Andrea wore a grim frown as she watched the body of her younger brother, or at least the remains of it, being carried into the courtyard. The guards put it down with care. Her mother's sharp and agonized cries left her feeling numb.

Marian dropped down beside the body. Andrea watched her mother, shocked as hell that the woman was even capable of crying. The fact that someone like Marian could cry while she couldn't scared her. She looked deep inside herself, trying to find some emotion, something that would fit, but nothing did.

She didn't feel anything.

Another family member lay dead under a white sheet, and this time her mother cried. Her brother's face had to be covered because it had been hit so often and with such force that it had caused his death. Dominic had never been a good friend to Andrea, but he was her brother, and she did feel love for him.

Why couldn't she cry? The boy had been beaten to death. He was the last one in the family, so why couldn't she cry?

She just stood there, silent and stupid, not sure what to do. Much like the last time she had faced death in this very same stone courtyard, a gentle touch grounded her. The feel of a hand grazing her palm almost escaped her; she didn't even take note of it until the callused fingers locked with hers.

At the firm squeeze, Andrea turned to see who had offered her such a gentle show of affection. The sight of the brown eyes confused her, and when she leaned away to see Tanner, dressed in a nice suit, his features clean and perfect, she forgot how to breathe.

As if possessed, she turned to look at the dead body again and then focused on her mother, who bawled. Andrea meant to pull away, but when she felt Tanner squeeze her hand, using it to anchor her, she lost strength in her legs and collapsed. Her E caught her, but she was dead weight. The world went black.

When she came to, she was lying down on the ground, unsure of how much time had passed. The hand holding hers was a comfort, but it was smaller than the calloused hand of her E. Someone else held her. She refocused and saw a pair of bloodshot eyes that she'd forgotten a long time ago. Marian never cried, but Mario hadn't been a stranger to weeping. Those were his eyes.

Marian held Andrea's hand and it wasn't for Andrea's comfort, but her own. The gentle grip felt like a vice. Andrea's stomach turned.

Help me. Please help me, Tanner. Get me away from here.

Tanner glanced at Marian again and picked Andrea up without another word. He walked to the wall and stepped through.

As soon as they reached the tunnel, Andrea jumped to her feet. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and fell to her knees. Tanner's soothing hand on her back only made her feel cold.

"Why now?" Andrea shut her eyes tighter but that wouldn't stop her reality from being any grimmer. "Why now? Why is everything coming undone now? When I've finally finished my classes. When I'm finally getting it together. Why did any of this have to happen? And why did it all have to happen now? Why!" Just as fast as her sadness turned to rage, it subsided again until she was only tired. "Dominic...he wasn't even seventeen. What did he do to deserve all that?"

Tanner was quiet as he helped Andrea stand.

"You know, don't you?" she asked Tanner. "You know what happened, don't you? I feel like you've known everything there is to know about me and my family, long before I even had a hint about it. You were in gaw-ro jail, but I'm a hundred percent sure you know more about it than me."

The words took a while, but they did come in time. "I went looking for you to give you a piece of my mind for standing me up, but Dad found me and told me. Your brother took after your grandfather, and a man in the lower levels did what he had to do to protect his five-year-old child. You cannot fault him for that. And you can't fault yourself for that either. It has nothing to do with you." Andrea went limp again, and Tanner was careful with her. "Easy. This isn't your fight, Andrea. It has nothing to do with you."

"Stop calling me Andrea. I never want to hear that name again."

Tanner sighed. "An—"

"Stop calling me that! I never want to hear it. Don't you get that? It's like I'm meant to be a copy of them. They were all named Andreas, as if each one was a better copy than the last. I'm not one of them! I'm me! I'm me, and until I can feel like that, then I'm lost." She exhaled a haggard breath. "Don't call me Andrea," she pleaded. "I swear by the Colony, I never want to hear that name again for as long as I gaw-ro live."

Her knees shook even when she managed to stand on her own. Directly before her, she saw the letters, section C level three. Tanner's home. The E had brought her home, and the sight of those letters made her eyes well with tears all over again.

