He took a boat downtown, Dorothy following as close as she dared. He hit the small-business owners first, always offering them something in exchange for their loyalty. A larger space for their store. An introduction to someone in the Center who could make facilitating trade easier. Then he made his way into the few remaining wealthy neighborhoods in town, always with some bribe. Fresh strawberries and expensive bourbon, a crate of wine, medicine, a few solar panels, so the rich could have working lights again.

Something, something. There was always something.

Dorothy’s blood boiled as she watched him work. By nightfall, it seemed as though he had the entire city of New Seattle believing that she was evil, treacherous. She had no idea how far and wide his reach extended. But she should’ve. She never should’ve trusted him.

I did this, she thought, horror washing over her. Mac never would have gotten to where he was if it hadn’t been for her, for their alliance. She’d practically handed the city over to him, silver platter and all.

Roman didn’t return to his room that night. Dorothy waited around for hours and then, remembering that this was the time they’d missed their exit coming back from the past, she curled up on his bed, wondering what on earth she was supposed to do now.

It had gotten dark, but she didn’t feel like getting up to light a candle. She buried her face into Roman’s pillow, breathing hard. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so lost.

Maybe it was the day of her wedding, realizing that she’d tried everything she could think of to get away and nothing had worked, that she might have to marry Avery after all.

Or perhaps it was the moment she’d woken up on the docks a year earlier than she’d meant to, alone and friendless, wondering how she was going to survive in this strange new world.

She sighed, frustration roaring up inside of her. If she were being honest with herself, neither of those moments compared to how she felt now. As desperate as she’d been, she’d always had some backup plan, some way of regaining control even as everything seemed to get harder and more complicated. And she’d had people she could turn to. Ash and Roman, even her mother.

But now . . .

She’d joined the Black Cirkus because she’d honestly believed in their message. The past is our right! It had been the question that had plagued her ever since she traveled a hundred years into the future and found the world very, very different from what she expected.

What sort of problem couldn’t be solved with time travel?

It turns out, only one.