It's unsettling how pitch-black the morning is.

As I lie awake, Marcy's steady breathing offers a comforting rhythm in the otherwise silent space. The events of last night replay in my mind, the muffled voices and footsteps echoing in my ears.

What did Harry mean? Who was he talking to?

Beside me, Marcy stirs. Each little movement she makes sends an exhilarating shiver down my spine. After a moment, she rolls over, and her hand lands on my stomach.

"Did you sleep okay?" she murmurs, her fingers gentle against my torso, careful not to intrude the territory of my unbound flesh.

"Yeah," I say with a sigh. "Still thinking about what we heard."

"Hmm," she agrees and scooches closer to me, her breath hot against my neck.

In the darkness, I grope for her shoulder and pull her even closer.

We lay in silence, holding each other in the dark. Too soon for my liking, Marcy pulls away, sitting up and stretching. "Maybe the others know more?"

I nod. "Their voices were pretty loud."

"Let's try to get to the bottom of things. If you see Harry, do you think you could ask?" She swings her legs off the bed and stands. She walks over to the wall and clicks on the light switch.

It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust, and I blink rapidly. The idea of confronting Harry causes my chest to tighten and my stomach clench. "Well, yeah, I guess."

"And I'll see if Mitchell found out anything and shared it, but you are the one Harry seems to be showing an interest in, and..." Marcy finishes her sentence with a shrug. Then she crouches down next to our bags and digs out an outfit.

The unease of the unknown tightens in my chest. "Yeah, good plan. Let's see what today brings."

I sit up, kicking off the covers. In the harsh fluorescent light, the first thing that catches my eyes is how feminine my hands are back to looking.

I hurriedly grab the hologram bracelets from the tabletop and slip them onto my wrists. With a blink, my glimmer slips back into place. Then I grab my new outfit.

As I undress, I am overcome by a new self-consciousness.

Marcy is changing in one corner, and I turn my back to her as I pick up my binder. Yanking the tight lycra down over my shoulders takes a few tries and getting everything right involves a bit of shimmying.

"That looks painful," Marcy says as I slip on an undershirt.

My ears burn. "Harry said it would be temporary."

She says nothing as I shrug into long sleeves and button up the front of my shirt, putting on the small electrode behind my ear that masculinizes my face. But once I'm fully dressed, she steps against me and whispers into my ear, "If it makes the pain more bearable, you look hot."

I smile. "It does."

"Come on," she says, stepping away before I can take advantage of the compliment.

We open the door and make our way down the corridor.

As we approach the common area of the compound, the familiar hum of activity greets us. Down in the atrium, people mill about, some sitting alone with steaming cups of coffee, others engaged in hushed conversations. The normalcy of it all feels jarring.

Descending the escalator, I spot Jenelle and Tyree across the room. My gut clenches, but then Marcy squeezes my hand. I squeeze back. There is no reason to be jealous. No reason to doubt.

When we reach the bottom, Jenelle makes a beeline for us. Her eyes are focused on Marcy, an urgency in her stride.

"Marcy, can we talk?" she asks, her tone pleading.

Marcy looks over at me, gauging my reaction.

A twinge of jealousy flares up my esophagus, despite everything, but I swallow it down. I nod to Marcy, a silent encouragement to go ahead.

As they step aside, Alex approaches me, a friendly smile on their face.

Their eyes flicker up to my hair, examining my face. "Nice haircut, man. It suits you."

"Thanks," I reply, grateful for the distraction. "It feels right."

"Dude, you figured out how to keep your hands like that? And"—they squint their eyes—"you're wearing more tech? You look awesome."

"Harry gave me some tips about how to hold on to the changes." I shrug and offer a crooked smile, suddenly self-conscious and embarrassed at the attention. "It's about making it all click together."

Alex reaches out and touches my hand. "You really nailed the details."

"The haircut and clothes seem to help. Like, they boosted my confidence or something," I say, glancing over Alex's shoulder to watch Marcy and Jenelle.

They've stepped behind a column, and I can just make out the outline of Marcy's back. I wonder what they're talking about. Is Marcy telling Jenelle about us? Is she prying for more details about what's going on with the Luddites? How much longer will they be talking?

As my gaze shifts back to Alex, I catch movement in the corner of my eye and notice Harry walking over to us. His eyebrows are furrowed and his mouth tight.

Before he reaches us, he slows down and swivels his head.

"Charlie, Alex, can I borrow you for a moment?" he asks, glancing around, his eyes never landing directly on us.

I look at Alex. Their face splits into a wide grin, oblivious to how weird Harry is acting.

Or do I just think he's acting weird because of what I heard last night?

"Yeah, totally. Anything," Alex says.

I nod. "Of course."

My curiosity outweighs any caution I might otherwise feel.

With one last glance over at the column where Jenelle and Marcy still stand talking, I follow Harry. I see Tyree speaking with the tall red-head, Mitchell. His eyes catch mine as I walk out of the atrium, and he gives me a wave. He'll tell Marcy where I've gone.

