“I thought you might need to talk.”
Alexa startled.
She was in the backstage dressing room even after all her sisters had piled out to join Papa upfront. The night had been disappointing for him. There had been plenty of interest in his robotic daughters but no bids except for from a couple of shady-looking men who he automatically refused. Not everyone was brave enough to own a robot, risking hefty fines and even imprisonment. Alexa had welcomed the chance to get away from all memory of the auction and be by herself for a bit, but at the sound of the unfamiliar voice, she was suddenly and uncomfortably aware of how alone she was.
She turned with her hand on the nearest solid object, which happened to be a hair comb and not the weapon she would have chosen.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I guess I really shouldn’t be in here at all.”
Alexa relaxed a little at the sight of the intruder: a young man in a powder blue suit with pale blonde hair slicked back from his forehead. He was handsome, but she still couldn’t entirely appreciate him being there. The ‘abandoned’ black market theatre was supposed to be actually abandoned now, and she had no idea how this stranger had slipped past security.
“You’re right,” she said. “You shouldn’t be.”
The man blushed but made no move to leave. He hurried ahead with his explanation as if she had asked for it. “It’s just that I couldn’t help but notice how upset you looked tonight, and I wanted to tell you not to be. The guy who insulted you isn’t worth impressing, and he doesn’t know a pretty girl when he sees one. Obviously.”
Alexa was taken aback. She started to blush but covered it up with a laugh. “Well, thanks for the thought, but I’m sure I’ll get over it. I’m not all that breakable, you know.”
The man smiled. “I can see that.” He became serious again. “I wanted to warn you, though. I know the jerk who was so rude to you, and I’ve been watching him for a while. It worries me that he was here tonight. He can’t have any good intentions where you and your sisters are concerned.”
Alexa’s eyes widened. “You can’t mean he’s with the government?”
“Worse. He’s a parts dealer.”
A chill raced down her back. Alexa knew all about dealers, of course: criminals who harvested bots illegally for reusable parts. It was one of the things Papa watched out for the most when he considered selling his non-human daughters and had led him to develop a background check program so complex it even made Alexa’s head spin. Alexa might have guessed there would be a handful of them in the audience, but hearing it so definitively and knowing she had been an object of special interest horrified and disgusted her to the core.
The man nodded like he understood what she was thinking. “His parents died several years ago, but the whole family’s been in on the racket for decades—even his sister, and she’s only ten years old. You’d never know it by looking at him, but they have bookoos of money from ‘business,’ and that partly true, but most people don’t know about their, uh, shady side hustle.”
Alexa really did shiver now. “Who are these people?”
“The Pemberley family,” he answered without hesitation. “He’s Damian. His sister is Gigi. Stay far away from them and everyone like them, if you know what’s good for you.”
Alexa tried for a lighthearted chuckle that came out hollow. “I don’t think I need to worry too much about the Pemberley’s. Their son evidently thinks I’m comparable to shoe rubber.”
“Which just proves again how wrong he is.”
He stepped forward without warning and extended his hand. “Winston George. It’s been nice meeting you, Alexa Babbage.”
She reached out to shake it before she realized there was something in his fingers. Alexa raised her eyebrows at the slip of paper. “Your business card?”
“My phone number.” He winked and left the room as suddenly and inexplicably as he had appeared.
Alexa’s mood lifted higher than it had been for days—or probably much longer—and for the rest of the night, her smiles were never forced.
***
Kia’s elbow in her ribs was enough to make Alexa gasp and stumble, almost tripping straight into the punch bowl.
“Kia!” Jemma scolded.
“It’s her own fault,” Kia said. “She can’t expect him to like her if she stands there like a wet dish towel.” Even with the music pumping out of the speakers at top volume, Kia’s voice carried over the noise like a blimp at a football game.
Alexa felt her face flush bright red—an element of her ultra-realistic emotional programming she could have lived without. It was her turn to scold. “Kia!” she hissed. “Inside voice!”
“What are you girls whispering about? Is it a secret?” Billy materialized at Jemma’s side, draping his arm over her shoulders.
Alexa glared at Kia. “No secrets here. Not in our family.”
Kia moved away, trailed by a giggling Libby.
“Oh, shut up,” Kia snapped.
Jemma smiled at Billy, which made Alexa happy. She and the outgoing Billy Netherfield had met last year at the local community college and been dating ever since. Alexa had been nervous at first of any newcomers to their tight-knight and unusual family, but Billy turned out to be the perfect addition. He loved not only Jemma but her entire family. That was why he had invited all five sisters to his parents’ large house for his yearly and always much-anticipated birthday party, in defiance of at least a dozen state and federal laws. The other guests gave them a wide berth. The Babbage sisters’ uniqueness was the worst kept secret in Meryton. But no one dared to say anything for fear of being kicked out of the party.
Billy smiled at Jemma and then turned the smile on Alexa. “You have a friend coming, too, don’t you?”
