Then

The girls leave the limo one by one. It's impossible to see what's going on out there from this side of the glass. It's gotten quiet in here. One girl appears to be meditating; another quietly hyperventilates. I do my best to ignore Texas, whose eyes are trained on me like guns.

Can she tell I'm a Synth just by looking? Will Josh be able to tell? Is there some imperfection that makes me seem...not human? That will make me harder to love?

Impossible to love?

I dig my thumbnail into the skin on my inner wrist and watch the half-moon shape appear, then fade. I dig it in again, let it fade. I think it looks like normal skin. I think I feel normal amounts of pain. But how could I possibly be sure?

Stay focused, I tell myself. You were designed to complete Josh. That's all that matters.

Texas, as luck would have it, is the next-to-last girl to leave the limo. I brace for a final, cutting remark from her, but the second the car door opens, her energy changes and she's a happy beam pointing toward Josh, like I no longer exist. The door slams behind her, and I'm alone.

In the silence, my breathing sounds shaky. What am I going to say to Josh? Hi, I'm Julia, a Synth! No. Hi, Josh! I'm a Synth named Julia—worse and worse. I don't have to lead with that, right? Better if it's spontaneous. Natural.

If I can call anything about myself natural.

I shift in my seat, noticing that my ankles are already blistering from the straps of my heels. Without thinking, I pick the tiny buckles open and slip the shoes off.

And then, the door is opening, the driver offering me his hand so that I can emerge gracefully. Which I botch immediately by stumbling out instead.

I straighten, trying to recover my dignity, hook the ankle straps of my shoes on my index finger, and...there is Josh.

I'm aware of multiple cameras positioned discreetly around us, but they're not important.

"Hi," I say, as everything fades around me except him.

Josh is gorgeous. Brown hair, clean-shaven, hands in the pockets of his slim-cut dress pants. As he takes me in, two dimples cut his cheeks and he nods with approval. I laugh. He's tall. Broad-shouldered. His blue eyes are sharp, his nose straight, his jaw strong. He has an aura of energy straining for release, just like the muscles straining at his fitted suit, as if he might burst into action at any moment. I can already imagine us skydiving together. Careening down zip lines, swimming with sharks. Laughing, kissing...making a beautiful baby. Oh God, my cheeks are tingling.

"Are you blushing?" he teases, rocking back on his heels.

"Sorry. It's just, you're really..." Handsome. Sexy. Perfect.

He waits, raising an eyebrow.

I bend over laughing. Straighten up, run a hand through my hair, then adjust it over my right shoulder. "Sorry. Can we start again? Hi! I'm Julia."

He extends both hands toward me. "Hi, Julia. I'm Josh."

I walk forward and take his hands, my shoes dangling awkwardly between us. I notice a small tattoo on his ring finger, but before I can ask about it, he grins at my shoes and says, "I see you've made yourself comfortable. I like that."

"I like you." I scrunch my face. "Did I really just say that out loud?"

"It's okay. I like a direct girl."

I feel myself warming, and not just my cheeks. These feelings...they're alarming in the best of ways. That everything could feel so deliciously soft and sharp at the same time, that someone's gaze could track heat over your skin as if you were being touched.

"What's your tattoo?"

"Oh," he says, drawing his hand back and making a fist so I can see. It's an arrow, etched between the base of his ring finger and his knuckle. "I got it before the show. Every time I look at it, I remind myself to trust the process. I believe if I follow my heart, I'll end up in the right place, with the right person and a ring on this finger."

"I love that," I say as he takes my hand again.

"Do you have any tattoos?"

"Not yet." I smile. For a few seconds, we're silent, just looking at each other. There's a rhythmic tick-tick-tick I'm just noticing. I tilt my head. "What's that sound?"

"Huh? Oh—" Josh holds up his left wrist. His watch is huge, silver, with a blue face and little slashes for the hours and minutes.

"It's so loud!" Now that I'm hearing it, I can't unhear it. "It doesn't bother you?"

"I guess I don't notice it anymore. I can take it off..."

"No, it's fine," I laugh, though the gesture is sweet...so sweet. I can't be in love already. That's silly. But the swirling in my stomach, the heat in my body, the magnetic pull toward this man—it's so intense, so real—so right. Are all the girls feeling this swept away? This deliciously dizzy?

"So—Julia. Tell me about you. Where are you from? What do you do?"

"I'm from here. California. I guess you could say I'm...in Tech." The next part leaves me in a rush. "But honestly? Being here with you, it's like none of that matters right now." Instantly, I blush hotter, because even though I mean it, I can see how over-the-top I must sound. "I just mean that I'm a creature of the present. I'm so grateful for this chance, and... I can't wait to see where we go from here."

"Forward-facing. That's good."

A relieved smile breaks over my face at his simple statement of approval. Still, I'm eager to get the focus off me. "And...you? What do you do, Josh?"

"I'm a sales manager at a health insurance brokerage. Boring stuff. It pays the bills."

"Here in California?"

"Indiana. I know, not so exciting—but a great place to raise a family. Lots of space. Lots of nature."

"Like...cows?" I hazard.

He laughs, big and full. It's a delightful sound. "Cows. Corn. Casseroles. Yup. That about sums it up."

"The three C's," I joke. "I'm sure I'm going to love it."

"Ah! Feeling confident, are we?" He laughs as I blush again. I seem to have a never-ending supply of blushing potential. "Hey, I think that's awesome. Confidence is important. Especially in this process. The fourth C, huh? So, hey, I'll see you inside?"

"Yeah," I say, giving him one last, long look. "Sorry—I'm totally going—"

"I don't want you to walk away either," he interrupts, his voice lower now. A little husky. "Julia."

My name on his lips is everything.

"It's just for now," I say with a teasing smile. "I'm not the walking-away kind, though, so...don't get too used to it."

I swear I can feel his gaze burning into me as I walk away.

Into the mansion, where the girls are waiting.

Into a nest of vipers.