Veneer

"It's so cold," I said, "up there, in the stars. Cold and empty, with tiny dots of light just floating alone in the dark until they burn out, one by one." I shivered and hoped Drake would get the picture.

He chuckled, and I didn't like the sound. "Is that what you think?"

I frowned and turned away. I didn't even want his stupid jacket anymore.

"Look," he said.

I glanced over.

He reached up his hand and raked a fingernail across the blackness. Starfire flared in the gap he tore, and I gasped as its heat seared me...

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Alternate Title: "All the Worlds Are Burning."