Eve lifted a slice of pizza from the box, took a halfhearted bite, and dropped it back into the box. Even she could only eat so much.
Lorena was standing by the stairwell, talking to her mother on the phone, her finger plugging her free ear.
“You should have heard the president at that meeting,” Persephone said, watching Eve out of the corner of her eye. “Every time General Winn tried to open his mouth, she told him to shut up. She’s so angry at him for how he treated you.”
Eve reached for the popcorn. She didn’t seem to be listening to Persephone.
I thumbed through the movie options on the TV, looking for something Eve would like. Something that would give us all a lift.
My heart had been pounding nonstop since we took off from Sagantown. I was sick with fear, and Lorena and Persephone looked like they were as well. It was hard to act lighthearted and fun when you were less than twenty-four hours from Armageddon.
“Okay, Mom. I heard you,” Lorena said into the phone. “I have to go. I love you too.” She hung up and tossed her phone onto the couch beside her. “What are we watching? Or maybe we should put on some music?”
Eve studied the phone lying on the cushion. “Can I talk to Adam on that?”
“No,” Persephone and I said simultaneously.
Eve picked up the phone, turned it over in her hands. “Why not?”
“There are no phones allowed at the schools,” Persephone said. “Remember? None of us were allowed to have one.”
Eve made a puffing sound. “They built a whole school for me. They built a roller coaster, an ice cream shop. All I want is to see Adam, and they say no. It makes no sense.”
No, it didn’t make any sense whatsoever. I couldn’t think of any scenario where it would make sense if Adam was alive.
“I’m worried about him.” Eve turned to me. “Can’t you ask your mom again? She must know.”
“I’ve asked her so many times. She’s not important enough. There are a lot of things they don’t tell her.”
Eve studied me carefully. “Are you lying to me?”
“No.” My voice came out an octave too high. I was a bad liar. Part of it was I didn’t have much practice, but even with practice I doubted I’d ever be very good at it.
Lorena started to speak, then stopped. She looked at me.
My mother once told me whenever you’re in doubt about whether to lie or tell the truth, go with the truth. Sometimes you have to lie, like when your friend asks if you like his new haircut, and it’s horrible. This didn’t feel like one of those times. Eve had been lied to, imprisoned, experimented on, treated like one of Harlow’s monkeys. Yet President Cauthen had told us it definitely was one of those times.
I wiped a tear from under my eye. I was so tired, so scared. I didn’t know what the right thing to do was anymore.
Seeing that tear uncorked something in Lorena, and she started to cry silent tears as well. She wiped her cheeks with her sleeve, but fresh tears kept coming. I wasn’t sure if we were crying for Eve, or Adam, or ourselves.
Eve was watching us carefully. “Why are you crying? I don’t understand.”
“I don’t either.” Persephone looked terribly confused.
Lorena was still looking right at me. She wanted to tell Eve the truth. This final, terrible lie felt wrong to her. It felt wrong to me too.
I nodded to her, ever so slightly.
Lorena squinted at me. Are we sure? Her eyes asked.
No, I wasn’t. But we only had a few hours left, and this wasn’t working. We had to do something different. So far, telling Eve the truth hadn’t helped at all, just as Mr. Pierre’s people had predicted. But my heart told me this was the right thing to do, and Lorena’s eyes told me hers did too.
I nodded again. Lorena nodded back. She turned to Persephone.
“We’ve got to tell her, Perse.”
“Tell me what?” Eve asked.
Persephone squeezed her eyes closed and pressed the heels of her palms to her temples. I was sure she was going to argue or scream for the soldiers, but instead, eyes still closed, she nodded.
Lorena turned to Eve, and in a soft voice, said, “Adam’s gone, Eve. He’s dead. I’m so sorry.”
Eve’s barbs turned inward, covering her with little divots. “They killed Adam?” She stayed very still for a moment. “They lied.” She pointed at me. “You lied.” She pointed at Lorena. “You lied.” And then Persephone, who was shaking her head slowly, her face buried in her hands. “You lied.”
“They said you’d never help if we told you the truth,” I said.
“They were right.”
“But we’re going to die,” Lorena said. “Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
“You’re all liars. You deserve to die.” Eve’s tone was ice cold and rock hard.
Lorena stared her down. “No one deserves to die, even if they make mistakes.”
Without moving a muscle, except the ones that worked her wide mouth, Eve said, “Go away.”
“We can’t,” I said. “There’s no more time.” When Eve didn’t answer, I clasped my hands together like I was praying. Or begging. “We’re not all bad. My grandpa has long hair and dances to heavy metal music. You can meet him when this is over. I can’t wait for that time, when you’re my sister, and we’re all living on the same street.”
Eve twisted, turning her back to me. “You’re saying that because you need me.”
“Heck yes, I need you. But I’m not saying it because I need you. You’re a friend. You’re becoming a friend, anyway, and when someone’s your friend you—”
“Adam was my friend.”
My shoulder was suddenly on fire. Blood poured down my sleeve. I hadn’t even seen Eve move.
“I loved him, and they killed him. I wouldn’t help them for anything. Not for anything.” She glanced up and seemed surprised we were still there. “Go away, or I’ll do much worse.”
Persephone and Lorena grabbed me by the elbows and half carried me toward the stairs. Behind us, there was a squealing, crunching sound as Eve ripped the TV off the wall.
She raised it over her head and hurled it at us. I ducked as it hit the handrail and ricocheted over me, catching Persephone on the side of the head. Persephone fell backward, tumbled down the steps, and landed hard, facedown on the concrete floor.
Lorena and I rushed down to her. I grabbed Persephone’s arms, Lorena grabbed her legs, and we carried her up the steps as, behind us, Eve ransacked the room.
The door flew open just before we reached it. Mom took one look at us and shouted for the doctor.