"The most dangerous of all falsehoods is a slightly distorted truth."

G. C. Lichtenberg (1742-1799)

It shouldn't have bothered me to be thrown out of court, considering I'd been forced to be there, but it was better than the alternative of being trapped in my cell with nothing to do except imagine what was happening in my absence.

The only thing besides meals that broke up my days were conversations with Ministry agents. They felt a lot more like interrogations, but I decided it was best to keep a positive outlook. My boredom became so intense that I started to recount the plotlines of my favourite shows, along with as much of the dialogue as I could remember. At one point, I caught myself worrying about whether my shows were recording back home, and heard Ron Weasley's voice in my head saying, "You really need to get your priorities straight."

Eventually, the clang on my door that I'd been waiting for came. "Gemini is here to escort you to court," the guard said through the slats.

"I'm ready," I shouted, not caring that I'd been wearing the same prison uniform for at least a week.

The metal door vibrated as it opened. Gemini held a bag of clothes that presumably would solve the smelly uniform problem. The outfit was the same as the last one he'd brought, maybe because Gem had realized that being different in a world of relative conformity might make you look subversive. It might have occurred to him that the last thing I needed was to be seen wearing proof of my non-conformity in court.

Our escorts for the day travelled on motorcycles alongside us, giving us a little privacy to speak, yet we stayed quiet as groves of trees laden with purples passed by our windows. Shadows cast by the trees across the road were nothing compared to the dark shapes looming over my thoughts. "What have I missed?" I finally asked.

"Blue hasn't had much to say lately, considering all the talking he did the first few days. He doesn't need to bother. The seeds of doubt been planted and have grown as big as those," he nudged his chin at the fruit trees as we passed them. "Protests outside the court get worse every day, Citizen Spectators inside the court have become increasingly bold in their displays of dissent, and picketers are at the gates of Penitent headquarters.

"I feel like we're standing still while they're burying us alive. I am going to be forced to testify, which will make everything worse. I already know what happened when you had the upgraded chip, and your technology tried to interpret my body language and facial expressions. I'm surprised you haven't suggested an impromptu acting lesson," I said.

"This time, the technology will be able to read your emotions because you're on this side of the membrane. Besides," Gem sighed, "I can't just tell you to pick a mask off the shelf this time. The only thing I can suggest is not to overthink it. That dog trying to smile expression you do when you're trying too hard is unsettling at best. Court technology might be your best friend in this situation."

A dense crowd gathered around the spot where the vehicle came to a stop. Gem put his arm around my shoulder and held his head high as he escorted me past the bulging line barely held back by the barricades and into the building. We settled in the same seats we'd previously occupied before they removed me for losing my temper. Although as dull as ever, the opening procedures were still a welcome delay of the inevitable.

Red didn't waste time calling for me to testify. I approached the witness podium, sat stiffly on the edge of the chair and focused my eyes on Red. "Growing up, you could see someone nobody else could. Tell us what that was like," she said.

"I'm pretty sure Gemini save my life on more than one occasion, but I don't love him for being my hero. I love him because he's my oldest and dearest friend."

"You say he saved your life on more than one occasion. Can you give us an example of what you mean," Red said.

"One time that comes to mind was at the lake with my family. It happened while Milly and my late brother Daniel were arguing." I paused to let the tightness in my throat subside, pulled in a deep gulp of air and continued. "Mom was busy trying to settle them down, so she didn't notice that I'd toddled past where I could stand. The next thing I knew, I was underwater. Gemini was unable to reach out to save me, so he did the only thing that he could. He talked me through it. He told me to relax, puff up my chest and let my feet float."

"But Gemini's own life was at risk. Do you think it was for your sake that he helped you?" Red said.

"Gemini indeed had a personal interest in my continued life, but I don't think he only did it because of that. We help each other. That's what friend do," I said.

"How have you helped Gemini?" Red asked.

"It's not like Gemini hasn't had problems. It wasn't all about me. We supported each other. At least we did before I stopped being able to remember and see him. There were times I was caretaker of his broken heart."

