By the time Daniel and I get back to the room, the sky is already grey-blue and pink with early morning light. More than double the amount of Prowlers are patrolling the yard, probably because of Ava and Eleanor, and instead of sleeping, we decide to stay up to monitor the yard from our window.

"Do you think they got out all right?" I ask.

He squints. "I can't see over into the Carrier yard, though," Daniel mumbles, tapping his finger against the glass pane.

I rest my hand over his. "I'm sure they're fine. Your mom is smart, and Ava is really tough." He walks back toward the dressers. "I'm sorry I asked."

He opens the top drawer of his dresser, where he keeps his socks, and pulls out a pair of slender objects, one blue and one green. He hides them behind his back, a surprise for me, and walks solemnly back to the window.

"What are those?"

He reveals his hands, and in each he holds a handcrafted, hand-painted slingshot, like the ones my dad used to make, except he never painted them. Paint was impractical and didn't help us camouflage. Still, the sight of a slingshot nearly brings me to tears, and for the first time in forever, they are tears of joy.

"Daniel," I beam, "I love them. Did you make these?"

"No, Celia did. The blue one is for you. I told her it was your favorite color."

This poor girl, I think. All she wants to do is be my friend, but I can't bring myself to let her in. She's too naive, and too close to Daniel. "Why did she do this?"

"When you get to know her better, you'll learn she's a painter. She puts her emotions into her work, and she creates these beautiful collages of colors and images. That painting on the wall is one of hers."

He points to the painting of the girl in the center of the glowing bubble, surrounded by fiery hands. Maybe she and I are more similar than I gave her credit for. "Why did she paint that?"

Daniel bites his lip in thought. "It's really not my business to say, you have to ask her. It's why I wanted her to stay with me. Look, I know she seems helpless and kind of flighty at first, but she's been through a lot. We all have our ways of coping with our pasts. Her appearance is her armor. Give her a chance."

"Alright."

"Today, while I set up the detectors."

"Okay."

"Isla..."

I laugh, "Okay, fine. I will, I promise."

"You should thank her for making these. She did it without me asking, just, as a gift. She made them after you announced you were the last Deathless soldier at the party. She said, 'Every soldier needs her weapon,' and handed them over."

I take my slingshot from his hand, and roll it over in my palms to inspect it. It feels so familiar, right down to the uneven whittling strokes. As I turn the slingshot over, I can see that one of the prongs has my name carved into it. It's sweet that Celia made this for me, and the thought sends a lump of guilt to my stomach. "I will definitely thank her, don't worry," I say after inspecting the pull of the sling.

"You know what we should do with these?" Daniel smiles, and pulls a bag of rocks from his drawer.

"We are not playing Soldiers."

"No, of course not. Open the window," he says, coming closer.

I do as he asks and unlatch the lock before pushing the window panes out and opening us to the sound of gears screeching below and birds chirping in the distance. Prowler machines stomp along the wall, their collector function apparently turned off, since they don't seem to notice the squads of mindless soldiers marching in the yard.

"Stay down," he whispers. He opens the bag of rocks and rests it on the windowsill. He picks a rounded stone from the mix, rests it in the sling, and draws back.

I have no idea what he's planning until he points the stretched instrument at one of the Prowlers. He releases and the rock whizzes through the subtle morning fog and pings against the Prowler's top. I don't know what it is, but the tiny sound against the ominous machine makes me burst into hysterical laughter.

The Prowler turns in circles, inspecting the yard for its attacker, and finds nothing. Crouched behind the windowsill, we both load our slingshots and release upon a different Prowler. The rocks ping again and I can barely breathe, I'm laughing so hard. Both machines turn around, searching the ground and the wall, and finding nothing.

We continue loading and shooting, loading and shooting, laughing as we go, and it feels like we've found ourselves: Old Isla and Old Daniel, dressed up in costumes and protected by stone walls, taking out our frustrations with our slingshots. Before we realize it, all the Prowlers are spinning around in the yard, and the soldiers scratch their heads, unsure of what's happening. Finally, one of the Prowlers scans above the ground-level. We fall down beneath the window, and I'm laughing so hard, it feels like my ribs might burst from my sides.

Daniel catches his breath, and asks, "Care to make this interesting?"

"Sure," I say, still laughing.

"First one to hit all the Prowlers in the yard wins."

"Oh, you're on, Crowley," I beam, and we both spring up from beneath the window and load.

Just before I release, I catch Ian looking up at us from the yard. "Really, guys?" he calls.

It's all too much. We both fall beneath the window again, and my body actually hurts from laughing. A gust of wind pushes one of the panes closed, and knocks the bag of rocks over, sending them spilling onto our heads.

"Ouch," Daniel laughs, "you ok?"

