Coal, oil, and natural gas are all what types of fuel?

Fossil. They're fossil fuels.

Writing the answer in the blank space underneath the question, I move onto the next homework question Ms. Brubaker gave the class.

Who proved that the Earth orbits the Sun?

Copernicus.

One of the many machines here in the room with me beeps to signal that everything is still working properly as I write Copernicus' name into its allotted space.

What are the steps of the scientific method?

You have a question about something first. Then you create an experiment to put your question to the test. Once you've done that you start the experiment and observe what happens, usually with an outsider to observe neutrally because since you have the idea you're biased. After the experiment has come to an end, you record your observations, analyze them and come to a conclusion.

And if you don't have an answer for everything, you tweak your experiment and start all over again.

…

…

Scribbling down my answer with my mechanical pencil, I try and block out all of the pain and misery around me.

Focus Ezra.

My pencil lead whittles down to the plastic tip, forcing me to tap a couple of times to reload it before returning to my answer.

—and come…to a conclusion…

There.

"Good answer sweetie."

"Mom!" My head pops right up and I see Mom to my left, looking worn out but still having a smile on her face.

Mom's smile widens before she asks "Can you come over here and give me a hug? I kind of can't move. How was school today?"

"School was okay. How are you feeling?" I hustle to her side and lean into Mom's hug.

The side of Mom's mouth twitches before she answers. "Lousy honey." Without me saying anything, Mom begins chuckling. "I know, I smell bad. It's just the chemo."

"You don't smell bad." I lie.

Mom laughs once again. "You're a lousy liar. Which is better than your brother I suppose. And don't tell your father I said that."

"I won't."

Laufey taught him to lie. He even gets away with it too.

Dad always knows when I lie though, and takes me into the basement for it.

"Did Miss Stacey drive you down here?" Mom asks.

"Yes." I nod. "Elias is still at school for tutoring."

Mom makes a face while turning away. "I'm not worried about him dear…did your father ever find out I slipped that note into your book?"

"No."

That's how all this happened.

Mom slipped a note into my library book saying Miss Stacey was going to pick me up after school and bring me to see her today.

"Good…Because I want to tell you something Ezra." Mom says, her tone different.

Huh?

"Mom?"

"I'm serious Ezra." Mom's expression doesn't shift. "And I need you to really listen to me. Okay?"

"Okay." I nod quickly to her, then push my science notebook down into my lap.

"Everything that your father has done, he does because he loves you. But that doesn't mean that he's right. Do you remember that TV quote from that show I watched?"

No.

I shake my head, only for Mom to smile.

"Evil isn't born, it's made. And evil doesn't always look evil. Sometimes it's staring right back at us and we don't even recognize it." Mom tells me. "Did Voldemort or Bellatrix think they were evil?"

"No." I raptly agree.

But I'm not Voldemort.

I've hurt bad people trying to do bad things.

I'm the good guy.

"The most important thing a person can be is kind and patient Ezra. Kind enough to open up your heart and keep it open, and patient enough to let them make mistakes and grow from them. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Nobody's perfect." She continues, breaking out into a smile. "Not me, not you, and not your father. We all love you…but that doesn't mean that he's right. Or I'm right. But all we can do is the best we can in the moment and be okay with that. Hindsight is 20/20, but you can't beat yourself up over past mistakes. You can look back at them, learn from them, but you have to let them go."

"There's already too much pain and hurt in the world Ezra. Your father and I had you and Elias to try and help fix a little bit of that. You know you're special, but you're more special than you realize. Do you know why?"

I shake my head at her. "No."

"You think about how people feel and react to that. Your brother doesn't. Your father is too beaten down and angry at the world—"

Huh?

"—but you're not. You're a good person Ezra. I know you are. Just promise me that you'll always do that and try to do the right thing."

A light knock on the door pulls both of us out of the conversation, only to be looking at a nurse as she's standing in the doorway.

"How are we feeling Mrs. Bridger? Sorry to interrupt…" The nurse says cheerfully.

Mom turns and smiles at the nurse. "You're fine. Oh, I'm alright…how am I progressing?"

"Doing good…doing good…"

"If I send my son down to the cafeteria, could he go buy himself a snack? He came here straight from school?"

