Page 60 of Lifebound

“Rune, wait,” I said, feeling defeated all of a sudden.

But if he heard me, Rune didn’t turn.

I took in a deep breath and planned to follow, but as soon as I’d taken the first step, someone came out from between two separate shops, and he was walking like he’d had one too many drinks just now.

He also had two heads.

The boy took a step forward, arms out for balance, but he couldn’t hold himself upright, and so he tipped over. Before I knew it, I was by his side holding him up by the arm.

“Easy, easy,” I said—to a two-headed guy wearing a green shirt.

Because that was what had become of my life.

“I’m-I’m fine,” the boy’s left head said, and his words were slurred together, his eyes—allfouron his heads—were half closed. I dragged him back to the empty shop I’d been resting against just a moment ago, and I settled him against the wood for support.

When I let go and stepped back, all my instincts crashing against each other, he didn’t fall. He was just breathing as heavily as me.

Goose bumps on my forearms. He was a good head taller than me, and he really had two heads coming out of his shoulders, but the neckline of his shirt wouldn’t let me see if he had two necks coming from his torso, or if a single neck extended from it, then separated into two. What Icouldsee, though, were the two puncture marks and the blood on the right side of his neck.

“You okay?” I asked as I analyzed the rest of him—normal-looking limbs, two hands, two feet. And everything else seemed to be human-like. I was really curious to see underneath his pants, though—but only for a moment.

“Yes, yes, I just need a minute.” Again, the left head spoke, while the right one still looked a bit out of it. “We’ll be good as new in no time.”

“You want some water or something?” I offered him the bottle Rune had given me. There was still some left.

“Oh, yes. Water, water,” said the right head this time, and it was so fucking strange to see it. Same person, two heads, two mouths, two different voices.Slightlydifferent, but different, nonetheless.

Then the guy snatched the water from my hand and the right head took a sip, the left another.

When they blinked their eyes again, they seemed much more alert.

“There you go. Much better,” the left head said, and he—they?—offered me the empty bottle back. “Thank you, kind lady.”

“You’re welcome,” I said, and he was still leaning against the shop, testing his hands, pulling them into fists as if to make sure they were working as they should. “I’m Nilah. What’s your name?” Because I had to know whom I was talking to here.

“A true pleasure, Nilah. That’s a beautiful name for a beautiful girl.”

That’s when it dawned on me—he could see my face.Fuck.

Suddenly, I remembered where I was. How I came to be here. The red scarf was supposed to cover half my face, but it had fallen off almost all the way when I’d stopped this guy from collapsing.

I remembered Rune.

Heart in my throat, I turned around to where he’d walked away, certain that he wouldn’t be there, that I’d already lost him to the crowd of creatures coming and going.

But Rune was right there near the first tree, arms crossed and shoulder leading against the trunk, his eyes on me, his expression unreadable.

He was there.

The relief that came over me scared me a little bit.

I turned back to the guy with two heads, just for another moment, and asked again, “And you are?”

“I’m Tuck,” said the left head. “And I’m Tucker,” said the right.

“Are you…oneperson?” I wondered. Because if they had two names…

“Nah—I’m smarter than he’ll ever be,” said the left head and slammed his head against the right.

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