"When Gemini upgraded his chip, the review panel members thought you were incapable of feeling empathy. Why did they get that impression?" Red said.

"Don't you ever get overwhelmed? When that happens to me, I go numb. It isn't that I don't feel anything. The truth is that I feel everything. The light. The air. Someone's heart-shattering. My face goes blank because I'm overwhelmed. Part of what Gemini tried to teach me is how to mimic what people expected to see."

I'd once told Casper that if I could choose a superpower, it would be to become Chameleon Girl, with the power to blend into the background. I kept finding myself faced with the question of whether my life might have been more difficult without Gem around to teach me how to blend. Would I freeze up in social situations even more than I already did? On the other hand, I couldn't help wondering what might have happened if Gem had told me I didn't need to change to make other people comfortable. Would I be better equipped to deal with negative opinions other people had about me? Would I be content with being accepted by the people who knew me best?

"Did you cause the rift between Gemini and yourself because you aren't capable of maintaining a friendship? Are you the reason Gemini stopped being able to communicate with you?" Red asked, keeping her eyes fixed on mine.

It was a good thing Red was the one asking these questions. I would have exploded on Blue if he'd tried, which likely would have made his case. Everyone on Incepterrene knew humans were capable of intense anger, but witnessing it in person would feel different than seeing it from behind a barrier.

"You can't understand what it's like to feel lonely all the time and not know why. I'd see a shadow on the edge of my room and slip into a depression. I didn't know it came from catching glimpses of the friend I'd lost, or from having conversations on Sentinel that

I'd already forgotten. I lost my best friend when I was nine. I lost my best friend, but the worst part was that he never left. Gemini suffered a double loss: His sister and his second self." An image of Daniel's red hair and sparkling green eyes popped into my mind. I choked back my tears and carried on. "Your question is whether I chose to inflict that pain on Gemini? I wouldn't inflict that kind of pain on anyone, but especially not on a friend."

By looking away, Red permitted me to do the same. It gave me the chance to look around at the faces of the Citizen Spectators who seemed lost in thought, maybe imagining what they'd say to their second self if given a chance. For those who loved their second self, would their love to hate? For those who hated them, would they finally be able to forgive them enough to let some love into their hearts?

"Tell us about the days leading up to your arrival on Incepterrene," Red resumed her questioning after a moment of silence.

I began with the day of the Expo. Gem caught my eye, making a gesture to skip ahead. His instinct proved correct. As I described my first interaction with Gem at the observatory, the Citizen Spectators leaned forward in their seats. When I quoted what Gem had said about seeing him thousands of times and never being able to remember, they laughed when I said I'd mistaken as a poem. The problem was that it reminded me of the way my classmates had laughed at me in middle school.

Red frowned, but she didn't let the expression linger. "Did anything feel different on the day after your meeting with Gemini in the observatory?" She asked me.

"I kept thinking I'd misplaced something. That feeling of loss makes sense to me now. It was like being given a present on Christmas day, only to wake the next day to find it wrapped under the tree once again; no anticipation to make the unwrapping sweeter, just frustration at having something within my reach that I still couldn't enjoy."

Misty eyes and far away expressions on faces in the courtroom told me not everyone there was ready to condemn me. Red must have seen it too. She nodded and said, "It must have been like losing a brother when Gemini disappeared from your life—"

"Denovo took away my only brother," I cut her off a bit more curtly than intended. More meekly, I added, "I don't want anyone here to forget that."

"Can you explain your reasoning for blaming Denovo for your brother's death?" Red said.

"For starters, Denovo told me he was. When Thirza told me what happened to my brother, I ran to the observatory to look for Gemini. I finally remembered Gemini and knew he was the only one who'd understand. Casper followed me. He got there just in time to see the bright light and hear the overpowering noise. When it ended, Denovo had us trapped in a padded room on Incepterrene. That's when he told us that he was responsible for my brother's death."

Blue stood. "In other words, your entire story hinges on a story you can't prove without a witness. Convenient."

"Objection," Red shouted. "Blue can wait for his turn."