I'm laughing too hysterically to verbalize an answer, so I just nod my head. Daniel brushes the rocks and dust off me, then lets his hand linger on my cheek.

My entire body pulses with energy. I catch my breath, and stare into his eyes, brilliant with warmth.

"What?" Daniel laughs, moving his hand from my cheek.

"No," I say, snatching his palm from the floor, and putting it back on my cheek, "Stay there." I smile.

He laughs in relief. "I want to kiss you—"

"—So kiss me—"

The words aren't even out of my mouth before his lips meet mine. In this moment, there's only us. I kiss him back—a desperate, longing kiss—like if our lips weren't together, they'd cease to exist. It sends tingles through my bones.

He finally pulls away, and kisses the tip of my nose, a kind reminder that he's still my best friend too. The boy who loved me all my life.

There's a soft knock at the door, and Jane enters.

"Up again?" she asks, worry in her voice, and then her entire demeanor changes and I see her smile. "Don't worry, it's just me." She comes into the room, and closes the door behind herself. "What are you two doing? Nevermind, I don't want to know."

I catch my breath and sigh, "We are just blowing off some steam."

"Well, I'd say you were pretty successful," she says, crossing the room and closing the other side of the window over our heads. "That's the first I've ever seen you smile that wide."

"Is it time already?" Daniel asks, pushing against the wall to stand. He reaches his hand down to help me, and I take it, hopping up.

"Unfortunately. They are beginning to prepare breakfast for you downstairs. They asked for the Comforters to be present."

Leave it to Cooper to ruin a perfectly good morning. The happiness drains from the room, and I stand a little straighter. "Did they say why? Is it just for breakfast?" I ask.

Please say it's just for breakfast.

"I'm sorry," Jane says, shaking her head, "I have no idea."

Daniel and I brush the remaining dust off ourselves, and begin to get ready for the day. Jane sets out a grey and black feathered dress on the bed, and unzips it, coughing from the strain. I take off my pajamas—Daniel's turned around—and lift the dress over my head. Jane zips me into it, and I can't help but think that I look like an African Grey Parrot in it, especially since it poofs passed my knees like a tail. She is fluffing my skirt when she sees how badly my knees are scraped from last night's trip down the drain with Joe. "Isla, your knees," she squeals. "What happened?"

I sit on the bed while she bandages my wound, and as Jane begins beautifying—her word, not mine—me for the day, I tell her about last night and Eleanor and Ava's escape.

"That explains the heavy military presence downstairs," she says.

"Hopefully Dr. Wilkes and the girls will have some medication for you soon."

"Thanks for the thought, Isla, but there's no use. They will definitely notice us carrying around pills, and passing them off to each other."

She sprays something sweet and fruity into my hair, and runs the brush through the side that isn't shaved. She walks in front of me and begins applying my make-up.

"Don't worry, Jane, we'll think of something. We'll figure it out," I say before she applies lipstick. I blot my lips on a tissue, and continue, "We made plans to get out of here. In ten days we are making our escape, and you're coming with us."

She puts down the mascara wand, and kneels in front of me to rest, her eyes watering. "Isla, I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. I made you a promise. If I get to leave, then you do too."

She lifts her arm to cough into her elbow, and then returns to applying my make-up. "Thank you."

She tells me to keep my eyes open as she applies my mascara, and I do, peering down at her arm with wide eyes. There are a few specks of blood on the fabric of her elbow, specks that must have come from her cough. She's getting worse.

She looks into her elbow, and sees the blood. Her lips purse in fear, and she diverts her eyes from mine. "Now your lipstick," she mumbles.

I don't know what else to say, so I just whisper, "You're going to be okay."

"Let's get you ready."

She finishes my make-up, and Daniel tightens his tie, raising his eyebrows at me, as if to suggest I say something else.

"Stay here, Jane. Relax. We'll let the drones know."

"What about Gunther?" she asks, her lips quivering.

I turn around and open all the drawers, tossing the clothes onto the floor. Daniel realizes what I'm doing, and throws the blankets, sheets, and pillows from the bed. We open the closet and toss everything out before doing the same thing with the soaps in the bathroom.

Then, as I stand in the center of the room, I spin around and ask, "This will be enough to show him we need you, right? Just in case?"

She smiles and nods.

"To be clear, we will clean this later," Daniel tells her, "not you."

She smiles even more brightly and nods again.

We say goodbye to Jane, and as the sun rises over the mountains, we make our way downstairs to the ballroom.

The pink sky sends its light through the windows and bathes the polished wood walls in a vibrant glow. For as long as I can, I take solace in the light. The rest of the mansion is still asleep, but the clicking of my heels and the sounds of silverware against china fill the silence. The calm is over.

We pass the grandfather clock, and my heart stops: Cooper sits at the table, being served food by two Comforters I don't know, and Alexander sits beside him, tied in metal chains and silenced with duct tape.

