We couldnt sleep, I said.
Its summer break. A wryness twisted Ryans smile. We should be sleeping in.
I drew him to the sofa. Hed brought a small paper bag with himprobably containing yet another inventionand he set it on the floor beside his feet.
We couldnt sleep, I said.
Its summer break. A wryness twisted Ryans smile. We should be sleeping in.
I drew him to the sofa. Hed brought a small paper bag with himprobably containing yet another inventionand he set it on the floor beside his feet.
Well, we did skip all our finals, I said.
Addies amusement colored the space between us. It relaxed me a little. Being with Ryantalking with RyanI always kept one finger on the pulse of Addies mood.
Ryan laughed. Thats what keeps you up at night?
Youre the one who should be worried, I said, mock solemn. Youre going to be a senior next semester. You should be applying to colleges soon.
His smile slipped, and I winced. Ryan and Devon ought to be applying to colleges soon. But it would be enough of a miracle just to get us into a classroom in the fall. Even if Peter and the others decided that it was safe to let us out of the building by then, there were more things to be faked: immunization records, transcripts . . .
Besides, where would they go? There was a college downtown, but that was about it. It would be too dangerous, surely, to send him away by himself.
Guess Ill just have to repeat eleventh grade, then. Ryans shrug was as lazy and exaggerated as his smile. He glanced at me sideways. Be the same age as everyone else in the class for once.
Our shoulders relaxed. I laughed, leaning toward him. Oh, the horror.
For a moment, it was just Ryan and me, looking at each other. A stillness. Twelve inches between us. Twelve inches of morning sunlight and Addies growing unease and the sound of traffic from four floors down. It would have taken him a second to break that distance. It would have taken me less. But the twelve inches remained. A foot of distance, filled with all the reasons why we couldnt.
There came another knock.
Hally? I asked Ryan, frowning. Unlike their brothers, Hally and Lissa werent morning people. It was nearing eight now, which meant theyd usually be asleep for another two or three hours at least.
Ryan stood, but motioned for me to stay seated. Before he could take a step toward the door, someone called out, Its me, guys. Let me in?
It wasnt Hallys voice, but it was familiar nonetheless. Ryan threw me a look that was half relief, half exasperation, then crossed to open the door. Hey, whats up?
Jackson strolled inside. Over time, Id learned to differentiate between Jackson and VincentVince. I discovered the subtle traits that separated the two souls despite their ownership of the same lanky frame, the identical shaggy, brown hair and pale blue eyes. Vince was the one who made me blush. Who seemed to always be making fun of meof everyone. Who was never out of jokes. Maybe that was why he and Jackson were forever smiling.
But this was Jackson. I was sure. It was the way he looked at Addie and me that made it clearlike he wasnt just looking, but studying. As if there would be a test later on Addie and Eva Tamsyn, and he was making sure hed do well.
Hed visited Addie and me frequently since our escape, playing tour guide to our new life. It was through him that wed learned about Emalias past, and Peters, and Henris.
Hey, Jackson, I said, and was rewarded with a grin.
Jackson and Vince were familiar and safe. The girl who entered next was a stranger.
She was just a little older than Jacksonperhaps nineteenwith dark eyes, thick, brown hair, and long, blunt bangs. A faded denim jacket sat bulkily on narrow shoulders, dwarfing her dancerlike frame. Jackson opened his mouth like he was going to introduce her, but she beat him to it.
Im Sabine. She stuck out her hand. Her smile softened some of the gestures formality, but not all of it. Her grip was cool and firm, stronger than Id expected from someone barely taller than we were.
It had been weeks since wed met anyone new. I couldnt help staring at her, studying everything from the missing gold button on her jacket to the scuffs on her turquoise ballet flats. Her nails were cut almost to the quick, but smooth, not like shed bitten them.
<Stop it> Addie said. <She knows youre staring.>
I looked away, but too late. Sabines eyes caught ours, and she smiled. Not disparagingly, though. Gently, like she understood.
Josie and I have seen you around before, she said. When you guys were still staying at Peters place.
Josie and I. Josie and Sabine, thenthe two souls who shared this body. I still wasnt used to the easy way hybrids here referred to themselves. Of course, they only did it in private, among other members of Underground, but it seemed like such a risk to even speak the names aloud.
Its Eva and Addie, right? Sabine said. And Ryan and Devon? She turned to him. We were just up at your place, but no one answered the door. Jacksons been talking about these inventions you make. They sound amazing. Which was the one you were telling me about yesterday, Jackson? The clock
Ryan cut Sabine off with a harried smile. Im just messing around. Its something to do.