"Sustained," Minister Dovie said. "Rory, please continue."

"I'd like to answer Blue. I don't happen to find it convenient that the only other person other than Denovo who was there has gone missing. Denovo doesn't even have the courtesy to acknowledge the fact that I've stated I wasn't alone with him, or to speak Casper's name when dismissing his presence."

"Rory, I need you to hang in for a few more questions. I know this is difficult for you. You saw a bright flash of light, then you found yourself here. You had nothing to do with that light?"

"Of course, I didn't have anything to do with it," I said.

"Did Denovo give you an insight into how he brought you here?" Red said.

"Denovo said he used Casper to manipulate my feelings, somehow changing the membrane between our worlds—" It suddenly occurred to me that Denovo's explanation had made more sense the first time I'd heard it. Spoken aloud in front of all these strangers, it didn't sound as convincing. "Denovo told me humanity is a disease, and he killed my brother to prove there was a cure," I added with less confidence.

I wasn't sure why I thought that pointing out Denovo's hatred of humanity would be enough to condemn him. People gasped, covering their shocked expressions with their hands, although I spotted a few who were hiding smiles. Red continued to fling questions at me, pushing for particulars I didn't remember, as if trying to prove the internal consistency of my story through rapid-fire responses. I kept getting caught on details that didn't make sense, stumbling across occasions that Blue had already prejudiced the court against believing my story.

"Tell us more about these videos Denovo had you make. Do you know where they kept you while you made them?" Red asked.

"It was a studio, I think," I said.

"Were you ever outside? Could you give more identifying features for the building?" Red asked.

I shook my head. "Denovo only took me out when he brought me to the rally. He drugged me right as I got into the car, so I didn't see anything that would be helpful."

"Why did you go along with making the videos?" She said.

"Denovo hurt Casper every time I disobeyed him. I couldn't stand to see my friend suffer," I said.

"Even knowing the pain you'd cause Gemini when he saw what you'd done?"

"The immediate pain Casper was suffering seemed more important than potential emotional pain in Gemini's future."

"You care a lot for Casper. It must be agonizing not to know what's happened to him," Red said.

"I keep wondering if—" I looked down, unable to finish.

Red's eyes filled with sympathy. "What were the videos about?" She asked.

I straightened my posture and met her eyes. "We were forced to act out a murder, to make it appear as if we'd killed your Prime Minister's second self. If you don't believe me, find someone who's second self is employed by the police in Edmonton, or look for one who's second self is employed as mall security. Witnesses who saw a woman murdered in front of the water park would have reported it, and there'd have been security camera footage."

"The video we saw seemed convincing, right down to the crazed expression on your face," Red said. Knowing Red understood the seeds of prejudice that had already been sown against me, hearing her describe me that way hurt. She was supposed to be on my side.

"Most of the background was created digitally. It didn't take much to make it seem real. As far as my expression, the explanation for that is pretty obvious. My friend was being tortured to keep me in line. Looking crazed seems like an appropriate response," I said, trying to keep my voice from showing how defeated I was starting to feel.

"You claim to have been kept as a prisoner for a week. Are there other videos we haven't seen?" Red asked.

"Unfortunately, there are. Denovo made me tell many lies," I said.

Catching a glimpse of Gem's pale face, I couldn't help wondering if he was bothered more by me hiding something, or that I was capable of concealing something from him.

"Can you give details?" Red asked. It occurred to me that it might come across as an admission of guilt if I started rattling off the lies he'd forced me to tell. Instead, I decided that before each statement, I would remind the Citizen Spectators that there is one many who was the father of my lies.

"Denovo had me say that I was tired of Gemini being around, so I pretended not to remember him. Denovo had me say that all humans can see their Sentinels, but they pretend they can't. Denovo had me say that humans don't want to admit they sometimes see shadow people on the edges of their rooms, because they know nobody else would admit that they'd seen them as well."

"You are saying Denovo invented all of that? That there's no truth to any of it?" Red said.

"You're asking me to swear to knowledge about the experiences of other humans. To the best of my knowledge, everything Denovo told me to say was a lie, but I can't know for certain," I said.

