For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Jules sat at the dining table, her hands clasped beneath it.
Her mother was still standing beside her. Her father hadn't taken his eyes off her since she'd reappeared.
In less than three months, everything is going to change.
She'd finally said it.
After spending days trying to figure out how to tell them, those were the words she'd chosen.
And now everyone was waiting.
"Okay," Tavian said finally. "I have a question."
Jules looked at him.
"Of course you do."
"Actually, I have about twenty questions, but we'll start with one."
"Tavian," Serina warned.
"What? She disappeared, Mom. Like, actually disappeared. I think I'm allowed to ask questions."
"For once, he's got a point," Jorin muttered.
Tavian pointed at him. "Thank you."
"Don't get used to it."
"Jules."
Kaelen's voice brought their attention back to the table.
He leaned forward.
"Before we discuss anything else, I want to know what happened to you."
Jules swallowed.
"What do you mean?"
"You were standing right there." He pointed toward the empty space beside the table. "Then you weren't. There was no door, no sound, nothing. You just vanished."
"I know."
"You know?"
"I mean, I know that's what happened."
Kaelen stared at her.
"Jules."
She sighed.
"I have access to another space. It's separate from here. I can enter it whenever I want, and when I leave, I come back to the same place."
Daric frowned.
"Another space?"
"Like another room?" Jorin asked.
"Not exactly."
"Another planet?" Tavian suggested.
"No."
"Another universe?"
"I don't know."
Tavian blinked.
"You don't know?"
"No, Tavian. I don't know everything about it."
"But you can just disappear into it?"
"Yes."
"Whenever you want?"
"As far as I know."
He leaned back.
"That's insane."
"Tavian," Serina said.
"What? It is!"
Jules couldn't really argue with him.
Serina pulled out the chair beside Jules and sat down.
"Does it hurt?"
"No."
"Do you feel dizzy afterward? Weak? Anything unusual?"
"Mom, I'm fine."
"That wasn't what I asked."
Jules softened.
"No. It doesn't hurt. I feel normal."
Serina studied her for another moment before reaching for her hand.
"How long have you been able to do this?"
Jules hesitated.
"Not long."
"And you didn't tell us?"
"I didn't know how."
Serina looked at her.
"Sweetheart, I watched you disappear in front of me. Do you understand what that felt like?"
Jules lowered her eyes.
"I'm sorry."
"I thought something had happened to you. I didn't know where you went or whether you were coming back."
"I didn't know what you would see either."
Serina went still.
"What?"
Jules regretted the words immediately.
"I knew I could enter the space. I just didn't know whether my body disappeared when I did."
Kaelen straightened.
"You didn't know?"
"No."
"And you decided to test that in front of the entire family?"
"I needed you to believe me."
"Jules, what if something had gone wrong?"
"I've entered it before. I knew I could come back."
"That's not what I'm asking."
Jules looked away.
Kaelen rubbed his forehead.
"We're coming back to that."
Amira tugged at Jules's sleeve.
"Jules?"
"Yeah, sweetheart?"
"Are you going to disappear again?"
Her eyes were still wet from crying earlier.
"Not right now."
"But you can?"
"Yes."
"What if you don't come back?"
Something tightened in Jules's chest.
She remembered another little girl asking her to promise something she hadn't been able to keep.
Another life.
Another ending.
Jules reached for Amira and pulled her into her lap.
"I'll come back."
"Promise?"
Jules held her a little tighter.
"I promise I'll do everything I can."
Amira rested her head against Jules's shoulder.
Across the table, Kaelith reached for his sister.
"Juju."
Jules smiled.
"I'm right here, buddy."
He held out both arms.
Serina helped him down from his chair, and he hurried over to Jules, squeezing himself against her other side.
Tavian looked at the three of them.
"So are we all hugging now, or—"
Daric kicked his chair.
"Ow!"
"Read the room."
"I was asking!"
Despite herself, Jules laughed.
It felt strange.
She'd just told her family the world was ending, and Tavian was still Tavian.
Maybe some things really didn't change.
Eventually, Amira settled into the chair beside Jules, and Kaelith climbed onto Serina's lap with his toy.
Kaelen retrieved his phone from the kitchen island.
