<You think . . . > Addie hesitated. <You think hes okay? Lyle.>
<Yeah. I think so.>
What else could I say?
I waited at a crosswalk with a small crowd of early-morning commuters, each sunk in their own thoughts. No one paid Addie and me any attention. Anchoit was the biggest, busiest city wed ever seen, let alone lived in. The buildings loomed over the streets, contraptions of metal and concrete. Every once in a while, one was softened by a facade of worn red brick.
Peter had chosen Anchoit for its size. For the anonymity of its quiet alleyways and busy thoroughfares. Cars, people, thoughtseverything moved quickly here. It was a far cry from old, languid Bessimir City, or the all-but-stagnant Lupside, where Addie and I had lived before.
It seemed like more happened in a night in Anchoit than in a year in Lupside. Not that Addie or I would know. Since Peter had brought us here from Nornand, I could count on one hand the number of times wed been allowed out in the city. Peter and Emalia werent taking any chances.
In Anchoit, it might have been easier to hide what Addie and I werehybrids, fugitives, less-than-normal. But it didnt change the facts. I dreamed of roaming the neon streets after dark. Of playing games and buying junk at the boardwalk. Of splashing through the waves again.
<Police officer> Addie said quietly.
Our legs froze. It took three thundering heartbeats before I calmed down enough to move again. I crossed the street so we didnt have to pass the policeman directly.
Chances were, his presence had absolutely nothing to do with us.
But Addie and I were hybrid.
Whatever the chance, however small, we couldnt take it.
TWO
Emalias apartment building was silent but for the buzzing of overhead lights, which flickered on and off like struggling fireflies. A trash bag slouched, stinking, in the corner.
Peter had housed us Nornand refugees together in his apartment as long as he could. But he spent as much time traveling as he did living in Anchoit, and eventually, wed been separated. Kitty and Nina lived with us at Emalias. The Mullan siblings were only a few floors up, with Henri, but it wasnt the same.
Even worse, Dr. Lyanne had taken Jaime away to a little house on the fringes of the city. None of us had seen him in three weeks.
The apartment was still dim when I slipped back inside, the living room half-lit by hazy morning sunlight. Emalia and her twin soul, Sophie, kept their home achingly neat, softly decorated. In a weird way, Peters apartmentsince Peter was so frequently absenthad seemed like our place, our home. Here, Addie and I felt like intruders in a sanctuary of muted sweaters and woven placemats.
<So> Addie said. We sank onto the couch and stared at Emalias potted plant. Every leaf looked meticulously arranged. Even her plants were orderly.
<So, what?> I let our eyes slide half-closed. Wed hardly slept last night, wanting to make sure we were up in time to sneak out. With our adrenaline gone, the lack of sleep dragged at our limbs.
Addie sighed. <So, what do we do now? What do we do today?>
<Same as we do every other day, I guess.>
Kitty and Nina spent most of their time curled up in front of the TV, watching whatever was on: Saturday-morning cartoons, daytime soap operas, afternoon news reports, even late-night talk shows when they couldnt sleep. Hally and Lissa stared out the windows, listening to the music thumping from car radios.
Ryan filled his days with making stuff. Trinkets, mostly, pieced together using tools he borrowed from Henri or Emalia. Emalia was no longer surprised to come home to a salt-and-pepper shaker that rotated between the two at a press of a button, or some other vaguely useful invention.
And AddieAddie had started drawing again. She sketched Kitty on the sofa, capturing the soft snub of her nose, the wide, brown eyes. She caught the glint of light on Hallys glasses, spent an hour perfecting the way Hallys curls fell, some in lazy almost-ringlets, others barely more than a dark wave.
It was nice to have Addie drawing again. But after so many days, we were all going stir-crazy.
Oh! came a voice behind us. It was Emalia, draped in a pink cardigan and a cream-colored blouse. She looked as soft and pastel as the dawn. Her smile was flustered. I didnt know youd gotten up . . .
She didnt ask, but the question hung between us: Addie? Or Eva?
Addie, Addie said when I took too long to answer. By then, of course, it was. She climbed to our feet and surreptitiously stepped on the back of our heels, kicking our shoes under the couch. Addie had a thoughtless ease with our body I still didnt.
Youre up early, Emalia said. Something wrong?
No. Addie shrugged. I just woke up and couldnt fall asleep again.
Emalia crossed to the kitchen, which was separated from the living room by only a stretch of counter. Its these city noises. They take a while to get used to. When I first moved here, I couldnt get a good nights sleep for weeks. She gestured questioningly toward the coffee machine, but Addie shook our head.
