The Thousandth Floor

LEDA

“GOOD AFTERNOON, MISS Cole,” said Jeffrey, the doorman at Altitude Club, as Leda walked up to the elevator bank the next day. Altitude had biosecurity too, of course: Leda knew her retina had been scanned the moment she stepped into the entrance hall. But Jeffrey was the kind of personalized and old-fashioned touch that made Altitude membership so expensive. He was a constant fixture of the club, practically an institution himself by now—always at the elevator wearing white gloves and a green jacket and a warm, crinkly smile.

Jeffrey moved aside, and Leda walked into the enormous brass members-only elevator. The doors closed behind her with a satisfying click as she was whisked up from the 930th floor entrance hall, past the tennis courts and spa treatment rooms to the club’s main floor.

The Altitude lobby was lined with imposing dark mahogany and portraits of dead members. Afternoon sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows that lined the north and west walls. Leda glanced at the various groups gathered near empty fireplaces and clusters of couches, trying to seem nonchalant as she searched for Atlas. If this so-called “Nadia” person was right, his squash game should be ending right about now.

She still couldn’t believe she’d posted on that sketchy website. It had been nerve-racking—and yet a little thrilling too, doing something so clearly illegal, and dangerous.

She’d tried to upgrade her security first, but Leda still couldn’t help wondering if Nadia knew more than he or she was letting on: about who Leda was, and why she was curious about Atlas. Oh well, she thought, none of it really mattered. “Nadia” probably didn’t live in the Tower—probably wasn’t even a girl. And Leda had no intentions of dealing with her, or him, ever again once she’d gotten what she wanted.

A moment later she saw Atlas walking out of the locker room. He had on a soft blue polo that brought out the caramel-colored strands of his hair, still wet from the shower. Nice work, Nadia. “Atlas,” she said, with what she hoped was the right amount of surprise. “What are you up to?”

“Just finished a squash match with David York.” He flashed her a smile.

“Sounds like it’s all back to normal, then,” Leda replied, a little more sarcastically than she’d meant to. She wondered what the Fullers thought about his reappearance, the way he’d just materialized inexplicably at Cord’s party and jumped right back into their lives as if nothing had happened. Then again, they were the ones obsessed with maintaining appearances; this whole illusion of normalcy was probably their idea.

“About that.” He sighed. “I wish I could explain everything, but it’s complicated.”

Isn’t it always, with you? “I’m just glad you’re back okay.”

“Me too,” Atlas said softly, then glanced around the club as if noticing the flow of activity for the first time: kids heading to afternoon tennis lessons and friends meeting up for drinks on the enclosed terrace. “Sorry, were you waiting for someone?”

“I was on my way to the juice bar,” Leda lied. “Want to come?”

“You and Avery still drink that liquid spinach?” Atlas laughed, shaking his head. “I’ll pass, thanks. Wanna do the Grill instead?”

“I guess I have time,” Leda said casually, though this was exactly the kind of thing she’d been hoping for.

They headed across the lobby to Altitude’s casual grill and grabbed a table near the back, next to the window. Even though she loved the view here, Leda took the seat that faced away from the flexiglass so she could look out over the restaurant. She liked keeping track of everyone coming and going.

“I haven’t been here in ages,” Leda admitted as they settled in. She thought suddenly of middle school, before her family had gotten into the club, when she always spent the night at Avery’s and then came to Saturday brunch here with the Fullers. She and Avery would pile their plates with egg whites and lemon cakes and try to sneak sips from the mimosa fountain, while Atlas rolled his eyes at their antics and messaged his friends.

“Yeah, me neither,” Atlas said, then laughed. “Obviously.”

Drew, who’d been the waiter at the Grill since Leda could remember, walked up to their table. “Miss Cole. And Mr. Fuller! We’re all so glad you’re back.”

“Glad to be back.” Atlas smiled.

“Can I get you two something to drink?”

“I’d love a beer, actually,” Atlas said, and Drew winked; Atlas had recently turned eighteen, so he was legal, but Drew had been sneaking them drinks for years now.

“Iced tea would be great, thanks,” Leda murmured.

“What, no whiskeycream?” Atlas quipped as Drew walked away.

“You know that’s an Andes-only drink.” Leda tried to play it cool, but her heart was racing. What was he doing, referencing that?

“Thanks, by the way, for the other night,” Atlas went on. Leda hesitated. “About Avery,” he clarified. “You were right, she was really drunk. I ended up taking her home after that game of Spinners.”

“Oh. Sure,” Leda agreed, hiding her confusion. She’d just made that up in order to keep from playing Spinners. She was surprised, actually, to learn that it had been true; Avery wasn’t usually the girl who needed to be taken home. She hoped everything was okay.

“Anyway.” He grinned, and Leda felt that rush again, of being the focus of Atlas’s attention. It was a frighteningly addictive sensation. “I’m so out of the loop. Tell me everything I’ve missed this year.”

She saw what he was doing, deflecting attention away from himself, from questions about where he’d been. Well, she could play along.

“I’m sure you’ve heard about Eris and Cord,” Leda began, taking a quick breath to steady herself. She tried to mentally recite a meditation chant, but none came to mind. “Did you hear about Anandra, though?”

The conversation meandered. Leda told him about Anandra Khemka’s stealing spree, about Grayson Baxter’s parents getting back together, about Avery and Zay, everything that had happened in the year he was away. Thankfully Atlas didn’t seem to notice that her stories were light on details about the past summer. He just listened, and nodded, and even suggested that they share an order of nachos. “Sure,” Leda agreed, trying not to read into it; but there was something intimate about eating off the same plate, the way their hands kept brushing as they reached for the same avocado-smothered quinoa chips. Was it her imagination, or was this feeling more and more like a date?

