“You know I want to.” Dr. Torrance’s gaze flicked from Five to the trolls. Two were inching closer. “After seeing what’s happening here, I can’t.”
“I’m getting a handle on it. I didn’t—I don’t want anyone to get hurt.” Five closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. Instantly, the trolls creeping toward Dr. Torrance slowed.
Almost like the two were related.
Five hadn’t trained the trolls. She’d connected with them. Mentally. Telepathically. Something.
Dr. Torrance stared at the trolls. She snapped toward Five. “Is this new? Or have you been hiding it from us? Holy shit.”
“It’s new.” Five stirred the soup, sending drops splashing. She ignored the cleaver by her side like it was the most normal thing in the world to leave spare butcher blades the size of her lower arm lying around the house.
Slowly, I said, “I’m missing some history here.”
“Can I tell them?” Dr. Torrance asked.
“You ask for my permission now before you do shit?” Five looked at me over her shoulder. “Tell me your deal, first. I knew a Hazel Stanczak existed in this world. Why are there multiple? Is that another something none of you bothered to tell me?” She directed that last part at Dr. Torrance.
“The three of them only arrived last night.”
“You knew about me?” I asked Five.
“You’re the homegrown Hazel, then?” Five lifted her chin. “I’ve been living on your lawn on and off for the past two years. Hi.”
Two years.
Neven had been here for years, too, but this was me, this was . . .
“Two years?” I squeezed out. “You’ve been—You arrived—” I didn’t know how to finish the sentence. I looked between Dr. Torrance, who grimaced apologetically, and Five, who stood at the stove, unfazed.
“Yeah, I arrived alongside these jerks.” Five gestured at the nearest troll with a dripping spoon. “And I escaped two days ago. Again alongside these jerks.”
“You’ll have to tell me—” Dr. Torrance started.
“I don’t have to do anything.” Five glared at Dr. Torrance, then at me. “And I said, you first. Why are there four of you now?”
I felt like I’d gotten punched in the gut. Five was me. The MGA knew me. Saw me grow up. Watched me from diner parking lots. High-fived me on my birthday.
And they’d kept a version of me prisoner. Kept her from me and from the world.
Wordlessly, I slumped onto the nearest bar seat. Even keeping an eye on the trolls was an afterthought.
Neven had admitted the Powers That Be had brought the trolls here and later allowed them to escape. Apparently, Five had tagged along both of those times. Why had they sent her?
I chewed my lip. I’d thought I was clueless this morning, sitting at Lina’s breakfast table. I hadn’t known the half of it.
“Still waiting,” Five said.
Red and Rainbow jumped in to explain the situation: their arrival, the rift, the MGA, and, finally, Neven’s reveals about the Powers That Be and our task. While Dr. Torrance listened with interest, Five focused on her cooking. Her movements seemed tight and controlled even if the actions themselves were harmless: Stirring. Tasting. Consulting a propped-up cookbook that showed appetizing photos of tomato soup.
“Was that it?” Five said curtly.
“Most of it. Can you tell us how . . .?” Red cleared her throat. “Are you really controlling the trolls?”
“Yeah,” Dr. Torrance said. “Let’s revisit that part, please.”
During Red and Rainbow’s explanation, more trolls had slipped into the kitchen from the living room and hallway. One clambered in via the open window above the sink. The scratching of claws and a strange gnarling-grinding noise mixed with the background sound of a newscaster’s voice from the living room.
I gripped the knife in my pocket. With my thumb, I worked off the sheath.
Five tasted the soup again and stared at the pot. “It needs that basil. This stupid kitchen doesn’t have any . . .” She turned down the flame on the stove. “You can go.”
“What?” I tore my attention away from the trolls.
“After what we just told you?” Rainbow said.
“I think we need you,” I said. “If you can control these trolls, that has to be—”
“You can go,” she bit. “What were you going to say? That I’m the solution? Do you think I wouldn’t have stopped all this if I could? Do you think I like seeing people die? The trolls do what they want. I can sort of push around the ones closest to me, but that’s it.” She pointed at the door. “Out.”
“But—”
“I’m going to eat my shitty tomato soup, and I’m going to get out of here, and anyone who tries to stop or follow me gets a troll in their face. Out!”
Four inched back. A few trolls eagerly advanced.
“Wait. Let me . . .” Rainbow stumbled to the back of the kitchen, then stood on her tiptoes and reached for a cabinet. She plucked out a small plastic container, thumped back onto her feet, and turned. Two trolls sat inches away. Their backs were curved, their teeth bared. One made a hissing sound.
Rainbow visibly swallowed. Slowly, she held up the container.
A fragile smile wavered on Four’s face. “Basil.” Fear clenched her voice. “I love basil.”
“Me too,” Rainbow said. Red and I echoed it.
Five snatched the container from Rainbow’s hand. “How did you know it was there?”
“Tara’s little brother is allergic,” Rainbow said. “Not lethally, but . . . enough that their dad wants to keep it somewhere he can’t easily reach.”
“You know Tara.”
“In my world, yes.” Pause. “In your world, her dad keeps the basil with the other herbs?”
“Wouldn’t know. She’s never lived here.” At our puzzled looks, Five seemed to give in. “We stay on the move. One time, when we were in the area, Tara’s dad pointed out this house. They’d lived here until the trolls drove them out. I figured that, in this world, her family might still live here.”
Rainbow hesitated. “Why don’t you believe us? We’re trying to help.”
Five slammed the dried-basil container on the counter. “This situation is bad enough. I don’t need you complicating it. Leave