Emalia had a bit of a caffeine addiction, but maybe that was to be expected with everything she had to do: hold down her regular job, take care of us, and complete her work for the Underground. She was the one who had forged our new documents, printing birth certificates for people whod never been born, casting our faces onto lives wed never lived.
I associated her now with the heavy, bittersweet smell of coffee. Even the first time wed seen Emalia, her hair had reminded us of steamcappuccino-colored steam curling against her pale cheeks, reaching just under her chin.
Youre up early, too, Addie said.
Im headed to the airport today. Peters flight arrives in a few hours.
No one told us Peter was back. The words came out sharper than Id expected. Sharper, perhaps, than Addie had intended.
Emalias hands stilled. Well, itit was a bit unanticipated. Somethings come up, so he caught an earlier flight. Im sorry. I didnt realize youd want to know.
I do, Addie said, too quickly. But its okay. I mean
Okay, in the future Ill Emalia said.
The two of them looked at each other awkwardly.
Kitty showed me your new drawing yesterday. The thin, golden bracelets on Emalias wrists clinked as she reached for the cereal box. It was lovely. Youre such a fantastic artist, Addie.
Addie pinned a smile to our lips. Thanks.
Emalia was always complimenting us like this. Your hair looks so pretty in a bun, shed say, or Youve got such lovely eyes. Each of Addies sketches, even the doodles she drew for Kittys amusement, got a verbal round of applause.
In return, we tried to compliment Emalia, too. It wasnt hard or anything. She wore delicate, pale-gold sandals and faded pink blouses. She always found the most interesting places to order food from, coming home with white Styrofoam boxes from all over the city. But our conversations with Emalia never got beyond that. We spoke in a language of comments on the weather, polite greetings, and slight smiles, all underlaid with a sense of Not Quite Knowing What to Do.
Emalia had only fostered one other escaped hybrid before, a twelve-year-old girl who stayed three weeks before Peter found her a more permanent family down south. Emalia herself was in her midtwenties. She and Sophie had managed to remain hidden all these years, escaping institutionalization. They and Peter had connected mostly by chance.
Maybe that was why Emalia acted as if she didnt know how to handle us. As if, poked too hard, we might break.
Addie leaned against the counter. Whens the meeting going to be?
With Peter? Tomorrow night. Why?
I want to go.
Emalia tipped some cereal into a bowl, her smile hesitant. Its going to be at Peters apartment, Addie. Like usual.
Thats barely a five-minute walk.
You arent supposed to be
Itll be nighttime. No one would see us. Addie fixed the woman with our stare. Emalia, I need to talk with him. I want to know whats going on.
Nornands hybrid wing had shut down, but its patients had been shipped elsewhere instead of being set free. Peter had promised wed work to rescue them. But if anything had been done, Addie and I hadnt been told.
Ill tell you whatever you want to know, Emalia said, and Im sure Peter will drop by here at some point.
Its a five-minute walk, Addie repeated. A five-minute walk in the dark.
The coffee machine beeped. Emalia hurried toward it. Ill ask Peter when I see him. How about that? Ill tell him you want very badly to go, and well see what he says.
<Shes only trying to shut us up> I said, and I knew Addie agreed.
Aloud, though, she just murmured, Okay.
Okay. Emalia smiled and nodded at the pot of coffee. The smell, usually heady and comforting, now made us feel slightly sick. You sure you dont want just a little bit? Its nice to have something hot when the mornings chilly.
Addie shook her head and turned away.
It was chilly outside. We werent going to be outside.
THREE
Addie and I were back in bed, curled against a pillow, when Emalia left for the airport. We hovered between wakefulness and dreams, the corners of the world worn soft.
The knock at the front door split us from sleep. Addie startled upright, automatically checking on Kitty and Nina. They were still asleep, huddled beneath their blanket so far we could just barely see their eyes.
The knock came again. I caught the glint of red light on the nightstand, where Addie had tossed our chip before collapsing into bed. It glowed steadily now, an indication its twin was near.
<Its just Ryan> I whispered.
We had to be calm. We couldnt keep jumping like this, fearing every knock at the door was someone coming to snatch us away.
I didnt have to ask Addie to ease control to me. I took charge of our limbs as she let them go, hurrying into the living room and opening the front door.
The morning sunlight caught Ryans skin, giving it a glow like burnished gold. His dark curls stuck up in ways that laughed at gravity. He reached toward us, like he might touch our arm, brush his fingers against our skin. He didnt. His hand dropped back to his side. I wasnt sure if you would be awake this early.