And Andrea brings Valerie to the top floor. Valerie walks around the room, dozens of guests already hard at work with their creations. Andrea spots an open workspace and brings Valerie over to it.
"What do you think I should make mom?" Valerie asks as she looks over the array of parts.
"What's one thing you'd love to make the most? There's an abundance of pieces here, you just need to fit them in a way to make something you like. I can think of a few that you might love most" Andrea answers.
"Well, I love history. So maybe I could make a small model of an old building, or maybe a catapult. I also enjoy reading. Maybe I could make a small book, like a large keychain or something I can put in my school bag" Valerie says, suggesting it to herself.
"Go right ahead sweetie, I'll be right here if you need help" Andrea says.
"Your daughter there, she's pretty creative" a woman says from the workspace next to her. "I may suggest that if she's making a book, to make the corners not so sharp. I had a friend who works with metals and construction. One of his small projects had a lot of sharp edges. He tripped and fell, and one thing led to another."
"I'll let her know, thanks" Andrea replies.
She watches as her daughter takes two larger plates of metal, and connects them with some small screws. She does the same with the side pieces, and she soon has a rough model of a book.
"Hey mom, I was wondering if you could help me add something to make it look like a bookmark on the top, and maybe see if I can get an inscription made on the front?" Valerie asks.
"Sure, I'll see what I can do" Andrea answers happily.
After a bit more work and some help from someone who oversees the building, Andrea gets the welding of the pieces done. And she hands it to Valerie. Before they leave however, Andrea rounds out the corners and attaches a chain and loop for her bag.
"Hey there you two, have you finished building yet?" Andrea asks as she comes up to the rest of her family.
"I made a detailed UFO, and I wrote in my initials to the bottom so sis doesn't steal it" Sam says as he shows it to her.
"Why would I steal it? I'm not into sci-fi like you are!" Melissa objects.
"And what did you make there behind you sweetie?" Andrea asks as she points.
"I, um, made it for you. I hope it's not bad" Melissa says shyly.
Andrea picks up her creation, which is a small platform with some rounded sculptures of people on it. Two stand at a taller height, with three shorter figures.
"There's you, and dad, and me in the middle. And there's also Val and Sam on the sides" Melissa tells her. "Do you like it?"
"I love it sweetie, thank you" Andrea says, giving her a hug and a kiss.
Joshua pats Melissa's head. "She wanted to make something special for you so that you could remember this place. I told her it would be hard for you to forget it, but she insisted. And believe it or not she made it all by herself."
"Oh did you now, you're a little architect to be" Andrea says with a light laugh. "I love what you all made, you did a great job."
"Do any of you want to make another one?" Josh asks.
The three of them raise their hands and reply with an excited "yes!". Josh keeps an eye on them as they walk over to the empty spaces.
"Do you want to make something while we're here honey?" He asks.
"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute" Andrea answers, her phone buzzing in her pocket as she replies. Josh leaves to be with their kids, and Andrea leaves the building to answer the call. "Hello, who is it?"
"Hey sis, it's been a long time. I was going to come get you, but I wasn't sure if you'd want to see me. As one of my partners told you, then portals will collapse in a week. I wanted to be the one to make sure you were safe" he answers.
"Finnick? Is that really you? Where are you? Where did you go? I thought you were dead" Andrea asks, surprised, and at a loss for words.
"I'll explain it all to you later, but for now I want to get you to safety" Finnick tells her.
"Wait, Finnick, slow down. I thought you just said the portals would collapse in a week, why do you need to come get me now? The agent I spoke with said if need be they'll come get me later on. Look, I'm glad you're alive, I'm relieved and joyful even that you're not dead. But I have my family here with me...I can't just spring a 'end of the world's scenario' on them right now with no notice" Andrea tells him.
"I understand that, but you might not have a whole week. Listen, I know you were given a week and a half, but now you've lost a week. Our stability gear has broken down, we can't repair it in time. You have a few days to get back here" Finnick explains.
"Aside from being trapped here, nothing else would happen right? It's not like either of the worlds would be destroyed" Andrea replies.
"You've lost me once, and I've had to cut ties with you. I don't want that to happen again. Please Andrea, just come home" Finnick asks.
"Alright, I'll get everyone ready to leave" Andrea says, ending the call.