The nurse turns to me, and spots my homework, still splayed across my lap. "Of course he can. That's so sweet of him, you're really lucky!"

"Luckier than you know." Mom replies, then turns and winks at me.

(End Flashback)

Against my will, I laugh at the memory as the scene on the projector screen continues.

I laughed at what Mom said then too.

There we were, in MD Anderson's Cancer Center. Mom dying of cancer, getting chemotherapy and there we were…

Laughing.

In the face of what turned out to be certain death.

…

My eyes fall upon Dad, seated alone and hooked up to some very similar looking machines to the ones Mom was hooked up to.

He looks even worse than Mom did in that memory.

It was only two and a half, three weeks before she looked like he does now.

And then…she was gone.

Mom had already lost a ton of weight and her hair had thinned. She made a joke of it though, saying chemo was the best diet she'd ever been on and that she was thinking of dying her hair anyway.

She was right though. She did smell.

…

It smelled like death. A stale, dank, putrid smell. Almost like decay.

The Order had me volunteer at a Habitat for Humanity house in Louisiana after they got hit by a hurricane. And they didn't say so, but the house had mold, rot and asbestos.

I could smell it all through the mask they gave me that was designed to filter it out. And it doesn't make sense now, but it smelled similar.

They smelled like death.

…

I wish I'd given her a better hug.

The one I gave her was halfhearted. Because I knew she hadn't showered that day and she did smell. Bad.

But I'd do the whole UCLA thing in a heartbeat just to hug her again. To get thirty minutes and tell her what's happened and get her opinion on—

"AHHH!" I yelp as something suddenly latches onto me before I leap away from it, towards Kanan's old map of—

Mira!

Mira yells in fright as well while waving her arms, looking for something to support herself before falling down onto her butt since we're in the middle of Kanan's office.

Down here in the basement.

"Hey hey, no it's okay…you just scared him…" Hera dashes to Mira as Mira's expression seems scared, looking towards me.

Oh no.

"My bad, I'm sorry…you scared me baby…" I apologize as Hera scoops Mira up and she whines to make her point apparent.

"He was lost in thought. He didn't know you were there…you spooked him. Spooked!" Hera explains before turning her one positive. "Like 'Boo!'"

Hera's smile buoys Mira a little bit as I quickly approach. "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay…" Hera replies for Mira as Mira, wide-eyed gazes up at me before extending her arms.

For me to pick her up.

"C'mere…" I scoop her up out of her Mom's arms as Hera almost passes her to me. Mira immediately responds by clambering onto my shoulder and grabbing onto my head. "I'm sorry. You scared me."

"Yeah…" Hera breaks out into a big smile. "Ezra needs a big hug. Good girl."

Yeah…

Mira coos lovingly into my ear and I allow myself to lean into her a little bit.

She's got me. Mira loves me.

…

…

The soft clinking of Ghost's collar informs me that he's making his way down the stairs before I hear Hera ask "How is he?"

Bad.

"Eh." I shrug, non-committal. "He got off to a late start because he said he couldn't sleep. So they let him rest more before starting today's treatment."

"What are they, nine hours ahead of us?"

Yup.

"Mhmm."

Hera and I fall into a comfortable silence as Ghost trots over to us. Meanwhile, Dad is still seated in his chair while reading his tablet.

"What's he reading?"

"Twos?" I ask her as I bend down to pet Ghost.

Twos replies "Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius. Page 54."

"Hey Mira…Ghost wants to say hi." I tell her as I sit down properly while petting Ghost underneath the chin.

His coat is so soft today…they must have given him a bath.

Mira peeks out from my head and reaches out to pet Ghost. "Did you give Ghost a bath?"

"Yeah." Hera smiles. "He needed it, and that was before he jumped into the bath with Mira."

"Oh no!" I blurt out with a laugh.

Mira giggles as Ghost reacts to her happiness with an almost smile of his own. "Yup…" Hera sighs. "I got soaked."

Oh I bet.

"Page 55." Twos calls out, pulling my attention back to the live feed of Dad in time to see him swipe on the tablet, turning the page.

…

…

"I'm sorry dear. I know it's complicated between you two…but I'm sorry." Hera turns to me, looking disheartened.

