I opened my eyes and sat up.

  “Tiffany?”

  “I’m right here,” she said softly. I could just make out the pale outline of her face. I pulled her into a hug, just to make sure she was really here, and this wasn’t just part of my dream. “I’m guessing you want some answers,” Tiffany said.

  “That would be great.”

  “Alright.” There were dark rings around her eyes. Had she slept at all? “I’m still figuring out some of this as I go along. But I’ll tell you what I know."

  “Okay,” I said. Was I at long last going to learn about the parts of her past that she had always held so close to herself and kept hidden even from me?

  “It’s going to be a very long story, Tyla.”

  “I’m alright with that.” She nodded.

  “I have had…for as long as I can remember memories of long dark halls and masked faces. I have memories of this place, memories so old and blurry that I’ve forgotten most of them. But now that I’m back, I’m remembering more and more. Before Connie was born, my dad would bring me here. I don’t know why. Maybe he wanted to help these people, maybe they paid him. We were very short on money at the time. I knew that there was something-something."

  She closed her eyes and put her hand to her head. "Something about me. It was an organ that I had been born with. They said it was really rare. They said if they cut me open and did something, they could make me live forever. They said they could make me perfect, superhuman. They called the organ the Adamantine. I came here every week. I took a few breaks once Connie was born to take care of her.”

  “Connie wasn’t born with the Adamantine?” I asked. Tiffany shook her head. A look of rage filled her eyes and she gritted her teeth. Alexander told me that she was. He promised that he could make her just like me. But he lied. Now she's gone. I should have taken her to the hospital the moment she got sick. But I thought she was just like me! I thought we would be together forever!" She lowered her voice and took a deep breath.

  "Aren't you sisters? Why wasn't she born with it?" I asked.

  "Half-sisters. Same father, different mothers," Tiffany explained.

  "Oh." I hadn't known that.

  "I came here all the time," Tiffany went on. "But the more I came, the worse things got. I began to hate these endless halls and the cold air. Alexander became more and more short with me. But I was having to spend more time here every single day. I was so tired. I was sick of the constant tests. I was sick of the sleepless nights. I just wanted to go home and play with Connie. But Alexander wouldn't let me. He said that I was lucky to be here. He told me I should be thankful for all the amazing things he was doing for me. But I just wanted to go home. I didn't want to be special anymore. Because it was tearing me apart."

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  "I'm so sorry, Tiffany," was all I could say. Hadn't she been through enough already? Why did Alexander have to bring her back here?

  “One day…something happened to me…I don’t remember what.” Tiffany closed her eyes and buried her head in her hands. “I remember one day…Alexander said he needed my help with something. So…I followed him into a dark room, and he locked the door. I don’t remember what happened there. I just remember feeling terror, pure terror."

  I rested my hand on her shoulder. Her voice was still calm. "But now that I'm back here," Tiffany went on. "I can remember what happened. I remember needles and knives and not being able to move. I remember strange kinds of pills. I felt confused and shocked. I didn't know what was happening. It went on for hours and hours and hours. When I finally left that room... I was unbreakable. But I had never felt so helpless before."

  Her eyes stared into the darkness, red and unblinking. I snuggled up next to her. We took turns crying and dripping snot everywhere for a good twenty minutes before getting a grip. It hurt to hear the words that came out of her mouth. But I needed to know these things. I needed to understand what was going to happen to us here. At last, Tiffany leaned back. She forced a smile and went on.

  "The next day, my dad came up to me and told me that I was never going back to that place ever again and that we were going to take Connie and go somewhere far, far away. That was what we did. A few months later, the police showed up at our house and took Dad away. Then Mama and Papa showed up. That was when everything changed for me.”

  “What happened to you yesterday?” I asked. Was that yesterday? How much time had passed? What time was it now?

  “They ran a few basic tests on me, just to see if any of my Adamantine had been damaged. That’s all.”

  “Why are they doing this to you?” Tiffany shrugged.

  “I don’t know. I’m sure someone around here could put my ability to use in some way. If I were to guess, they’re trying to collect as many people like me as possible, until they have an army of people like me. That is, if Alexander is really telling the truth and there are others like me. I wish I could meet them. But I don't want to stay here any longer than I have to." She sighed. "But I don't know if I'm ever going to be allowed to leave."

  "We'll get out of here. Somehow, just you wait!" I said. We had to find a way out. We couldn't stay here.

  “What do you think Mama and Papa are doing right now?” I asked, trying to talk of happier things.

  “Probably worrying about us,” said Tiffany. Now, I longed to open my eyes and find that I was in my own bed at home. I wanted to see sunlight drifting in through the window and hear comforting voices drifting up to my room from downstairs. But there was no point in denying it anymore. I wasn’t dreaming. This was real. I wasn’t just going to find myself back home, safe and sound. That was okay. I was with Tiffany, where I was meant to be. She needed me now more than ever.

  Just the sound of footsteps broke the peaceful silence. They were coming back. I looked over at Tiffany. “Do as they say, alright?” Tiffany ordered. I nodded. We got to our feet slowly and turned to face the door as it opened. This time I was ready for the blinding white lights. As the same two faces appeared in the doorway, I stepped forward. I just needed to keep myself between them and Tiffany. That was today’s goal. Alexander’s face twisted into a smile.