Letting out one more piercing scream, Lara threw all of the rocks at them. Alexis stepped between Lara and Parker and put her hands out in front of her. Parker stared, dumbfounded at the back of Alexis’s head. What was she doing?

The rocks began changing into sand that flew through the air. Parker heard Alexis gasp and start to fall backwards. He reached forward and grabbed her as she fell to the ground. He looked at her and saw a thin rock sticking out from Alexis’s chest. His eyes went wide and everything around him went silent.

Time seemed to stop.

Parker shot up in bed with a yelp, heart pounding in his ears. He was breathing heavily when Alexis rolled over next to him.

“Hey…” she said, rubbing his arm. “It’s okay… It’s just a dream.” She knew exactly what woke Parker up.

Parker fell backwards onto his pillow. “I just want the dreams to stop.”

Alexis cuddled up to Parker and laid her head on his chest. “I know honey, I’m sure they will eventually.”

Parker wasn’t sure that they would. As he stared into the darkness of the room, he wondered if he was stuck with this dream because he wasn’t really supposed to be here. The dream hadn’t started happening until they were older than Alexis was when she died in his timeline. Was the dream happening because she was originally supposed to be dead? He couldn’t let those thoughts take over. The kids depended on the two of them.

“You need to get some sleep. We have classes in the morning.”

“I know,” Parker said, squeezing her hand. He closed his eyes and prayed that the dream would stay away for the rest of the night.

———

The sun shined brightly through the window, waking Parker up. He’d made it through the night. He rolled over to see Alexis still sleeping soundly next to him. Seeing her there always put a smile on his face.

Parker reached out and gently shook her until she started to groan like she always did. “Five more minutes…” she grumbled.

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“I wish. We need to get some breakfast.” Parker spun so his legs would hang off the side of the bed. He got up and started to get ready for the day. “I’m sure Caleb and Hailee are already down there eating. They always beat us down there. I’m pretty sure the students make comments about it.”

“Who cares?” she grumbled, pulling the pillow over her head. Parker threw his pillow at her. “Fine! Fine. I’m up.”

They finished getting ready and then made their way down to The Regale. As they walked through the crowds of students eating their breakfasts, they smiled and said their good mornings. As Parker predicted, Caleb and Hailee were already at their seats at the head table next to Master Kingston.

Master Kingston had said that she’d stay at Lancastre for as long as she felt the school needed her. When Parker took his seat on Master Kingston’s other side, the master leaned over. “You know, I couldn’t be more impressed with the way you four have handled stepping into the shoes of being a master. It may be just about time for me to step away and let you four take charge.”

Parker couldn’t believe what she was saying. “Why would you do that? You’ve got plenty of years left in you!”

“Look out there,” she said, gesturing to the students. “These kids respect and admire you in a way I’ve never seen. Even your own kids. Look, Theo and Charlotte are looking up here right now.” Master Kingston pointed to a shining white table where his two kids were sitting.

“How about we talk about this later? I know I’m not ready for you to leave yet.”

“Sorry dear, but I’ve made my decision. This is my last year at Lancastre. I’ve some other aspirations outside of teaching. And who’s better prepared to run this school than four Omnis?”

Parker hated this conversation. He knew it would come eventually but he figured he had another twenty or so years. Master Kingston was only fifty-eight and he figured she’d stick around like Master Sora and Master Keegan had.

“You’re sure this isn’t just some mid-life crisis?” Parker asked.

Master Kingston slapped his arm playfully. “No dear, I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. It’s my time to do some traveling before it becomes too difficult. Although, I could use your help in getting to an airport a little faster.”

“So you want to use me and you’re still going to leave? Ouch. Besides, we put up the Space Imperial that Lara had used on the school so that students could get here easier.”

Master Kingston laughed. “I know that, but I mean, what beats just getting straight to the airport?” She grinned from ear to ear.

Alexis pulled on Parker’s sleeve. “Is everything okay?” she asked.

Parker leaned over to whisper to her. “She’s leaving at the end of this year. Are you ready to take charge here?” he asked.

Alexis blinked several times, taking in what he’d just said. “I mean, no. Obviously. But with you three here with me, I guess we’ll figure it out, won’t we?”

Parker laughed a little. “Yeah, I think we can manage.”