JACKIE:

  My sneakers pounded the gravel as I ran toward danger. Everything inside me told me to turn around, but fate sent me to that grim place where sorrow always took center stage.

  I made the arduous climb to the top of Camp Claudi and stumbled onto the balcony overlooking the volcano.

  Mark stood at the railing, admiring the unfinished castle tower.

  Without turning around, he asked, “What are you doing here, Jackie?”

  “I’m here to pay my respects to Queen Beatrice. What brings you back to Bennu Island?”

  He turned to me. “Do I need a reason to visit the land I own and operate?”

  “Wouldn’t you say the island belongs to the villagers? They lived here before you were born.”

  “When I told you to handle the shipment issue, I didn't think you’d come here in person.” Mark flashed his killer smile. “I followed you here to thank you. You gave me a brilliant idea.”

  “Oh yeah? What’s that?” I lifted my eyebrows and pursed my lips.

  Mark pushed a button on his watch, and Alpha lifted from a docking station. Its wires glowed green.

  “I never thought to use the Life Rite serum on my little toy, but why else would it glow green? One injection, and this thing is crunching numbers on a whole new level.”

  My knees went weak. “What have I done?”

  Why couldn’t I keep my mouth shut or come up with a plan before diving headfirst into chaos? Am I incapable of strategic thinking?

  Alpha hovered, clicking its creepy eye.

  Blinking. Watching. Recording.

  I hit my forehead, scolding myself. “I set the worst possible outcome in motion. If I don’t fix this, B’s sacrifice will be in vain.”

  Mark ignored my ramblings. “It makes sense. Bennu eggs make all Life Rite products better. Let’s see what else you know, dear Jackie. Let’s test that blood of yours.”

  A needle popped out of Alpha’s faceplate. It flew toward me, ready to take a sample of my blood.

  Reality punched me in the gut. If Alpha got my blood, it could trigger the Redistribution Program and set global annihilation in motion—if I was still a phoenix gene carrier.

  “Mark, stop. You’re literally stomping on B’s grave,” I yelled as Alpha chased me around the balcony.

  That got his attention. My grandfather paused his drone from his watch.

  His eyes turned red. “What do you know about Beatrice? She died before you were born. Everything I do is in her honor.”

  “Immortalize her with your tower if you want, but don’t feed off other people’s lives to live forever. You’re a parasite.” I spat at his feet.

  He sent Alpha after me again with a press of a button. “I’m an innovator. A disrupter. A curer of diseases.”

  Alpha came close, but I kicked it away. The glass protecting its eye cracked.

  I struck a battle stance. “Beatrice knew the suffering Life Rite would cause. She explored every probability deeply and knew without a doubt, this was the wrong path. How could you disobey her?”

  Mark paused Alpha again. “The serum couldn’t be kept from the world. It’s bigger than me and Beatrice, and definitely more important than a drug addict like you, Jackie.”

  I clasped my hands together, begging him to understand. “A hero will sacrifice themselves to save the world, but a villain will sacrifice the world to save a chosen few. Can’t you see the difference?”

  Mark shook his head. “Don’t you realize how many lives Life Rite has saved?”

  Grace and Zayne joined us on the balcony, holding hands.

  “Father, is it true?” Grace threw the Life Rite mutation manual at Mark’s signature boat shoes.

  Mark’s face hardened.

  “Tell her the truth,” Zayne yelled.

  “I thought you two broke up,” Mark said.

  Grace’s cheeks turned pink as she dropped Zayne’s hand. “That’s what you always wanted, isn’t it? I always tried to make you proud, but now I never want to speak to you again.”

  Mark shouted, “Where would you all be without Life Rite? Without me and my hard work? Huh?”

  I scoffed. “Giving immortality to the wealthy creates an insurmountable disparity between the Flyers and Climbers. I’d rather be a janitor’s daughter than condone what you’ve done to innocent people.”

  “It’s an expensive treatment.” Mark rubbed his forehead. “Somebody has to pay for it, but maybe there’s a better way. Let’s test your theory, Jackie. Let’s see if your blood is special. It seems possible that Zayne's exposure would pass down to you.”

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  “Father, how could you?” Grace wrapped her arms around Zayne and buried her face in his chest.

  “I’m sorry, Grace.” Mark threatened to press his watch to reactivate his bloodsucking drone.

  I ran my hand through my blue hair, where my red streak used to be in the previous timeline.

  Was that streak a sign of my genetic mutation?

  “Grace didn’t take the serum in this probability, so I might not have the phoenix gene anyway.”

  Mark pressed his watch. “Science will show us the way. Alpha will take a blood sample to see what we’re working with.”

  Alpha clicked toward me with its needle drawn.

  I bobbed and weaved to avert it. “You can test my blood, but please, not through Alpha. The ripple effect is a tsunami that we can’t control.”

  Mark didn’t relent because he didn’t understand. “The drone won’t hurt you. Its medical programming is state-of-the-art.”

  Alpha chased me around the balcony.

  “Stop this. For Beatrice.” I picked up a wastebasket and threw it, but the drone dodged my lame attack.

  We ran in circles around my family.

  “Father, stop!” Grace shouted. “Leave Jackie alone. Haven’t you done enough damage?”

