Thirty days.
The countdown has started, North America shivers under the shadow of a massive alien spacecraft, and humanity is hurtling toward an unknown future that lurks at the end of the timer. Somewhere, somehow, the heroes are making their plan...
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KANDERSTEG, SWITZERLAND
August 5, 7:39 AM
A tentative sunbeam kissed the meadows, promising a glorious day. As the train rolled to a stop, I shouldered my backpack, careful to protect my wrist. Still unsure I was prepared for the reunion, I stepped onto the platform. A trip down memory lane might help me forget that thing in the sky and chase off my morose mood—or it might become a disaster.
"May?" a voice called out, and I turned to see Dan's familiar face. "I should have looked for you on the train."
He hadn't changed. Less hair, a few kilos more around the waist, but his gentle smile was still ready to melt a woman's heart. Not as terrific as Jacques' smile, but it was good to see him.
"Hey, it's been forever. How's the family?"
The shadow of a cloud drifted across his features, but it blew away when a cheerful soprano voice saved him from an answer.
"Maya, Daniel, so glad to see you." Lily kissed him on the cheeks—three times, following the Swiss custom. I'd been abroad for so long it surprised me. Then she wrapped me in an enthusiastic embrace—my arm caught between our bodies.
"Ouch."
"What happened?" Her finger brushed over my cast. "Should you even go hiking like this?"
"Don't worry, my legs are fine."
She shook her head in mock desperation. "I'd never doubt your expertise, Miss Daredevil. Where are Thomas and Stefanie?"
"Knowing Tom, he took the car and picked her up."
As if on cue, a sleek black convertible turned into the parking lot and our friends climbed out. Tom bent to wrangle their packs from the tiny backseat, offering me a chance to admire his fashionable outdoor gear. Were these pants tailored to outline his crisp bottom? His trademark tan and stylish haircut fit the neat appearance of a successful lawyer.
Steff seemed pale in comparison. She had cropped her once-long blonde mane and dyed it crimson. The colour clashed with her green anorak but suited her, and her smile was warm as ever.
Lily checked her watch amidst the greetings. "Sorry to rush, but our bus is about to leave."
We piled into the yellow coach, and the doors closed behind me, their characteristic hiss signalling there was no way back. I was in for the ride. From my seat in the row behind the others, I contemplated my friends. Steff, Lily and I had kept in touch and texted each other on birthdays and New Year's Eve, but the men had dropped out of my life when I'd made the world my home.
Dan whispered something into Steff's ear, making her chuckle. Inseparable since school days, it had come as a shock to us all when he walked out of the relationship a decade ago to marry meek Ruth. Steff had taken the separation to heart, and it split our group, but today, she seemed happy to chat with her old flame.
