“This one is different, though,” Charlie cut in. She shivered, though she wasn’t cold, suddenly unable to shake the memory of the twisted bear, his face stripped to the metal staves, the illusion sparking on and off as he loomed over them. “Can I see it?” she said, forcing herself back to the present. John held out the disc, and she took it carefully, watching him warily. He was giving off the sense of a brewing storm, and she was afraid of setting it off. Charlie held the disc up to the light, turning it back and forth, then handed it back.

“That’s it?” John’s eyes widened.

“What do you want me to say?” she cried.

“I mean, you can’t tell me anything about it?”

“The others all had that inscription: Afton Robotics. This one doesn’t. But I’d bet you noticed that.”

“Actually, I didn’t.” John looked at her thoughtfully, then back down at the disc. He flipped the switch, and Marla yelped in surprise. “Sorry! It’s a bit jarring if you aren’t expecting it,” he said, turning back to Charlie with a grin. She smiled, and as he met her eyes, his smile faltered, something troubling passing over his face. Before she could speak, it was gone. He grinned widely and winked at her, then flipped the switch—Marla cried out again, and Carlton laughed.

“Stop doing that!” Marla shouted from several feet away.

John ignored her, and leaned in closer to Charlie, hesitantly, like he thought she might run away. She turned to face him, a wave of nervousness washing over her. She ducked her head, letting her hair fall over her face, and he reached out and touched it gently, brushing a strand out of her eyes. He gave her a small smile and flipped the switch once, then again.

“That’s enough,” Marla called. “This is too weird for me.”

John didn’t seem to hear her; he was looking at Charlie with a new troubled expression.

“What is it?” she asked quietly.

“Nothing,” he said. He touched her hair again, this time brushing it back from her face and tucking it behind her ear. “Hey,” he said abruptly, changing his tone. “Do you remember your experiment from last year?” She nodded eagerly, then stopped, freshly aware of how long she had been away.

“My faces. But they must be gone, everything must be gone.” She looked at John with anxious eyes, but he smiled.

“Nothing’s gone,” he said, and her heart lifted; she felt as if he had just given her a gift. “Jessica packed up all your stuff; she’s got it in her apartment.”

“Oh,” Charlie said, darting her eyes around the room. “Jessica? Where is she?”