"All right," he said. "Start from the beginning."
Jules took a breath.
"About three months from now, natural disasters will start happening around the world."
"What kind?" Serina asked.
"Earthquakes. Flooding. Extreme heat. Storms. Some places will be hit worse than others."
"Those things already happen," Daric said.
"I know. But not like this."
"What does that mean?"
"It means they won't stop. One disaster will happen, then another. Roads will be destroyed. Power will go out. Food deliveries will stop reaching some places. Hospitals will become overwhelmed."
Serina's expression changed.
"How quickly?"
"It depends on the area. But within a couple of months, governments will start losing control."
Kaelen rubbed his chin.
"You're talking about worldwide infrastructure failure."
"Yes."
"And you're certain?"
Jules nodded.
"How?"
There it was.
The question she'd been dreading.
"I can't tell you."
Kaelen stared at her.
"Jules."
"I know how that sounds."
"Do you?"
"Yes."
"Because you're asking us to believe something that would change every decision we make from this moment forward."
"I know."
"And you won't tell us where the information came from?"
She shook her head.
"Not yet."
"Why?"
Jules looked down at the table.
How was she supposed to explain eight lifetimes?
How could she tell them she'd watched them die?
That she'd spent years searching for ways to change things, only to lose them again?
"I just can't."
Kaelen opened his mouth, but Serina touched his arm.
"Let her finish."
He looked at his wife.
"Serina—"
"I know. I want answers too."
She turned back to Jules.
"What happens after the disasters?"
Jules glanced toward Amira.
Her little sister was listening.
So were the boys.
"Things get worse," Jules said.
"How much worse?" Jorin asked.
"People start getting sick. There are strange changes in the environment. Animals become dangerous. Eventually, there are things that shouldn't exist."
Tavian frowned.
"Things like what?"
Jules looked at her parents.
"Zombies."
Nobody spoke.
Then Tavian let out a nervous laugh.
"Okay. You lost me."
"I'm serious."
"Zombies? Like actual zombies?"
"Yes."
"Dead people walking around?"
Jules nodded.
Daric stared at her.
"That's not possible."
"I know."
"No, I mean scientifically. That's not how bodies work."
"I know what you're saying."
"Then how—"
"I don't know how it starts," Jules interrupted. "I know what happens."
Kaelen watched her.
"That's another thing you know but can't explain."
Jules pressed her lips together.
"Yes."
He looked toward Serina.
"Am I the only one having trouble with this?"
"No," Serina said quietly. "You're not."
Jules looked at her mother.
Serina's expression was troubled.
"I believe something extraordinary happened to you," she said. "We all saw it. But you have to understand that disappearing in front of us doesn't explain how you know what's going to happen to the entire world."
"I know."
"Then you understand why we need more than your word before making decisions that affect this family."
Jules felt her stomach tighten.
"I've told you everything I can."
"And we're listening," Serina said. "But listening doesn't mean we stop asking questions."
Jules looked down.
She'd known they wouldn't believe everything immediately.
She'd prepared herself for that.
At least, she'd thought she had.
Selina had been unusually quiet.
Jules noticed her staring at the table, her fingers wrapped around a glass she hadn't touched.
"Selina?"
Her sister looked up.
"What?"
"Are you okay?"
"Not really."
Jules blinked.
Selina glanced at their parents, then back at her.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Why did you tell me yesterday?"
Jules frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"You called me on the train. Then you came into my room and told me the world was ending."
"Yeah."
"But you didn't tell me you could do that." Selina pointed toward the spot where Jules had disappeared.
"I wasn't ready."
Selina let out a short laugh.
"Right."
"Selina—"
"No, I'm serious. What exactly did you expect me to do with that information?"
Jules shifted in her chair.
"I thought you could help research things."
"And I did."
"I know."
"Do you?"
Jules fell silent.
Selina looked away for a moment.
"I stayed up most of last night. I kept looking for anything that might explain why you suddenly believed me. I thought maybe you'd found something online, or maybe somebody had warned you."
Tavian looked at her.
"You were up all night?"
"Pretty much."
"Doing what?"
"Research. Writing. Trying not to freak out."
