“I’m a Duplicate? But how? That’s—that doesn’t make sense…”

But it does make sense. And I know I’m fighting the truth. There’s a second Emma kneeling next to me, and I have the time stamp on my wrist. She doesn’t. There’s no other way to explain this. Is there?

“Ah, recognition dawning,” Gravelle purrs. “No, 002.34, you are not a Similar. You’re a Duplicate.”

I cringe at the term. 002.34. I am a nameless vessel with no identity. But how? How?

I stare at this other Emma, the real Emma. Only now do I realize she’s not wearing the Duplicate uniform. How did I not see this five minutes ago? She’s wearing the same type of clothes I am. Jeans, a T-shirt, and a hoodie. My clothes. I try to wrap my brain around this. If I’m a Duplicate, why do I feel so very much like me?

“But…but…” I begin, grasping at straws. “I remember every last detail about my life in Technicolor.”

“So do the others.” Gravelle shrugs. “How do you think they so easily took on their roles? Ollie seemed almost exactly like your best friend, didn’t he?”

I spin on Gravelle, feeling like I’ve lost my footing and I’m being pitched down a mountain. “But I can’t be a Duplicate,” I say, my voice hollow.

“And why not? You’re too special? You are special, 002.34, because the girl you were cloned from is extraordinarily so.”

The scene around me is foggy. I can’t focus on anything; my mind is a whir of desperate, spinning thoughts. I watch my friends return for more of the parents, shouting at each other to get on the boats. The shouts sound far off, even though I’m mere feet from the action. The world is a blur.

“You are special for a second reason, 002.34. You are my best Duplicate, my most perfect copy. Dare I say it: my pièce de résistance. Strong, brilliant, and able to read minds.”

“But—but the activation,” I sputter. “When I saw Ollie reporting back to you. I don’t do that! I’ve never communicated with you—”

“Of course you have. Your activation time’s in the dead of night. Three a.m. I had to be certain it was a time no one would run into you—you’re so unpredictable in your patterns, 002.34. But you absolutely communicated with me. I can show you the proof.”

“But if I reported back everything I knew, I would have told you that I knew Ollie was a Duplicate!” The realization is horrifying.

“And you did. But I wasn’t worried. You hadn’t discovered my ultimate plan, had you?”

My heart sinks to my feet.

“What about our plan to go to the political rally, to protect Bianca and Jaeger?”