She sighs and puts her phone back into her pocket, she tilts her head up and looks to the sky. After taking a deep breath she turns to enter the building again. But before she can do so, Josh comes out with the others. He comes up to her and slips something into her pocket with a smile.
"What is this?" Andrea asks, reaching down for it.
"Just something I made for you, I want you to wait until we get home to see it" Josh replies. "So, what were you up to?"
"Just had to step out for some fresh air, that's all" Andrea says.
As the day comes to an end, they take the train back home. After a whole day of walking around and having fun, the kids fall asleep quickly in their beds. Josh lays on his side of the bed, talking to Andrea about some of the things he would like to do with her in their world. It's not long before he notices how silent she is, as she spaces out ahead of herself.
"Is something on your mind honey? You've been distracted since the ride home. Would you like to talk about it?" Josh asks.
"I...I don't think we can stay here any longer. This world is, well it's nice. But it's not our home" Andrea says.
"Are you home sick?" Josh asks.
"A little, yeah. But, that's not all that's on my mind. I know I said I was leaving to get some air, but something happened when I was outside. I got a phone call from the agency, from my brother" Andrea answers.
"You mean Finnick? He passed away didn't he? We went to his funeral" Josh replies.
"I know, I know we did. But he's alive. He said he'll be coming to get us, to bring us home. We don't have as much time in this world as we thought we did, we have half a week. And before you ask or say anything, please just listen. I know your friends are back home, and so are all of our kids' friends" Andrea says. "When Finnick gets here-"
"You aren't telling me to go-" Josh starts to respond.
"Listen. When Finnick gets here, I want you to go with him. Take Sam, Valerie, and Melissa with you, and go back home. I still have friends here I want to say goodbye to. Cate, Cayda, I can't leave without saying goodbye. They chose to live in this world for the rest of their lives. When those portals close, I'll be separated from them forever" Andrea explains as she starts to get choked up.
"Honey, I understand your point. But I won't leave without you. If you're staying here to say goodbye to your friends, I'll stay here with you" Josh tells her, reaching over to hold her hand.
"But our kids, they can't stay here. We can't rush them out with hardly any time left, and risk getting separated. Please do this for me Joshua, please. Go with Finnick, and I promise I'll be back home and in your arms before the portals collapse" Andrea pleads.
"Okay honey, I'll do what you wish" Josh replies, pulling her in to lean on him.
Morning comes, 4 days before the collapse.
Sam, Valerie, and Melissa are up early at the breakfast table. Each of them enjoying their own preference of pancakes and eggs. Josh scrolls through his phone to read the recent news reports, he also sends a couple texts to Finnick's old number, hoping he might see them and reply.
Andrea comes down the stairs while she ties her hair up into a ponytail. She comes over in front of a mirror on the wall while she fixes herself up.
"Where are you going mom?" Valerie asks curiously.
"I'm going out to see my friends, I'll be back later today sweetie" Andrea says, picking up her purse and phone.
"Can I come with you? I want to see Auntie Cayda again" Valerie responds.
"Take her with you honey" Josh suggests. "It can't hurt, if you want her back here you can always call me."
"Hmm, alright Val, you can come with me" Andrea says.
Valerie gets up from the table, finishing her last few bites quickly. She runs to the bathroom to clean up, she puts on her shoes and follows her mom out. They get into a cab and drive over to Cate's place. After knocking on the door, Cate lets them inside.
"Welcome, I'm surprised to see you here, what's up?" Cate asks as she lets them in. "Do either of you want a drink?"
"No thanks Cate, there's something I need to talk to you about. Is Cayda here?" Andrea asks in return.
"She's out at the store, she left about a half hour ago. So she might be back soon if you want to wait" Cate offers as Andrea sits down. "Is something wrong? You look stressed."
"You would be too if this was your last time seeing someone" Andrea replies.
"What makes you say that?" Cate asks.
"It's about our last conversation, about the fact the portals are closing. I have less time than I thought, so I want to say goodbye to you and Cayda. I know what you might say, I could stay here and live nearby, I could move on with my life and ignore the danger. Listen, Cate, I...." Andrea trails off, not knowing what to say to her.
"Hey, don't worry about it so hard. Look, I know you're a great friend, you always were since the day we met. I wouldn't ever tell you what to do with your life, to go back home or to stay here. I will miss you, a lot. If leaving is what you think is best, then go for it" Cate tells her.
