To his complete surprise, Twist found himself still sitting with Jonas on the open deck, as twilight began to fall on the desert land below. The longer he spent with Jonas, the more accustomed they both became to the strange buzzing at the base of their skulls. After a while, Twist found it much easier to resist the compulsion to reach out to Jonas, while Jonas also seemed to have less trouble keeping his eyes away from him.

  The strange metal earmuffs that Jonas had been wearing turned out to contain small electric speakers, connected to a mechanical device that played recorded music from wax cylinders. Jonas said he had picked it up in Vienna, and collected a handful of recorded cylinders from cities all over the world. He'd even recorded some, himself. The device seemed curious to Twist, but he began to understand why Jonas was so adamant that the technology would take the world by storm, as he listened to the disembodied, exotic music.

  “Where is this one from?” Twist asked, pulling one of the earphones away. He was now sitting against the railing at the bow of the ship, watching the thin, high-atmosphere clouds stream by overhead.

  “South Africa,” Jonas said, now lying on his back, at Twist's feet. “I recorded that one. They are all local school children. Pretty enchanting, isn't it?”

  “Wonderful,” Twist said, putting the earphone back into place so that the angelic voices, singing words he found meaningless but beautiful, could fully encompass him again.

  When the song ended, Twist pulled the earphones off, letting them hang around his neck by the band that connected them, and looked down to Jonas. His goggles were sitting on his brow again, his eyes flashing gently in the failing light. For a moment, Twist thought he saw the color of his eyes change quickly from green to lilac.

  “Twist...” Jonas's voice toned leadingly; he closed his eyes with what looked like an effort.

  “Sorry,” Twist said, looking away and absently rubbing at the buzz in his neck. He heard Jonas chuckle to himself. “But, you know, I haven't tried to touch you in at least half an hour.”

  “Very good,” Jonas said, a light smile on his face as he opened his eyes to the sky again.

  “What are you looking at, anyway?” Twist asked, trying his best to keep his gaze away from Jonas's eyes. “You're not just seeing the sky, are you?”

  “Mars has been chasing us all day,” Jonas said. Twist looked up to see it but, even as twilight began to darken the sky, the stars were all still well hidden in the deep blue. “I think it's amazing to look up and see another planet,” Jonas said, reaching up to curl one arm under his head. “I never have seen anyone on Mars looking back, though.”

  “You can really see stars in daylight?” Twist asked, not bothering to hide his wonder.

  “Sure,” Jonas said dismissively. “And I see them in color, too. I can see the air patterns swimming around, as well.”

  Twist smiled lightly as he tried to imagine what colors the stars might be. He opened the cylinder player to switch to another record, but his mind flashed for an instant when he touched the cylinder that he'd just heard: hot sunlight, dry air, a handful of children with skin as dark as Aazzi's and smiles as bright as sunlight.

  “By the way,” Jonas added, “I don't think it's going to be snowing when we get to Nepal.”

  Twist shook his head. “We really are strange people.”

  “Is this a revelation to you?” Jonas asked through a laugh, his eyes flitting away from Twist sharply as he made an obvious effort not to look at him.

  “No,” Twist said with a sigh. “Though it is new to find someone even stranger than me.”

  “Now just a minute,” Jonas said, pulling his goggles on and leaning up on his elbows to look at Twist through his black lenses. “I'll admit I'm somewhat of a freak, but stranger than you? I'm not sure about that.”

  “I can't see planets in a clear blue sky,” Twist said to his vision-less gaze.

  “I don't think clocks are alive,” Jonas said, unfazed.

  “I can't see the future,” Twist shot back.

  “You took on a submersible full of pirates with nothing but a shovel,” Jonas said, his voice gaining volume.

  “The second time I met you, you flew at me!” Twist snapped back quickly.

  “My word,” Jonas said, looking away and shaking his head. “We're a proper pair of freaks.”

  Twist broke into a laugh, the tension of the silly argument breaking into the crisp, thin air. When he looked up, he saw Arabel standing farther off, leaning against the railing. She watched them with a quiet smile on her face for a moment longer before stepping closer.

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  “I have to say,” she said, drawing Jonas's attention as well, “I never saw this coming.”

  Jonas sat up, curling himself against one knee with his back to her. His face lost its clever smile, and his form lost its ease. Twist stared at him curiously, shocked by how quickly and completely his manner could change.

  “Jon, honey, are you honestly making a friend?” Arabel asked, her voice bubbly with glee as she reached down to pat his shoulder. Jonas jerked his shoulder out of her touch instantly, his head bowed. “Oh, don't be like that,” Arabel said, putting on a false pout.

  “How long have you been over there?” Twist asked, nodding to her previous perch.

