Emma ended the call.
"Well? What did she say?" Jordan stubbed out a cigarette and stood, looking at Riley.
Riley hadn't used speakerphone. Neither Jordan nor Taylor had heard Emma's side. Riley looked grim. Emma had changed so much. Was this even the same person?
Before, all she had to do was crook a finger, act friendly, and toss Emma a few trinkets she no longer wanted. Emma would trail after her like a dog and do whatever she said.
What had happened? Emma had turned her down and threatened to call the police.
She couldn't repeat that to the others. It would only embarrass her. "She didn't say where she was."
Taylor gave her a doubtful look. "I thought you were closest to her. She wouldn't even tell you?"
"When did you ever see me being close to her?" Riley opened the door of her red sports car and drove away without waiting for either of them.
Emma set her phone aside. It rang again a little later. This time it wasn't the Bennetts. It was a delivery call. "Hello?"
The nursery's delivery had arrived at Crown Heights. She called building management to let them through and send them straight to the twenty-second floor. She would wait by the elevator.
A moment later, the elevator chimed. Six foam boxes full of soil sat inside. Emma had them carried into the other room.
It took a little over ten minutes. After tipping the workers and shutting the doors, she swept up the spilled soil, watered the dirt in the boxes, and scattered vegetable seeds over it.
She raised her hand, guiding green points of light into the tiny seeds. They germinated at once, tender green tips pushing through the soil.
Lucky chased the lights and snapped them out of the air. Swallow one, chase another. It never seemed to get tired of the game. Emma stopped after the seeds sprouted.
It was nearly dinner. She wouldn't order delivery. She'd stockpiled without restraint in E City, but B City was different. She'd only just moved in.
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Besides, the apocalypse would arrive after tomorrow. If the guards saw her buying mountains of food, hers would be the first door people remembered.
Luckily, she hadn't bought food these past two days. Just exercise equipment and soil. They probably thought she was planting flowers on the balcony. Who would imagine a resident of an upscale place like Crown Heights growing vegetables indoors?
Lucky's dinner was a live fish the size of her palm, canned food, a boiled egg, a few leafy greens, and sausage, with fish oil added. It followed her around the kitchen while she worked.
Once its food was ready, Emma took out her own: a full dinner with a main course, three sides, and soup, all still steaming. She was finally getting a feel for Lucky's appetite.
Full at last, Lucky lay at her feet with its little belly rounded out. She bent to rub it a couple of times. Lucky raised its head and nuzzled her fingers.
After dinner, the two of them stretched out on the soft couch. Emma let her awareness sink into her space. Lucky liked eggs, raw or cooked.
She hadn't collected all the eggs in time, and some had hatched. Gathering eggs was now part of her nightly routine.
Back at the nests, she found over a dozen chicks she'd failed to notice. She collected two-thirds of the eggs and left the rest to hatch. That way, the eggs would keep coming.
She put the eggs in the lower level and grew more pasture. Along the way, she discovered that the rabbits she'd bought were expecting, too. These were long-term strategic supplies. She needed to take good care of them.
She filled a basket with plenty of every kind of fruit. Lucky stared when it appeared from nowhere, sniffed around it, and found the smell irresistible. It picked out a piece and ate it.
Its eyes lit up. It wanted another. Emma put a few pieces on a little ceramic plate. "Go ahead."
She browsed her phone for a while, showered, and went to bed. Lucky jumped up after her and settled down near her feet.
She was up at seven the next morning. An omelet, six shrimp bites, and milk took care of breakfast. Outside, the sky hung dark and heavy. Online, people were already arguing furiously.
Country M had dropped to minus ninety-four degrees Fahrenheit, a rare extreme. And the heavy rain the experts had forecast was due today. At first, nobody had believed it. Now, looking up at that sky, who could still argue?
Emma switched off her phone and tossed it onto the couch. Lucky sprang up despite its round little belly and settled over the phone. If she couldn't find it, she'd have to play with Lucky instead.
The transparent little trick made Emma laugh. She rubbed its head.
She opened the gym door, drew back the curtains, and switched on the treadmill. After a few stretches, she set it for an hour and started running.
Lucky prowled around beside her, watched for a while, and jumped onto the treadmill too. Emma didn't see it. The belt carried it straight off.
After several more tries, it finally matched her pace. Before long, the little creature was utterly spent. It flopped down and let the belt carry it off onto the floor.