Addison looks at her home everyday until it's just a tiny dot of blue that she can't pick out amongst the stars. She thinks of Seabrook, the bright, welcoming town that was surprisingly getting better each and everyday, and she thinks of high school, with hundreds of people she didn't know too well who she can't help but miss. She thinks of her friends, her cheer team, Zoey and Zevon, and her parents. How awful it was to say goodbye to them all, mostly like never seeing them again.
Most of all, she thinks of Zed, and her heart aches everyday for him. She sees his face everyday: his eyes red and watering, tears running down his cheeks, and yet he still smiled. He made sure the last time they saw each other, he smiled his sweet, caring smile. Sad, but hopeful, for her.
She misses him so much. She misses his smile and his hugs, the way he'd say her name, moonlight strolls on the beach and froyo dates.
She wishes she were home, with Zed and all her friends and family.
According to Mothership, three years on earth pass before they reach their new home planet. It doesn't feel like three years to Addison — more like a lifetime, if she thinks about it. Every moment feels slower, drawn out, and painful when she isn't at home with her family and friends.
In actuality, it only feels like a few months. Long, lonely months, but mere months in comparison to the years flying by on earth.
Three years. She's twenty-one now, or at least she's supposed to be. She remembers fantasizing with her friends about going on a fancy bar-crawl for her birthday, since she would be the last one to turn twenty-one. They would be entering their fourth and hopefully final year of college, preparing for the next phases of their lives.
Addison used to think that Zed would propose the day they graduated. Maybe in front of everyone, or maybe hidden away, a special event just for the two of them. They were supposed to spend forever together.
Three years.
She knows she shouldn't, but she hopes he still thinks of her. That she can run back to Seabrook and he'll be there, waiting, and they can start again. That their someday can finally, finally become real.
It's a stupid dream that she can't stop dreaming.
Addison slowly enters the control room, where A-Lan, A-Spen, and A-Li are standing around the central panel, a projection of their new home planet displayed between them. They've been circling the planet for days now, scanning it for any dangers. When Addison enters, she hears the tail end of their conversation.
"We should be able to dock on our new planet in just a few days now," A-Lan says. "All the preliminary threats have been dealt with accordingly and we have sent several scout teams down to forage for food and water."
"That sounds excellent. Thank you, A-Lan."
"You're welcome, A-Spen."
Addison clears her throat, drawing their attention. The three of them turn to face her. "Oh, Addison! Are you feeling better today?" A-Spen asks.
She fights off a sigh. No one ever questions her, but she spends almost all of her time missing Zed. And everyone else, but mostly Zed. She tries to keep her sorrow to herself, sitting on the windowsill in the back of the ship and watching the stars in private. But they know, they all know.
"Yeah, I guess." She shrugs half-heartedly.
A-Lan tilts his curiously, "Is there something you wish to discuss?" he asks.
A-Spen perks up with an idea. "Do you want a role for preparations of our Utopia? We weren't sure if you'd be up for the task, but I remember while in Seabrook learning that keeping busy helps with sadness." They sound excited. It's nearly infectious. If Addison weren't preoccupied with her own thoughts, she might get excited too.
"That's actually what I want to talk about," Addison says. "I was hoping that, um, since I served my overall…purpose, if there was a way I could, maybe, um…go home?"
The aliens look at each other, sharing a look. Addison feels a wave of confusion wash over her for a moment, but quickly passes, just like always. "But…this is our home," A-Li says.
"I know, but I need to go back to my home," Addison explains, "where my family is."
"But utopia is perfect and Seabrook is…not," A-Li says, clearly confused.
Addison shrugs again, crossing her arms almost uncomfortably. Seabrook isn't perfect, and it never will be. But the man she loves is there, her entire family is there. She always dreamed of having her own little family, in the middle of the cul-de-sac, with zombie and Seabrook flare. And she'd never force her kid to cheer, but she really really hoped they love cheer just as much as she does. Seabrook isn't perfect, not in the slightest, but she would've had such a perfect life, with the perfect zombie by her side.
"It's not a perfect place, but the people I love are there," she says. "And I need to be back with him—them."