Red looked at the two men who sat behind the defence as she said, "Denovo claims Casper was never on Incepterrene—"

"Would I spend every day worried sick about Casper if I knew he was safe on Earth?" It was difficult to keep my volume from spiking. Perhaps Red's objective was to get all of this out in the open so the Citizen Spectators could include my emotional responses as part of their judgment. She was playing with fire.

There was almost nothing I could do to stop a meltdown once it had started, and I might ignite at any moment. I took a deep breath and continued. "It feels as if everyone has already decided I'm lying. Is anyone even looking for Casper? While you stand there reminding me of accusations that he was never here, he might already be dead. I can't help thinking that nobody is taking my word seriously enough to look for him. Why would they, if they think he's back on Earth?"

I noticed the edges of my vision blurring. It wasn't enough to keep me from seeing the expressions on the faces of the Citizen Spectators as if they thought I was a spider caught in its web. I wanted to tell them that Denovo was the web weaver. I was just a fly.

Denovo had confessed to me that he'd been responsible for Daniel's death. The problem was, he hadn't made this confession where anyone but Casper and I could hear. Denovo had called the connection between Incepterrians and humans, a disease that needed a cure, but that wasn't the same thing as saying you planned to slaughter all the people on another planet. Although he'd forced me to record a statement where I confessed to bringing myself to Incepterrene, the videos no longer felt like his worst trick; not after he infused the truth with layers of lies so insidious even I wasn't sure if I was telling the real story.

The defence already was sure my testimony would be all they'd need. They could rest easy knowing Denovo would be acquitted. But that wasn't Denovo's style. He was the kind of man who would press down if his boot was on someone's neck.

Although Red kept on with her questions, my mind was in a haze. Her shoulders slumped as she walked back to her table, defeated. I glanced at Gem to see the same doubt that I felt mirrored back to me in his eyes.

Blue walked to his lectern, grasped the sides and prepared to speak. He said softly, "You must be exhausted. We are sorry to press you for more, but we still need your help."

The only way I wanted to help Blue was to give him directions for a bridge he could jump off. Red gave me a nod when I glanced at her, making it clear I should cooperate. "I will do what I can," I mumbled.

"We would like you to explain to the court the locations we will be seeing since it's your world, and the specific locations should be familiar to you," Blue said.

Gem exchanged an anxious glance with me before the memory began. I couldn't see the image projected into the column, which forced me to look at a smaller screen set up in front of me. I made up my mind not to bother with specific names, focusing instead on generalities.

"It's the outskirts of the city I was in before being brought to Incepterrene. I recognize the general area the car is heading, but I couldn't tell you the street names. The only place that far out along the river valley road is a cottage community at Birch Lake."

The man in the projection glanced at a newspaper on the car seat. Blue pressed a button in his hand, and the image paused. "When did you come to Incepterrene?" He asked me.

"It was early in August," I said. Blue had paused the image, so the date on the newspaper stood out. Remember, remember the fifth of November. When I'd recited this quote to Thirza, she'd been quick to point out the date was August 5th. That was the morning I'd decided to visit Daniel. By the next morning, Casper and I were on Incepterrene, and my brother was dead.

"Read the date printed on that newspaper," Blue said.

I could feel the trap closing as I answered flatly, "August 7th."

"Please, carry on with your narration," Blue said, turning the recording back on.

"The car is pulling up to a cabin at the cottage community I mentioned already," I said.

"Do you know the driver?" Blue said.

My body vibrated as I saw the man glancing in the rear-view mirror and realized I knew him after all. He was Denovo's second self. It felt as if he knew someone was looking at him. My theory about his relationship with Denovo would explain that, but I couldn't help feeling as if he knew it was me who was watching him. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to drop a truth bomb on the court. "He's the man who killed my brother. He also happens to be—"

Blue cut me off, saying, "The man in this image is the same one we saw murdering your brother on the morning of August 6th, shortly before you claim to have arrived on Incepterrene. You claim that by the August 7th date on that newspaper, Casper and yourself were in Denovo's custody, even though we have no evidence Casper was ever here. I think we can watch the next portion without commentary."