No. Don't—

I spring back to my feet, causing Mira to voice her displeasure before I tell Hera "Don't…worry about him. He deserves this. In a way."

The Force twitches with Hera's reaction to that, but she doesn't respond immediately.

…

"Cayle said that you think all this goes back to the Polonium."

Polonium – 210.

It does.

"I mean, I don't think he just got cancer out of nowhere." I argue the other side.

He has a yearly physical, which didn't catch any hint of this last year. So either it's progressing very, very fast or somebody did a lousy job.

Which I doubt is the case since I know for a fact that the yearly physical is done by doctors from MD Anderson.

At my request.

And now again.

…

Life is cyclical.

And I shouldn't been feeling bad at all about it. He's got cancer and suffering like Mom got cancer and suffered.

Merriam- Webster defines deserve as: to be worthy, fit, or suitable for some reward or requital.

Deserve might not be the right word. Maybe karma.

"Did you ever get breakfast dear?" Hera breaks me out of my thoughts.

I shake my head. "I had a banana."

Wasn't hungry.

"That's not a meal honey. Were you feeling something specific for lunch?" Hera asks. "We can go out and pick something up if you'd like."

Mira perks up at the sound of lunch, getting a smirk out of me. "You hungry?"

"I'm always hungry." Hera thumbs Mira's cheek, getting a laugh out of her before she grabs at her Mom's thumb.

I'm not…I don't know.

"I don't really have an appetite right now. I'm sorry." I apologize.

Hera frowns at me. "Don't apologize Ezra, it's fine. We can pick you up something small. I think Kanan and I were thinking Panera once he comes back from the water park."

Jacen got invited to a birthday party with some of his little buddies.

"Okay. Sounds good."

Mira pats my shoulder and babbles fondly at our plan before Hera and I both smile at her. "I think she likes that plan. We can make it a date." Hera smiles at Mira.

(Late that afternoon)

With a snap of my wrist, the faucet turns on and I slide the strainer full of lettuce underneath it and begin swirling it around.

"Good idea Ezra." Zeb comments while at the island counter.

"Work smarter, not harder." I joke. "How have things been for you?"

Zeb grabs a dish towel and wipes his hands of something. "Eh. Boring really. Most of the focus for Temple Security is gearing up for Master Skywalker's upcoming pilgrimage to the Kyber caves in Ilum."

I've heard a few rumors about that.

"That's during the summer right?"

"Supposed to be." Zeb confirms as I set the strainer full of lettuce aside.

"And you're going on it?"

"Mhmm. Master Tano requested me specifically."

Ahsoka appears silently from the laundry room and the hallway to the garage. "Well, it's not like you're useful in a fight or anything…"

"I've never been to Ilum. So I'm not sure what help I'll be."

Ahsoka answers as she walks back toward the kitchen bar beyond the sink. "There's a first time for everything. Plus we need to continue introducing new Guards to the knowledge of Ilum's caves in case the Sith feel the need to attack again."

Yeah…

I don't quite catch Zeb's reply as beyond Ahsoka, out in the backyard, Cayle is demonstrably pointing something out to Jacen.

He's been frustrating him all day. Jacen didn't want to train or work today. But Kanan made him and Cayle volunteered.

Jacen's movement have been staccato and disjointed the entire time he's been out there. I think that's what Cayle's frustrated about.

I need to keep working on the salad. Hera's tomatoes should finish—

Right on cue, Hera's kitchen timer goes off and Ahsoka silences it with a flick of her wrist. "Hera!"

"I got it, I heard it…" Hera replies from the living room.

"Smells great." Zeb comments before she appears.

The Force briefly twitches—

Uh oh.

Hera gently prods me to go faster with her nails while sliding past me towards the oven before opening it up and taking out the baking sheet of tomatoes, complete with onions, parsley and basil paste spread onto each tomato half.

That does smell good.

"Ooh." I can't restrain myself.

"Less ooh, more salad. Otherwise it'll be done about the time Cayle's ready for seconds…" Hera needles me.

"I know I know…" I answer before both Ahsoka and Zeb laugh at my expense.

"My fault Hera, we're talking too much." Zeb covers for me.

Hera grabs a wooden spoon and an oven mitt before answering "Okay. It's your fault too."