The door clicks and opens as Cayda enters, a few bags of groceries hanging on her arms. "Hey sis, I'm home!- Oh, we have company over, you could have told me. How are you Andrea? And Valerie, right?"
"Hey sis, can you sit down?" Cate asks.
"Yeah, but, I have to put the groceries away" Cayda says, she looks to Andrea and sees that they wish to talk to her. So she sits down on the couch next to Andrea. "Did something happen?"
Cate remains silent, letting Andrea speak up to explain. "Cayda, I'm sorry to say this but, this is the last time I'll be seeing either of you...With the portals closing, and our lives back home, I can't stay. I wish I could, I wish I could stay here with you. But I can't."
"You don't need to force yourself to say it" Cayda says as she notices Andrea's tears. She scoots over and hugs her. "I'll miss you, so will my sis. I'm glad I got to meet you that day, and to meet your cute kids."
"Andrea, before you go, would there be anything specific you want to do together?" Cate asks.
"I just want to stay here with you both today" Andrea answers, she turns to look at Val who is next to her. "Do you want to stay here longer with Cate and Cayda?"
"I'll pass, sorry mom. I don't want to get in the way of your goodbyes" Valerie says before standing up. "I already texted dad to come get me."
"Okay sweetie, you don't need to apologize. Have a nice day" Andrea says, giving her a kiss on her forehead before letting her go.
"Wait there little missy! Don't leave yet!" Cayda says, getting up from the couch she gives Valerie a quick hug. Then she waves her goodbye as Valerie goes outside to wait. "I'll miss her, she seems like a fun kid."
"She sure is," Andrea replies with a smile.
"I'll put away the groceries now, if that's alright sis. Oh, I have an idea for what we could do while Andrea's here. We could find an old movie to watch, you know, the ones we saw together when we were kids" Cayda suggests from the kitchen.
"You're kidding right, you realize those were mostly old rom coms our parents watched?" Andrea asks.
"Just for old times sake, it would be fun" Cayda answers.
"Alright, I'm fine with that," Andrea says reluctantly.
Cate picks up the TV remote from the table and turns it on. By default, the news channels come up on the screen. Before Cate can swap the setting, the headline catches her attention.
"That's interesting, there's an alert about the collapsing. It's telling everyone to return to their own worlds if they wish to do so, and to do it quickly. This is being told on the other side too, right?" Cate asks.
"Most likely, yes" Cayda answers as she comes out of the kitchen, joining them on the couch. "How many days until it happens Andrea?"
"Three, maybe four at the most" Andrea answers.
"I've got another suggestion, why don't you sleep over here with us?" Cayda asks with a smile.
"Sleep over?" Andrea responds with some confusion.
"Yeah. You have four days at most, so let's say you stay with us for two days. On the third I'll make sure you get back home safely. Cate and I can say goodbye to you at the gate. So, what do you say?" Cayda asks.
"It's a good idea, there's room for you if you'd like to stay" Cate adds.
"That's a kind offer, thank you. I'll just have to text Josh that I won't be home for a while. I hope he won't be mad" Andrea says as she takes out her phone. "Alright, he doesn't mind. And the kids are fine with it as long as I'm back in time."
"That's good. So, which of yours is the oldest? You never specified earlier on" Cayda asks.
"I think Valerie's the oldest, then Sam. Melissa, might be Val's age" Andrea answers.
"What do you mean 'you think'? You don't know your kids' ages?" Cayda asks.
"Of course I know their ages. I only said it to see your reaction" Andrea replies with a slight laugh, laying her head back on the couch. "You know those questions people say hypothetically, about what you would do if you could travel to the past. To change it? I'm starting to think finding that portal was a mistake."
"Why do you say that?" Cate asks curiously.
"What if each of these worlds was meant to be disconnected, to be separate. I know it's something of a miracle, or a rare coincidence that they connected, but what if the reason why the portals are closing is because it wasn't meant to be?" Andrea responds.
"I can see your point, I mean this world is devoid of color unlike ours. The people here are used to it, but we're not" Cate says.
"You know, the worst part about being here is the fact I don't know anyone. I could meet the person who resembles myself, or you two, but they would never know me" Andrea rambles before pausing for a few moments. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to start sounding negative."
"It's understandable Andrea. I've had the same thoughts" Cate tells her. "Cayda and I considered those same things before we moved here. We asked ourselves dozens of times, 'if we leave home, would any good come from it?'. I told Cayda a change of scenery would be good. She replied mostly that we'd be leaving our friends, especially you Andrea, along with our parents and others we care about. We considered the consequences, and in the end we chose to isolate ourselves."
