After my friends exit the car, Officer Ben drops me off at an apartment not far from the Space Needle.

"Justus's father said that this building is secure, and I checked it over myself. I'll also be patrolling the neighborhood and keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity," Officer Ben assures me. "Apartment 108 will only open for your retinal scan."

"Thank you."

I hobble inside the dingy apartment complex, and find the apartment. When I step inside, I find Jo in the sparsely-furnished living room, watching a vid on her tablet.

Her eyes meet mine and she jumps to her feet. "You survived."

"I'm like a cockroach. Hard to kill," I quip, clutching the back of a chair for support.

Jo helps me settle onto the couch and then goes to the little kitchenette in the corner of the room to grab me a drink and bagel from the ancient dispensers.

I gratefully sip at a sweet drink and nibble on the bread. My stomach is in knots from going so long without much food.

"You don't have to talk about what happened if you don't want to," Jo says. "Do you need any immediate medical attention?"

I shake my head. "I've been through worse."

"Flo will get you in the incubator as soon as we can sneak you over to the Chrysalis. Right now it's buzzing with people. The movement has more volunteers than we can handle. Evolved and Throwback."

My eyes flicker to Jo's tablet, and I recognize the scene on screen. It's live footage from my funeral. My hands shake as I remember my vision of this moment all those weeks ago. I never imagined that I would be alive to watch it happening in real time.

Jo turns up the volume on her tablet as Harriet makes her way to a podium on the stage. She's pale, and her face is tear-streaked. Looks like we both made good use of those acting classes at Seattle Secondary.

"Thank you all for coming today," Harriet says, her voice low but resonant. "We're here to honor our friend and hero, Joan Fasces. Joan was a person who was determined to pull this world into the future—even if it meant dragging some of us kicking and screaming. She fought for equality before she was misclassified as a Genetic Replicant, she continued that fight during her time as a Throwback, and I know that if she were alive now she'd fight even harder knowing that she was Evolved after all.

"But ultimately it isn't Joan's Status that matters—it's her character. So many people espouse honorable values, but Joan lived them. She was the first to put herself in danger to protect others, and the last to give up when she was fighting for what she believed in. That's why the best way we can honor her is by doing better for our city and our country.

"This day might mark the end of Joan's life, but it is only the beginning of her legacy. Because this is the start of a better, more just world for us all. Joan can't fight any more battles for us. So, we'll have to fight for her legacy together."

"Turn it off," I rasp, wiping tears from my eyes.

Somehow, I know that Harriet's words on stage were for me, as much as they were to further the cause we've been fighting for. In spite of my mistakes, my best friend still sees me as the best version of myself. And because of her, I have the opportunity to make that version a reality.

~ ~ ~

A couple of hours after my mock funeral, people arrive at the safe house in small groups, starting with my parents. I let Mom and Dad hug me for as long as they want, and for once I don't compare the warmth I feel in their arms to what I felt with Addie.

"We got you something," Dad says when we finally let go of each other and sit at the kitchen table.

He taps his phone against mine, and an Evolved passport appears on screen with my picture and a new name—Joanne Addison. My eyes mist over as I realize that they chose a last name to honor Addie.

"That's not all," Dad says, tapping my phone again. A plane ticket appears on screen next.

"Singapore," I breathe, hardly able to contain my excitement. "This is on my top ten list of places to visit!"

Mom nods. "I know. And we've put three months of rent down in an apartment there so you can figure out what you want to do with the next chapter of your life."

"Are you coming with me?" I ask, surprised to find that I want them to.

Mom's face drops. "Not yet. We're being hounded by the media. But when the dust settles you won't be able to keep us away."

"I understand. And thank you."

Mom wipes her eyes and gives me a little grin. "Besides, you won't be lonely, since Justus is coming with you."

"He is?"

"He is," Justus says from behind me.

I turn, and I can feel the warmth in his eyes all the way to my toes. Maybe a few months without mom and dad around isn't such a bad thing after all. When he reaches down and squeezes my hand, I know he's thinking the same thing.

