Chapter 23 · Nora's Mom Came Back

"You brought them here."

The woman on the ground wasn't looking at Nora. She was staring straight at Elara, eyes black from edge to edge, ash falling off her jacket in clumps that didn't behave like ash should. They hit the metal platform and crawled.

Elara's breath caught. She knew that voice. She'd heard it on Nora's phone once, back in reset six or seven, a voicemail Nora played on loop because it was all she had left.

"Mom?"

Nora's voice cracked on the word. She shoved past Kane, past Elara, dropped to her knees next to the woman and grabbed her shoulders. "Mom, oh god, you're—"

"Don't touch her." Kane had his hand on his gun.

Nora didn't even look back. She was pulling her mom up, trying to brush the ash off, and the woman let her for about three seconds before she grabbed Nora's wrist hard enough to make her gasp.

"How many times has it been?" The woman's voice scraped. "How many times did you let her do this?"

"Do what?" Nora was shaking. "I don't—Mom, where have you been? Everyone said you were dead, the transit authority said—"

"I was." The woman's grip tightened.