"You knew you'd be leaving your loved ones behind, and you still chose to leave?" Andrea asks.
"Yes, it was a hard choice to make. But I knew, we knew, that it was best for us" Cate answers.
"Our parents are getting older, we can't care for them. Their health is declining and they refused our help. We didn't leave them because of that, but because we knew that once they were gone, we wouldn't have any family there" Cayda adds.
"And your reason for leaving your friends behind?" Andrea asks.
"It's nothing personal, trust me. Yourself, Finnick, Joshua, and so many others are all special to us. Mostly to Cate, but to me too. I knew you'd miss us, but we also realized that sometimes you need to let go of your friends" Cayda says.
"Andrea, what did you do when we left, what were your first thoughts?" Cate asks.
"Well, I thought that you had moved away. Or, like my brother, I thought you had died" Andrea answers.
"You didn't know the reason why we were gone until you met us here. You let us go. We made the same choice. So a final goodbye between us, while it may be hard, it won't be impossible for us" Cate tells her.
"Hold on" Cayda interrupts. "What did you say earlier? You thought we were dead like your brother? We're alive and well, you aren't implying the same about him are you?"
Andrea can't help but smile in response, happy that it is true. "He called me a day or two ago, he's going to come get my family and take us back home."
"Congrats Andrea, I'm glad to know he's still alive. Remind me sis, I gotta punch him in the arm for just leaving us like that" Cate says.
"Will do" Cayda replies with a small salute.
"Just don't hit him too hard. Are you really sure you two don't want to come back with us?" Andrea asks, hopeful that they will change their minds.
"Sorry Andrea, we won't. But don't worry, there's not a chance we'll forget you all" Cate says, handing her phone over. "I have hundreds of old pictures of us all, from childhood to our time in high school. There's a large printing company nearby. I was going to take some of our group photos and get a large scale poster to put on the wall here."
"Really? What picture did you have in mind for that?" Andrea asks.
Cate leans over and swipes a few times to the right. "Here you go."
"You're kidding, this picture was so bad!" Andrea responds. "That day was embarrassing!"
"I know it was, your cheeks were still bright red when the picture was taken," Cate points out.
"You cannot put that up on your wall Cate, no way" Andrea says.
"It's a cute picture, why do you hate it? There's Josh and Finnick in the back enjoying some volleyball, and the three of us enjoying our drinks at the bar. That beach was pretty great, you can't deny it" Cate replies.
"You're right, and it was fine. It was fine until you flirted at the employee for me. I didn't even like him!" Adrea tells her.
"Oh you liked him, why else would you be blushing? I knew you were looking at him, you didn't say anything so I gave you a small push" Cate replies, keeping herself from laughing too much.
"It was pretty embarrassing sis" Cayda chimes in. "It was crowded there, and to be fair we weren't properly dressed."
"I guess I wanted some attention didn't I? I'm sorry" Cate replies.
"No, no, it's okay. In the end it was a fun day. Here, let me see your phone for a sec" Cayda says, taking it from Andrea's hand. She scrolls through her collections and finds a different picture to use. "Here, we can get two pictures printed. Well, three actually, I have an idea for tomorrow. But this one here was later that week, when we returned to that beach. Same drinks as last time, and we stayed there until the sun set."
"That was a pretty sight," Andrea says, looking at the image. "If we're picking an embarrassing photo for the three of us, I've got some for the guys you can print out."
"Really? Show me!" Cayda says excitedly.
"Alright, slow down, no need to jump all over me" Andrea tells her. She finds a few pictures and sends them to her and Cate.
"Woah, when did you take these?" Cate asks.
"Well, you remember when Josh stepped on an urchin? He had gone for a dive with some others at the beach, but you two left to go help him. I got some pictures that Finnick has always hated, and I later got some of Josh when he was in the hospital" Andrea answers.
"So, we now have a picture of Finnick, Josh, and the three of us. But that's a group photo. Got any individual pictures, a selfie?" Cayda asks her.
"Here, try to find a good one" Andrea answers as she hands over her phone.
After a couple hours of laughter and teasing, Cate and Cayda have a collection of pictures they can hang on the walls of their home. They later take an early night to sleep, with some last activities planned for the whole of tomorrow.