Emma gasped and opened her eyes in the starlight place, but something was wrong. The Cosmic Judge looked scared.
"Twenty seconds left," he whispered. "Choose now, Emma. Save yourself and keep the resurrection system, or die and change everything forever."
Back in the kitchen, Emma's body wasn't moving. Luna pressed her ear to her mother's chest. No heartbeat. No breathing.
"She's gone," Luna cried.
But Alex shook his head. "No! Look at her face. She's still thinking about something."
Emma's eyes were closed, but her forehead was wrinkled like she was solving a hard math problem.
In the starlight place, Emma stared at the Judge. "If I die, Luna and the twins might choose to die too?"
"Yes. And millions of others who were brought back. Your choice will make them pick between living forever or dying naturally."
"That's not fair to them," Emma said.
"Ten seconds," the Judge warned.