Justus pulls me into the bedroom, and then pushes me against the wall for a long kiss. I let myself get lost in it, marveling in the fact that in spite of my pain and grief, I am alive and in the arms of the man I love.

"I have a surprise for you, too," Justus says when we finally manage to pull apart.

"You're coming with me. I don't need anything else."

"I've enrolled us in NUS School of Medicine in Singapore. Marie faked our records, and we were both admitted," Justus says. "I felt guilty at first, but I think after Flo's lessons we'll be able to keep up."

I thought that dream was lost forever the day I learned my Status. Having it back is incalculably precious.

But in true Joan fashion, I push back my immediate sentimental response and opt for sarcasm. "I know I can keep up. But I'm a little concerned about you."

"Oh yeah?" Justus says with a cocky grin. "Well, I'll have you know—"

A firm knock on the door interrupts what's about to be another make out session.

"Get out here, Joan!" Kat shouts. "It's your party; you can't spend the entire thing eating Justus's face."

Laughing, I open the door and see that the little party is in full swing. Mom, Dad, Aft and Justus's mom are huddled over the kitchen table, deep in conversation.

Kat, Sun, Marie, Harriet and Mason are in the living room, sprawled on the floor. Alison, Tupac and Lozen are commanding the couch.

"The others wanted to come, but any more people crammed in here would be suspicious," Harriet says as Justus and I settle next to her on the floor.

"And not everyone knows that you live," Sun adds. "I don't trust Headmaster Wilde and the other Seattle Secondary teachers to keep such an exciting secret to themselves."

"I trust your judgment," I agree. "Something tells me Wilde will enjoy playing the heartbroken teacher of a lost young martyr."

Marie rolls her eyes. "You have no idea."

"What's next for you guys and the rebellion?" I ask, trying to ignore the pinch in my chest that comes from knowing that whatever my friends cook up, I won't be a part of any longer.

"Ending the practice of injecting Throwback infants with dormant H2IV," Sun says immediately.

"Or integrating the Throwback and Evolved foster systems," Harriet offers.

"How about we start by getting everyone healthy and H2IV free now that we know how to put it back into its dormant state," Marie says sternly.

My friends continue to debate ideas, talking over each other as they offer up arguments and prioritize next steps. For once, I'm content to sit and listen, trying to imagine how different this country be a decade from now.

"One thing is for sure," Lozen says as the conversation winds down. "Without you, Joan, I see far less dangerous hijinks in the future. Things might eventually get rather boring without you."

"Lozen, I may not have known you long, but I think I know you well enough to say for certain that you'll never let things get dull."

Lozen grins. "You're right, of course. But I didn't want you to feel left out."

"I'll miss every last one of you. But it's inspiring to see all that you've managed to achieve already, and how much is still to come."

"Literally see?" Mason asks, excited. "Did you have a vision?"

"I don't need one to know that change is coming, and the world is going to be better for it."

"Change isn't just coming, Joan," Harriet says, suddenly serious. "Change is here, and it started with all of us deciding to forge our own path toward a future we believed in."

Our group goes quiet at her words. We paid a high price for our recent victories, and I can tell that I'm not the only one thinking about the faces that are missing from this celebration. It feels wrong to move on with my life and leave the fight behind me. It dishonors the memory of Addie, and Nic, and Elisabeth, and Sacajawea, and...

Harriet squeezes my hand, pulling me back from the dark current of thoughts that threaten to drag me under.

"You're not giving up," Harriet says as if she can read my mind. "You're going to find a new way to make the world a little better."

I nod, unable to speak because of the emotion clogging my throat. Part of me knows that even if I didn't have to leave, I would fall into the abyss of my depression if I stayed. I need to move forward and build a life that brings me more joy than pain.

"We've told you what's next for us," Sun says, examining me with a penetrating gaze. "But what's next for you?"

My eyes connect with Justus's, and, in a rush, I can see a future for us. One that will include grieving and work and pain, yes, but also one that will also be filled with learning and growth and love. It's a future that excites me, one that brings me hope.

With a deep breath, I share my ideas with my friends, and together we imagine what might come next.