"Good morning," Cooper smiles.

Daniel stops as soon as he sees Alexander. "What is this, Cooper?"

"Breakfast. Take a seat."

"What is happening with Dr. Ovis?"

I turn to Daniel, and see fear painted on his face. Alexander knew he would be punished, I knew he was saying goodbye last night, but I had hoped we wouldn't see it. Does Gunther know about this?

Mitchell and Celia walk in behind us, announcing themselves with her loud gasp.

"Now, now, take a seat," Cooper says, but the four of us are frozen in the entryway.

"What's the hold up?" I turn around to see Gunther walking toward us with Phoebe on his arm. "Why are you all so—?" He stops, seeing Alexander. Within one tick of the grandfather clock, Gunther pushes through our bodies, and runs across the ballroom to his friend.

"Untie him," he orders Cooper.

A hand rests on my shoulder: Phoebe. "Who is that man?" This is the most serious I've seen her since her implant. Maybe she can still process sadness.

"That's Dr. Alexander Ovis. Do you remember him?"

"I know that man?"

"Yes," I say.

"He looks sad."

"He is." I lean toward her, and whisper, "Wake up, Phoebe. You have to snap out of this."

She looks at me in confusion, and, without saying a word, walks past me to sit at the table.

"Damn it, Cooper, I thought we had an agreement!" Gunther yells.

"Which was nullified as soon as this man betrayed us!" Cooper yells, "Now everyone, sit down and eat!"

We drag ourselves to the table, and I see that by now, the rest of the Leaders and their Comforters have gathered: Nina, O'Neil, Celia, Mitchell, me, Daniel, and a pale Captain Jones. His eyes are circled with fatigue and he clutches his stomach, but he's still a bull of a man. "We're peeling out in 20 to set up the detectors," he says, but there's weakness in his voice. What did Ava do? "It's imperative that you eat now."

We all sit, except for Gunther, who is fuming and pacing around the table. Two drones follow him, their extended arms clamped to Gunther's suit to keep him from untying Alexander.

"Enough with the games, Cooper," O'Neil says, "What happened?"

Cooper's face melts into an angered stare, streaked with wrinkles. "Dr. Ovis helped one of our Carriers escape this morning with another woman as ransom. The women took one of our pods, and rode off before any of our soldiers could catch them. Dr. Ovis is a traitor. Captain Jones, see to it that the traitor is taken to the Reaper's Room."

"Yes, sir," Jones strains to say. He lifts Alexander from his chair, and begins dragging him toward the side door toward the Reaper's Room. As they reach the door, Captain Jones turns him to face the group, and says, "Any last words, Dr. Ovis?"

Gunther looks at Alexander with tears in his eyes. Whether or not he values human life, he values his friend.

Alexander nods, and Captain Jones rips the tape from his mouth as aggressively as he can for effect. "Those who cannot honor life will always be punished," Alexander says.

Gunther furrows his brow.

"Untie me, Keith, just for a moment. I'd like to hug my friend goodbye."

Captain Jones looks to Cooper for confirmation, then, upon seeing him nod his head, Jones loosens the chains around Alexander. They drop to the floor and echo throughout the ballroom.

"Goodbye, old friend," Alexander says.

Before any of us can do or say anything, Alexander punches the Captain swiftly in the gut, and upon impact, both men explode.

Blood and tissue are splattered all over the ballroom: the floor, walls, ceiling. The food is covered, and so are our bodies. I am soaked in Alexander and Jones, but all I can do is shake at the same frequency as the explosion. I allow myself to process what's before me. Alexander Ovis, one of the faces who pulled me from the Prowler, is dead. I want to feel sad or angry or scared, but I'm too shocked to feel anything but horror and disgust.

Gunther makes a guttural, pained sound and collapses to his knees. Except for him, the entire room is frozen in disbelief.

"How did this happen?" Cooper finally bellows, and his voice startles me into motion.

"Ava and Alexander were together yesterday," Mitchell confesses, and the blood drips from his pointed nose. "Captain Jones hit Ava. She may have wanted revenge. Dr. Ovis specialized in explosives with Gabriela on the Immortal. He could have easily given her an explosive device for the Captain to swallow."

"Can anyone confirm this?"

"Any witness you may have had either escaped or exploded," Mitchell says. "We have to go after Ava if we want any answers. She left a ransom note, so we know where to find her."

Thank goodness I can't move, I think. Otherwise I would stand up and scream in protest.

Cooper looks over us. "First Lieutenant Becker," he calls, and I turn to see Ian in the doorway with his scarred companion. "You are now Captain. Sergeant Collins, you are now First Lieutenant. Both of you, take the converted soldiers, and search for the missing women. They must be found and punished."

