CHAPTER TWO

River Tam hangs back from the crew of the ‘Serenity’, both hands pressed to her mouth, hair falling over her face like waterweed clinging to a fountain statue. Her eyes are wide, almost black, smudged underneath with blue shadows. She is tired, so tired. And Simon still hurts; she can feel it, his wounds are healing, but slowly. The Captain is blazing with anger, but keeping it back, simmering it just under his skin. River slinks back against the wall as he passes her, not wanting to be burned by his caged fury.

Zoe, dear Mother of God, Zoe. River stares as the warrior woman traces her hands over the standing stones, the grave markers. The markers themselves are just wrong; it’s like a mockery of a funeral, even though everyone is sad, everyone is feeling real pain, but not River. River knows.

Oh yes, River knows.

River knows Mr Universe is frolicking with beautiful angels, enjoying their heavenly cocktails, partying with them every night. He is happy. Shepherd Book is explaining the Amended Bible to the apostles and the archangels; they are intrigued by this white-haired scholar, and they take him to the Father, where they have long, complicated theological discussions. His family are safe and well around him. He is happy. Even if he has scary hair.

But this isn’t right.

She tiptoes over to the graves, what Mal calls the Cairns, piles of stones marked with holographic pictures. Book smiles out at her, kindly and wise. Mr Universe, grinning with joy. She feels their bones under her feet, their essences carrying her along, like walking on treacle, as if she will be sucked down to see them. It wouldn’t frighten her; she would like to see them again, but she doesn’t know if they would let her go home again…

“Just a pile of stones,” she murmurs, tracing Wash’s cairn with her toe, swaying like a willow tree in the brisk wind.

“Hmm?” Zoe finds herself drawn back to reality by River’s sinuous movement, almost hypnotic, like a cobra poised to strike.

“Hush, mei-mei,” says Si