Drew finally came back over. The table’s view screen projected the bill in front of them, the numbers a dark blue holo on a white background. “Do you want me to charge to your separate—” he started, but Atlas was already waving his hand to put the whole charge on the Fullers’ account.

“No way. It’s my treat,” Atlas said.

Maybe he was just being chivalrous … or maybe she was right, and this was turning into a date. “What are your plans this week? Want to do something?” she ventured.

Time seemed to freeze, the way it used to right before an exam when she’d popped a xenperheidren. Atlas’s hand lay there on the table between them. Leda couldn’t think of anything but the way that hand had been tangled up in her hair, tipping her head back, that night ten months ago. She wondered if Atlas thought back on that night the way she did. If he wondered what could’ve happened between them, if he hadn’t left.

She looked up and met his gaze. Her heart was pounding so hard she almost couldn’t hear. He was about to say something. She leaned in—

“Hey!” Avery pulled up a seat next to Leda and pulled a perfectly toned, tanned arm forward in a stretch. “Man, antigrav yoga today was killer. How are you guys?”

“Hey, Avery.” Leda smiled, hiding her disappointment at her best friend’s timing. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed her arrival; she’d been so focused on Atlas that she’d forgotten to watch the Grill’s entrance the way she usually did.

“I missed you in class, Leda.” It wasn’t a reproof, just a question. Avery’s eyes flicked to Leda and Atlas, his empty beer mug and the remains of the nachos on the table between them.

Leda shifted uncomfortably. She’d gotten so excited about Nadia’s intel on Atlas that she’d forgotten to answer Avery’s flicker from last night, about hanging out today. “Oh, yeah,” she said guiltily. “I just came by for a juice. I’ve been totally lazy all day.”

“And then I talked Leda into nachos instead. Sorry we didn’t leave you any.” Atlas gestured wryly at the empty plate.

“No worries.” Avery’s eyes were back to Leda. “Are you guys heading home? Want to share a hover?”

“Works for me. You ready to go?” Atlas said, turning to her.

“Sure,” Leda said, telling herself that she’d get more time with Atlas soon enough. What Nadia had done once, she could easily do again.

As they started back toward the club’s entrance, Avery reached to pull Leda back. “Can we talk about last night?”

“Right. Sorry I left without telling you,” Leda said, deliberately misunderstanding. “I just got really tired all of a sudden, and I couldn’t find you to say bye. You know how it is.”

“No, I meant about earlier. I didn’t mean to push you, about—”

“I told you, it’s fine,” Leda said, more curtly than she meant to. But seriously, couldn’t Avery just take a hint?

“Okay. If you want to talk about it, I’m here.”

“Thanks.” Leda glanced warily at Avery and decided to turn the tables. “What about you? Atlas said you were really drunk at the end of the night? That he had to take you home?”

“First party back, guess I got a little carried away.” There was something funny in Avery’s tone, though Leda couldn’t say exactly what.

“I get it. That was a great party,” she concurred, not sure why she was overcompensating.

“Definitely.” Avery wasn’t even looking at Leda. “It was great.”

They didn’t say anything else until they caught up with Atlas near the entrance. Leda couldn’t remember the last time she and Avery had been at a loss for words.

Then again, I’ve never kept a secret from her before, Leda thought, just as Atlas turned back to smile at them both, and she realized of course that wasn’t true at all; her biggest secret was standing right there before her.

She just hoped he wasn’t also her biggest mistake.

AVERY

“SO THERE I was, standing alone on a rainy cobblestone street—and I couldn’t get any kind of signal because, you know, Florence is a tech-dark mess—and this group of midTower kids comes up!” Avery was telling the story on autopilot, talking without fully registering what she was saying, a skill she’d picked up from her mom. She couldn’t shake the strange feeling that had settled over her when she saw Leda and Atlas together. It doesn’t mean anything, she kept telling herself, but part of her knew that wasn’t true. It meant something to Leda.

When she’d first seen them across the grill, Avery had smiled and waved, only to lower her hand self-consciously. They were too absorbed in their conversation to notice her. For a brief instant, she wondered what they were talking about—and then she saw the look on Leda’s face, and the realization hit her like a punch to the stomach.

Leda liked Atlas.

Why hadn’t Leda ever told her? Because he’s your brother, the rational part of her mind supplied, but Avery was too shocked and hurt to think rationally. There aren’t supposed to be any secrets between me and Leda, she thought bitterly, momentarily forgetting that she was keeping the same secret.

Not to mention Leda’s defensive, overwrought reaction when Avery caught her in a lie about the summer. Why can’t you just let it go? Leda had exclaimed—and Avery wanted to let it go, except Leda’s reaction had worried her. She felt a sudden flash of anger. She’d been so concerned about her friend that she’d been planning to stop by Leda’s on the way home from yoga. And the whole time Leda had been eating nachos and flirting with Atlas.

When had she and Leda started hiding so much from each other?

“Then what happened?” Atlas prompted.

Avery turned in her seat to answer; she’d selfishly, and strategically, taken the hover’s middle spot. “They offered to help me find my dorm! Because I was wearing your old hockey sweatshirt and they apparently played us last year. Can you believe it? Mile-high kids, all the way in Italy! What are the chances?”

“That’s crazy,” Leda said flatly, and Avery felt a burst of shame for the way she’d told the story. “Mile-high” was the term upTower kids used for the suburban wasteland of the middle floors, since it was literally a mile above ground level. Leda had been a mile-higher, once upon a time.

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