Zack

“Rei, will you wake up already? I don’t have time for this!”

I scowled and kept my eyes closed. The dream was gone, but if there was the slightest chance my big brother would show mercy, then… A large hand shook me, making me almost smack my head as I finally met his glare with one of my own, and raised my right hand with the fingers splayed.

“No way. I’m not standing around here while you try to turn yourself into a tree. You can do that in our backyard. Did you get any sap on you?”

I shook my head, but didn’t bother checking as I scooped up my screen and rose. Zack scowled and reached for it, but stopped once I tucked it safely behind my back.

He knew better than to touch my screen.

“Why was that on the ground? Did you seriously fall asleep?”

I shrugged. It wasn’t much of an answer, but I knew better than to try to type something. Zack didn’t have the patience to deal with my texts unless we were at opposite sides of the house.

He turned away, knowing I’d follow him to his beat-up truck, and hopped inside while he got behind the wheel. I had been genuinely happy for him when he got his driver’s license.

Zack had practiced every day for weeks in the parking lot near our house. But what should have been freedom for him turned into driving me to appointments and doing other odd errands for our parents.

And this led him to blame me—not with words. Zack has always been careful with how he speaks to me. But he also refused to look at me during the drive over.

I waited for him to park the truck and hopped out. The driveway was empty besides Zack’s truck. Our parents wouldn’t be home until later tonight if I were lucky.

Zack grabbed his bag and unlocked the door. “I have work to do, so keep your project down.”

I nodded and went to my room. It was a far cry from the one I had when I was four. I didn’t have to worry about bars on my window. It was locked with an app on my parents’ phones.

The walls were kept bare, and my bed was still covered with thick purple blankets. I didn’t see the point in decorating a space that wouldn’t be mine for more than a year or two if I was lucky.

But I still liked making my bed into a nest of sorts. The color was more my mom’s doing in an attempt to remind me that I was her little girl, and I didn’t have any other color that stood out as a favorite.

I set my screen down and got to work checking on any surprise assignments my parents might have sent, and felt a small thrill to see that they hadn’t messaged me yet.

Dr. Markert either hadn’t felt the need to report how our session ended, or they were too busy to read it. Either way meant that I was free to do whatever I wanted for a few hours as long as I didn’t bother Zack.

It was the perfect early birthday present. I quickly pulled up a playlist of nature sounds and started looking up old chat forums. I didn’t use them to interact with people.

I just liked reading what others had to say in real time. Real life was full of surprises that rarely came close to wherever we lived at the time. It was a quiet sinkhole to lose myself in until I heard the front door open a few hours later.

Zack knocked on my door just as I switched off my playlist and got up. He didn’t come into my room. He never did, but he was still in the hall when I came out.

“Did you bother talking to anyone this time?”

I shook my head and headed to the kitchen. Dad was already bent over the oven, pretending to cook while Mom put a case full of energy drinks into the fridge.

“Those better not be watermelon,” Zack joked. “They never taste as good as the real thing.”

Mom grinned at us and winked at me. “As a matter of fact, I got us a variety pack. There’s something for everyone.”

“Including me,” Dad said while pulling out a pizza box. “Behold my masterpiece!”

“Which combo did you make those poor kids do this time, Dad?”

“I know not of what you speak, my son. I clearly made this pizza with my own two hands.”

“Sure you did, Dad.” Zack grabbed the box and placed it on the table—a smart move given our father’s theatrics whenever we chose not to play along.

It was almost enough to make me forget he’s a scientist. I grabbed some plates and handed the first to Zack, earning a nod as he deposited two slices onto it.

Mom took it and placed it where she wanted to sit—closest to the fridge in case anyone wanted another drink. Dad would sit across from her, and Zack would either duck back into his room or hover by the counter.

I always sat by the window—even in winter. Dinner wasn’t a formal affair. We made small talk without really saying anything. But my parents' good mood was a tad unusual.

Zack also noticed. “All right. Spill it. What’s got you two more bubbly than champagne?”

“What do you mean, dear?” Mom asked as she reached for her glass. “Can’t we just be happy?”

“Um, no. You don’t normally get this way unless you’re planning something. And we all know whose birthday is coming up.”

“You didn’t tell her, did you?” Dad gasped as if he’d been shot through the heart, eyes pleading as he looked between Zack and me. “We promised to tell her together.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

I nodded. Zack never tells me anything anymore, except when he doesn’t have time to waste or doesn’t want to be bothered.

