“Take this,” I said. He held the cup like he didn’t know what to do with it, then he put it on the ground. “Aren’t you cold?” I said.

He lifted his arms up and held them wide. Herding gesture, bird of prey gesture. Every time I saw him he was larger than before. Bay said, “What, exactly, can I help you with?”

“What happened at the action?”

He sighed, bringing his arms behind his head. “The police arrested four of us. So while we were caught up with that, Osha and Cuke went on their own. They risked their lives to take down a dragline excavator.”

He leaned his head back. When he closed his eyes I let myself look at his half-ruined body. I felt the familiar surge of blood to my face—my body scolding itself for my desires. I ran my fingers down Bay’s neck, lightly, like Isaac used to.

Bay said, “I should stop you,” he said, “but it’s nice, you know, sometimes.” And for a while I just touched his face and neck, while we looked out toward the night and pretended that we didn’t know what was happening. The sky still looked black to me, but the birds were singing from all the trees.

“Are they going to be okay?” I said.

“Yes,” he said. “They did good work.”

“Were you one of the people arrested?” I asked.

“No,” he said. “I bailed them out.”

“Was it expensive?” He didn’t answer. “Did Isaac give you money?”

“Isaac?”

“The boy,” I said. “With the messy hair. You brought him back to Asheville.” A flock of small black birds moved over us, migrating, and I could see them, which meant the sky had lightened. Their wings made a whispering sound. The early hour made me feel safe, like what we were discussing was a dream and inconsequential in real life. “What am I missing?”

“You’re missing a whole world,” Bay said, rubbing his eyes. “Several worlds, in fact, fake, and real, and realer. The bats are in the bat world. The birds are in the bird world. There’s a lot you’re missing, sister.”

“Did you drive him home?”

“Oh, he’s home all right.” Bay turned around and looked at me, and I felt sweat break out all over me. My hands got shaky, and I laced my fingers together. “I took his money,” Bay said.

“How?” My mind went on its fast rambling way. Did Bay take him hostage? Threaten him? How else would Bay get money from him? Had Isaac let it slip that we knew each other? “You told me that he was perfect and terrific.”