Chapter 84
The Faceless Accident
The person who remembered the accident without a face was waiting in the lifeboat room.
The room held no lifeboats. It held twelve empty frames and a camera pointed at the lake.
In the center sat a woman with a blank face.
Claire recognized the coat first.
Lena's coat.
“Who are you?” Claire asked.
The woman lifted her head. “The part of Lena that never reached the shore.”
“The model?”
“The witness.”
Ada moved closer. “You are not a model.”
“Neither are you.”
The faceless woman pointed at the camera.
The screen showed the night of the accident. Mara's car sat against the tree. Claire stood beside it. Lena stood behind her.
The recording had no faces. Only voices.
Lena said, “You cannot take Claire.”
Owen answered, “She already gave herself.”
Mara said, “Then take me.”
Claire heard her own voice say, “Take the witness.”
The image stopped.
“That was the choice,” the faceless woman said.
“I chose Lena?”
“You chose the person who could remain unnamed.”
“Why?”
“Because a name could be transferred. A face could be copied. A faceless witness could not be owned.”
The Mercy shuddered.
Captain Bell entered, water running from his sleeves.
“The ship is sinking,” he said.
The faceless woman stood.
“No. The record is.”
She removed the coat and placed it around Claire's shoulders.
For one second, Claire saw Lena's face in the blank space.
“Remember me without saving me,” Lena said.
The engine room exploded beneath them.