"Ouch." Ahsoka chuckles along with me while Zeb shoots me a quick smile.

The conversation ends as everyone busies themselves with dinner preparations except for Ahsoka, who drifts away towards the living room where Mira and Kanan are. Mira announces Ahsoka's arrival before Ahsoka gives a response I don't quite catch.

At least it's Caesar salad tonight. The croutons have been bought. All I'll have to do is shred the cheese, cut the tomatoes and prep the lettuce and put it in the bowl.

"Isn't Sabine supposed to be coming for dinner?" Zeb asks eventually, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, she's at practice." I answer, not looking up from my salad.

"She's on her way." Hera adds on. "She said it was a rough practice and was going to be late if she didn't hurry over."

"Rough practice?" Zeb echoes Hera.

Hera gives a shrug I catch out of the corner of my eye. "I don't know."

"Blue?"

"They're headed to Vegas this week to play a whole bunch of other teams." I explain.

It's like a spring tune up.

"Sounds like fun. For anybody who is 21." Hera retorts.

Not really.

"I doubt it." I counter. "From what I've heard the whole thing is pretty strict. All from a centralized campus location. Games and school all day, then lights out pretty early."

Jaicey kept calling it a 'business trip'.

"Why Vegas then?" Zeb asks.

"Apparently it's the closest centralized location for everybody competing." I explain. "They've been doing this for a few years apparently so they have it down to a science."

"One last hurrah before semester ends and everybody goes home for the summer." Hera observes.

Yeah. All of my professors are starting to talk about Finals. Which is insane because I feel like I just took Finals but for the Fall semester.

The sound of the front door opening ends the conversation before Ghost starts barking—

"It's me Ghost, you can eat me if you want…" Sabine calls out to him before Ghost stops barking and his collar clinks her way.

Zeb laughs as I shake my head before I hear "—don't think you want to eat me anyway, I'm disgusting right now. Hi."

"Hi Sabine." Zeb turns and smiles before suddenly straightening up "Whoa, what happened?"

Huh?

"Grass burn." Sabine replies as I turn and see that Sabine's left forearm is wrapped in a brown-ish tan bandage of some kind.

Hera dashes right around me and moves to inspect Sabine. "Do you need ice or anything…?"

"No, it's just tender. The trainer just put some numbing gel on it to take my mind off it. I'll be fine." Sabine explains gently. "Thank you though."

"Of course Sabine, what happened?"

Sabine smiles at me before answering "Just a rough tackle. Too rough. I made a bet that she wouldn't do it because it was so risky. And put myself in a spot that the tackle would hurt me. So…yeah." She shrugs as if it's no big deal.

"I don't know that much about soccer but I hope she got into trouble." Zeb admits.

"Eh." Sabine shrugs. "No special treatment, so we played on."

She's not going to admit any weakness. Or the fact that it sounds like Weber just told her to keep going.

Asshole.

"You gonna be ready for Vegas?" I ask.

Sabine gives me a look that gets Zeb to chuckle. "Yeah. I'll just wear a sleeve and maybe get more of the same numbing gel. I can run so I'll be fine. Do you guys have dinner handled? I can still help?"

"We got it Sabine, thank you. You look like you would like to sit down though." Hera observes. "Do you want a drink?"

Sabine's fatigue finally shows as she makes her way to the bar and plops down. "Something cold, not wine please. Thank you."

"Kanan!" Hera calls out.

Kanan answers from the living room "On my way!"

"I brought a couple of pieces by the way." Sabine tells Hera. "We can talk about them after dinner if you want."

She was working on something or class today. That was the last time I texted her before practice.

And I've been here all day.

"Wonderful. Thank you dear." Hera replies while turning her focus back to her tomatoes that will become the base for the spaghetti sauce.

Kanan meanwhile approaches from the living room as well as Ahsoka, toting Mira. "Sabine, you made it."

"Am I getting drinks?" Kanan assumes correctly while diverting to the fridge.

Mira meanwhile spots Sabine's wrap and makes a face before Sabine laughs. "Yeah, I hurt myself."

"Wait you what?" Kanan turns before—

"CRSSHHH!"

Dark tinted glass flies everywhere before Hera lets out a scream.

"KANAN!"