right. It’s not fair. She deserved more. But so do you.
He paused for a second before his soft voice continued flowing into my head.
It’s not your fault that Sarah died, Mila. Just the opposite. As long as you’re around, she will never be completely gone.
I covered my mouth with my hand and closed my eyes. How had he known what I’d been thinking? Feeling? And how did he always know what to say to make it better?
And then I surprised myself.
I’ve missed you.
My eyes flew open. Wait, what? I’d only meant to thank him, not spill the beans on that. Trust me to find new ways to blurt things. I had to be the only android ever designed with that problem.
I turned my head and buried my face in the pillow. As if I could hide from the embarrassment in my own head. He probably thought I was crazy. Or that the stresses of Montford had reduced me to a big ball of mush. He was going to laugh, and remind me that we’d been apart less than twenty-four hours. Or maybe he would—
I’ve missed you too.
Oh.
His words floated over me. They drifted beneath my skin, washing me with a liquid warmth that penetrated even the darkest shadows in my mind. I lifted my face from the pillow and rolled onto my back, feeling a smile tug at my lips. I only listened with half an ear as he finished up the conversation.
We should probably say good night now. I’ve got more work to do. Oh, but you should know I managed to get in touch with Tim. We exchanged messages through the supply shop. As far as I can tell, no one has tried to contact him. So far, we’re still safe.
That’s good. And there’s no way anyone could trace the message back to you?
Shouldn’t be. I was careful.
Okay. I worry about you too.
I know.
By the time we said our good-byes, my eyes felt tired, my body strangely heavy. I let my eyelids close and sank back against the bed. Hannah showed no signs of slacking, and I didn’t want to get busted for snooping my first night here. I’d have to put that off till tomorrow.
I gave in to my sleep cycling and allowed myself to doze off, knowing I’d awaken if Hannah roused. From time to time, a video flickered through my head. Dreams or fears, I wasn’t sure which. I was in a cavernous, dark room, alone yet not, fighting off demons that I knew weren’t real, yet I could somehow see. I dived and rolled, dashed and jabbed, more quickly than any human could. Then I felt a shadowy presence reach toward me. Once again, I had the sensation that my attacker wasn’t real. Yet I whirled around to face it. With a jab of my knife, I finished it off and came back for more, panting. Caught in a blur of sweat, adrenaline, and fear.
Around me, the room was empty.
Except for the lone figure behind a podium. I couldn’t see his face, but I could hear approval in his steady, crisp clapping.
“Nicely done, Sarah.”
Sarah. I froze. I knew that voice.
Slowly, I turned to face the man. But the podium had vanished. Instead, the faces of my friends appeared. Samuel. Abby. Hunter and Daniel. Lucas. And then Hannah and Celia. J.D.
No. Panic surged, but something trapped my feet, rooting me to the ground. They shouldn’t be here. It wasn’t safe.
“Run,” I tried to scream, but the sound died in my throat.
And then, my friends’ eyes rounded in horror.
I followed their pointing fingers to my stomach, where a red light flashed.
A second later, I heard the noise.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Apologies rushed through my head, but before I could utter a single word, an enormous boom deafened me.
Time’s up, came an automated, dispassionate whisper from somewhere deep inside me.
And then the world exploded, taking everyone around me with it.
“Mara! Wake up!”
I shot upright in the bed and stared straight into Hannah’s eyes. My heart pump still galloped away in my chest.
“What . . . how . . . ?” I said.
Hannah settled on the edge of my bed. “You were having a nightmare. It’s okay, I used to have them all the time as a kid.”
Was that even possible? Androids couldn’t have nightmares, could they? If the organic material in me was developing to include this ability, I wasn’t sure I wanted it.
“Did I say anything . . . weird?” I asked with a stab of concern.