Playing with Forever

Chapter 26: Welcome to New York

She turned to me with a toothy grin. I randomly wondered if she often lost her teeth like a normal kid would, or if that was just a one-time deal that happened while she was still mortal. If any immortal lost their teeth, would it just grow back? Something to ask Sam. "I can't wait to go to space someday," Paula added.

My eyebrows raised in surprise. "Space?"

"Yeah. Didn't you know? All immortals are going to space."

I turned to Sam for explanation. He looked reluctant, like he didn't want to scare me, but explained, "Someday, when our planet is uninhabitable, everyone is going to move to space—mortals and immortals alike. We will be around to make that change."

"Can you leave?" I asked, dumbfounded. "Can you leave the earth, even with the immortality stream here?"

He nodded with a smile. "We have done tests, sending immortal astronauts to space and testing the limits of immortality." I felt my eyebrows skyrocket at his words. "It works," he said, blowing my mind.

"Whoa," was all I could say.

"Whoa, indeed," he agreed.

I sat back in my seat and absorbed. Immortals would be space pioneers. It made me think about immortality in a practical type of sense that I hadn't thought of before. Immortals would outlast the Earth. They'd live long enough to see the destruction of our planet, and move to others. It was hard to comprehend, seeing the end of Earth's days like that. The thought was overwhelmingly depressing. I hadn't thought I'd see it in my lifetime, but Sam's...

I looked at my friend, imagining him on a space ship instead of an airplane. I could see it, I could see him off to a new planet elsewhere in the galaxy. There had always been something special about him, some sense that he was everlasting, up for anything that life threw at him. This was just one more thing he and the immortals would survive.

"Sound amazing," I eventually concluded. "But I don't know if I'd like to do it myself."

"You will get used to the idea," Sam said with a gentle smile. "I can imagine it now: Abigail Shea, the astronaut."

I snorted, and got more comfortable in my seat as Sam turned on his personal TV and flipped through the channels. I did the same, and we watched a program together, listening to Paula laugh along to her own show.

The hotel we arrived at was the nicest building I'd ever been in, all chandeliers and floral arrangements with a five star restaurant that we had high tea at. Paula wiggled with excitement at our tea party, filled to the brim with small cakes and little finger sandwiches and other mini goodies that Sam quickly devoured. I'd never been to anything like it.

Upstairs, Sam had booked us a suite with multiple rooms. There was a shared living space between the three of us, and Sam had a bedroom and bathroom of his own, while Paula and I shared. We didn't spend much time at the hotel, though, as Sam whisked us away to see the sights of New York, including a matinee show on Broadway. I collapsed into bed on the first night, wiped out from all we'd managed to pack into one day.

The second day was the day of the gala, so we only spent the morning and afternoon exploring before returning back to the hotel. After an early dinner in the fancy restaurant downstairs, we returned to our suite to get ready. I showered and did my hair and makeup before finding the dress Sam had picked out for me, freshly steamed by the hotel staff.

It was the first time I had seen it, and wow, was I impressed. It was an emerald green gown that was so silky soft it felt like a dream. The dress was fitted around the chest and waist, flaring out gently at the hips before falling to the ground. It had a tall neckline, which I was thankful for, and a leg slit that went up to the knee.

"Oh," Paula sighed when she saw it. "You're going to look like a princess."

When I slipped it on, I felt like one, too. The dress fit like a glove, the cool silk skimming gently over my skin. The color complimented the red of my hair, bringing out the vibrancy of it while also flattering my pasty skin tone. I found myself preening in front of the floor length mirror in our room. I felt stunning, even despite my scrawniness.

While I was checking myself over, Sam knocked on our door, and Paula let him in before I was ready to be seen. He came in, saying, "How much longer—"

He stopped dead when he saw me, halfway through the door and in the middle of his sentence. He froze, drinking me in. "Abigail," he breathed. "You look stunning."

"Isn't she pretty?" Paula said excitedly, mooning over my dress.

Sam caught himself staring then and looked away, clearing his throat. "Yes," he agreed, a flush reddening his ears. "She looks beautiful."

I felt a matching blush heating my skin at his attention. "Thanks," I said.

He took a moment before looking back at me with an odd-looking smile. "Are you ready to go? We are going to be late if we do not leave now."

Taking one last stabilizing breath, I nodded. Paula danced out the door, and I followed, full of nerves instead of excitement.