A-Spen nods, understanding, while A-Li and A-Lan frown. "I don't understand," A-Lan says. "We will never have conflict here. We will all live in harmony, forever. How could love be better than harmony?"
Addison sighs. She can't explain it, but she can feel it. Even though things were hard in Seabrook, she was surrounded by people who love her. Even her parents had their moments. Even Bucky! She misses Bucky!
But more than anything, she misses Bree, and Zoey, and the wolves, and Zed. She misses all of them more than anything.
She really, really misses Zed, and his laugh and unabated optimism.
"The conflict…" she starts, trying to find what she needs to help them understand. She thinks about all the bad in Seabrook, the years of Zombie-oppression and the few weeks all the anti-monster laws came back to ruin things with the werewolves. She thinks of the days her and Zed had their first and worst fight, but they overcame it together. Because they love each other, and that's more important than anything else. Their love could handle any disagreement (and she hopes it can handle the distance too). "The conflict isn't so bad when you're with people you love."
They still look at her, confused. She sighs and moves to the control panel, grabbing an orb and pulling up a holographic projection of her own memories. She doesn't know what will pop up, but concentrates all her energy into feeling their love. The day she realized she loved Zed, and he loved her back with his whole heart. The first time she ever felt truly seen.
The image shifts, and suddenly she sees her fourteen year old self standing in the middle of the football field. Her breath catches as the Addison being projected turns and rips off her wig. The aliens stand behind her, watching her yell at all of Seabrook.
She remembers it all so clearly. "This was the hardest day of my life," she says softly. "I stood against everything I used to believe, stood up to my parents, and risked everything I ever knew for my friends. And…everyone boo'd. Everyone hated the real me. It was awful."
Then she sees Bree, with a wide, proud smile. Her bestie. And Zed, shackled up, but looking at her in complete awe, like she was the only person in the world, the only thing that mattered. That's how he looked at her when she got her alien powers (officially). She always thought he'd smile like that on their wedding day. She misses that look so much.
"I don't think I would've gotten through this day without them," she whispers. "Bree alone always supported me and gave me confidence in everything I did. She was my best friend, through thick and thin. And Zed…he always stands by me. No matter the fight, he'll always be by my side."
The memories shift to a few months after, when she and Zed had their first big fight outside of the demolition site. Her eyes start to water, but she focuses on the last time she saw him instead, his soft smile and watery eyes. (Does he think of her as much as she thinks of him? She hopes he does, hopes that their someday will become real.)
"But you two have had discord. Doesn't that sour everything?" A-Spen asks.
"Love is stronger than hate," Addison says. "Our love can handle a few disagreements. It can handle anything."
Even light years apart, she hopes.
The aliens take a few moments to process this, then slowly nod. "We understand," A-Spen says. "Love is powerful, and it's drawing you back to Seabrook."
"This is why we need emotional suppressors. Otherwise we'd all have clouded judgment." A-Li grumbles.
A-Lan grips her shoulder tightly, quietly scolding, "Just think it, A-Li."
A-Spen shakes their head and continues. "Know that you will always have a home here, Addison."
Addison nods, a small smile creeping onto her face. She can't seem too excited, otherwise she might offend them. As perfect as Utopia is, she can't wait to get back home. She turns around, giving them each a grateful hug.
"A-Lan will train you in flying for the next few days. A-Rchie will be able to program the coordinates to earth in your scout ship. You should be able to head out by the end of this week." A-Spen tells her.
"Thank you. Th-this means so much to me."
A-Spen smiles at her. "Of course, Addison. You have given up everything to save our people. The least we could do is help reunite you with yours."
Addison's chest clenches, her eyes watering. She knows that she's the most emotional person on the ship, something that used to bug her and make her want to hide from the others while she cried, but she doesn't care anymore. She lunges forward, throwing her arms around A-Spen's neck and squeezing them tightly.
It takes a few seconds, but they wrap their arms around her, hugging her back.
Addison spends everyday on Utopia learning how to fly a scout ship. Every second she isn't on the ship, she's studying the alien language because the entire controls are written in their symbols. She can only fluently read English and zombese (the written version of zombie-tongue), and learning the latter took her three and a half years.
