With my belly full and satisfied, I padded softly down the corridor, my paws carrying me toward the Kelping family’s suite. The door stood slightly open, allowing a warm glow of a candlelight to seep into the dim passageway. 

I slipped my head through the gap in the door and found Louis slumped on the floor, staring vacantly at the wall ahead. Around him lay the wreckage of the room—chairs with splintered legs, an overturned table, shattered fragments of vases scattered across the floor, and curtains torn from their rails. 

Bloodshot and brimming with tears, his eyes met mine, and for a moment, a faint smile ghosted across his face before fading as quickly as it had appeared. He stretched out a hand, a quiet invitation.

“Hey, Page,” he said softly. “I could really use a friend right now.”

I hesitated, my gaze drifting to the destruction around us, but the gentleness in his voice pulled me in. Slowly, I crept closer. When his hand found that perfect spot behind my ear, my resistance melted away. A deep purr welled up within me as I leaned against his leg. His arms lifted me gently, and I felt his scruffy chin press against the top of my head as he held me tightly, his muffled sobs trembling through his embrace.

Time blurred as we stayed there, too long for me to track. Finally, he got up on his feet, but his grip on me remained firm. His eyes scanned the room until they landed on something on the floor. He walked over to it, and I stiffened when I saw what he was picking up— a black stone. Just like the one Alan had found. Why did he have that? Without a word, he slipped it into his pocket and we left the room.

Louis made his way toward the infirmary, where Sam lay sleeping. Gently, he placed me on the bed before pulling up a chair beside Sam, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. I settled onto Sam’s lap, careful not to disturb his sleep, but Sam stirred, blinking as he awoke. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, and when they landed on his father, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“Papa?” he whispered.

 Louis swallowed hard, taking Sam’s hand in his. “Sam, my boy... my only boy now.”

“Are you going to take me back to my room?”

“Not yet. I need to speak with the head steward about finding a more suitable suite for us.”

“Alright... I don’t want to stay there anymore. I think it would be too hard without…” His voice cracked, the tears threatening to fall but he wiped at his eyes.  “…without Mom, Joe, and Anne.”

“I know.”

“Papa…”

“Yeah, Sam?”

“I’m just glad you’re home now,” Sam said, full of emotion. “I thought I’d lost everyone, and I’d be all alone. I mean, there’s Alan and the captain, but it’s just not the same…”

“I’m here now, and I won’t be going away anymore,” Louis reassured him.

A small smile tugged at the corners of Sam’s lips. “Really? You promise?”

Louis nodded. “I think someone else could take over as the commanding scavenger. The captain would understand. I’ll find other duties on the ship, so I don’t have to leave again.”

“Or we could live in Floating City!”

“You’d like that? To live in a city on the water?”

“Yeah! We could live in Sea Green. I hear that’s where the animals like to live, or maybe live in Little Eden, and we could garden and eat all the food we grow there.”

My ears perked up at the mention of Little Eden. I’d often imagined spending my twilight years there, happily roaming the garden paths with my brother, Ziggy. The thought warmed me as I padded closer to Sam, who pulled me into a gentle hug and nuzzled the top of my head with his chin.

“And Page can come live with us,” he added with a hopeful smile.

Louis’s hand moved slowly through my fur as he shook his head. “He could, but I think he’d rather stay here, looking after Alan and the others.” His voice softened, trailing off as his hand stilled. His eyes grew distant, as though his thoughts had drifted somewhere far away. 

“Sam…”

Sam tilted his head, curious. “Yes, Papa?”

“I can make you walk again.”

Sam blinked, stunned. His lips parted in surprise. “But Dr. Willis said—”

“I know what he said,” Louis interrupted gently. He said the poison left your legs paralyzed, that you’d never walk again. But there’s something he doesn’t know—something I’ve seen out there.”

“Out there? What’s out there?”

“A different world. A world where we could have a better life.”