“And now you’re here?” Leda was still confused.
“The Fullers imported some of the Altitude staff to work this party. Pretty over-the-top, huh?”
“Oh.” Leda hadn’t heard about that, but it sounded like the Fullers.
“Are you here alone?” The other girl slid the drink across the bar with a raised eyebrow.
“At the moment, yes.” Leda frowned down at the glass, which was a dark, opaque black. “This cup is seriously morbid,” she pointed out. It looked like a goblet that lost souls would drink from in hell. As black as all her secrets, she thought, taking a gulp. The whiskey had an astringent bite she didn’t recognize.
“Sorry. All they gave me was black and white.” Mariel pulled out a white glass, but Leda shook her head; it wasn’t worth the bother. “Well, Leda, no one should drink alone at a party like this,” Mariel insisted, and fixed a drink for herself.
Had she told this girl her name? Leda startled, a little confused. The whiskey was hitting her faster than she thought. She felt a little like she was going to be sick, but she couldn’t decide whether that was the drink, or the thought of her confession video playing on all the global newsfeeds.
For a moment, Leda thought she caught a glimpse of something eager and intent in Mariel’s gaze. It puzzled her. She set down her half-empty drink to look up at the sky. It glowed with stars, scattered about like tiny pinpricks of something fervent and bright. Hope, maybe.
But Leda knew there was no hope for her. She picked up the black goblet and braced herself for another sip of the biting whiskey, hoping it would obliterate the pain of what Watt had done.
AVERY
AVERY HURRIED, BREATHLESS, toward the pulsing star in her field of vision that was leading her to Atlas. Thank god he’d never turned off location sharing, even after everything they’d said to each other. She made her way through crowds draped all in black and white; the only spots of color their paintsticked faces, a discordant blur against the darkness. Avery pushed past all of it, heading toward that pulsing light as if it were her own personal North Star leading her home.
She turned a corner and saw with relief that yes, he was right there, beneath the shining yellow star inscribed on her contacts. He was frowning slightly, deep in conversation with their father and a group of investors. Avery reached up to smooth her hair, adjust the fine lace at her neckline, before venturing over.
“Atlas. I need to talk to you.” She saw her dad flinch a little at the request, but it didn’t matter. None of it mattered, as long as she and Atlas had each other.
His eyes swept toward her for a moment, then away. “We’re kind of busy right now.”
The dismissal hurt, but she let it go. “Please.”
Atlas wavered for a moment, then gave some excuse to the group and followed her a distance away. “What’s going on?” he hissed, but she didn’t answer, just led him determinedly downward, to lower and still lower terraces, until they were at a gateway marked NO ACCESS. She pushed it open and dragged Atlas onto the small, grim, dingy balcony behind it, crowded with machinery and jutting directly over the canal. The rush of water beneath them was loud in her ears.
“Think we’re far enough yet?” Atlas demanded sarcastically.
She hated how hostile he sounded—not like Atlas at all, but some stranger inhabiting his body. Ignoring the question, Avery grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him roughly down to kiss him.
He was still her Atlas, she saw with relief: same mouth, same hands, same shoulders as ever. She slid her hands over those shoulders to twine up in his hair, at the back of his neck where it curled, just a little. I love you so much, and I’m sorry.
Atlas pulled away, shaking his head. “This isn’t fair,” he said, his voice only a little shaky. “You can’t be furious with me for weeks and then just decide to kiss me here, at the most crowded party of our lives.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“What’s going on with you, Avery? What happened to prompt … this?” Atlas made an impatient gesture, taking in her mutilated dress, her tangled hair. The kiss.
She told herself not to panic that he’d called her Avery and not Aves. “There’s something you need to know about Calliope. She’s not what she seems.” That sounded a bit theatrical, so she tried again. “She’s a fraud, Atlas—she’s been lying to you this whole time, playing you. She doesn’t even like you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“She and her mom are …” She fumbled for the right word. Con artists sounded like something out of a bad holo. “Operators. They use people for their money, then move on to a new place, with a new identity.”
Carefully, haltingly, Avery explained the whole thing. She told Atlas about Calliope’s various aliases, her mom’s arrest record; she sent him the pics that Leda had found, of all their many identities. Through it all he just nodded silently, scarcely blinking.
“Shit,” Atlas muttered when she finally fell silent. He shook his head in disbelief, his brown eyes glazed over.
“I know. I’m so sorry.” She wasn’t really, though. She wanted Calliope gone, and Atlas back, and the world restored to its rightful order.
“How did you learn all this?”
Avery reached for his hand, lacing his fingers in hers. “I just did. I can’t explain, but I promise it’s all true.”
A murmured cry rose up from the crowds above them as another round of fireworks began to launch. Avery didn’t glance away from Atlas’s face. He was very quiet, thinking everything over. He seemed lost in a world of his own making.
“Don’t worry,” she said softly, a little concerned by his silence. “I already told her to leave. And if she doesn’t, we’ll make her. We can do anything, together.”
Atlas withdrew his hand from hers in a sudden, jerky motion. “We aren’t going to do anything. I’ll handle this on my own.”
“Atlas—”
“Please don’t. This is hard enough already.” He was looking determinedly at the water, which unnerved her, because it meant he couldn’t even bear to look her in the eyes. Fireworks erupted in great black-and-white bursts overhead, casting otherworldly shadows that danced across his face.
“I’m a little stunned, to be honest. And pissed off. Not that anything has happened between me and Calliope,” Atlas added, which made Avery’s heart leap eagerly. “But I’m still exhausted,” he went on, his words heavy. “I need to get away from this—from all of it.”
“Exactly. We can get away together, you and me, like we planned!” Avery exclaimed. Now that Leda was back on her side, and wanted to help her, there was nothing keeping them apart anymore.
But Atlas shook his head. “We were right to end things when we did. We tried, but no matter how hard we try, we haven’t been able to make it work.” He gave Avery a look that terrified her. “Do you know what Dad named the hotel in the dark Tower?”