Whenever she gets frustrated, annoyed, and even angry, she takes a moment to remind herself why she's doing all of this. She keeps a Polaroid photo of them from the Cheer-Off tucked in her journal, looking at it everyday to see his sweet, smiling face. Even if he's moved on, she still needs to see him again. She needs to make sure he's okay.
And, she reminds herself, all her friends will still be there. Bree and Eliza, the wolves, Bonzo and Zoey. They'll all still be there, and they'll be excited to see her (she hopes, she really hopes, otherwise she's wasting everyone's time).
She hopes her and Zed can pick up where they left off, although about six years later, give or take. It should only take about three more earth years to get back, and by then he'll be twenty-four. She might have a chance to recapture his heart again.
And if she can't, just knowing he's okay will make her happy. Especially seeing him, happy and living a peaceful life. Even if she can't keep him, she knows their bond will still exist, and even if he has someone new in his life, they'll always be friends.
She's doing it for him, and Bree and Bucky, Eliza and Bonzo and Zoey, the wolf pack and her parents. She needs to get home to them.
When the day arrives, the entire community comes to say goodbye. A-Li makes sure her ship is stocked with food, water, and translation devices, while A-Lan pulls off one final inspection.
Addison spends her last few moments with the aliens running around saying her goodbyes. She really will miss them, although she knows she'll be much better off back home with Zed. She gets halfway through the group when a silence falls over them. She turns back to the scout ship, seeing A-Lan and A-Li standing side by side.
"The ship is already programmed with the general coordinates to earth," A-Lan explains. "Planets can sometimes shift, as do galaxies, but I doubt earth has shifted so much that our projections would be off, especially seeing as we've only been away a short time."
Addison nods. The ship can fly itself, mostly. All Addison needs to do is monitor its path, and stay safe. There are countless dangers lying ahead in the vast endlessness of space. But for her friends, it's worth the risk. And for Zed? She'd risk everything.
"We will miss you, Addison," A-Li says.
Addison gives her a soft smile. "I'll miss you guys too. But I have to do this. These are…these are my people." Her bestie to end, her zom-bae and her pack, and the love of her life. She needs to get back to them. Whatever it takes.
With A-Lan's help, Addison puts her suitcase filled with all her belongings into the scout ship. She keeps the essentials out of the bag, a few things she'll keep on the dashboard — her and Zed's Prawn photo and a photo of her senior year cheer team.
"Everything is all set," A-Lan says. "You should have more than enough fuel for a round-trip, so you shouldn't have any issue getting to earth. Have a safe flight."
"Tell your friends we say hello." A-Li adds.
Addison smiles, nodding. She starts to climb into the ship, but at the back of the crowd, someone shouts, "Wait!"
A-Spen pushes their way through the crowd of aliens. They have a large, silver duffel bag slung over their shoulder, stopping in front of Addison. "I want to go with you."
Shock falls over the crowd of aliens. Hell, shock falls over Addison! She didn't think any of them would ever want to return to earth, not after everything that happened. But A-Spen stands before her, looking more sure than they've ever been.
"A-Spen, you can't leave us!" A-Li exclaims. "W-we need you!"
"No, you don't," A-Spen says, stunning them yet again. "We have all been through so much together, I know. But you do not need me to lead."
"B-but…" A-Li stammers. She glances at the others, trying to find some excuse. Her lip quivers as her emotions start to take over. "You can't leave us, A-Spen."
A-Spen gives her a reassuring smile. "You will be okay. You all will. I need to go back there. I need to feel again, like I felt when I was in Seabrook."
A-Lan furrows his brows. He looks between A-Spen and Addison, slowly processing before he makes a connection in his brain. "You…love someone? In Seabrook?"
A-Spen opens their mouth to speak, then changed their mind. "I…I do not know. But I miss them, all of them. And all the new and strange things they have in Seabrook. It may not be perfect, but I know…" They glance at Addison, a small, unsure smile fighting it's way to the surface of their face, "in my heart, that I need to go back."
A single tear falls down A-Li's cheek. She quickly wipes it away, nodding at A-Spen's last statement. "Well, we will miss you."
"I will miss you all too. But I know you will thrive without me." A-Spen looks at each of them, smiling. "And maybe someday, you all will come visit us, on earth!"
