Although she claims to understand, I don’t think Brynn fully accepts that Anton is the same as the others. For so long, we thought the analyst was our friend and our advocate. We trusted him completely. And although we know better now, there might just be a little part of us that hopes we’re wrong. It’s incredibly dangerous to have even a second of doubt about him. He is a predator just the same, only wrapped in a comfy sweater.
“Anton was never our friend,” I tell her. “And if I had to guess, I’d say he’s after our programming. He wants what’s in here.” I press my finger to my forehead, signaling the small computer that acts as my brain, holding all of my secrets.
“But if he wants our programming,” Brynn says, “he’d have to kill us to get it.” She takes a few unsteady breaths. “You really think Anton would kill us?”
“Yes,” I say as delicately as possible. Of course Anton will kill us; he’s killed girls before us. But the direct threat of it now feels harsher somehow. When we didn’t know any better, we could try to explain it away. Ignorance can make even horrible things more palatable. But being awake means not only seeing all the awful acts the men have committed, but also understanding the vicious nature and intent ofwhythey’ve done them.
“Anton knows us better than anyone,” Marcella adds. “He understands how we work in ways we don’t yet. If he caught us…” She turns to Brynn, and her entire body sags with theweight of her words. “Brynn, if he caught us, he would try to control every part of us, every aspect. He would never let us think for ourselves again.”
Brynn seems to understand the added danger. Marcella and Brynn are in love, have been from the moment they saw each other in the academy ballroom. That love wouldn’t suit the investors who demand their complete devotion. Their attraction. Anton would tear Marcella and Brynn apart to break their will, to break them from each other. And there is no way I’d ever let that happen.
“He’s not going to catch up with us,” I assure the girls, earning a hopeful look from Brynn. “I promise that we’ll deal with Anton. I would never let him take you away. Never.”
At Innovations Academy, we were abused and mistreated. After we left, we began to understand the cruelty that kept us there. The obsession with owning us—mind, body, and soul.
We may have escaped Innovations Academy, but one terrible thought has continued to plague us: What would these corporate men do if they caught us? Our investment potential means they likely won’t want to destroy us outright, with the exception of Mr. Petrov, who wants revenge, or Anton, who wants control of us.
And Marcella is right. The danger of someone like Anton is that he could erase me—the real me. What if he could reset me and keep me captive in my own body? The idea is absolutely horrifying.
There are voices outside, and I quickly recognize Sydney’s laugh and know that she and Jackson have returned. The lock on the door clicks, and when it swings open, Sydney walks in. I nearly cry at the sight of her.
As if sensing me, Sydney looks over and smiles. But it quickly fades as she takes in my appearance. She rushes over and gathers me into a hug. Her skin is warm; her touch is home. I inhale her and close my eyes as she squeezes me tight.
“Something happened,” she says, and then pulls back to examine me. “Are you okay? And why are you wearing Marcella’s ridiculous shirt?”
“I’m okay,” I assure her, nodding. “I’m okay.”
Jackson uses his crutches to get inside the room. He watches me as he closes the door and rests his back against it. He looks tired—dark hair askew, beard growing out. He’s drained from living on the run as we all flee a maniac corporation.
Just then, he smiles at me and it pings my heart. “Hi,” he says in understatement.
“Hi,” I reply. The look that passes between us is a mixture of relief and heavy acknowledgment that things are about to get so much worse.
“Did you find Lennon Rose?” Sydney asks, lowering her arms from around me. “What happened at Rosemarie’s? And wait…,” she adds, her voice pitching up, “is that blood in your hair?”
“Yes, I found Lennon Rose,” I say. “And it’s a lot of story thatI’ll dive into later, I swear. But right now, we need to organize and get out of here. We need to disappear immediately.”
“Ah, there it is,” Jackson says, straightening up. “So who is it this time?” he asks. “Who’s coming for you?”
I swallow hard and offer a weak shrug. “Everyone,” I reply.
4
Jackson runs his palm roughly over his face. “Fantastic,” he mutters, and fishes his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll pull up a map while you all load the car. We can take the—”
There is a sharp knock on the motel room door, and it startles Jackson so badly that he fumbles with one of his crutches. It slips from his hand, smacking against the dresser with a loud bang, rattling the remote and knocking a water glass onto the dirty carpet. He winces and looks up at us.
“Fuck,” he whispers.
Marcella sighs, and then we all focus on the door. Pretending we’re not in here isn’t really an option now. I look at Jackson again, and he holds up his hand as if telling us he’ll answer it. The girls and I shift to the side of the room, out of sight of the doorway.
Carefully, Jackson opens the door a crack and peers out. His body stills and Sydney grips my hand. But then he looks over hisshoulder at us before opening the door wider. He hops aside.
Raven walks in, her black boots stomping on the threadbare carpet. She swings her gaze around the room until she finds us. I’m alarmed at her appearance. Her dark hair is flat, her bangs spikey and split. Her thick eye makeup has smudged onto her temples and her lipstick has rubbed off except for the red liner. She is wholly disheveled and clearly disturbed about something.
I exchange a quick glance with Sydney and she winces. Did Raven discover the truth about herself? Does she know that she’s artificial intelligence in a living body? A girl just like us?
Winston Weeks knew all along, of course—he told me he built her. He came to the motel to tell me about Raven, how she was programmed AI. Only Raven was never trained to be obedient. She was built as a learning AI, structured to grow and change. Winston said she was the future.