  “I got to see the 'who's a bigger freak' fight,” Arabel said with a grin. “That was brilliant.”

  Jonas shot up to his feet, turning on her with his sightless gaze. “Shall I sing and dance for you too?” he hissed, his jaw almost too tight to let him speak at all.

  “Jon...” Arabel said, as if scolding a pet. “You weren't being so mean a moment ago.”

  “And then you stuck your nose in where it wasn't wanted,” Jonas replied. “Funny how that works.”

  Twist quietly got to his feet as well.

  “Why must you always be so hostile?” Arabel asked, her voice losing all its kindness.

  Jonas's jaw became visibly tight, but he kept it closed as he turned his back. He stormed away to the other side of the deck. Arabel scowled at his back and crossed her arms, while Twist struggled to figure out if there was something he should do in response to the now-sharp tension in the empty space Jonas had left behind.

  “I seriously don't understand him sometimes,” Arabel whispered to Twist.

  “The way you’re treating him isn't working,” Twist said, his voice as small as ever, but certain. “Your uncle did the same thing and stormed off in less than a minute.”

  “What are you talking about?” Arabel asked, frowning.

  “Do you think he's being stubborn?” Twist asked, still trying to work it out. “I don't think he's the one being childish.”

  “Of course he is,” Arabel said, looking confused.

  Twist took a breath. “You're wrong,” he said, shaking his head. “I've only had a glimpse of him from touching those goggles, but I can tell you that that is definitely not how he feels.”

  Arabel looked quietly at Twist, her thoughts working hard behind her uncertain eyes.

  “Just give him some credit,” Twist said, turning to walk over to where Jonas now stood at the railing across the deck, staring out over the horizon.

  As he approached, he was almost sure he saw the color of Jonas's eyes change again as they looked out over the desert world below. The buzz in his neck tightened sharply with each step. Jonas began to look to him, but Twist looked off to the side quickly.

  “Are you fond of meddling in personal affairs?” Jonas asked, slipping his goggles on again and putting on a tight smile. Though his words were taunting, his voice had smoothed out once again, and lost some of its vicious bite in favor of caution. “That's not going to make you very likable, you know.”

  “You heard that?”

  “Well, I heard her,” Jonas said darkly, looking away.

  “Oh, well,” Twist said, sounding as serious as he could. “I could never meddle. People make very little sense to me at the best of times.”

  “Weirdo,” Jonas said, his smile growing. Twist stared back at him, at a total loss as to how such a word could be said in a friendly way.

  “Isn't he, though?” Arabel asked, stepping closer from behind Twist.

  Jonas's form seized instantly again, his black lenses turning to her sharply. “You're still here?” he asked flatly.

  “I saw Twist first,” she said almost teasingly. “You only just met him, and you've been hogging him all afternoon.” Jonas seemed to watch her silently, as if unsure of her meaning.

  “Heaven save me, I'm popular,” Twist said gravely. Both Arabel and Jonas let out a tentative chuckle.

  “Well, fine,” Jonas said, walking away to collect his music player. “You can have him for now,” he called to them over his shoulder. “I'm going inside anyway. The sun's going down and I'm already cold,” he said as he headed for the stairs below deck.

  “That's more like it,” Arabel said proudly.

  Jonas stopped just in front of Arabel and turned to look at her through the goggles. “But this is only a loan. I'm taking him back later.”

  “Do I get a say in any of this?” Twist asked.

  “No,” Jonas said with a clever smile before he turned to walk away.

  Arabel watched him walk away with an amazed look on her face. Twist pulled his coat tighter around him, starting to feel the cold too, now that someone had mentioned it.

  “That's got to be the most pleasant and friendly I've seen my brother in years,” Arabel said softly at his shadow. She looked to Twist. “I haven't got a clue why, but you are really good for him.”

  “I didn't do anything,” Twist said with a shrug. “Like I said, I'm no good at people.”

  “No, you figured him out,” Arabel said, shaking her head. “You seem to know exactly how to make him civil. So, share. I haven't had a good conversation with him in…I don't know how long.”

  “Well,” Twist said uncertainly, “I don't think he's trying to be mean to you. He's probably just defending himself.”

  “But why?” Arabel asked.

  “I don't know,” Twist said, giving a shrug. “Clocks are so much easier to fix than people.”

  “You've got that right,” Arabel said with a sigh. “Well, anyway, could you spend more time with him? I think it might help. He could use a friend.”

  Twist frowned at the thought of such an assignment. He couldn't remember ever having a human friend before, in his life. The prospect only seemed daunting to him now. As Jonas moved farther away into the airship, the buzz that Twist had all but gotten used to, dimmed to silence so complete that Twist clutched to his watch just to feel its tiny heartbeat in the back of his mind.