"For you? Anything," A-Lan says with a smile.
A-Spen and Addison finish saying their goodbyes, then board their scout ship, together. The canopy closes. Addison sits behind A-Spen, watching as they prepare the scout ship for flight.
The control console lights up white and red, hundreds of buttons bussing or flashing. Just looking at it all freaks her out and makes her all the more grateful that A-Spen decided to join her.
"Okay, we'll need to give the ship about two minutes to warm up, just to ensure a smoother take-off," A-Spen tells her.
Addison nods. She glances around the small ship, pristine save for the items she already put up. Her journal sits beside her and she picks it up, fishing out the small picture of her and Zed.
"Can I ask you something?" Addison asks. A-Spen tilts their head curiously, though Addison doesn't see, eyes focused on her photo. She looks up, seeing she had their attention, then asks, "Is there…someone back in Seabrook? Someone in particular who you maybe want to see again?"
"I…I do not know," A-Spen says. "I miss your friends, all of them. Even the ones who didn't welcome us the same way you and Zed did. And, it may not have been perfect, but the messy, emotional parts were worth it."
Addison smiles softly. "They were. It's not perfect, but it's home."
"So let's go home."
Addison looks back down at Zed. I'm coming home.
Addison wakes up on the ground. Her head and heart pounds, every muscle in her body aching, her ears even ringing with the lingering effects of being forcefully ejected from the crashing ship. Everything in her mind is fuzzy — from the moment she left Utopia up until crash landing.
The sun glares overhead, low in the sky but still high enough that it burns her pupils as she gains consciousness.
The sun…
She hasn't seen the sun in years. Or the bright blue sky, with fluffy white clouds floating slowly by. The grass itches against the patches of bare skin on her body, a cool summer breeze blowing over her. She inhaled through her nose, getting hints of copper, but mostly fresh flowers and grass, as well as the familiar warm summer air of Seabrook.
She's home.
She turns her head, her neck tight and stiff, and spots that she's just on the edge of the formerly Forbidden Forest. She tried to sit up, violent fire ripping through her chest at the action that had her crying out in pain.
Addison takes a few steadying breaths, then slowly pulls herself up, fighting through the flaring pain the tears building her eyes as a result. She looks down and sees her white top torn to shreds in her lower left abdomen, covered in blood. Her blue pants have several rips and tears and a few blood stains, but the top looks exponentially worse.
She gently touches it with her hand, wincing at the pain that spreads just at her touch. Her hand comes back red and dirty, and Addison curses to herself. Luckily, it doesn't look like she was impaled. Still, any amount of blood should concern her.
She's probably closest to the wolf den, although the wolves rarely occupied the den back when they were in high school and she doubts they still do now, despite however much time has passed. If she plans on finding help, she'll need to go straight to Zombietown.
No, she thinks. She needs to find Zed.
She needs to see him before she sees anyone else, before she finds anyone else. She hasn't seen him in a lifetime, and she doesn't think she can live with herself if she sees anyone before she sees him.
It's been years. He's probably moved on, started a life without you! Like you told him to do.
He'd still want to see her. And she needs to see him. She traveled to the end of the universe to see him again, she can manage a few miles.
Addison drags herself to her feet, finding both her ankles either sprained or broken, and painfully starts the long trek back home to Zed. To the end of the universe.
By the time she's squeezing herself through the busted gate between Zombietown and the Forbidden Forest — the one that has been scheduled for removal for years but still stands — her entire body is shaking, black dots dancing in the corner of her eyes.
She pushes through.
The sun started setting not too long ago, and she limps through Zombietown, trying to figure out where she might find Zed. She sticks to the backroads and alleys, trying to hide from anyone who might recognize her, or worse, see her state and immediately panic. She can't let anyone or anything derail her from finding Zed.
She doesn't even know where to start, how long it's been, or if he still even lives in Zombietown. But if they've found their way to each other hundreds of times before, they can do it again. She knows it.
Her foot catches on a cement block she doesn't see and she goes crashing to the ground with a shriek.
