They slumbered for hours, six weary travelers on three bare mattresses. Scant words were exchanged before their bodies succumbed to fatigue. David confessed to Mia that he killed a man today, and she held him. Zack told Amanda that he healed a friend today, and she held him.
Hannah had the most to say. As she clutched Theo from behind, she swore in a tender whisper that she would be there for him in any way he needed her. If she couldn’t be the messiah, she could at least be the one who kept him sane. It seemed a better use of her life than singing showtunes for scale.
As the sun set on Commemoration, the Silvers woke up feeling ten years older and no more relaxed. They dissolved their sleepy unions with little fanfare and retreated to their designated bedrooms. David and Mia set up their separate little sanctums on the second floor. Zack and Theo established their dorm-like den in the basement. Hannah wearily toiled through the clutter of boxes in the master bedroom, a huge and gorgeous chamber with a cathedral ceiling and a narrow balcony overlooking the backyard.
She caught a strange flash of light in the corner of her eye. Through the top-floor window of the neighboring brownstone, a petite young brunette pranced about in a radiant speedsuit, trailing incandescent streaks of color with every rapid gesture. The sight was both surreal and mesmerizing to Hannah, enough to knock her off her axis. Suddenly the universe seemed a dreamlike place where nothing was too far-fetched. Cartoon sparrows could fly through the window and help her make the bed. The furniture could come to life and sing a song about prudence.
“What are you looking at?”
Hannah jumped and spun around. For all the world’s new possibilities, she didn’t expect Amanda to be standing right behind her. Her sister had been downstairs getting her leg x-rayed, or tomographed, whatever it was called. Now she was here on the balcony, propping herself on tempic crutches, holding two paperback novels under her arm.
“Sorry,” said Amanda. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”
“No. I’m okay. I was just . . .” Hannah took a moment to register Amanda’s crude white supports. “Wow. You made your own crutches.”
“Yeah. The ones Peter got me are a little too short. These will be fine.”
“I thought you couldn’t hold the tempis for more than a few seconds at a time.”
“I thought so too. Who knows? Maybe I’m getting stronger.”
Amanda briefly scanned the room, then tossed a worried look at Hannah. “Listen, I hope you’re not sharing a room for my benefit. I mean if you wanted to, you know, be with Theo . . .”
“No. We’re actually good the way we are, as strange as that sounds.”
“That’s not strange.”
“Well, it’s strange for me. You know how stress makes me slutty.”
Amanda laughed. “I think you’re working off an old image of you.”
Now it was Hannah’s turn to grow concerned. “What about Zack? I mean . . .”
“Oh no. We didn’t. We’re not—”
“I didn’t think you did. I just . . .” Hannah desperately tried to find a way to express her issue without mentioning their new ticking calendar. “I just don’t know why you two aren’t together. Especially now.”
Amanda knew, though she didn’t have the strength to discuss it. At some point soon, she’d have to have a long talk with Zack about siblings and Esis. She wasn’t expecting a brave response.
“It’s complicated.”
She dropped her books onto an end table. Hannah glimpsed armored knights on the covers. They clashed swords right above Peter Pendergen’s name.
“Wow. I forgot he was an author.”
“Yeah. He went out of his way to remind me.”
“You don’t like him?”
Amanda shrugged uncomfortably. “I don’t know what to think yet.”
“He seems nice, all things considered.”
“He does.”
“He’s certainly nice to look at.”
“Yes. He is that.”
“You’re just afraid he’s wrong.”
Amanda’s face darkened. Hannah turned around and cast an airy sigh over the railing. “Yeah. Me too.”
The crutches vanished. Amanda leaned on her sister now, resting her chin on her shoulder. They stared out at the vibrant dusk.
“I don’t think we’re going to die of old age,” Hannah mused. “Not even in the best case.”
Amanda closed her eyes. “I don’t think so either.”
“Mia was right, though. You and I are lucky.”
“We’re all lucky,” Amanda insisted. “We all have family here.”
“Well, they may be my siblings at heart, but you’re my flesh and blood and I love you.”
“I love you too, Hannah. So much. You saved my life today. You carried me.”
They held each other tight, sniffling in unison. Amanda eyed her sister strangely when she broke out in a high giggle.
“What?”
“Just thinking about Mom. If she could see us right now, she’d crap a kitten.”
Amanda burst with laughter. “Oh my God. She’s probably running around Heaven right now, looking for a camcorder.”
Hannah wiped her eyes. Amanda gave her a squeeze, then re-created her crutches.
“These painkillers are making me loopy. I need to lie down again.”