Ian takes a millisecond to look at me, terror in his eyes, before saying, "Yes, sir."

"Harper, Crowley, and Quail: Set up the detectors. O'Neil: Dismantle your geothermic devices. Comforters: Get up to your rooms. There will be no class today while the Caregivers and Workers clean up the ballroom. Everything will proceed as planned."

"Like this is all normal?" O'Neil shouts.

"Like this doesn't affect us, Dr. O'Neil, because it does not. The plan will continue. Roberts and his crew are not stopping, and neither will we. We will proceed as planned. Everyone out."

Phoebe stands and marches out of the room, but we are all still frozen at the table.

"Set up the detectors without me," Gunther announces, peeling the drone pincers from his bloodied clothes.

"Dr. Quail, you will participate as planned," Cooper orders, raising his voice to echo through the blood-stained room.

"No, I will not!" he yells. "Crowley can take Dr. Fowler and Dr. Harper out there on his own. He can handle it. I'm going to take care of what I need to do," he says, marching out of the room.

"Your choices have consequences, Dr. Quail," Cooper yells after him.

"I am counting on it."

***

No one spoke. The soldiers left to go after Ava and Eleanor, while the rest of us filed out of the room and showered.

I've been sitting on the bed, rocking blankly with the blanket clutched in my arms, and Jane rubbing my back since Daniel left to get the detectors ready a few minutes ago.

"I have to talk to Gunther," I mumble.

"Why?"

"Because Alexander said he was planning to convert everyone, and maybe now, since he's upset, I can change his mind."

"If Alexander couldn't..."

"It's worth a shot," I say, standing from the bed, and leaving the room.

Down the hall and through his office door. The world whizzes by me until I am surrounded by books and facing the golden desk, behind which Gunther sits with his back to me.

"Gunther, I'm sorry," is all I can say.

"Thank you," he says, his back to me.

"Are you okay?"

"Are we cordial now?"

"You let me say goodbye to General Sato. If you hadn't come to breakfast, would he have let you say goodbye to Alexander?"

"No. Just like he wasn't planning on letting me say goodbye to my brother."

"He was the coughing survivor I saved. Wasn't he?"

He turns around, and I'm surprised to see his eyes aren't teary. Instead, they're filled with anger. He nods once, and lets his head hang in thought. "He was dying when the bombs went off. I put him into one of the cryo chambers, and I planned to keep him there until I could cure him. I was able to alter his DNA to prevent his body from destroying itself, the same way Nathan altered yours. In fact, Nathan used the serum I created for Hugh as a template for the one he administered to you. He should have been evacuated from the bunker, but he wasn't, and you saved him."

"You're not a monster," I blurt out.

He takes a breath and purses his lips before speaking. "You may go now, Ms. Blume."

"Are you going to convert everyone?"

"Is that what Alexander told you?"

"Are you?"

He scoffs. "I knew the time would come when Alexander would separate from me forever, I just thought it would be on his terms." His expression shifts, and I see fire behind his eyes. "Then again, I suppose it was."

I repeat the question, "Are you going to convert everyone?"

He breathes a deep sigh. "If I do, we could accomplish incredible tasks in record time. No more Comforters, Carriers, Caregivers. None of his delusional hierarchy, just people, all working toward a common goal. We could have everything ready for Roberts to come back and for us to rebuild the society, and no one would ever need to remember."

"You mean they'd just wake up one day, years older, without any idea how?"

"It's a small price to pay for the advancement of the planet, Isla. I don't really care if you agree or not. That's what my legacy will be. That's what needs to happen."

"You're stealing lives. What about human experience? What about love and family?"

"It's not essential."

"This coming from a man who loves his brother enough to grow him a new set of lungs."

He clenches his jaw. "Where's the necklace, Isla?"

Chills run up my spine. "What... what are you—"

"It's not here. I know Alexander took it."

"I don't know."

"He spoke with you. Before he let the women out. You know who they were, right?"

"I don't know anything about that."

"Ava Ward and Eleanor Crowley."

For a moment, I forget that I'm supposed to not know this already, but my face catches up: "Eleanor?"

"Where's the necklace, Ms. Blume?"

"I don't have it."

He slaps his hand against the table. "Damn it, Isla," he yells, "Stop lying!" His eyes redden, and his lips shake.

"He gave it to Ava," I lie, "as part of the ransom."

He nods slowly. "It's time for you to leave now, Ms. Blume."

I don't know what else to do or say, so I just mumble, "okay," and head toward the door.

"Oh, and Ms. Blume?" he calls, spinning back around in his chair. I open the door, but stop before leaving. "There's still blood on your legs. From Jones and Alex."

With my back to the office, I lift my dress over my knees. I'm bleeding through my bandages, and it runs down my calves. "Thanks," I mutter, and walk out.