The man turned off the radio, walked to the back door of the car and removed a person with a sack over their head. Even with the bag, I recognized Casper. The man took off the bag and turned the boy, so his face was visible.

"Please, tell us the name of the boy just removed from the car," Blue said.

"Casper," I growled.

"You have claimed that Denovo took Casper and yourself into his custody on August 6th, shortly after your brother's death. Here we have an image of Casper with the man you have claimed was responsible for your brother's death, and the date is after that which you said the two of you were already gone," Blue said.

"I feel trapped in a terrible movie plot. How else could you pin something so serious on an easily faked image of a date in a newspaper?"

" Denovo's version of events has never changed," Blue carried on as if I was a child on the brink of a tantrum. "He has maintained all along that he did not take you into custody until the Severant rally on August 12th, and that Casper was never in his custody."

"He kept Casper in a cage and shocked him every time I disobeyed him," I shouted.

Part of me wondered if Casper would pay for my loss of temper with his blood, yet I couldn't help trying to tell the truth.

"You must understand how easy it would be to make a fake newspaper, especially if the only people you had to fool were on another planet, so they'd never know the difference. On August 7th Casper was on Incepterrene, being forced to make those videos that made it seem as if I'd killed your Prime Minister by-proxy. As far as I'm concerning the only thing you've proved is that once Denovo had finished using Casper, he handed him over to the man who killed my brother."

"Oh my, dear Rory, we fear the stress is getting to you. Now you believe Denovo brought Casper over here, used him to make videos, then sent him back to Earth? Do you think Denovo is in cahoots with the man who killed your brother? Sweetheart, you really shouldn't twist your finger like that. You might break it. And this rocking makes us worry that we may have pushed you right into a mental health crisis. Out of concern for Rory, I propose we postpone the proceedings so a doctor can see her."

"I'm fine. Let's get this over with," I said. The Peace Keepers gathered in a knot to discuss what should be done about me as if I hadn't even spoken. I glanced at Gem to find his eyes fixed on the floor. I couldn't blame him. He knew as well as I did that Blue had played me like a fiddle.

Minister Dovie stood to speak. "We agree that the mental and physical health of everyone involved with this trial must take priority over all other concerns. We believe it would be prudent to have our medical staff examine Rory Lyon to give us assurance she is mentally fit to continue with the proceedings. We will rest for the day," she said.

Two security agents gently took hold of my elbows and guided me past Gem. My heart sank when he didn't raise his eyes to look at me as I passed.

~ ~ ~

It shouldn't have surprised me that mental illness would be used as a weapon on Incepterrene, just like it was on Earth. Some people can't help raining blows on the heads of those below them. Their doctor recommended a sedative and a long sleep in a dark, quiet room. I might have been tempted to take the pill if I know it was a double-edged sword. If a person were to berate someone on social media for taking heart medication as prescribed, suggesting the only reason they needed medication was that they lacked faith, the troll would find scores of people stepping up to set them straight. Given the same situation, with the small difference that the poster was writing about the benefits of psychiatric medication, there'd be a good chance they'd be in that fight alone. I knew that refusing a sedative could be portrayed as reckless negligence while accepting it would most assuredly be pointed to as evidence that I was unstable, which would be tantamount to saying I was dangerous. There was no way to win; only degrees of losing.

As it turned out, there was an advantage to them believing that I was emotionally fragile. It meant they had enough pity for me to return me to private quarters under Apple's guardianship. Once we were alone, the first thing she did was hug me. This time I didn't shrug her away.

"I hear you're having a rough day," she said.

I couldn't help myself. I burst into tears. It took a couple of minutes to compose myself enough to say, "I want my dad. Can't you people let me see him?"

"I'm sorry, Rory, but that's one rule I can't bend. If it makes you feel better, they're letting Gemini stay the night with you," Apple said.

