Invaded (Alienated, #2)(13)
Cara didn’t know the girl’s name. She hated to admit it, but most of the clones still looked the same to her. “Mahra,” Cara said, shrinking back at her own loud echo. She hadn’t learned many words yet, but she could manage hello, good-bye, and sorry, pardon my ignorance.
The girl paused, taking in the circular bronze emblems that adorned the shoulders of Cara’s ceremonial robe. They were symbols of the Sacred Mother, L’eihr itself, and the stark white of the fabric represented the purity of heart with which Cara would pledge her fealty to the planet. Funny how white stood for virtue no matter which galaxy you inhabited.
The girl pursed her lips in hesitation, and after scanning the room as if to ensure they were alone, she offered a curt “Welcome,” in broken English before striding to a nearby toilet enclosure. It wasn’t much, but that quiet greeting was more than Cara had received from her schoolmates since she’d joined their ranks.
Maybe this Sh’ovah was a good idea after all.
Another girl strode into the washroom, and she was one of the few clones Cara recognized. She carried herself with more arrogance than the rest, and her mouth was always pinched in a scowl. Her name was Dahla, and she’d been the first to give Cara “the finger.”
Cara tipped her head in a greeting and waited for the girl to do the same. But Dahla tossed back her ponytail and strode toward the toilets, making sure to bump Cara’s arm extra hard when she passed.
“Open your eyes,” Dahla said in English. “Clumsy human.”
Refusing to be baited, Cara held her head high and returned to her room. She reminded herself of what Aelyx had said. Everything would be all right. The clones simply needed time to get used to her.
She clung to the remnants of that confidence hours later, when Troy’s knuckles rapped on her bedroom door. “Elle isn’t here,” she told him. Cara suspected that most of his visits were really covert missions to cozy up to her roommate.
“Good,” Troy said. “’Cause I want to talk to you alone.” He flicked a glance at her robe and took a step back, eyeing her warily, as if she might detonate if he got too close. He wrinkled his nose and extended one index finger. “Are you naked under there?”
Cara wrapped the lapels more snugly across her chest and tightened the belt at her waist. “Don’t be such a prude. I’m more covered up now than all the times you’ve seen me in a bathing suit.” Thank God that only L’eihr citizens could attend her Sh’ovah. She’d die a thousand deaths if Troy saw her naked. But to complete her ruse of boldness, she added, “There’s nothing obscene about the human body. You’re only ashamed because our society taught you to be.”
He folded his arms and focused over her shoulder, taking an abrupt interest in her room. Not that there was anything remotely interesting in there. Bare gray walls and minimalist furnishings made up her décor, consisting of a bunk bed and a cabinet that looked like a cross between an armoire and a refrigerator.
“I can’t have a conversation with you while you’re naked,” Troy complained. “It skeeves me out.”
“Then come back later.”
“I can’t. It’ll be too late then.”
“Too late for what?”
Puffing in exasperation, he turned to face her. “Too late to talk you out of this citizenship stuff. You don’t belong here, Pepper. This place is…uh…” He deliberated over his next choice of words, then leaned in and confided, “Intense.” While she shook her head, Troy hitched a thumb toward Aelyx’s vacant room a few doors down. “Listen, I know you like this guy—”
“Love,” she corrected. “I love this guy.”
“Right.” He flashed his most condescending whatever face. “But you’ve got nothing in common. It won’t last.”
Cara gripped her waist. “Just because you change girlfriends before your gum loses flavor doesn’t mean my relationship is doomed to fail.”
“It’s basic statistics.” His blue eyes flashed to hers. “You know what the divorce rate is for teens?” Without giving her a chance to guess, he announced, “Three times the national average.”
“The national average is fifty percent, Einstein.”
“Then you have a one hundred and fifty percent chance of breaking up. Even higher if you take into account that you’re from different worlds. That brings it to”—he counted silently on his fingers—“like, four thousand percent.”
Poor Troy. What he lacked in brains he made up for in…well, something other than brains. “I found my match,” Cara said. “Why should I be penalized because I’m young? Besides, it doesn’t matter, because I’m not getting married.” Matrimony didn’t even exist here. L’eihrs declared a l’ihan and that was that. Zero drama.
“You promised to stay here and be with him for life. It’s the same thing, minus a piece of paper.”
She couldn’t dispute that, so she adopted a new tactic. “It’s none of your business.”
“Wha—” He blinked at her in silence for a few beats. “You’re my sister!”
She couldn’t dispute that, either—she didn’t want to. She’d always wished Troy would take an interest in her life. It was a shame he’d waited until now to play the role of protective big brother. In less than a week, he’d be gone again.