"No." Backing away, Andrea shook her head. "No. Not again. I won't go back. I won't go back to that life. Hiding away like some invalid until everything falls apart. It's my fault." She looked Tanner in the eye and said, "This is my fault. I was supposed to watch Dom. I was supposed to be there to take care of them. Now they're all gone. Lars is gone; Dominic is gone. Everyone's gone." Her voice cracked as she backed away, all the while shaking her head. "I won't. I won't hide away again. If I go in there, I'll die. I'll simply die. It's what I deserve, but I can't."

Arms extended, Tanner inched closer. "Calm down," he soothed. "Everything'll be fine. I'm here. We'll be all right."

Andrea turned to run, but Tanner caught her arm, the grip so strong that her eyes shut.

"Don't," Tanner pleaded. "We've lost so much time. We—"

"What we? There is no gaw-ro we. My brother's dead, and that's on me. This has nothing to do with you. This never had anything to do with you, you big idiot. You don't have anything I want anymore."

Tanner gaped, looking dumbstruck, and Andrea took the opportunity to shove him back. When the E landed hard on the ground, Andrea felt sick with herself all over again.

She shed another tear as she leaned against the wall. "You're what's wrong. Every time I try to be with you, something bad happens. Just leave me alone. I just want to be alone."

Her back against the wall, she muttered the command she needed. The portal dragged her through. She was headed to work; she wasn't sure why or what she should do, but she was going to work. Tomorrow she'd try to test into the ELETEs. She'd planned everything to a T. Tanner would come out of jail, and they could celebrate.

She wanted to share the best day of her life with Tanner. Now that was a lie. She arrived in the tunnel across from the guards' headquarters.

The way everyone slowed in their busy movement and looked at her meant her expression must have been too telling. She made an effort to smile, but each attempt only brought on tears once more.

She didn't care. She'd get to be ELETE; she only needed to take that test, and she'd be fine. She didn't need Tanner.

Guard after guard slowed down, and someone, maybe Lefty, ran through the door. Within minutes, Baker's large frame pushed through the crowd.

Andrea drew herself up to her full height.

Her supervisor took one look at her and soothed, "I just got a report about your family, saying—are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Andrea's voice cracked, so she cleared her throat. "I—I'm just reporting in."

"Andrea..." the large man said, and it was the gentlest Andrea remembered him sounding—he even called her by name.

For the first time, Baker didn't have anything to say. Looking at him, Andrea fought back her tears yet again. Baker embraced her, and the very contact left Andrea feeling woozy. Had she come for this man? Looking for some sort of misplaced comfort that would never come? She didn't even realize how tight she'd hugged her supervisor until the man squeezed her arms, breaking the hold.

"Kid...if you wanna come stay with the missus and me for a bit, we'd love to have you. You look like you need some looking after. I'm real sorry about your br—"

Something went crack, the punch so forceful it propelled Baker back like a limp toy. By the time Andrea refocused, she saw where the older man had landed. The blood that gushed from Baker's face wasn't quite as alarming as the one who'd caused it.

Fists clenched, Tanner lurched forward, leaving the portal on the wall unmanned. Slowly but surely the wall solidified, but it was less of a worry than the E himself.

Shoulders hunched, Tanner sauntered forward, teeth gritted. "I am not something you discard when the mood suits you. And this time I will gaw-ro fight if that's what it gaw-ro takes, but I refuse to let you drop me like I'm some eyesore."

The guards gathered drew their guns almost in unison, but Tanner either didn't see them or didn't care. Each breath Andrea took was more labored. She stood frozen to the spot.

Tanner grabbed her, and as soon as he did, Andrea found herself bawling. She made no sound; but her body shook. It was irrational to pull at the E's shirt in an attempt to get closer despite their actual contact even now. She willed herself to stop. Only when she turned to press her face against Tanner's neck and her E held her so tight that her body ached did she finally calm.

"I love you, you stupid idiot," Tanner whispered. "You're supposed to run to the one who loves you. You're supposed to run to me. And only me."