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quickly.”
    Peeking around the entrance, Kira surveyed
the hallway that led to the security for Terminal A. There was no
one on line, which had to mean Luke was already through the check
and headed for the gate.
    “I’m sorry,” Kira whispered, almost afraid
her voice would fail her. Something about staring down that empty,
sterile hallway felt like the end—the end of what, she didn’t know,
but definitely an end. “Goodbye,” she said one last time, trying to
ignore the shell encasing her heart. Luke would never trust her the
same way again. She had abused his faith in her, she had used their
friendship as a weapon against him, and there would definitely be a
cost to that. But, Kira thought, growing up meant making choices
and she couldn’t always please everyone.
    Kira flipped her body in the opposite
direction and made for Terminal B, ready to start her journey with
Tristan and ready to finally retrieve the answers about her mother,
the ones that had so long eluded her.
    The walk was short, but each step felt
heavier and heavier until her shoes practically dragged along the
floor. When Kira reached the line, only one woman was waiting in
front of her. After a minute, a security guard reached out for
Kira’s passport and scanned her ID before waving her through. She
piled her handbag on the conveyor belt, took off her shoes and
waited. A new security guard signaled her over to the X-ray machine
and Kira lifted her foot to step through, but a voice stopped her
dead in her tracks.
    “Kira?” Luke called. His voice sounded faint
and far away.
    “Kira!” A little stronger now and laced with
panic.
    Taking a deep breath, Kira plopped her foot
down and finished crossing the short distance. She was officially
in Terminal B—the decision had been made.
    “Kira! Stop!” Luke’s voice was closer now.
Were those footsteps or was she just imagining it?
    Quickly, Kira slipped her shoes back on and
reached inside her purse for her headphones. They weren’t attached
to anything, but she zipped her bag to make it look that way and
kept walking past the security check, trying to ignore the voice
calling after her.
    “Kira! You went the wrong way!” The
frustration in his voice was obvious, but that was all there was.
He still didn’t get it. He just thought she was lost.
    Hard as it was, Kira continued to amble down
the walkway towards her gate. Trying to act nonchalant, she bobbed
her head as if listening to real music and pretended to look around
as if searching for Luke. He shouted her name once or twice more,
but she kept shuffling her feet further and further away from him,
using her headphones as an excuse for deafness.
    There was a bend fifteen—no ten—now
five—feet away. Kira rounded the corner, safe from Luke’s eyes, and
pulled out the earplugs. It was go time. Her plane to Atlanta was
boarding and she didn’t have a second to spare.
    A vibration tickled her arm and Kira knew
Luke was trying to call her. She kept walking and looked for
Tristan’s sleek black hair in the crowd.
    He saw her first and stood up, waving Kira
over to the seats he had secured.
    “Are you okay?” He asked once she sat down.
Concerned deepened his blue eyes and Kira could tell he was worried
for her. It was her plan after all—her plan to go to England, her
plan to keep Luke safe and out of the loop, and her plan to ditch
him in the airport. Tristan was following Kira’s rules now, which
meant Luke’s reaction was completely her fault. She couldn’t blame
anyone else for the hurt he was about to feel.
    “He thinks I’m just in the wrong terminal,”
Kira said and shook her head, “he’s too trusting.” Or I’m too
heartless, Kira thought before smashing the thought down with the
rest of the emotions she was suppressing. Too many were bubbling
beneath the surface and at the moment, Kira didn’t want to feel
anything. Once they were in the air, and there was really no
turning back, she would feel better about the