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Authors: Heather Sunseri
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unruly red curls.
Dia, we don’t have time. Make them not see her. Jack-look-alike turned to me. Sit. Act normal.
“Normal,” I whispered. “Right.” I pulled out a chair and sat. Dia moved her textbook— Molecular Biology —to sit in front of me.
She then turned toward the herd, who had split up and walked from table to table. Two men approached us. “Hey, Dr. Chi,” Dia said. “What’s going on today?” Before my very eyes, this Briana look-alike, Dia or whatever her name was, changed in appearance. She made her chest a little larger. Her hair became tamer. Loose red curls lengthened around her face.
The eyes of the man standing beside Dr. Chi roamed from Dia’s face to her chest and back up again. His lips curved upward at the edges.
“Hi, Dia. Has anyone that you didn’t recognize walked through here in the last twenty minutes?” Dr. Chi asked.
“Oh gosh, no, Dr. Chi. It’s just been us. Has there been another breach?”
Dr. Chi and Roaming Eyes looked at every person at the table, seeming to recognize each of us, including me. Once they were satisfied, they moved on to the next table, never answering Dia’s breach-of-security question.
Okay, let’s go, Jack-look-alike thought.
I stood and followed, as did Dia. My heart continued to pound. I had to get out of that basement, but I also wanted answers.
Jack’s look-alike led us around tables and to the door. The exit was now guarded by a man and a woman in dark suits, very much like the people I saw in SUVs that morning. As we approached, Jack-look-alike tightened his grip on my hand and mindspoke, Don’t look at them. Dia will make sure they see someone different when they look at you. They examined us closely, but let us pass. We headed down the hallway in the opposite direction from where I had originally come in.
The second we were out of earshot and eyeshot of everyone, I let out a huge breath. Jack’s twin turned and said, “Start talking.”
“Yeah, who the hell are you?” Dia asked, stopping in the middle of the hallway. “Why do you look like Dr. Whitmeyer? Only in cheap clothes?” She gave me a once-over.
“And decades younger,” the clone of Jack added.
I looked down at my clothes. There was nothing cheap about a North Face jacket or my two-hundred-dollar running shoes—which I was using for more and more running these days.
When I didn’t speak, Dia stepped closer. “Oh, look, Lin. She’s scared.”
“There you guys are,” another familiar voice said behind me.
I turned slowly, bracing for another clone. Sure enough, the boy behind me looked like Jonas—except clean-shaven.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” He even talked like Jonas—smug arrogance. “And, oh my, you look just like her.” His grin didn’t fade, and he didn’t really seem shocked at my likeness to the doctor. He cocked his head, studying me. Fascinating. The word, mindspoken by this replica of Jonas, wrapped around my brain like silk.
“Ty, maybe you can make her talk before the agents at the end of the hall discover her.”
“There’re agents here? Dia, she can’t be here.” This time, Ty grabbed my hand and pulled me forward.
I jerked it away and rubbed my chest. I didn’t want Jonas or this Jonas look-alike, a.k.a. Ty, touching me. Why did everyone feel the need to touch me and pull me along? “Where am I? What is this?” I finally asked. My voice came out breathy.
My eyes darted all around me: at the hospital-like walls, the white tiled floor, and the three human clones in front of me. I searched my memories. “Seven,” I whispered to myself. There were seven original clones. That’s what Dad’s spreadsheet said. He listed other clones he knew about, but they would all be younger, I thought. The freaks before me now were the same age as Jack, Briana, and Jonas—or pretty darn close anyway.
You will follow me right now if you don’t want to be turned over to IIA agents. Again, the presence inside my head
Dia, we don’t have time. Make them not see her. Jack-look-alike turned to me. Sit. Act normal.
“Normal,” I whispered. “Right.” I pulled out a chair and sat. Dia moved her textbook— Molecular Biology —to sit in front of me.
She then turned toward the herd, who had split up and walked from table to table. Two men approached us. “Hey, Dr. Chi,” Dia said. “What’s going on today?” Before my very eyes, this Briana look-alike, Dia or whatever her name was, changed in appearance. She made her chest a little larger. Her hair became tamer. Loose red curls lengthened around her face.
The eyes of the man standing beside Dr. Chi roamed from Dia’s face to her chest and back up again. His lips curved upward at the edges.
“Hi, Dia. Has anyone that you didn’t recognize walked through here in the last twenty minutes?” Dr. Chi asked.
“Oh gosh, no, Dr. Chi. It’s just been us. Has there been another breach?”
Dr. Chi and Roaming Eyes looked at every person at the table, seeming to recognize each of us, including me. Once they were satisfied, they moved on to the next table, never answering Dia’s breach-of-security question.
Okay, let’s go, Jack-look-alike thought.
I stood and followed, as did Dia. My heart continued to pound. I had to get out of that basement, but I also wanted answers.
Jack’s look-alike led us around tables and to the door. The exit was now guarded by a man and a woman in dark suits, very much like the people I saw in SUVs that morning. As we approached, Jack-look-alike tightened his grip on my hand and mindspoke, Don’t look at them. Dia will make sure they see someone different when they look at you. They examined us closely, but let us pass. We headed down the hallway in the opposite direction from where I had originally come in.
The second we were out of earshot and eyeshot of everyone, I let out a huge breath. Jack’s twin turned and said, “Start talking.”
“Yeah, who the hell are you?” Dia asked, stopping in the middle of the hallway. “Why do you look like Dr. Whitmeyer? Only in cheap clothes?” She gave me a once-over.
“And decades younger,” the clone of Jack added.
I looked down at my clothes. There was nothing cheap about a North Face jacket or my two-hundred-dollar running shoes—which I was using for more and more running these days.
When I didn’t speak, Dia stepped closer. “Oh, look, Lin. She’s scared.”
“There you guys are,” another familiar voice said behind me.
I turned slowly, bracing for another clone. Sure enough, the boy behind me looked like Jonas—except clean-shaven.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” He even talked like Jonas—smug arrogance. “And, oh my, you look just like her.” His grin didn’t fade, and he didn’t really seem shocked at my likeness to the doctor. He cocked his head, studying me. Fascinating. The word, mindspoken by this replica of Jonas, wrapped around my brain like silk.
“Ty, maybe you can make her talk before the agents at the end of the hall discover her.”
“There’re agents here? Dia, she can’t be here.” This time, Ty grabbed my hand and pulled me forward.
I jerked it away and rubbed my chest. I didn’t want Jonas or this Jonas look-alike, a.k.a. Ty, touching me. Why did everyone feel the need to touch me and pull me along? “Where am I? What is this?” I finally asked. My voice came out breathy.
My eyes darted all around me: at the hospital-like walls, the white tiled floor, and the three human clones in front of me. I searched my memories. “Seven,” I whispered to myself. There were seven original clones. That’s what Dad’s spreadsheet said. He listed other clones he knew about, but they would all be younger, I thought. The freaks before me now were the same age as Jack, Briana, and Jonas—or pretty darn close anyway.
You will follow me right now if you don’t want to be turned over to IIA agents. Again, the presence inside my head
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