“I take it your leg feels better,” Alina said.
He grunted affirmatively through his full mouth, then gulped the eggs down. “I put more medicine on it this morning. It works fast.”
Alina watched with envy as he gobbled his bacon. She nibbled a piece of toast and swallowed some juice. It seemed pointless to eat. She put the toast back on her plate.
“Rex, I looked in the mirror last night. Why didn’t you tell me how much I’d changed?”
He studied her, as if seeing her for the first time. “I guess you do look a little different.”
“A little? I hardly recognized myself!”
Rex rolled his eyes. “You girls are all the same. You think one blemish or bad hair day will be noticed by everyone you meet. No one really pays attention.” He paused to swallow another bite of eggs. “I suppose I’m not the one to ask, though. Growing up around beautiful women has made me blind to them. I like to look past that. But the truth is, I haven’t noticed anyone except Jade for years.”
Alina smiled. She liked that about Rex. He saw her as Alina, not as beautiful or ugly.
“Let’s go see Jade,” she said.
“Sure—just let me finish eating.” He scraped his plate, drained his juice and wiped his mouth. Then he leaned back and let out a loud belch.
“Whoa, excuse me,” he said. “Man, these mortal bodies are disgusting!” He kept a tally on his fingertips. “They smell, they leak, they itch—”
“Rex,” Alina interrupted, “I’d rather not hear it. Let’s go.”
“Oh, okay.”
They left Alina’s room and started down the hall to the elevator. Rex took his time, but Alina barely noticed his limp.
“Do you know what this building is?” she asked.
“I don’t, but I wonder if Lance works here.” He dropped his voice. “I’m interested to meet him. I’m wary of any of Sampson’s former allies. I don’t know which ones truly want to help the resistance. Some only wish for power themselves. Many of his highest in command are simply waiting for the right moment to take his place.”
Alina raised her eyebrows. “But Baylor speaks highly of him.”
“Yes, well—I’d like to get Camden’s opinion. I don’t trust people easily.” He muttered under his breath, “I’m not like Jade.”
They took the elevator down to the lobby, where a gray-haired woman sat behind a counter. “Good morning,” she said, showing unnaturally straight teeth. “I’m Eleanor, the receptionist here.” Alina’s jaw dropped as she viewed the woman’s small, shriveled body.
“Are you okay, dear?” Eleanor asked.
“I-I’m fine. Excuse me,” Alina stammered, mortified by her rudeness. She tried to look at Eleanor’s eyes, rather than the wrinkled skin sagging from her bones.
“We’d like to visit Jade if we can,” Rex said.
“Of course. She’s in room 127. Let me call Dr. Scott first and see if she can have visitors right now.” Eleanor picked up a device on her desk.
While they waited, Alina walked to the double doors and took in the outside view. Stormport had the raw, imperfect beauty she loved about Carthem.
A child was running on the pavement, matching the energy of the dog racing alongside her. Alina saw her young self in her. The girl had scrapes and bruises on her legs and hair flying in knotted tangles. An older woman called after her to slow down and watch for cars.
Others bustled along the street: some short and overweight, others tall and lank, or, like Eleanor, wrinkled and gray haired. Alina glanced back at Eleanor and noticed her pleated skin jiggling as she laughed with Rex. How grotesque that people lived long enough to look like that! But Eleanor seemed cheerful and happy in a way Alina hadn’t seen in Pria.
“Good morning,” a man called into the foyer, addressing Rex. “I’m Dr. Scott, if you remember from yesterday. You look better. How’s your leg?” Alina left the window to join them.
“It’s much better, thank you. The medicine works great. I’m Rex, and this is Alin—Ali,” he shortened.
“Yes, I talked with her yesterday—nice to see you again, Ali. Will you both come into my office for a moment?”
“Certainly.”
They followed him down the hall and into a room, where he motioned for them to sit down. He closed the door and took a seat behind a desk. A framed photo of himself with a woman and two young boys hung on the wall.
He peered at them over rectangular spectacles. “I’m afraid you can’t visit Jade at this time. She’s ill, and we won’t perform the surgery until she is well.”
“Ill?” they said at the same time. “From the black mist?” Alina asked.
“No. She had the same infection on her leg as you, Rex, but that is all. You must not have been exposed to the mist for long. But she’s caught a virus, and it’s made her very weak.”
Rex and Alina exchanged stunned glances. From what they knew, mortal illnesses were serious and often fatal.
“Oh, don’t worry,” Dr. Scott said, “it’s nothing serious. Many newcomers from Pria pick up viruses, fresh hosts as they are. I’m surprised you are both looking so well, actually.”
“She’ll recover, then?” Alina asked.
“Of course. She’s a little miserable, but we’ve given her medicine, and if she shows improvement in the next twenty-four hours, we’ll begin the surgery.”
“Is the surgery dangerous?” Rex asked.
Dr. Scott leaned forward, clasping his hands under his chin. “Yes and no. Our medical care is exceptional, thanks to Lance. This particular procedure has caused death in some instances, which makes it one of the riskier ones, but that happens rarely.” His mechanical approach bothered Alina, but he seemed confident in his knowledge, so she put her mind at ease.
“How long will she stay in the hospital wing?” she asked.
“She can be released after a week, if all is well. You two can stay upstairs in our guest apartments and ask Eleanor how to work for your stay.”
“Of course, thank you,” Rex said, as someone knocked at the door.
“Come in,” Dr. Scott called.
Baylor poked his