My agreement only made Zack snort as Dad turned to Mom. “Should we tell her now?”

Mom hummed thoughtfully. “Well, we are all here. Who knows how hard it’ll be to pry Zack out of his room once he’s finished eating.”

“Excuse me for having a work ethic,” Zack muttered, biting into his pizza as if it offended him. For some reason, this statement only made our parents laugh.

“Then, I guess we should tell her,” Dad said as Mom nodded and reached for my hand. I let her take it, knowing that she wouldn’t care about the grease that still covered my fingers.

This was for my birthday, after all. It was one more surprise I didn’t ask for but would accept, as Dad blurted, “We’re moving to Australia!”

I blinked. That’s it? We’ve moved a lot since last year. What makes this one such a big deal? I’ve never been to Australia. I looked at Zack to see what he thought about this, but my brother refused to look up from the table.

Mom squeezed my hand. “Did you hear him, sweetie?”

I nodded.

“Are you excited?”

I wasn’t, but I nodded again. I’d left my screen in my room just in case my parents decided to lecture me.

Mom looked at my lap, where I usually keep it, and bit her lip. “You didn’t bring your screen. Did something happen?”

I shook my head. Mom opened her mouth, but Zack interrupted. “She’s fine. I found Rei trying to turn into a tree again. Will the next base be just like this one?”

“Not exactly,” Dad hedged. He didn’t like confrontation, and Zack’s mood hadn’t improved once the pizza ran out. I kept expecting him to head back to his room, but he stayed put and glowered at Dad.

“And what does that mean? Don’t tell me you two finally decided to retire?”

“We’re not that old,” Mom quibbled, patting my hand and smiling at Zack. “What your father means is that the new base is new in every way. And most of the staff from here will be transferring with us. Isn’t that wonderful?”

“Are you sure that’s safe?” Zack leaned forward, staring them down and barely glancing at me. “I thought there were still several rounds of tests that needed to be done. When are we supposed to move?”

“Friday,” Dad stated—one day before my birthday.

“Is that wise?” Zack asked, not even trying to hide the fact that he was looking at me. I could only stare back at him in confusion. Why is he acting like this?

I would have gone to get my screen if Mom wasn’t still holding my hand.

“It’s for the best,” Dad said. “The corporation says this will be our last big move as a family. Your internship will end later this year, Zack. So you have a choice. You can go with us when we move, or you can stay here. I have to warn you that it’ll be pretty boring without your sister, though.”

“I like boring,” Zack kept looking at me. I raised my left hand, hoping that I could finally get to use sign language, but he moved further away from me as if I was covered in poop.

Mom sighed. “Zack”-

“I need time to think. That’s still allowed, isn’t it? It’s not like you need me to watch Rei anymore. She’s perfectly capable of looking after herself.”

I couldn’t tell if that was supposed to be a compliment. And neither of our parents was impressed.

“She may not need as much looking after as you think. But that’s not the only reason we want you to come with us, son. And I know you care about your sister too much to let something like this get in the way.”

I couldn’t believe how cold my mom’s words were. She was usually the rule maker—the serious but fun to Dad’s whimsical and silly. But this felt different.

Zack sensed it too. He rose without saying another word, thumped his way down the hall, and slammed his bedroom door. Dad sighed and looked at the pizza box. “Well, that was fun.”

“He’s just at a difficult age,” Mom patted my hand and smiled. “Are you still hungry, Rei? We brought home some ice cream, too. We can try coaxing Zack out later if you like?”

I wasn’t hungry, and I doubted that Zack would come out until everyone else was asleep. It felt like I was missing something from the conversation.

And without my screen, I couldn’t participate in finding out what was going on. My parents still sat there, staring at me as if this were another fight. I shook my head and rose.

The pizza had been so good when I was eating it, but now it felt like a bowling ball pressing against my stomach. If Mom noticed my unease, she gave no sign.

“Well, suit yourself. Did you at least get your project taken care of?”

I nodded, already turning to head back to my room. My parents wouldn’t follow me, just like they didn’t follow Zack. Once inside, I pressed against the door, wishing it had a lock for the hundredth time.

But that had always been out of the question. And it was only with the weight of the door behind me that I realized something important. Most of the staff was relocating for this move.

And I was willing to bet money I didn’t have that Dr. Merkart would be one of them. I didn’t understand why my parents didn’t try harder to find out why I left my screen behind, and not even the faint sound of whipped cream fizzing out of a can was going to be enough to tempt me to find out.