shot. “You want me to provide the egg with nothing in it.”
They both look at each other. Then Rini sat up tall, like she is proud. “I will provide the egg with nothing in it.”
So try again. “Bernie will patch me up, though it is risky, Rini will change her mind again, and I’m the Host.”
Rauden just looked at me this time, hard, like, where did that come from, before he answered, “She wants a virgin Host. God help us all.”
I’m running out of answers here. “I don’t provide anything, but will still be paid.”
Rauden coughed, the way he does. “You provide the soma, actually,” he said.
Nobody said anything.
The Alert buzzed. Nobody went to pick it up. So I go, “Like the pigeon for Larraine?”
Rauden seems stunned again, like something hit him on the head. Finally he goes, “Well, yes! You could say that.” Then he adds, “Like Daisy too.”
Wait.
Rini said, “People will say this child is you.”
I start to think I heard of this.
“Rini, the child won’t be her. That’s a physical impossibility.”
“The child will look exactly like her.”
Maybe I saw it in a cartoon.
“Well, so do twins. Take Henry and me. We even shared the same environmental factors in our upbringing and you know he’s not me.”
“You must tell Inez what that means.”
“Well! Yes!” He mops his sweat off with a sleeve. “The environmental factors are—well! What happens in someone’s life. It’s someone’s life, but—not the kind the Knights are on about—it’s not a thing. Well—neither is Life. But environmental factors can legally be bought and sold.” He seemed to have trouble following himself here.
I go, “You want to make a clone from me.”
So now it’s like they are both stunned, like what fell on their heads is a heavy box. They are never going to talk again, they are so stunned.
“Well!” Rauden gets out. “You can call it that if you want. We prefer SCNT. Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer.”
I look at both of them, like, that’s the answer?
“You could just say Transfer,” he goes, “if it’s simpler.”
“Clone sounds so negative,” goes Rini.
“And then—we could go to jail. Or worse.”
But Rini shut him up. “It does not matter what you call it. What matters is how Inez feels about it.”
Not this again.
She pulls me around by my shoulders so I have to look right in her face. “You must tell me how you feel. Because there will be foolish people who will tell you she is you.”
“For God’s sake, Rini! Nobody’s going to know! They’d have to see them in the same room, side by side.”
But Rini would not let me go. “How will you feel, if they say the child is you?”
Man! How do I know? But she is not going to let me go till I come up with something, so I try. “I would feel, will I still be paid?”
Rini let go of me so fast I almost fell. She sank back on the couch. She looked loose and floppy, like an old rag. “Does this girl think only about money? Has she no self-esteem? No character? Has she no feelings at all?”
I’m never saying anything again! Every time I say anything, it is a problem. Even Rauden’s eyes are closed.
Finally Rini whispered, and it is like a hiss, “Why do you do this? Why do you treat your life like something that can be bought and sold? New Life labs—my God! Will you do anything for money?”
Well, Rini knew more than me about Fate, but how it looked, she was a little challenged when it came to girls like me. But remember when I said she was a part of it? And I don’t mean mito-whatever or even money. She was like an environmental factor. And I will tell you this. I never met an environmental factor like her. I did need the money, but I never gave any thought before why I do these things? I gave it now.
“I like to see what happens,” I told Rini.
And I could see her eyes change when I said that, like, would someone do these terrible things just to see what happens? Then they change again, like,
They both look at each other. Then Rini sat up tall, like she is proud. “I will provide the egg with nothing in it.”
So try again. “Bernie will patch me up, though it is risky, Rini will change her mind again, and I’m the Host.”
Rauden just looked at me this time, hard, like, where did that come from, before he answered, “She wants a virgin Host. God help us all.”
I’m running out of answers here. “I don’t provide anything, but will still be paid.”
Rauden coughed, the way he does. “You provide the soma, actually,” he said.
Nobody said anything.
The Alert buzzed. Nobody went to pick it up. So I go, “Like the pigeon for Larraine?”
Rauden seems stunned again, like something hit him on the head. Finally he goes, “Well, yes! You could say that.” Then he adds, “Like Daisy too.”
Wait.
Rini said, “People will say this child is you.”
I start to think I heard of this.
“Rini, the child won’t be her. That’s a physical impossibility.”
“The child will look exactly like her.”
Maybe I saw it in a cartoon.
“Well, so do twins. Take Henry and me. We even shared the same environmental factors in our upbringing and you know he’s not me.”
“You must tell Inez what that means.”
“Well! Yes!” He mops his sweat off with a sleeve. “The environmental factors are—well! What happens in someone’s life. It’s someone’s life, but—not the kind the Knights are on about—it’s not a thing. Well—neither is Life. But environmental factors can legally be bought and sold.” He seemed to have trouble following himself here.
I go, “You want to make a clone from me.”
So now it’s like they are both stunned, like what fell on their heads is a heavy box. They are never going to talk again, they are so stunned.
“Well!” Rauden gets out. “You can call it that if you want. We prefer SCNT. Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer.”
I look at both of them, like, that’s the answer?
“You could just say Transfer,” he goes, “if it’s simpler.”
“Clone sounds so negative,” goes Rini.
“And then—we could go to jail. Or worse.”
But Rini shut him up. “It does not matter what you call it. What matters is how Inez feels about it.”
Not this again.
She pulls me around by my shoulders so I have to look right in her face. “You must tell me how you feel. Because there will be foolish people who will tell you she is you.”
“For God’s sake, Rini! Nobody’s going to know! They’d have to see them in the same room, side by side.”
But Rini would not let me go. “How will you feel, if they say the child is you?”
Man! How do I know? But she is not going to let me go till I come up with something, so I try. “I would feel, will I still be paid?”
Rini let go of me so fast I almost fell. She sank back on the couch. She looked loose and floppy, like an old rag. “Does this girl think only about money? Has she no self-esteem? No character? Has she no feelings at all?”
I’m never saying anything again! Every time I say anything, it is a problem. Even Rauden’s eyes are closed.
Finally Rini whispered, and it is like a hiss, “Why do you do this? Why do you treat your life like something that can be bought and sold? New Life labs—my God! Will you do anything for money?”
Well, Rini knew more than me about Fate, but how it looked, she was a little challenged when it came to girls like me. But remember when I said she was a part of it? And I don’t mean mito-whatever or even money. She was like an environmental factor. And I will tell you this. I never met an environmental factor like her. I did need the money, but I never gave any thought before why I do these things? I gave it now.
“I like to see what happens,” I told Rini.
And I could see her eyes change when I said that, like, would someone do these terrible things just to see what happens? Then they change again, like,
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