It wasn’t often that our young ones managed to leave me speechless. This was certainly one such occasion. I found myself staring at one of the large screens, where a beautiful picture showed me a secluded corner of paradise.

I gave Sofia and the others a quick sideways glance—they were as surprised as I was. Moreover, I could tell from the looks on their faces that they’d instantly fallen in love with this place.

“What is this?” I asked, still trying to wrap my head around it.

Harper, Serena, and Phoenix looked at each other, then flashed a triple grin at me.

“It’s called Strava, Grandpa Derek,” Harper replied. “It’s in the Meahiri Galaxy, a quadrant about forty-five light-years away. We’ve studied it from afar, we’ve organized small expeditions there, and, once we were confident it was the right place for what we’ve been planning, we built a small resort there.”

“Wait, you what?” I gasped.

Phoenix zoomed in closer to Strava’s surface. In the middle of the turquoise ocean, just south of a large archipelago and surrounded by hundreds of small patches of white sand, was an island—small, but glorious. Over 60 percent of it was covered in thick jungles rolling down two hills, with beaches all around.

On the southwest side was a structure, sprawling over fifteen hundred square feet. Phoenix then pulled up actual photos and videos of the resort. It was a magnificent construction, with smooth wood beams and large glass windows. The ceilings were made of glass as well, with retractable shades for our vampiric comfort.

It had plenty of open spaces, with lush greenery and palm leaves. They’d even fenced in the beach portion in front of the resort, where they’d installed a light bamboo-like frame with textile awnings. It was meant to make it possible for us nightwalkers to enjoy some of the daytime without getting burned.

“We built a resort,” Phoenix explained. “It’s got all the modern amenities, about twenty huge apartments with patios, common areas, and interior courtyards, plus the massive beach. It’s all solar-powered, and the climate is perfect. We’ve checked the air quality, we’ve tested the soil and waters… They’re clean. They’re like Earth, but actually much cleaner.”

“You built a resort,” I repeated, genuinely amazed by what they’d accomplished. “How did you find this place?”

“We scoured entire galaxies for the right spot, and we dug through the Druid archives for some pointers, too. Most of the older texts were in a dead Druid language, but we were able to identify Meahiri and the names of its planets. We then spent some time studying it from afar,” Serena said. “It took us a while, but we settled on Strava as the perfect vacation destination. Because, believe me, it’s perfect. There are only two seasons, the predominant one being summer. The temperatures are decent, though it does get hot and humid on the more extreme days. Think of it as a perpetual summer in Saint Tropez, basically.”

“And you want us to go on vacation there?” Sofia interjected, frowning slightly.

Harper, Serena, and Phoenix looked at each other, then at us, and nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes,” Harper replied.

I’d never really considered a vacation. I loved The Shade, and I traveled consistently to the In-Between. Technically speaking, I hadn’t had an actual vacation in decades—not since Sofia’s and my honeymoon. And that was okay, because I loved my job of making sure GASP and The Shade operated to the highest standards. Thousands of creatures, both human and supernatural, depended on us. I had a hard time imagining a Shade that didn’t have me in it, even for a week.

“Okay, let’s get something straight first,” Serena said. “You guys have done enough. Seriously. You’ve been at this for centuries. We all understand that you love what you do, but we also think you could do with a couple of weeks away from it all, to just disconnect and enjoy doing absolutely nothing. Strava is beautiful and uninhabited. It’s the perfect place to just enjoy some peace and quiet, and even to explore the area. There are literally thousands of islands with varied ecosystems, yours to wander through as you wish.”

“I mean, think about it. You guys took GASP from a peacekeeping mission in the earthly dimension to a multiversal organization that has successfully restored the peace and independence on twenty-one planets!” Phoenix added. “The Shade is growing bigger, as evidenced by this marvelous extension. The vampires have a home now; the treehouses are theirs. The mountains belong to the witches, the jinn, and the dragons. The Vale belongs to the humans, and there’s a wide variety of creatures sharing the beaches. The Shadian population is thriving. We have peace, love, and diversity.”

“Therefore, for this and everything else you’ve done, Grandpa Derek, you deserve a vacation,” Harper replied. “You’ve earned it. And we’ve gone to great lengths to make sure you make the most of it. We scoured Strava for signs of life. We studied the ecosystem as best as we could. It took us a couple of months to build the resort, and we’ve made it to the highest of specs, just for you, guys.”

“This is amazing,” Vivienne murmured. “It’s a shame Mona and Kiev aren’t here to see this.”

“Oh, they’ll get their chance when they come back,” Phoenix replied. “That resort isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon.”

I crossed my arms, then looked around once more. All our guests seemed mesmerized by what they were seeing. The kids had put in a lot of effort to get this done. It was obvious from the pictures alone. Plenty of work had gone into building the resort. They’d definitely done their homework, particularly after all their experiences in Eritopia and on Neraka. I knew they’d made sure Strava was safe.

But I still had a hard time seeing myself away from GASP.

Xavier didn’t seem too convinced, either. Corrine, Ibrahim, Claudia, Yuri, Aiden, and Kailyn were star-struck and smiling. They were up for the trip. Lucas and Marion… I wasn’t sure. Lucas was hard to read, in general. The shadow of a smile fluttered across his and Marion’s faces, though.

“I don’t know what to say.” I exhaled sharply. “It looks great, but—”

“Grandpa Derek, you have to see it live to understand!” Harper said. “It used to be inhabited. We found some ancient stone structures there. We scanned the planet, and there’s nothing but all this lush flora and fascinating fauna. There’s no sign of intelligent life. It’s not like we’re colonizing it or anything. But no one owns it, and it is such a shame—”

“Oh, and fun fact!” Avril interjected. “We’ve hunted some of the wild animals while we were there, building the place up. Their blood tastes fantastic. You are in for quite the treat!”

“How did you do all this without any of us knowing?” I asked.

The kids all looked at each other, making it easier for me to identify the “culprits”—Harper, Serena, Phoenix, Avril and Heron, Kailani, Jovi and Anjani, Aida and Field, Dmitri, Elonora, Vesta, Caia and Blaze, even Vita and Bijarki… Ben and Rose, my own flesh and blood, didn’t seem surprised, either.

I had to give them credit for this project. It was big and ambitious, and yet they’d pulled it off without either of us getting word that it was happening. We’d all raised them well, it seemed.

“We’re very good at planning and keeping secrets, I guess,” Harper replied, grinning. “Plus, we’re trying to promote a healthier work environment. You haven’t had a vacation in, what, ninety years? I mean, come on, what kind of example does that set for the rest of us, huh?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

It looked beautiful. It sounded amazing. But the pang in my stomach refused to go away. It wasn’t instinct telling me there was something off—in fact, it was the absence of any reaction from my subconscious that made my stomach tighten itself into a marble.

I was usually able to recognize patterns, to have one look at a scenario and recognize the potential outcomes, both good and bad. This time, however, I had nothing. No bad omens. No butterflies in my chest. Nothing. A big, flat nothing.

And I didn’t know what to do with that.

For the first time in… many years, I didn’t know what to say.