“Don’t look at me like that,” she said. “When you first recruited me to the Others, Elliot and Ursula still thought I was this superficial queen bee, and it took months of backbreaking work on my part to undo that impression, to prove that I was, in fact, a person with real thoughts and real feelings and—heaven forbid—substance. But I never had to prove that shit to you, Kane, because you used to know what it was like to be misunderstood by everyone, avoided and discarded for the way you look or act.”

Kane’s knees were weak. Here it was again: the feelings people had for the person he used to be, bruised with loss and turned to anger with who he was now. Kane yearned to fold right then and there, to give up, but Adeline was still speaking.

“You think just because you’ve faced trauma you’re excused from treating people with compassion? You think just because your sister is in trouble, you get to opt out of being a leader? Well, Kane, guess what. I’ve got sisters, too, and they might be next. We all stand to lose people if we don’t stop Poesy.”

She took a long breath. Adeline’s next words were smaller. “And I care about Sophia, too.”

The rain softened, and all Kane could hear was the breath they shared.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I keep forgetting that you don’t know me anymore, either.”

“It’s okay,” said Kane.

“It’s not. I can do better. We can all do better.”

Kane nodded. He felt real tears join the water dripping down his face. “I’m afraid of failing again,” he said.

Adeline stepped toward Kane. “Then we won’t fail,” she said. “We’ll be better than we were.”

“I’m sorry,” Kane said. “For all the blame.”

“I know. Me, too.”

When Sophia’s headlights found them, Adeline and Kane were holding hands. They broke apart quickly as Sophia rolled up atop some sort of hovering motorcycle that looked like a Jet Ski. Another bobbed behind her.

She was in a hurry now.

“Rain’s clearing up. They’re here. We’ve got to boogie,” she said to Kane.

“Wait! What about me?” Adeline whined. It was very convincing.

Sophia slid from her hovercycle. “What about you?”

“I’ve seen too much,” Adeline said. “They’ll hurt me.”

“If you know they’ll hurt you for seeing,” Sophia said, “then you already know the fragility of the lie they’ve trapped you in. It’s too late for you, no matter what. You’re already waking to the truth.”

Adeline set her jaw. The perfect impression of a brat.

“Or,” Sophia whispered, circling Adeline, “perhaps you wake yourself up in time to save yourself.”

Adeline followed Sophia with just her eyes. The next words barely fit between the two girls.

“How do I wake up?” asked Adeline.

“You pay attention,” Sophia said.