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Yulia opened her door and stared at them. They stared back.

“I’m sorry,” Hollis said. “I shouldn’t have kept this from you. I should have trusted you.”

“Stay here,” she said, and opened the door wider.

There was a tape square drawn out on the living room floor and several bundles of herbs and sticks laid carefully on the border. Annie was seated in the middle of it. Yulia backed away, slow and without blinking until she too was inside the square.

“Close the door. Go sit on the couch.”

Hollis followed her instructions, taking off his shoes by the door politely, then settled in front of them. Annie still looked like she’d been crying.

“We can’t tell who we are talking to, so we have a few tests. It’s obvious that you guys can talk to each other, and I assume you’ve been doing so for the past few months. I wouldn’t be surprised if you know enough about each other to answer anything basic and even some unique things without us being able to tell. However, what’s most important to us—more than anything—is that Hollis is even in there at all. Do you understand?”

Hollis nodded.

“Okay,” Yulia said. “Finish this poem.”

To his surprise, it was Annie who started reciting. “‘I met the most beautiful turtle today. Her head was hidden in her shell. Those lovely eyes were peeking at me. She was scared I could tell.’”

Hollis immediately covered his face with his hands.

“‘I... I’m... a dime-a-dozen toad. Nothing... super special about me. I seem the same as everyone here, in the toad community?’”

I haven’t heard this since I was nine. Our teacher would sing it when kids fought each other, until everyone sang together and didn’t want to fight anymore. Even Yulia wouldn’t know this song.

They waited for him, Yulia angry and Annie afraid.

“‘Will you be my friend... ,’” Hollis whispered. “‘Oh, toad, nobody talks to me here, and I beg you it’s been a long time. I have been waiting on the sidelines wishing for someone so kind.’”

Annie reached a hand past the circle, so brave it made Hollis want to cry. He wanted to take her hand, but Yulia tugged Annie back.

“We’re not finished,” she snapped. “You’re in Hollis’s body. Even if Hollis is in there, we don’t know if he can control it. Last year when our other PE teacher broke his leg skiing, we had a sub who forced us all to learn how to square-dance for a semester. I want you to do the square dance.”

Hollis was horrified. “Like... from memory? Without music?”

Yulia held her phone up. “You’d better.”

“Yulia, I’m not good at dancing, and I barely remember it.”

“Try.” She pushed play.

Hollis stood up by the door.

If you laugh at me I’ll kill you.

He bumbled through a few steps until he could manage some of the routine. Yulia’s face slowly shifted from anger to amusement.

“Can I stop now?”

“No. Finish it,” she said, holding up her phone higher.

“Are you recording me?”

Annie was watching the video from over Yulia’s shoulder. “That’s fucking terrifying.”

“I’m not that bad!” Hollis yelled. “You’re lucky I remember any of it at all!”

“No, your eyes kind of reflect like a cat’s sometimes now.”

Hollis scowled. He quickly finished the dance and crossed his arms.

Yulia glanced back at Annie for reassurance.

“Okay. We need some safeguards. When you’re talking, hold up one finger and when it’s talking it has to hold up two.”

That’s reasonable.

“He says he doesn’t mind that. Also please stop calling him an it; he’s a person,” Hollis said.

“I’m not doing it any favors,” Yulia said dryly.

“He didn’t ask for that, I did.” Hollis sat down on the couch. “He’s a person, and I care about him, and it feels like you’re calling me ‘it’ when you do that, so stop .”

Yulia scrunched her nose in distaste.

“You care about him?”

“He’s with me all the time. We wake up together and go to sleep together; he’s with me when I eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner; when I’m sad and when I’m happy. In just hours spent together alone. I know him well enough to... to choose that.”

Yulia looked a bit sour, but she didn’t complain.

“Given the circumstances... and the whole... yesterday... ,” Annie started. “Has it occurred to you that maybe you could have dissociative identity disorder? It’s like when your brain decides to have multiple personalities and—”

“No.” Walt cut her off, raising his fingers like Yulia asked him to. “That’s a fine guess, but I would appreciate it if you didn’t spend much time pursuing it. I’ve spent a few years in a hospital because of that mistake, and I’ve no interest in going back.”

“Do you have any interest in getting out of our friend?” Yulia asked immediately.

Walt shook his head. “I made him that offer last night. Didn’t seem too keen on it, Hollis. Personal reasons.”

“We didn’t test him,” Annie said urgently. “We should test him .”

Walt stood up. “I can do a fair amount of things Hollis can’t. His dancing is abysmal. If doing a few steps will save me from a fortnight in your version of Bellevue, I’m willing to shuffle.”

He didn’t even need music.

Walt danced so much better than Hollis that it was as humiliating to him as it was vaguely arousing.

“It’s better with a partner,” Walt said, breathless. “But I’m not raring to touch either of you until I know that potion is done working. Not to offend, but your body doesn’t feel like home, Ann. I’m not looking to come back.”

“But Hollis’s does?” Yulia spat.

Walt shrugged and settled back down onto the couch.

“He’s taller than I am, but I like the room,” he said, merciless, then turned to Annie. “Who is Toji to you?”

“What?”

“Toji Watanabe, the guy you look like. I don’t know if he died before you could meet him or see pictures.” Walt sounded casual but Hollis could feel his heart racing.

Annie looked surprised, then concerned, then offended. “Why?”

“We were close. Need to know if I’m talking to a great-granddaughter, or great-grandniece.”

“To what end?” Yulia snapped, but Annie answered anyway.

“Toji was my great-grandma’s brother.... You knew him?”

Walt frowned. “Oh... you’re Fumiko’s...”

Annie curled up tight, arms folded around her knees. “How old are you? Why do you know us?”

“I grew up with Toji and Fumi,” Walt said. “You look like him a lot. More than you do Fumiko. I doubt he ever mentioned me, but if he did, did he say anything about a Walt Eidelman?”

Annie shook her head, and Hollis reeled at the wave of Walt’s disappointment.

“How old are you?” Yulia echoed, impatient.

Hollis interrupted and held up his finger. “That’s not important. I have to tell you about him and Rose Town, and I want it to come from me.”