But he’s cheating on you, I want to say. You can’t live with both of them. All three of you.

“We still have a family, Nah. Me and you … and Aunt Nora, Uncle Tony, Nate, Gram, Papa…”

She backs away, toward the bed. “I’m tired. I’m going to sleep now.”

“It’s only six! Come on, brownies—”

“I don’t want a fucking brownie, Mae.” She lies down, her back to me. “Shut the door.” She sighs. “Please.”

I walk outside, in the dark, in the cold, my coat buttoned, holding on to the straps of my backpack, which is carrying too much. There is no moon tonight. Too many clouds covering the sky.

I cannot see the stars.

Trains are good for thinking.

On the Red Line to Harvard Square, which is where Castaways is, my brain begins working the problem of Hannah. I think it’s possible when one decreases distance to Harvard you get an increase in intelligence. Just a theory.

And here is another theory:

The radius of separation between my sister and me is growing, which shouldn’t be scientifically possible, if you consider Coulomb’s law.

In physics, two charged objects of opposite charge are attracted to each other—they move toward each other, thus decreasing the distance of separation. This is why, historically—before the pills—my sister and I got along so well.

For this equation I’m categorizing Hannah as “negative” and me as “positive.” When one considers psychic energetic fields—not sound science, but this is a thought exercise, like string theory—it would make sense to use traditionally considered notions of what positive or negative is. Sad and Addicted = Negative, whereas Relatively Well-Adjusted = Positive. (Please note that “positive” is not a value judgment in which the positive quotient is better.)

Ergo: Hannah = (-) and Mae = (+)

Opposites, as they say, attract.

Not so anymore.

I’m really beginning to wonder if Mom was right. Perhaps humans really do have a quantifiable energy field and you can actually apply the laws of physics to relationships.

(!!!!!!!!!!!)

I’m not suggesting that this experience actually disproves one of the most basic theories of physics, as my sister and I are not objects. However, if my mother’s belief in psychic energetic fields were ever actually proven and shown to be sound science, then the increased separation between Hannah and I would directly challenge Coulomb’s law.

As we know, when distance increases, the forces and electric fields between the two objects decreases. More distance = less connection. Simple, right? Forces between objects (sisters) become stronger as they move together and weaker as they move apart.