Mere bit her lip. "Is that why you never contacted him?"
"Not for lack of trying. His mother told me he'd moved out of state, but then soon after they all disappeared. I tried online, but their whole family doesn't use social media. Like, extremely private. There was just no way to track them down. I didn't want to upset you by saying it over and over, but it's true. I did everything I could."
Fifi wasn't even blinking now. "What changed?"
"I saw him," I said. "When I was sampling in a creek. He came walking up out of nowhere. We talked, and I realized he'd never been told a word about the two of you."
The twins pressed closer together. Huey wriggled, but neither budged.
Fifi's hands worked furiously at the pillow, but her expression had shifted. Now it was calculation, not just anger. "Did his mom ever admit anything?"
"Yes. He said she confessed after he talked with her. The resemblance—" I shook my head. "He showed me a picture of his mother at a young age. Turns out, it's obvious. You look just like her."
Cue the waterworks. Mine, not theirs. I moppedmy cheeks with my sleeve. No dignity at all, but I didn't care.
"So she knows about us now?" Mere asked, voice barely above a whisper.
"She does," I replied. "And I want to be clear. I'm furious with her, but I also don't want to ruin the only chance you might have with a grandmother. She's not malicious, I don't think. Just blindingly thoughtless. She genuinely believed she was helping her son. I'm still not sure if I can forgive her, but that's my baggage, not yours."
Mere digested that slowly, as if her brain needed to check each word for poison.
Thunder boomed again, and the rain thickened. Fifi finally spoke, softer this time. "So, what does he want from us? Is he just going to show up here and, what, ask us to move in with him?"
"Absolutely not," I said, trying like hell to sound steady. "No one's being shipped off anywhere. He'd just like to meet you. Get to know you. See if there's a relationship to be had. I made it clear the ball is entirely in your court."
Fifi's shoulders dropped a millimeter. Mere shrugged lightly, but her eyes were searching mine.
That's when I remembered the photo. I unlocked my phone and flipped to the picture I'd snapped in thebakery. It was an old print, faded and curled at the edges, but it was obvious. Livia Meyer at sixteen, all attitude and wild hair, staring straight through the camera like she was daring the world to blink first.
I slid the phone over.
Both girls leaned in. Mere gasped, one hand flying to her mouth. Even Fifi stopped picking at the pillow. They stared at the screen, then at each other, and then at me.
"That's not—" Fifi started, but Mere cut her off.
"She looks exactly like you," she breathed. "Like, scary exactly."
Fifi grabbed the phone and brought it closer. Staring, she was silent, then she jabbed a finger at the jawline. "That's me. That's literally my face."
"Some of mine, too," Mere said, though she sounded less convinced. "It's like twins, but from a different century."
I let them have a minute with the evidence. I didn't talk. There was nothing to add.
Thunder rolled, further away now, less intense.
Fifi didn't hand the phone back right away. She just stared, the echoes of a million identity struggles probably crashing around her skull.
"So, what do we do now?" Mere finally asked. "Are wesupposed to pretend like nothing happened and meet him somewhere?"
"Nothing is mandatory," I promised. "I'm not going to make you do a thing you're not ready for. If you want to meet him, we can do that. If you're not ready, it's okay."
Fifi's laugh was bitter. "What if he's a psycho?"
"He's not. I talked with him, really talked, and he's just a normal person. I can promise that much."
"How do you know? You barely knew him," Fifi countered, skepticism firing up again.
"I don't know. It's just, when we saw each other, it was obvious. Like, if he'd been lying, I would've known. Plus, he took it hard. He wanted to meet you the second he found out. He's not interested in making up for lost time by forcing himself into your lives. He's just… sad. And hopeful. Same as me honestly."