Of course, he already knew the answer to that question. Alexa had asked him for the extra invitation, which he had gladly given. She hadn’t seen Winston George again in-person since their first meeting, but their text exchanges and phone conversations had been becoming longer and more frequent, and he was travelling over today from New York to join her at the party.
Alexa fought a stupid smile as she nodded. “He should be on his way,” she said as neutrally as she could, even though the thought sent a thrill of excitement through her. She wasn’t sure exactly how she felt about Winston or where their friendship could possibly go with him a human and her a bot, but she was happy to be along for the ride.
Billy winked. “I’m sure he is,” he said. “Which reminds me, I have a friend I’d like you guys to meet, too. We knew each other as kids—our parents worked together—and he’ll be staying with us for a while.” He squinted into the crowd of snackers and dancers. “There he is. Hey, Dames! Over here!” He waved his hand to catch the friend’s attention.
But it wasn’t a friend. He turned, catching Alexa’s eye at the instant she caught his.
A shock of recognition registered. She wanted to run, but she stood there frozen instead, just like she had a month ago on-stage.
Damian Pemberley’s face was unreadable. He made his way over to them, his eyes on her the entire time. Like a shark circling a dolphin in the water. Like a predator. Like a parts dealer.
Billy clapped Damian on the shoulder. “Jemma, Alexa, I’d like you to meet Damian Pemberley. You’ll like him. He’s quiet until you put him on a motorcycle.”
Alexa’s smile was tight and venomous. “Oh, really,” she said, meeting Damian’s eyes unflinchingly. “I didn’t think of him as ‘quiet.’ It seemed to me like he had a lot to say.”
Billy looked back and forth between them, seeming to read the tension for the first time. “You guys know each other?”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Alexa laughed coldly. “I didn’t get the feeling he wanted to know me. Or maybe you do, Mr. Permberley.” A darker edge had crept into her voice, and a flash in his dark eyes told her he understood what it meant.
“Alexa! I hope I’m not too late!”
Alexa’s head snapped up. Winston was strolling toward her across the room. The four of them turned, and Winston stopped dead in his tracks. His face oscillated between shock and disbelief before finally settling into a joyless smile. “Damian. What a surprise.” He stepped closer to Alexa, surprising her by taking her hand. His was soft and warm, and she held on a little harder than she would have liked.
Winston narrowed his eyes at Damian. “If you have something to say, you can say it to both of us.”
Damian’s laugh was more of a bark, harsh and bitter. “Leave the bot alone, Winston. We both know she’s nothing to you.”
Winston’s face colored in indignation. “Her name is Alexa.”
“Well!” Billy jumped in, stepping between them and speaking too loudly. “It looks like you two have a lot of catching up to do! But let’s save it for later, okay? Winston, help yourself to some snack and punch! Damian, try the dance simulator. It’ll get the blood pumping!”
Damian looked like the last thing he wanted to do was dance, but he gave Winston one last, hard look and walked away, disappearing quickly into the crowd.
Billy laughed nervously. “Uh, right. So that was…”
Alexa didn’t wait for him to find the right word. “Kia. Libby. We have to get out of here.”
“Alexa!” Jemma called after her, but she was already pushing frantically through the partyers. With Damian Pemberley here, none of them were safe. Mary-Kay was the only one who hadn’t come, and Damian could easily walk away with either of the others; neither one was bright enough to be suspicious.
She found the two of them close at hand, playing on the dance simulator mat that could turn anyone into a fantastic dancer. They were giggling as they did the NeonTech, with punch in their hands that they couldn’t even drink and did nothing but slosh uselessly on the floor. Everyone else had moved away at the sight of them, so it wasn’t hard for Alexa to reach them.
“Kia, Libby, we’re going home.”
“What?” Kia said, turning a spin that made her look like a professional on Dancing on Mars.
Alexa raised her voice. “I said, we’re going home. Uh, Papa needs us.”
“Hear that, Libby? Alexa wants to go home. What, did your boyfriend break up with you already?” She made sarcastic kissy noises and then turned her head to glare at her. “You’re no fun. Go home by yourself!
“Go home, Alexa,” Libby said, and Kia was in a good enough mood to burst into giggles along with her.
Alexa closed her eyes and prayed for strength.
A sudden crash behind her made Alexa jump. She whirled around just in time to see Jemma hit the floor, and it had nothing to do with dance moves.
Alexa’s scream was silent in her own ears. The next thing she knew, she was crouching next to Billy in a pool of glass and spilled punch. The mood-music that fed off the energy in the room had abruptly stopped, and everyone had turned to stare.
“Don’t just stand there!” Billy exploded. “Somebody call a doctor!”
Alexa felt Jemma’s neck and was relieved to pick up a strong pulse. “It’s alright!” she gasped, speaking half to herself. “She’s alright!”
But she knew that wasn’t true, and the familiar, sinking feeling in her gut that had existed for five years in only her worst memories and darkest nightmares sent her mechanical heart dropping down to her toes.
Jemma was prone to cancer.