I burst into tears again, although I kept the cause to myself. Apple wouldn't understand how the thought of another person in my space was almost too much to bear. Eventually, I calmed down enough to ask her, "Why am I being kept from seeing my father? We're both treated like criminals."

"Honey...they're worried Denovo might not be lying about you. They're afraid that if you brought yourself here, you could just as

easily leave, except for the fact that you don't know where your father is," Apple said.

"So he's their collateral to keep me in line? I can't help thinking that if they are trying to use my dad to make sure I don't leave, they never planned on letting me go." Someone knocked. Apple hurried to open the door. She overwhelmed with relief to see Gem standing in the threshold.

He wore black jogging pants that were slung low on his hips, along with a gray t-shirt that had a blue line down the center, which matched the colour of his eyes. He may as well have come in waving a white flag of surrender. Seeing him dressed in any colour other than beige seemed sacrilegious.

"She's had a good cry over her dad," Apple whispered to Gem.

He walked into my bedroom, nudged his head for me to follow and shut the door behind us. The air shifted around him as he moved. The temperature increased. I let out a nervous titter at the tingle that spread across my skin. "We should be accustomed to sleeping together by now," I said.

"We were kids. It's hardly the same thing," Gem said. He was right. This was not the boy who'd slept by my side as a child.

"I don't bite," I said, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. I patted the bedspread. He sat next to me, and we fell into silence. The memory of how my stomach fluttered at the mere thought of sitting so close to Casper came back to me. This was different. Gem's eyes revealed to me a simple truth: The feelings we had for each other weren't necessarily the same. His eyes spoke to me, but their language was a foreign one. Another simple truth was that I didn't understand his feelings any better than he understood mine.

Gem took a small device from his pocket and pressed a button to make the music play. "Someone might be listening," he whispered.

"It doesn't matter. This trial isn't for Denovo. It never was. It's only ever been about me," I said.

"No matter how it looks right now, there are more good people here than bad ones. Look at Apple," Gem said.

"She's a good Apple, isn't she?" I smiled at my dumb joke.

Gem scrunched his eyebrows. "Yeah. That was my point," he said. This time I didn't laugh at him for not understanding the double meaning of my words. It suddenly occurred to me that doing so would make me just like my classmates in middle school who had made me feel as if the whole world was a joke that I didn't understand.

"He's going to kill Casper. That man killed my brother, and he's going to kill Casper. And what about my dad? Have you seen him? Do you know if he's even alive?" I heaved in a shaky breath, feeling my control cracking.

Gem's face darkened. "Casper and your dad are leverage, which means they're safe for the moment," he said.

"Denovo is grossly overestimating my importance," I said.

"He still needs you alive. For all his bravado and bluster, I don't think he finished using you for whatever he had planned," Gem said.

"Not if he finished his cure," I said.

"If he'd done that, he'd have made his next move by now," Gem said.

"He's already made his next move. And the next one after that. Don't you see what's happening?

We're in the middle of a slow-moving coup," I said.

"You mean the overthrow of the government?" Gem said.

"No. I mean the overthrow of the Penitents."

Gem's hands began to shake. His eyes had a stricken look. "I don't know what to do. I'm always so damn helpless," he said.

"You think you're in charge of making sure nothing goes wrong on Incepterrene? Don't take on so much responsibility," I said.

"That's not what I mean. I feel helpless with you. I've watched you struggle through life, and I couldn't change anything," he said.

"First world problems. That's what I've had. Don't turn me into a sob story."

"I'm the one who's a sob story." He sighed before continuing. "I lived for the days we could communicate, but they didn't come often enough. The night of the scavenger hunt felt like a miracle at first. It didn't take long to realize that the years I'd spent imagining scripts for when we'd be able to speak again was poor preparation for the reality of you. I went from watching a television version of life to being the star. I thought I knew everything about you, but you've been a surprise at every turn." His focus shifted to my shoulder. After what he'd just said, it wasn't surprising he'd have trouble looking me in the eye.

"You were a figment of my imagination, inner voice, and secret confessor. I'm overwhelmed by the reality of you," I answered quietly.