I figured you guys were bored. She looked around the apartment, as if she could flip through the days wed spent cooped up here as easily as I flipped through Addies sketchbook. Everyone goes through this when they first escape. Its like quarantine. But you guys are planning to stay, right?
Stay? Ryan asked.
Sabine nodded. In Anchoit, I mean. Youre not going to let Peter ship you off somewhere?
No, I said quickly. I looked toward Ryan. Not if it would mean getting separated.
It probably would, Jackson said. Peter and them, theyve got connections with sympathetic families across a pretty wide net, but theyre spread out. I doubt theyd be able to place you all in the same area. Especially since . . . He looked at Ryan, then shrugged awkwardly. Well, you know.
Yeah, Ryan said. I know.
Placing Ryan and Hally would mean finding a family that looked like them. They were only half-foreign, on their fathers sideand their father wasnt even really foreign; hed been born in the Americasbut it still came through in the olive complexion of their skin, the shape of their brows, the large, deep-set look of their eyes, the curve of their chins. At least one member of any foster family would have to look like them. A nonforeign family adopting a foreign child would draw more attention than it was worth.
Were staying, I said.
<We cant live with Emalia forever> Addie said.
<It wouldnt be forever. Only>
We had three more years before we were eighteen. Of course, couldnt Emalia forge us papers saying whatever she wanted? We could be eighteen in a few months, if need be. We could be eighteen right now.
You guys can always come stay with us, Sabine said. I looked at her in surprise. Wed only just met, and she was offering us a place to live? I share an apartment with a friend of ours. There isnt an extra room, but theres a couch someone can use, and we could fit mattresses if we rearranged some furniture.
Id offer my place, too, Jackson said, but its smaller. And between my roommate and me
Id offer my place, too, Jackson said, but its smaller. And between my roommate and me
Between his roommate and him, they keep the place a complete dump, Sabine said, laughing.
Jackson spread his hands and shrugged. Were busy people.
Jackson and Vince worked part-time jobs all around the city. To date, wed heard him refer to waiting tables, walking dogs, manning food stands at the park, and working in grocery stores. He seemed to lose jobs as quickly as he gained them.
He had to keep working. No one else was supporting him. But watching him smile now, he looked like any other eighteen-year-old boy on summer vacation. Never mind that he and Vince no longer attended school. They didnt see the point. Neither, I supposed, did they have the time.
The phone rang before I could thank Sabine for her offer. Emalia had instructed us to take calls. Most of the time, it was just a telemarketer. The chance of someone recognizing our voice was smallsmaller than the chance of Emalia or Peter needing to get in contact.
I smiled apologetically at the others as I answered the phone. Hello?
Hey. A boys voice, gruff and urgent. Are you Eva? Addie? One of them?
Our eyes flew to Ryan, who was halfway across the room before I managed to say, What? Sorry, who is this?
<Eva> Addie said, but couldnt finish her sentence. Even my name had been little more than a tremor.
Who is it? Ryan mouthed. Behind him, Sabine and Jackson had gone still, both staring at us.
Our heart pounded. Should I hang up?
No. No, that was stupid.
Its Christoph, the boy said. Is Sabine there? Can you put her on?
Slowly, I took the phone from our ear and covered the speaker. Our voice was halting. I forced it steadier. Do you know someone named Christoph?
Sabine sighed and nodded. I found myself relaxing slightly as I handed her the phone. Hey, Christoph. Next time, you could try not scaring everyone to death, you know? She paused as he said something. Her exasperation melted away. Which station? Okay, thanks. She closed her eyes. Just for a second. Then she took a sharp breath, opened them again, and hung up. Mind if we turn on the television?
I shook our head. At her touch, the TV flickered on with its usual grainy quality.
On the screen was Jenson.
FOUR
Our muscles, bones, organs liquified.
Jenson.
Jenson of the review board. Jenson of the dark suits and creased pants and never-ruffled voice.
Jenson, who had chosen Hally and Lissa for surgery. Whose cool, steel voice frightened us more than Mr. Conivents silk. A man who didnt need Mr. Conivents slick smiles or ready excuses. Who had watched us like he owned us.
He looked just as I remembered. Dark hair. Light eyes. Suit jacket. Not young and not old, and brutal in the way a panther was brutalclaws retracted inside soft paws. He stood before a podium, his expression crafted from a block of marble. A band of text ran across the bottom of the screen: Mark Jenson, Director of the Administration for Hybrid Affairs for Sector Two. Nationwide address.