Only Human (Themis Files #3)(83)
—What will you do all day?
—Same thing I’ve been doing these past few weeks. I teach at the University of Chicago, mostly undergrads. It feels … good. Every time a student’s eyes light up when I talk about atomic weight, I feel … like I’ve accomplished something. Like maybe he or she’ll save the world someday.
—Fair enough. I’d say you’ve earned it. We’ll miss you, Rose. And let’s face it, if we’re ever in real trouble, we’ll get you whether you like it or not. I mean, we had this giant machine that could destroy entire cities, but we’ve never really done anything with it. It was always you, Rose. Just you. This is your movie. The rest of us are just extras in it.
FILE NO. 2367
INTERVIEW BETWEEN EVA REYES AND VINCENT COUTURE
Location: Themis Toy Store, Montreal, Canada
—No, Dad! I’m not pretending to do things at the cash register just so you can film this.
—Come on! It’s our first day!
—Your first day, Dad. I told you a million times, I’m only doing this until I find something else.
—Fine. But you’ll love it so much, you’ll beg me not to hire someone.
—In your dreams. Some of us have grown up, you know. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life playing with dolls.
—Dolls! Do you know what you’re holding in your hand right now? That’s a vintage Leia in her Hoth outfit from something called The Vintage Collection. It’s a vintage remake of a vintage figure. Meta vintage. There are lessons about the universe, life constantly repeating itself, buried inside that thing. It’s 3.75 inches of wisdom, and before you roll your eyes at me, you should know I’ve seen you playing with the Walking Dead figures when you thought I wasn’t watching. I was watching, and I saw you playing with dolls, like you said.
—That’s different! It’s Daryl! I like Daryl.
—You didn’t think the little crossbow could fire, did you?
—No. That is pretty cool.
—There’s hope for you, Eva. There is hope.
—I wouldn’t count on it. I’ve been thinking— —Uh-oh …
—Maybe I could be a pilot.
—You mean join the army?
—What’s wrong with that?
—Nothing. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. I’d miss you, that’s all. They’d be lucky to have you.
—What do you think Kara would say?
—She’d say … She’d say that you should do whatever makes you happy. Go for it. Never give up. She’d be proud of you, you know.
—And you?
—Am I proud of you? Hell yeah! I was proud the minute I found out you existed.
—Would you be proud of me if I were in the army?
—Eva, it’s you I’m proud of, not your job or the uniform you wear. I’d be proud of you no matter what you do. I’d be real proud of you if you worked at the toy store with your dad.
—I don’t think it’s me, Dad. I don’t think I’d be happy being cooped up all day.
—With toys.
—Even with toys. It’s … weird … We’ve been through so much, I—I’m just not sure I can do normal anymore. I go to the park, and I sit on a bench, and it’s beautiful, and calm. So calm. I watch people having a picnic with their kids and it’s cool, but all I’m thinking is how much fun we’d have wrecking that park with Themis. There are days I wake up, and I hate myself for wishing something bad would happen. I wish we’d get her back and I could swing that giant sword again. Am I a horrible person for thinking that?
—Eva, I’ve had that thought so many times. I know the feeling. Believe me. It took me ten years to get over it and stop wishing for the apocalypse. You’re the one who got me over it, you know. Having you around, it just … I spent all my life trying to figure out who I was and what I wanted. Then you showed up, this brash little thing that wouldn’t listen to anyone.
—Hey!
—Then I realized that was it. That was the thing that mattered to me. I didn’t care what I did or what happened to me anymore. You’re the one thing that matters now.
— …
—Eva, there’s something I have to tell you.
—What is it?
—When Kara died, she—What? Are you OK?
—I can still see it, Dad. Kara falling backwards into that white cloud. It’s … weird. There are things I can barely remember. It feels like a lifetime ago, but— —Some of it feels like it happened this morning … I don’t know if you remember, but the army went back to the UN for her body a few days after the attack.
—You wanted us to scatter her ashes. We never did.
—In a helicopter, right! We can still do that. They found her ashes in a locker room along with all our stuff. Apparently, they cataloged our personal effects after we disappeared and put everything in boxes. It all arrived this morning. Here.
—My—Kara’s gopher!
—Oh, it’s yours! I forgot how banged up that thing was.
—Thank you!
—There’s something else. She had two envelopes on her when she died. One was a letter for me.
—What’d she say?