“Oh right, you know me that well, do you?”
Charlie shrugged.
“It actually was my dream job, thanks very much,” Nora said. “Being that close to death meant I could learn how to avoid it. How do you think I’ve managed to save your ass so many times?”
“I mean, sure,” said Charlie, “it made your neuroses into a superpower, which is pretty cool and all, but it wasn’t yourdreamjob. It was your safe job, right? It was comfy cozy by the sound of it. But you always wanted to be an architect.”
“Charlie, I’m not going to be an architect.”
“Why not?”
“Because—”
“Because it’s too risky,” Charlie finished before she could.
“Fuck you,” said Nora. “And no, it’s not weird that we had a neighbor who worked for S.C.Y.T.H.E. It’s a big company. What’s weird is that he was willing to risk his job by telling Dad what he did. He must’ve really wanted to help, which meant they must’ve been close, but we can’t even be sure who it was. That’s how little we had the chance to get to know our own parents. I wish I knew so much more about them. They both had a whole life we barely got to see, and the more I learn about them, the more it feels like they were strangers.”
“That’s crazy,” said Charlie, as if that could possibly help the tears pricking at the backs of Nora’s eyes.
“What’s crazy?” Nora practically spat.
“The strangers thing. We knew them. I mean, not all of them, duh. You can never know all of a person. We didn’t know Martin Bird and Hannah Stein. And we definitely didn’t know Mars Bar,thank god. But we knew Mom and Dad, right? Like, we knew Dad couldn’t draw for shit, and made really corny jokes, and would always give us shoulder rides even when we were definitely too heavy for them. And Mom knew every word toThe Phantom of the Operaeven though she said she hated it, and she made up the best bedtime stories that almost always involved a character farting right whenshehad to. That was Mom and Dad.”
Nora felt a hot tear land on her cheek in spite of herself. “Maybe you are the smart one after all,” she said in a small voice.
“That’s what I’ve been saying all this time,” said Charlie. “Glad you’re finally catching on.”
* * *
Midnight rolled in on wobbly wheels, unsteady and squeaking. This directly corresponded with Nora’s state of mind. The footsteps emanating from the floor above had ceased hours ago, but Nora wanted to play it safe. She always wanted to play it safe.
The twins crept upstairs, leaving as little noise in their wake as they could manage. Charlie hefted his duffel bag on his shoulder, which made silently scooting out the back door a feat accomplished only by bodily contortions and a concerted effort to suck in his midsection.
Outside, the darkness was near absolute. Even the stars piercing the ceiling of black seemed to be shining less. This was good, Nora reminded herself as she locked eyes with the dark web of trees across the path. This was what she wanted. They crept through the darkest pools they could find, avoiding any hint of light that could touch them. Even if Patty or Phil were playing lookout, it would take some proper infrared spy tools to see the twins that night.
They made it into the woods in time for the eruption of a piercing shriek. Nora leapt back, nearly tripping over a twisted root. Charlie unzipped his duffel and Jessica’s little gray head poked out to greet them.
“Fuck,” said Nora.
“Fuck,” Jessica squawked.
“Sorry,” said Charlie.
“It’s fine,” said Nora.
“Not you.” Charlie scooped the bird out of the bag and placed her on his shoulder. “You don’t like the dark, do you, baby?”
Nora sucked her teeth. “Can we carry on, please? I don’t like the dark much either.”
They continued their trek, navigating half from memory and half by clawing their way from tree to tree.
“You think Jessica remembers this place?” asked Charlie.
“I don’t know,” Nora whispered back. Making any sound in that still wilderness felt wrong somehow. “Why don’t you ask her?”
“Forest house,” the bird answered without being asked.
“Forest house,” Nora repeated. And Jessica was right. Just ahead of them, through the trees and the darkness, was the stone house in the woods. The twins exchanged a glance and headed for the door. It was locked again. Ruby said Oliver didn’t want the twins to visit, but Nora couldn’t help but wonder if it was the others who didn’t want these visits taking place. If Oliver was caught in the middle and too afraid to say so.
