Page 13 of Paradise

The air changed scents as Garrett joined them, and when his dad turned to look at him, his eyes got wide, and his jaw dropped a little. He didn’t even seem to hear the person over the com respond, and Cody wondered if that was what Garrett meant when he said “stunning.”

Whatever, it was annoying, and they were going to get in trouble if his dad didn’t talk back. Cody nudged him with his foot.

“Sor—sorry, Tower, repeat that last transmission, please?” his dad said, turning reluctantly back to the console. Garrett just grinned and placed a kiss on the top of his dad’s head as he came around and shifted Cody into his lap so they could share the copilot’s seat.

“You’re cleared for landing at the governor’s private dock. Berth six. Just follow the coordinates,Icarus, you’ll do fine.”

“Roger that, Tower.Icarusout.” His dad shut off the com, and they all watched as Paradise grew larger and larger in the viewport.

“Will your family be there when we land?” Cody asked, his nerves overcoming his impatience for the first time that day.

“Probably, unless there’s some emergency,” Garrett said, like emergencies were just boring, everyday kinds of things.

“Do I look as nice as you?”

“You look great,” Garrett assured him, giving Cody a kiss as well, and even though he wasn’t a little kid anymore and didn’tneedkisses, it was kind of nice to get one. “You both do.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” his dad said briskly, but he was smiling too. “Time to strap in, guys, we’re going to hit atmosphere in thirty.”

“You heard the man,” Garrett said. He set Cody down and gestured to the small seat that was specially installed for him at the back of the cockpit. Cody pulled it down, hopped up, andbuckled himself in. Garrett checked that the fit was snug before going back to his own chair and fastening his harness.

The planet got larger and larger, all the black vanishing from the viewscreen, and then they hit the top layer of clouds. The ship began to rumble. Cody watched the viewscreen go totally white from clouds, and he clenched his hands around the edge of the seat. How could his dad really tell where they were going? It was easy in space; there was nothing to run into, but now there might be something in the clouds, and they wouldn’t even see it, and they could hit it, and then they’d crash.

“It’s okay, bucko,” his dad said softly, and Cody figured he must have made a noise. “We’re fine. We’ll be down in a minute.” The clouds thinned, going from white to gray to light brown, and then there weren’t any clouds at all, nothing but clear sky and distant, orangey rocks and, right in the middle, a silver city.

“Wow,” Cody whispered. It was so different from the Box, so much brighter.

“That’s Rapture,” Garrett told him, craning his neck back so he could look at Cody. “The capital of Paradise. It’s the biggest city on the planet, with around a million people living there. Most of the military’s facilities are there as well.”

A million people? “That’s a big city.”

“Compared to the Box, yes,” Garrett agreed. The ship turned slightly and headed for a large white structure on a hill. “That’s the Governor’s Mansion. That’s where we’re going to be staying.”

It was huge. “Your dad lives there?”

“Yes, but so do a lot of other people. You won’t get bored.”

“I just don’t wanna get lost.”

Garrett chuckled. “That too.”

Daddy was quiet all through the landing, guiding them down onto the fluorescent landing circle and settling the ship with a fainthissfrom the compressors. Maybe he felt nervous too. As soon as the light went off, Cody unbuckled and went to standnext to his dad. He took his hand and held it tight. Garrett peered out of the viewport and grinned. “There they are! Ready to meet everyone?”

Cody’s heart felt like it would jump out of his mouth if he tried to say anything. He just nodded and held onto his daddy’s hand tighter.

Garrett led the way down the ramp. Cody’s feet felt stuck, heavy and hard to move, and the bright sunlight stung his eyes. He buried his face in his daddy’s side, and a second later, he was picked up and held tight. “You okay, bucko?” his daddy asked gently.

“My eyes hurt,” he confessed.

“Yeah, mine too. We’ll be inside soon, though.” His daddy ran a comforting hand through his hair and kept walking forward. Cody kept his eyes closed, feeling tears seep out at the edges. He couldn’t see, but he could hear what was going on up ahead.

“Gare!” There was a slapping sound, like someone getting a really hard hug. “Finally! You know you’re almost a day late, right?” It was a light voice, not high like a girl’s but excited. Wyl’s voice.

“Don’t pretend you learned how to tell time,” Garrett teased him. “Where’s Robbie?”

“Last-minute disciplinary session; some moron accidentally discharged his rifle into one of the tanks. No damage done, but Robbie couldn’t put off dealing with it. He’s making us all dinner tonight as an apology.”

“Doesheknow that?”

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