Simon nodded and sat still, trying not to let guilt eat away at him. It was just a haircut. And if it meant that Orion wouldn’t be able to tell which twin he was, then it would be worth it.
The next morning, Simon tucked Felix into a box in the corner of his borrowed luggage, making sure the mouse had plenty of food for the trip and that clothes weren’t covering the air holes before he zipped up the bag. With his suitcase in one hand and his backpack slung over the opposite shoulder, he headed down the spiral staircase and into the atrium of the Alpha section, which was carpeted with real grass and full of trees that reached toward the high ceiling. It was originally supposed to be the bird kingdom’s section, but after Orion had attacked and nearly destroyed the original location of the L.A.I.R., the Academy had not only moved to their backup school beneath Central Park, affectionately called the Den by staff and students, but the mammal kingdom had taken charge and banned all birds from attending. Simon was the lone exception, and even then, he wasn’t really a member of the bird kingdom. He, like Nolan, was a member of every kingdom and no kingdom at the same time.
The door to the rest of the school opened, and Winter walked inside, pulling a fancy roller suitcase behind her. The wheels got stuck in the grass, and she huffed, leaving it where it was. “Is Simon down yet?” she said curtly, looking him straight in the eye.
“What?” said Simon, confused. “I’m right here.”
She did a double take. “Oh. Oh. You finally got your hair cut.” Leaning toward him, she squinted. “The resemblance is uncanny.”
“We are identical,” he said. “Where are Jam and Ariana?”
“Jam said he had to do extra drills before we left, since we’re missing some school, and Ariana’s probably hanging from a rafter somewhere listening to a conversation she isn’t supposed to hear. I’m sure they’ll be here soon. You know this is a terrible idea, right?”
“What’s a terrible idea?” said Simon, running his hand through his shortened hair. The back of his neck was cold, and his ears felt strangely exposed.
“Going to Avalon. I know why you want to,” she added quickly as Simon opened his mouth to object. “But this is way more dangerous than infiltrating the reptile council. The underwater kingdom is a military society, and they take punishment for breaking their laws very, very seriously. They don’t care if you’re an adult or not. If you’re old enough to shift, then you’re old enough to be held accountable for your actions. And considering how many laws they have, I assume we’ll be breaking at least a dozen before this is over.”
“I won’t let anyone else get into trouble because of this,” said Simon. “I promise.”
Winter shook her head. “You can’t keep making promises like that, Simon. We’re going to help you any way we can. You know that, we know that, and there’s no point pretending we’re not all risking something by doing this. You’re risking a lot just by showing up, you know, considering how much the General hates Orion.”
“So we both hate my grandfather. That’s a good thing,” said Simon.
“It doesn’t matter. Everyone thinks you’re a bird,” she pointed out, lowering her voice. “At least Nolan’s pretending to be a mammal, so they’ll be decent to him. But birds are about as welcome in Avalon as the plague. Reptiles, too,” she added. “The reptile kingdom and the underwater kingdom have been fighting over amphibians for as long as they’ve both existed.”
Simon stared at her. “Amphibians?”
“You know. Frogs, toads, salamanders, other gross, slimy things that look like reptiles but live part-time in the water—”
“I know what amphibians are. Why are they fighting over them?”
Winter shrugged. “It’s stupid, but both kingdoms keep claiming them, and they’ve fought countless wars over it. Just—be prepared for them not to like both of us, all right?”
Still baffled, Simon nodded. “Guess it won’t be that much different from school, will it?”
Winter snorted. “At this rate, nothing ever will be.”
A few minutes later, Jam and Ariana arrived. Jam’s face was pale, and Ariana had dark circles under her eyes. While Simon knew what Jam was worried about, he couldn’t figure out what might have made Ariana lose sleep.
“Are you okay?” he said.
“I’m fine. Just tired,” she muttered, refusing to meet his curious gaze. Simon glanced at Jam and Winter, but neither of them seemed to be paying attention.
“Here, let me carry your bag,” he said, reaching for it, but Ariana’s grip tightened on the handle.
“I’m tired, not helpless,” she snapped. Simon dropped his hand sheepishly.
“Sorry, I just—I want to help.”
Her expression softened. “Sorry,” she mumbled, tucking a lock of blue hair behind her ear. “I called my mom really late. About going, I mean. She seems to think this is a good idea, but …”
Ariana trailed off, her forehead wrinkling. It took Simon a moment to realize why she might be worried about visiting the underwater kingdom, but once he did, he felt like an idiot.
“It won’t be that bad,” he said. “You won’t have to go near the ocean if you don’t want to.”
Ariana gave him a strange look. “Don’t you remember what Jam said?”
“When?” said Simon, puzzled.
Before Ariana could reply, Nolan bounded down the staircase, with Malcolm trailing after him looking worse for wear. Apparently Ariana wasn’t the only one who hadn’t gotten much sleep last night.
“I can’t believe we’re spending Christmas in California,” said Nolan, practically buzzing with excitement. His arm was still in a sling, and Malcolm carried his suitcase for him. “This is going to be the best Christmas ever.”
At least someone was happy about it. Simon offered him a wan smile. “First one we get to spend together, too.”
Nolan’s grin faded, and he eyed Simon up and down. “You look different.”
“I look like you,” he said. “Haircut.”
“A good one, too, if you ask me,” said Malcolm, patting Simon on the back. “Everyone ready?”
“As ready as we’ll ever be,” mumbled Jam. “Let’s get this over with.”
The ride to the airport was a long one in the early-morning city traffic, and by the time they reached their gate, the plane was boarding. The flight to Los Angeles was six hours long, and during those six hours, none of them spoke much. Even Nolan seemed to sense the tension between them, and he spent most of the flight with his nose in a stack of comic books he’d brought along.
Simon, on the other hand, alternated between trying to read his book, watching his friends anxiously, and doing his best not to worry about how they would get the underwater kingdom’s piece of the Predator. He couldn’t shake the feeling that they had gotten incredibly, impossibly lucky in Arizona. This time, the piece could be anywhere in the Pacific Ocean, if it was anywhere near Avalon to begin with.
California was much warmer than snowy New York, and Simon peeled off his coat inside the SUV the General had sent for them. They passed rows and rows of palm trees, pink and yellow buildings that reminded Simon of Arizona, and at last, miles of white sand beaches where the sun shone so brightly that he had to squint as he peered out the window.