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"She did" Ro cute and helpless A kitten,what she’s set herabout her" Those are the first words I can force out "You’re dealing withaside tothe sa clothes as Romola and I are, but in a deep oaky brown "Come on, sit down"

Numbly I walk toward his chair As I sink into the seat, Conley uerite some water Maybe a cup of tea I think she could use it"

If Wyatt Conley thinks I’ in a dream world I look past him, directly at my mother, who sits calmly with her hands folded across the desk To her I say, "Romola told me you were the founders of Triad Corporation All three of you, together"

Mom smiles "Yes, that’s true"

"That’s impossible" My voice breaks, so Imy nails into the heels of my hands until it hurts I’d rather claw myself bloody than let Conley see me cry "You wouldn’t You and Dad would never--you wouldn’t want to make a ton of money or rule over the multiverse That’s not who you are" They wear the same sweaters until the wool unravels; Mo" if soy, and we’re not poor--s very lances, before Mom replies, "Money matters more here, I’m afraid In your world, and so many others--they pretend other elements of existence are more important Here, we’re more honest Everyone needs to prove their value to their sponsor or eness to "

"Not by us," Dad chiray involved But Triad employs tens of thousands of people Their welfare is in our hands Their futures, too We wouldn’t want to let these people down"

My initial reaction is to snap at them: Oh, so you’ll betray me, not to htly higher Christuess that makes it okay to ruin people’s lives However, Ro echo insideas a nation here Only corporations Your fate rises or falls with your employer

It’s an incredibly messed-up way to live, but at least I see how otten involved

Dad pats my shoulder "Triad isn’t only about profit That’s simply the only part you’ve had a chance to see I told you we should have called her here before"

That was directed at Conley, who nods His clothes are all in a dark eo "I understand why you’re upset with uerite My other selves can be" He searches for the right words, then finishes, "total assholes"

I can’t help it; I laugh

Conley size for the way they’ve been acting Their worlds don’t even have the sa more than a power trip And I’ll be the first to adan this collaboration assu that ould all benefit, but I’m the first to admit that it’s turned--exploitive"

"Why do you ith them, if you think they’re so awful? Why did you even start this--this conspiracy?" Collaboration, my ass I push my chair back from the table, farther from Conley, and look past him to my mother "Why didn’t you stop when the other Conleys started kidnapping people?"

"Oh, darling" Mom’s eyes fill with tears "You have to understand Your father and I--all three of us--by noe’re doing this for the sa this because this is the only e’ll ever get Josie back"

The curving, blank walls of this room turn out to double as enormous viewscreens On each one, a different video of Josie plays

On the left: A faer, one with all of us sightseeing in so the ca on the seashore below to pointing the lens at each of us in turn Everyone dresses inhere as it is at ho while I take my own pictures,about how coastal irregularities always mirror fractal patterns Josie just turns her face toward the sunshine, soaking it in

On the right, Josie and Conley are at some kind of fancy party To me his clothes don’t look that different fro, melon-colored sheath dress, which wouldn’t look out of place back injeans would be enough to prove this is a very special occasion Candlelight flickers from tapers mounted on the wall Josie’s chestnut hair is pulled back on one side with soht to look ridiculous, but it doesn’t Instead, she reoddess--sultry and luazes at her like she’s the brightest light in the room

The broadest screen, the one behind us, plays a video with the Triad Corporation waterht-hand side The brilliant aqua outfit re Around her neck hangs a slightly different version of the Firebird She’s sitting at a desk, talking with her hands; I realize this is a post- Josie sounds efficient, but enthusiastic "Apparently Greco-Roanism had survived in dimension 101347 Temples to Zeus, Apollo, Athena, and Aphrodite were located on most major streets, but I also saorship of other cultures’ deities, such as Odin and Isis Various foranism must have coalesced over ti all these videos, all this information, is the cold truth my parents have told me: in this dimension, my sister is dead

"She volunteered," Dad says, in a way that makes me think he must repeat this to hih the di was ever entirely enough Always, she wantedat Josie’s face on the screen "So when she offered to be our first traveler--to be this dimension’s perfect traveler--it seemed so natural to say yes Who could do it better? Who would love it more?"

Nobody, I realize Josie has always looked a little wistful e talked about our travels in different worlds At hoh, she’s on her own scientific adventure, iraphy--pun intended, since it h every time She never volunteered to be a part of our parents’ work In this world, however, she followed in their footsteps