not. Sam was clearly only focused on Ana, and rightly so, but Drake couldn't help but wonder what would happen when this was all over.
He settled for the basics. "I'm going to get a sandwich. Would you like something to eat?"
She started to shake her head, but then her stomach grumbled. "Um, sure. Thanks."
That should have made her laugh, or at least smile. Drake didn't recognize this new Sam, so hardened and focused. Did I do this to her?
He walked to the fridge. The sandwiches were stacked in two rows of five each, and they all looked the same, so he grabbed two off the top, and two sodas.
They ate their food in silence, and he wondered if she was thinking of him at all, or if Darren had become more important to her than he realized. He'd been gone for a few months, and a lot could happen in that time.
Sam finished, and he collected her trash and stood. "Do want anything more to drink?"
"No, thank you." She leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes, so he left to find a garbage bin and grab another drink for himself.
He felt eyes on him as he walked down the aisle of the plane. Sam's friends didn't trust him and didn't want him here. Their anger and fear smothered him.