Harry walks briskly down the hallway, away from the bustling atrium. The further we walk, the quieter it becomes, until we're standing outside a supply room secluded from the rest of the compound.

"I wanted to show you some different tech," Harry starts, his voice low and urgent. "Come on."

He takes out his key ring and opens the door.

"Is this more wearable tech?" Alex asks, excitement tinging his words. "Or are you going to show us something else? Nanobot modifiers?"

Harry holds the white metal door open, and we walk into shadows. He steps in behind us and lets the door close with a creek. We're plunged into darkness for a moment as Harry fumbles with the light switches. When they buzz to life, Alex lets out a confused grunt.

We are standing in a supply room all right, but not one stored with tech. Metal shelves line the wall, stocked with rolls of toilet paper, stacks of paper towels, and rows of gallon jugs full of blue cleaning liquid.

"What's going on?" Alex asks, a hint of panic at the edge of their voice.

But I think I know what's going on. It must have something to do with what Marcy and I heard last night. The hairs on the back of my neck rise.

Harry runs his hands down his face, and I notice he looks tired. His eyes are red, and his hair is disheveled.

"Alex, you've told me that this place saved your life, right?" Harry says.

"Yeah," Alex answers.

Harry turns to me. "And Charlie, I know you just got here, but you came here without a second thought after you found out what the counselor had planned for your Choosing Day, right?"

I hesitate, not sure where this is headed. "Um, well, yeah."

"And when you arrived, you asked a great question. Do you remember what you asked Sequoia?"

"I had a lot of questions," I say.

His jaw flexes, and his chestnut eyes plead with me to keep up with his train of thought. "You asked why you'd never heard of this place before if it'd been around for fifty years."

"Yeah, you're right," I say, still wondering how it connects to what I heard through the door. About someone dying.

Alex looks between us. "You had the balls to ask that the first time you met Sequoia and Christopher?"

I shrug. It hadn't seemed like a rude question, but maybe it was.

"He did," Harry speaks for me. "And it's a fantastic question. In fact, it is the question. How would your life of been different if you had known people like us existed? If you always knew that you weren't alone?"

I don't have an immediate answer. I try to think back to my Choosing Day, to how nervous I was. But also how naively excited. I just assumed that I would be instantly transformed into the man I always knew that I was. That my days of being a freak were over.

A cloud passes over Alex's face, and I can only imagine what they're reflecting on.

"Dude," they whisper, "it would have meant everything."

Harry nods at them approvingly and then looks at me. Waiting.

"It definitely would have made things easier," I say.

"Good. Yes." Harry's shoulders relax slightly. "That's what I've been saying for years. A–And–" His voice breaks, and he coughs to cover it up.

He turns around and takes a moment. Then he turns back to us. "While I am grateful that we have been able to save so many people like us, I think we could save more if we made ourselves visible."

"Wouldn't that be dangerous?" Alex asks.

"Ignorance is what's dangerous," Harry snaps. "Last night..." His voice trails off, and again, he turns his back to us.

I look over at Alex, who is as still as a statue, and decide that I should be the one to break the silence.

"Was that the commotion I heard last night? Something bad happened?"

"You could say that," Harry says, wiping at his face and turning back around. His gaze meets mine, heavy with unspoken words. "We've been too passive, and it's costing lives."

"So, what are you thinking of doing?" I ask, my curiosity piqued despite my apprehension.

Harry looks around and lowers his voice. "Can I trust you?"

"Yeah," I say. "Of course."

Alex nods.

"You can't tell anyone. Do you understand?" Harry's eyes dart to the door and back. Then he looks me square in the face. "Anyone. Not even Marcy. Not yet, anyway."

I swallow. "Okay."

"I have a plan. It's not fully formed yet, but we need to make our presence known. We can't just hide away. We need to show the city that we're a force to be reckoned with."

Alex's eyes come back alive with a mix of excitement and resolve. "Why are you telling us this?"

My skin erupts into goosebumps. I wonder the same thing. Harry's been here for a decade, but we are new arrivals. Surely, he has stronger allies.

But based on what I heard last night, maybe not.

Harry's gaze is intense as he searches our faces. "I'm telling you this because I think you both have what it takes to be part of it. And I need to know if you're in."

"In?" I ask. He's being too vague. What is he asking us to agree to?

Harry's eyes meet mine. "Do you think people in the city should be given actual choices on their Choosing Day?"

"I mean, yeah..."

"That's all I want." His voice is stern. Impassioned. "Like I said, things are still falling into place. I probably need about a month. I just need to know: do you want to be kept in the loop? Are you in?"

I exchange a glance with Alex, who nods. "I'm in," they say. "Tell us what you need."

Harry looks at me, his face expectant.

Marcy always seems to know, just in her gut, the right decision to make. I wish I was more like her. Because I'm torn. It feels too soon to be making alliances. I don't know enough.

And keeping a secret from Marcy? We don't do that.

But, he's just asking if I'm interested. Right? He's not forcing me to sign a commitment or make a blood oath or anything.

I square my shoulders and give one curt nod, hoping that I don't regret my next words.

"I'm in."