She blacks out for a moment, waking at the flaring pain racing up from her chest and spreading throughout her whole body. Addison starts to stand, grabbing onto a nearby metal bin. She loses her grip, palms ripped and raw from the fall just moments earlier, and goes tumbling back to the ground.
With a painful groan, she drags herself up to a sitting position, arms shaking and weak. She can do this, she has to see Zed again.
Her heart fights for her to push through, but her brain quickly floods with every ache, bruise, scrape, and break holding her down. She needs to find him, but she can't even stand anymore! She slowly pulls her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She can find him, she will find. Just after a quick rest…
"Hello?" a deep, low voice calls out. She flinches, terrified of some stranger finding her like this, terrified of ending up in a hospital bed and Zed finding out she's back and horribly hurt. When she pictured their reunion, she always saw warm embraces and sweet kisses, maybe even teary eyed smiles. Not a cold, empty hospital room filled with anxiety and fear.
"Is someone there?" the voice calls, curious and worried. He sounds…familiar. It's a little lower than she remembers, but she could never forget that curiosity, that concern…
Footsteps come rushing forward, crunching in the debris and trash, rushing out with, "It's okay, I just…" but he stops short when he sees her. When she sees him.
The same big, brown, warm eyes, tousled green hair that she wants to play with a tug. He looks older, more tired, but he's here.
"Addison?"
Her eyes water at the sound of her name in his voice. "Zed," she sighs.
His mouth falls open, eyes watering too. His hand comes up, shakily reaching out to her. She does the same, her entire body light just at the thought of Zed, actually being here, right in front of her, by complete coincidence. They'll always find their way to each other…
Their fingers touch briefly, a sharp, powerful burst of emotion rips from her body, shocking his entire body violently, nearly sending him tumbling back. She gasps, but he barely even flinches, linking his fingers in through hers.
Tears start rushing down her cheeks, a watery, broken laugh falling from her lips. "Zed!" She launches herself forward, throwing her arms around his neck despite the raging pain in her body. She doesn't care about anything anymore, she's too busy being happy.
Zed falls back on his butt. He wraps his arms around her, holding her tightly. She tucks her face in his shoulder, taking in his familiar scent and warmth. "Oh my god, oh my god," he whispers into her hair. "You're here. Y-you're really here!"
She nods, her tears falling to his jacket. She worried she'd never see him again, that she'd have to go her whole life without Zed. But he's here, he's real, and he's holding her again like he never wants to let her go.
He leans away from her slowly. She freezes, afraid she might have overstepped or hurt him again. She lifts her head to look up at him.
He blinks through watery eyes, smiling. "You came back," he says softly.
Addison's heart melts in her chest. She can feel the pent up emotion bursting out of him, softening her up and easing her own pain. "Of course I did. To the end of the universe, right?"
Zed blinks hard, letting out a watery laugh. "I love you too. I love you so much. I love you, Addison." He pulls her back into his chest. "Don't ever leave me again, Addy," he breathes.
"Never again," she whispers.
He sighs, squeezing her tightly. His arms cut into the wound in her side and she cries out, making him immediately tense up.
He pushes her back, looking her over. "You're hurt," he realizes. "Oh my god, you're bleeding. Addy, what happened? Are you—Do you need a doctor?"
She looks at him, then his sleeve, then shakes her head. "I-I think the bleeding stopped, and I don't think I got impaled or anything," she says. "We crash landed — lost our heat shield a while ago and started burning up on re-entry—"
Zed furrows his brows and cuts her off, asking, "We? You weren't alone?"
A-Spen! How could she forget about the person who saved her life, who's out there, somewhere. They're probably lost and confused and scared, or even worse, hurt!
"A-Spen. Oh my god, I-I completely forgot. When we started crashing…they ejected me. I-I don't know where they are but—"
"We'll find them," Zed assures her.
Addison nods. She tries to calm herself down. Zed has a plan, he always has a plan. They'll find them.
"But we gotta get you out of here first," he says. "It probably isn't a good idea for you to hide in a gross alley with unknown injuries."
"Yeah…"
Zed helps her to her feet. He loosely drapes an arm around her middle, supporting her while she hobbles along next to him.
"Where are we going?" she asks.
He fixes her with a smile. "I'm taking you home."