Albert exited the bathroom hurriedly and headed to the bedroom to wait, feeling faintly embarrassed and more than a little annoyed with himself for allowing this child to make him feel this way. In his own home, too! He sat down on the edge of the bed and then lay back, his legs dangling over the side, his head spinning. He hadn’t long to wait. About five minutes later the bathroom door opened and Theo reappeared, enveloped in a cloud of steam, wrapped from neck to ankle in the towel, the cap still on his head.

Albert nodded approvingly. ‘That’s much better. Now, quickly get into those pyjamas, and we’ll get you something to eat and a nice warm bed to sleep in.’

Theo stared at him. ‘Ain’t you gonna leave?’

‘No, that’s all right. I don’t want to leave you alone and I’m not looking. Hurry up now.’

‘No!’

‘Excuse me?’

‘I ain’t changin’ with you in here!’

The child’s face was turning red. Propping himself up on an elbow, Albert studied him. And then he realized that Theo’s face wasn’t flushed because he was angry or upset—he was embarrassed. The boy was actually blushing!

Suddenly a horrible suspicion smote Albert. He sat up, staring at Theo with narrowed eyes. ‘Take off your cap.’

‘What? No!’

‘Take it off.’

Theo said nothing, but made no move to obey.

Albert stood up, took two quick strides and was next to him, wrenching the cap from his head in one swift motion.

He watched as long, stringy hair fell down from where it had been bunched under the cap, halfway down the child’s back, framing a small, heart-shaped face.

‘You’re a girl!’

‘Duh! You think?’

‘But they called you Theo!’

‘Gah! Short for Theodora! It’s a stupid name!’

Albert said nothing. Then he turned and left the room.

An hour later, Theo—Theodora—whatever—had been fed and was sleeping soundly in the spare bedroom. Albert lay in bed staring out the window at the City, but he wasn’t really looking. A maelstrom churned in his head, thoughts and feelings all jumbled together, about what had happened, about what he was going to do with this new problem he was now saddled with, about Tweedledum, whom he’d stood next to every day for four years without ever getting to know, and now never would.

Finally he fell into an uneasy and dream-filled sleep, filled with disturbing images of lawbots, accusing green eyes and a beautiful child turned into a raw, bloody mass of ripped flesh.

3

Albert sat upright in bed, listening to the alarm ring. He’d been up for a while, as the now-empty cup of coffee in his hands testified. His head drooped down as he stared with narrowed eyes at the sheet.