"See what I mean? I've watched people accuse you of being an attention hog who twists everything into being about yourself, but I know it's your way of showing empathy. I know all of this about you, but I still didn't predict you'd say something like that." Gem hovered his hand over my hip, then skimmed it along the silhouette of my body.

"Your breath is hot. I'm still getting used to the feel of you. You know you don't have to hover over me anymore," I said.

"I can't touch you right now. Not with these thoughts in my head. I know I don't get to claim you, and I need you to believe that isn't what I want. The truth is that I know you've lost your brother because of me, and I owe it to you to try to fill that role. The thing is, my feelings aren't entirely brotherly. I feel like a creep," Gem said.

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Gem winced. I quickly added, "I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I don't think you're a creep, and you aren't the only confused person."

Of course, it wasn't entirely true that I didn't find Gem creepy. It was inevitable after all the years he'd spent watching me, even knowing that he did it because of his culture. I'd spent years observing people, trying to figure out what normal was supposed to look like, and I didn't have a cultural reason for my creepiness like Gem. What it came down to was that I wasn't in a position to judge. How could one sentinel judge another?

I ran my fingers across Gem's arm and noticed how much coarser the hair felt than Casper's. I understood the decision I faced as I looked into his eyes again. Was Gem my friend, or was something more? After a moment of thought, I leaned my forehead against his chest. I whispered, "I miss my brother. Can you be my brother, just for tonight?"

"I love you, Rory," Gem said, folding his arms around me. "Whatever happens, I'll always take care of you."

Separated by a pillow, we lay down together and drifted into sleep. It was hard to tell if it had been minutes or hours when I awoke. I watched the light from the table lamp play across Gem's face, wondering what it would be like to watch someone sleep in a slip of sunlight like they did in the movies. I wondered what it would be like to rest my face on someone's chest and listen to their heartbeat while they slept.

Gem's eyes fluttered open. He moved his hand until it rested on the back of my head and mumbled, "Good morning."

"I think this is going to be the last day," I said.

We got out of bed, turned our backs to each other and dressed in silence. Gem pulled on a long-sleeved dress shirt, vest and slacks. I put on the clothes Apple had left for me—leggings, a sheer dress, and a camisole to wear underneath. It seemed Apple hadn't tired of using me as a dress-up doll, even if Gem had grown weary of it.

I was shaking as if I was on my third cup of Starbucks, but Gem remained strangely calm. He listened to me in silence as I prattled my way through breakfast and continued our silence as we set out for the courthouse. It didn't bother me since I was more than happy to do all the talking. I had no reason to curb my tongue without an escort in the car, and knowing they'd already made up their minds. When the vehicle came to a stop behind a line of traffic, I decided I should do the same.

A man in a uniform approached the vehicle and knocked on the driver-side window. "There's an accident ahead. It'll take a few minutes to clear," he said.

Gem rolled up the window and turned off the engine. I noticed a vibration after a few minutes and turned to check if Gem had started the vehicle. That's when I saw a large truck pull up next to the driver's side of our transport. I felt a rumble on my side and turned to see another one come to a stop next to my door. I recognized them as the pair I'd seen parked beneath Penitent headquarters. I swivelled toward Gem. He darted out his hand the moment our eyes met and attached a metallic device to my temple.

It was as smooth as a river washed pebble, and cool against my skin. Windows in the cars lined up ahead of us vibrated and shattered into tiny shards. Their alarms blared simultaneously, then fell silent.

"We have to move!" Gem shouted, holding his hand toward me. We ran together toward a craft that was descending from a cloud bank above us. It stopped and hovered a few inches above the ground. A door slid open to reveal two unconscious figures slumped in the interior. One was a man with hair the same shade of red as Daniel's, and the other was Denovo. Gem pushed me through the opening. The door had barely closed behind us when the ground dropped away. My ears popped as our altitude increased.

Gem reached out and closed his arms around me, mashing my body against his. I didn't fight his embrace, knowing he wouldn't be able to return to his regular life. Gemini had blown apart everything in his life for my sake. There weren't enough words to show him how I felt. Even this wasn't enough.