“I am commonly known to the people of Quill as the Death Farmer,” Mr. Today said. “And this is my office. Please,” he urged again. “Come in.”
“Yes,” echoed Alex in a hollow voice. “Come in, Aaron. No one will harm you.”
“Why should I trust you?” Aaron’s eyes were slits.
Alex looked away as his own eyes burned. After all I’ve done for you, you still will not trust me. He shook his head. “I’ll get the tea.”
“Mind you, don’t have it sent up through that tube,” Mr. Today said lightly. “There’s a kettle on the stove in the kitchenette.”
Alex nodded and walked across the hallway to the small kitchen. He glanced at the tube in the corner of the room but stayed well away from it. By the time he returned to Mr. Today’s office with a tray, Aaron had stepped into the office, but he had kept the door ajar and his hand on the frame. He looked like he’d seen a ghost, and that was exactly how he felt, too.
Mr. Today invited him to sit, but Aaron shook his head.
“Well, then,” Mr. Today said, taking over the conversation, for which Alex was very grateful. “I expect you want to know what this world is all about. The door onto which you are hanging for dear life is magical, as is this world you have entered. As you can see,” Mr. Today said as he poured tea and added several sugars to his own, “your brother Alex is not dead. He is very much alive, and quite happy, I presume. He misses you dreadfully.
“Though,” Mr. Today continued as an afterthought, “it appears to me you’ve been quite horrible to him at times. But we’ll reserve judgment, won’t we, Alex?”
“Of course,” Alex said softly. After nearly a year in Artimé, and facing his twin on Alex’s own turf, Alex felt self-conscious and could think of nothing more to say. He remembered his own immersion into this world, and was glad now for the fairly ordinary office environment Aaron was taking in. Perhaps this would help Aaron ease into it more slowly.
Aaron glanced suspiciously from Mr. Today to Alex and back to Mr. Today again. “What do you want from me?”
Mr. Today chuckled. “Good heavens, we want nothing that you have, Aaron. But I suppose we could offer you sanctuary, so to speak. A new life, if you want it.”
Alex added, “And safety from Will Blair, who wants to kill you.” He glanced at Mr. Today, who raised an eyebrow at Alex. “It’s true, Mr. Today. I heard him talking. He and”—Alex hesitated, and then went on—“he and Samheed. They’re making a door too, like I did, and they’ve almost got it done. Will is going to use magic to look like Aaron and then kill Aaron and dispose of him so that no one knows what happened, and then he’s going to take Aaron’s place. Though I’m not sure Samheed knew all that before today,” he said.
Mr. Today listened with interest and concern, and then looked back at Aaron and shrugged. “Sounds horrifying. I’d listen to your brother, if I were you,” he said. “Additionally, I worry about you getting very uncomfortable standing there by that door forever. You won’t get to see the grounds that way. Plus, Will Blair will find you easily enough if we leave that door up.”
Aaron shook his head. “I can’t even understand what you are saying.”
Alex, in spite of the dire situation, could not hide the small smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I know how you feel, Aaron. None of us could understand a thing until we saw it for ourselves.”
“None of you could?” Aaron asked. “How many of you are there?”
Alex glanced at Mr. Today, wondering how much information he should give to Aaron. Mr. Today nodded and smiled. “I’m not fond of secrets. You may tell him everything you wish to, Alex.”
Alex took a deep breath. “I don’t know where to start.” He sighed and looked into his brother’s eyes, searching for anything but the cold hardness that had filled them only moments before. “We are the Unwanteds,” he began. “Hundreds of us. And this is the magical world called Artimé.”
Aaron the Wanted could hardly believe his eyes or ears. Every moment he stood there, he felt more and more overwhelmed. This office was far more beautiful than even the High Priest Justine’s. Everything looked shiny and new. Magic? Spells and art and all sorts of other words Aaron had never heard before? His brother certainly seemed convinced about the Will Blair character, and the old man seemed to believe him, but Aaron wasn’t buying it. Still, he wondered if all of this could be true. And slowly he realized that if it were true, if all the Unwanteds were truly here, and he had been the one to discover them, he would be greatly rewarded by the High Priest Justine.
It all was too crazy to be true.
It was likely the craziest dream he’d ever had.
And he didn’t like it one bit. These dreams were getting way out of control. After what felt like an hour or more, Aaron grew tired of standing by the doorway.
“Come on, Aaron, let me show you Mr. Today’s mansion,” Alex said.
Aaron looked at his brother and felt a small blip of something deep inside, but within a moment it was gone. “No. I’ve got an early appointment at the palace,” he said brusquely.
Alex gripped the edge of the desk. “What?”
“I follow the law, and I do my duties. You’ll never learn that, will you?”
“But—but—,” Alex sputtered. “But you should stay here! You’ll be safe here. Don’t you understand what we’re trying to tell you?”