He went quiet.
Selina looked back at Jules.
"I was scared."
Jules felt her chest tighten.
"I know."
"No, you don't."
The words came out sharper than Selina seemed to intend.
She swallowed.
"You came into my room acting like you knew something terrible was going to happen. You wouldn't explain how. Then you asked me to help warn people."
"I wasn't trying to scare you."
"Well, you did."
Jules lowered her eyes.
Selina continued.
"And now I'm finding out you could've shown me this because whole time something had actually happened to you."
"I didn't know if it would work."
"But you knew you had the ability."
"Yes."
"So you trusted me enough to ask for my help, but not enough to tell me that?"
Jules had no answer.
Selina shook her head.
"You know what really bothers me?"
"What?"
"Everyone makes fun of my forum. You used to do it too."
Jules flinched.
"I know."
"And yesterday, for the first time, I thought you were taking me seriously. I thought maybe you actually believed the things I research."
"I do take you seriously."
"Now."
Jules opened her mouth, then closed it.
Selina's eyes were shining.
"I spent all night trying to figure out how to warn people without sounding crazy. And you know what? If I post something saying the world is ending, people are going to ask how I know."
"You don't have to tell them that."
"Then what am I supposed to tell them?"
Jules hesitated.
Selina spread her hands.
"Exactly."
"Selina, I'm not asking you to tell everyone about me."
"That's easy for you to say. You're not the one who's going to look crazy online."
The table went quiet.
Tavian glanced at Selina, then at Jules.
For once, he didn't make a joke.
Jules swallowed.
"I'm sorry."
Selina looked down.
"I know you're sorry. I just wish you'd thought about how this would affect me before asking."
Jules nodded.
She couldn't argue with that.
Because Selina was right.
Jules had been so focused on finding someone who might listen that she hadn't considered what she was asking her sister to carry.
"Can I see what you wrote?" Serina asked gently.
Selina hesitated.
"It's not finished."
"That's okay."
Selina looked toward Jules.
Then pushed back her chair.
"I'll get my laptop."
When she returned, she opened a document and turned the screen toward the family.
There were several pages.
Some sections were complete. Others were filled with notes, links, and questions she'd left for herself.
The heading read:
Emergency Preparedness: What Every Household Should Have Before a Major Disaster
There were sections on drinking water, food storage, medication, emergency communication, evacuation bags, and family meeting points.
A few paragraphs were highlighted.
"Those are the parts I'm not sure about," Selina explained. "I don't want to tell people something that isn't true."
Kaelen scrolled slowly.
"How many people follow your forum?"
"A few thousand. Not everybody's active."
"And you were planning to post this?"
"Maybe."
He looked at Jules.
"Did you ask her to tell people the world was ending?"
Jules hesitated.
"I asked her to warn them."
"There's a difference."
"I know."
"Do you?"
Jules looked at him.
Kaelen gestured toward the laptop.
"If Selina posts a warning about an imminent apocalypse, people will want evidence. Some will ignore her. Others might panic. And if she mentions your abilities, we have no idea who might come looking for you."
"I wasn't going to tell her to mention the dimension."
"But did you discuss any of that with her?"
Jules shook her head.
"No."
Selina crossed her arms.
"Thank you."
Kaelen turned to her.
"Your guide is useful. I'd like you to finish it. Focus on practical emergency preparation. Things people can do regardless of whether Jules's predictions are correct."
Selina looked surprised.
"You actually think it's useful?"
"Yes."
Tavian leaned over.
"You wrote all of that last night?"
"Most of it."
He scrolled.
"That's a lot."
"Yeah."
He looked at the screen for another moment.
"It's good."
Selina narrowed her eyes.
"You haven't read the whole thing."
"I'm getting there."
"Then stop scrolling so fast."
"Okay, boss."
He slowed down.
A few moments later, he pointed at a paragraph.
"You should add what to do if your phone dies."
Selina sighed.
"It's already there."
"Where?"
"Under communication."
"Oh."
Daric leaned over his shoulder.
"Maybe read the headings before giving advice."
Tavian pushed him away.
"Maybe mind your business."
Jules smiled faintly.
But Selina didn't look at her.
Not yet.