  Mark said, “Life Rite can’t be denied. My loving wife was too afraid to take the serum, but I had an obligation to the world to see it through to its final conclusion. I had already created it. How ridiculous to let it go to waste… Life Rite was meant to be.”

  “Kidnapping? Creating mutants, Father?” Grace wiped her tears. “Sounds like bad execution to me.”

  Mark softened. “If we can revolutionize the process and make things more efficient, we will. Jackie claims her blood holds some special gene.”

  “Leave Jackie alone,” Zayne yelled. “We are not your science experiments.”

  I was running out of the stamina to evade Alpha, so I turned and punched it right in the iris.

  It’s glass cracked, but so did the skin on my knuckles. Blood dripped down my hand.

  “You cannot escape the statistical probabilities,” Alpha said.

  Does the drone remember other probabilities like I do? Maybe injecting it with Life Rite brought its consciousness back, like Feraz rebirthing did for me.

  The drone kept up the chase, wearing me out. My legs felt like jello, and my ankle throbbed.

  Zayne screamed, “Leave Jackie alone.”

  Alpha didn’t tire like I did, and it gained on me. It pricked the back of my neck, taking a blood sample.

  I touched my skin and found blood on my finger. I felt as if every drop had been drained. I was pale, lightheaded, and weak.

  Did I just give Alpha access to the Slipstream? Or is my blood ordinary in this timeline?

  I watched in horror as my blood mixed with the green radioactive liquid already running through Alpha’s veins. Thick crimson bled into the viscous green goo, the biochemicals creating an ethereal cocktail that scared me.

  “This is the most probable thing to happen,” Alpha said as it synthesized the sample in its belly.

  “This is the most probable thing, huh?” Suddenly, everything clicked for me. I finally saw the complete picture.

  My entire family tree.

  The full map of the Slipstream.

  “Yes, it’s the most probable thing to happen…” I said, in awe.

  The weight in my chest lifted from the revelation.

  “Exactly,” Mark boasted. “You cannot deny progress.”

  “I finally get how the Slipstream works,” I said to Zayne. “Some things are more probable of happening, and therefore harder to change.”

  To Mark, I said, “You’re right. The serum was always meant to get out.”

  “With ninety-eight percent certainty,” Alpha validated.

  “Zayne and Grace were meant to fall in love, and I…”

  What’s most probable for me?

  I always struggled with my purpose and place. Whether I was a janitor or heir to the Life Rite empire, I never felt comfortable in my own skin.

  “I finally see my role in the grand scheme. It’s actually the most important of all. Me, Jackie. I finally see my own worth,” I told my complicated family.

  Grace eked out a smile. “I’m glad you’ve finally found yourself. What’s your big purpose, honey?”

  “I was meant to heal all the messed up stuff my family has done.”

  Mark laughed. “Listen to this spoiled brat. Anyone would kill to be a part of this family.”

  “I’m going to do it. I’m going to heal all the suffering brought onto anyone who can’t afford Life Rite, not to mention the people of Bennu Island. They’re my people, and they constantly sacrifice themselves for the greater good.”

  Zayne nodded with tears gathering in his eyes.

  Mark threw his hands in the air. “Sure. The black sheep of the family is our holy savior. If you're lying about your blood, you can kiss your holiday bonus goodbye.”

  I walked to Mark and put my hand on his shoulder. “I haven't told you what your fate is yet.”

  “I make my own fate.” He looked down his nose at me.

  “I’m sorry, Grandpa. But you were always meant to die in that volcano.”

  Everyone’s eyes bulged out of their heads, shocked at my harsh words.

  “I don’t make the rules. The Slipstream does.” I shrugged.

  Mark saw the intent in my eyes and stumbled backward. He held the balcony railing so tight, his knuckles turned white.

  “Is that a threat, Jackie?” he asked.

  “No, it’s a promise.”

  Maybe deep down, he felt the inevitability of it, too.

  “Jackie, what’s your plan?” Grace’s voice wavered.

  I pushed Mark against the railing until his body inched over the barrier, toward the volcano below.

  “Stop her, Alpha, before she attacks me.” Mark pointed at me. His own granddaughter. No one was safe in our family.

  I backed away from Mark, bracing myself for a fight. My hands clenched into fists.

  Grace gasped. “Father, no! Jackie, stand down. Everyone, let’s talk this through calmly.”

  “Jackie is unhinged again,” Mark declared. “You raised a junkie, Grace!”

  Zayne charged back. “You’re unhinged. You’re a monster.”

  Disgust filled Mark’s chiseled face; nostrils curled, jaw clenched.

  “Grace, this is your fault. I can’t believe you married a poor boy from Bennu. Beatrice asked me to introduce you two, but I begged you not to marry him. Look what’s become of our family.”

  Grace blushed and got smaller, like a scolded child. Mark had a way of putting people in their place.

  Zayne comforted her.

  I told Mark, “Grace and Zayne belong together. You can’t fight the probabilities. You never could, and you can’t now.”

  Mark’s ears turned red. “Alpha, stop her from doing something stupid.”

  “I cannot harm a human,” the drone explained.

  “Of course, the laws of robotics.” Mark adjusted Alpha’s code from his watch.

  This was my window of opportunity to stop the Redistribution Program.

  Now or never.