The Similars (The Similars #1)(36)
“Oh,” I say. “Well, um… Did he?”
Levi lets that sit for a few seconds, considering, and then responds. “In his own way, yes, I think he did love us. Does love us. He’s still my guardian, you know, until I turn eighteen. He’s still the only family I have. And according to him, the only family I will ever have.”
“What does that mean?” I press.
“Isn’t it obvious? Who knows what our lives will be like, whether we’ll ever be accepted in normal society. I don’t know if I’ll ever get married, have kids, live the American dream. That might not be possible for me.”
I don’t know what to say to that. How could I? So I change the subject.
“I got a letter from Jane,” I blurt. “Jane Ward. Oliver’s mother. Your DNA mother…”
“So what?” Levi says, his voice tight.
“She has to mean something to you,” I insist.
“She doesn’t,” Levi replies. “Besides, I thought we were tabling this topic until further notice.”
“Until the dedication ceremony,” I suggest. “Then we’ll see what Jane has to say when she meets you.”
“I will await the moment with bated breath,” Levi mutters.
I freeze. I’ve hurt his feelings. “I’m sorry…” But the words sound worthless, and I know my attempt to make it better has only made it worse.
*
That night at dinner, gossip in the dining hall is at a record high. From what I can gather by eavesdropping on the table next to me—they’re obnoxiously loud, so it isn’t hard—a sophomore chatted up a couple of locals when she went into town. She heard the police had pinpointed a suspect in Pru’s attack. The incident is no longer being treated as an accident.
My eyes immediately fly to Madison, sitting with Jake, Tessa, Archer, and the other senior Ten members, who are all talking animatedly.
The suspect they should be pinpointing is Madison…
I think about the other day in the library, when Tessa, Madison, and Jake referenced their blood work. If I could find out what that’s all about, I’d be closer to learning why Madison wasn’t there that day, why she missed her appointment. And if she missed it because she was attacking Pru…
“Attention!” a gravelly voice calls out. Everyone quiets down reluctantly as Principal Fleischer takes center stage. Pippa slips into a seat next to me, and I notice her friends across the room also listening attentively. “I have an announcement. It will not come as a surprise that one of our junior members of the Ten is, at this time, taking a leave of absence from the school.”
I tense in my seat; Pippa does the same. This is clearly about Pru. A leave of absence? I think. That’s what they’re calling it? I meet Pippa’s gaze. She looks as pained as I feel.
“The rules governing the Ten are quite clear. In order to participate, students must be on campus for the duration of the school year. Given that, we have moved Emmaline Chance up to the fourth spot in the Ten, and another student will be taking the fifth slot.”
Murmurs ripple across the dining hall. Another student is being slotted into the Ten? Someone new will be part of Darkwood’s prestigious group?
“The student with the sixth-highest score on the original stratum test is…” Principal Fleischer pauses. The entire school waits with bated breath. “Pippa Gravelle.” Fleischer holds up a hand, heading off any vocal reactions at the pass. “I assure you, the fact that Prudence and Pippa bear a unique resemblance has nothing to do with this decision. It was based purely on test scores. You may finish eating.”
Fleischer walks off as everyone in the dining hall starts processing this development. I look over at Pippa. She isn’t celebrating—how could she? We both know, without saying it out loud, what this means: the school doesn’t expect Pru back anytime soon.
Commitment
After the announcement, I buzz Jaeger about Pru’s condition when I’m back in my dorm room, growing more and more anxious. I can’t reach him. I don’t know much about medically induced comas, but I imagine they’re like missing persons, and a patient is far more likely to recover in the early days, not the later ones.
The more my mind races, the harder it is for me to fall asleep. I don’t have enough concentration for homework, so I try to get through a few pages of Pride and Prejudice but keep rereading the same paragraph. Finally, I give up, turn out my light, and stare at the ceiling. Maybe I shouldn’t have flushed those pharmas after all.
A few weeks later, I still haven’t heard back from Jaeger. I’m so worried about Pru I’ve been sleeping even less than usual, and I’m bleary-eyed when I walk into the dining hall for breakfast to find the walls plastered in multicolored flyers. They’re all over every available bulletin board.
DAAM
The Darkwood Academy Anti-Cloning Movement
Not human…
Not like us…
Not right!
If you believe clones have no place at Darkwood, you are not alone. Join us in fighting for our rights, as humans, against those who commit hubris against God and man. Visit DAAM.darkwood.com to sign up for our weekly newsletter.
Help us make the world right again.
“Who would do this?” Pippa asks as she rips down a flyer and studies it.