Chapter 95: I Want To Tell You The Truth
The news landed like wet stones.
"Pilots cancelled…Airspace got closed. All flights grounded until further notice…" Frank's face went hard and then hollow, as if someone had taken the color out of him by hand.
"We are stuck…They will not let us leave Asteria. The embassy just messaged. The president cut off our evacuation. He says the tour is a priority."
Theo's smile came slow, then wider, like a man who had been waiting for this exact noise in the air. It was a smile that didn't belong to the situation; it looked like a private joke.
He kept pacing in tight circles without purpose, as if it could stitch the world back together.
"Theo, why are you smiling?" she asked in a voice that quivered because the night felt colder now.
Frank moved instinctively between them as if he could shield her by being nearer.
He moved her behind the armchair and took a breath that was too loud for the room. "Let Theo think," he stated.
