AURORA MOON
Aurora stared at the woman, heart pounding so hard it rattled her ribs. The elevator doors slid shut behind them.
"Aunt?" Aurora repeated, her voice cracking. The word felt heavy, unfamiliar.
The woman looked away for a split second. Her jaw tensed, as if chewing through a memory. "Natalia Moon was my twin. I'm Nikkita Moon." She reached into her chest rig, drew out a battered leather wallet, and flipped it open. There, behind a scratched plastic window, was a photograph. Two young women—one with honey-blonde hair, bright and wild-eyed, the other with dark brown hair stood shoulder to shoulder, both grinning. Aurora's breath caught. The woman on the left was her mother. The woman on the right … was Nikkita.
Ryder exhaled, a shuddering, disbelieving sound. "You and Mom were twins?"
"Yes. We looked very much alike. But our personalities were wildly opposite."
