Anna elbowed her. “Tell them we can milk cows better than they can.”
“I doubt they’ll be impressed. And that Ria and Pearl joined us last night.” Nora’s voice lowered. “Last night I heard them refer to us as ‘the dirty humans’ to each other.”
“. . . What?”
Nora angled her head toward Tilly, who was spinning with her arms outstretched. “I mean, look at Tilly now; they aren’t wrong. Maybe we should go covered in mud. Show them how dirty we can be.”
Dirty humans?Anna frowned.What the hell?The thought was immediately followed by anger,sharp and hot. It was the first time she’d felt any irritation all day. The feeling jolted through her body like a whipcrack, making her hands clench. Then it dissipated just as quickly, as if she was dunked in a pool of icy water. She slumped against the railing, losing not only the fire within, but also her train of thought.
“Earth to Anna.” Nora pushed on her shoulder. “Mars to Anna.”
The ground swam as she blinked up at Nora. “Oh. Hey Nory.”
“Hey Nory?” Nora leaned in close, scanning her face. “Are you okay?”
“Shit, did it happen again?” Anna held her head in her hands, the start of a headache forming.
“Did what happen?”
“When I get mad, I think I space out. I don’t even remember what you said. It seems like it’s been getting worse in the last day or so.”
“What the hell?” Nora’s voice raised. “Does Atlas know about this?”
She rubbed her arm, focusing on the milking area and the pasture beyond. “I didn’t want to concern him. I’m so close to giving birth now. And everything is so new. I really want us to settle . . .”
“Bullshit, Anna.” Nora came up to her and put her hands on her, getting directly into her face. “Look at me.”
Anna had no choice but to stare in her friend’s piercing brown eyes.
“Listen. Close.” Nora’s voice was clear and heated. “The other humans called us dirty humans. At dinner they laugh when we don’t know what fork is right to use. Or all the fancy terms they throw out about machinery we have never seen before. And that Stella bitch giggles behind her hand with all her friends before telling them to stop.”
“No. . .” Again, the anger flared. Hot. Heavy. Nora’s eyes went in and out of focus before they returned to normal. Anna blinked, feeling cold water flowing down her body. “What did you say?”
“This is some shit.” Nora’s voice shook. “I thought that chip would make you calm or something, not make you not remember or act like a zombie.”
Anna swallowed. “That’s what it’s doing, isn’t it? I don’t think it was meant to make me forget.” And then a second later, she started to shake. “Oh no, I can’t even get angry about this without it happening again.” Instead of anger, hot tears formed, making clean tracks down her dirty face.
Nora clenched her jaw. “I need to go to that stupid dinner. I’m going to ask Stella right there. Let everyone know what’s happening.” She stomped in place, hard. “These fucking androids.”
“They won’t care.”
“I’ll feel them out. But at least tell Atlas. He will. Maybe he can figure it out better.”
“I don’t . . .”
But Nora growled back. “I get it, Anna. But this isn’t something you tolerate alone. Atlas isn’t like Paul.”
Atlas isn’t like Paul.Actually, Anna hadn’t even thought of Paul much these last few days.
She swallowed. “You’re right.”
Chapter forty-two
Atlas
Something was wrong.
Atlas could feel it. Not in the way anything was amiss physically, but in how Anna acted. She held her hand to her head, slouched and downcast. They were inside, eating the bread Anna made the other day, along with a ration bar and a supplement smoothie he had made that morning.
