The Similars (The Similars #1)(47)
“Understand what?”
“The look on Jane’s face when she was telling me she wanted me to be a part of their family’s legacy. It was the same look you had on your face the day I met you.”
I flinch. I remain silent as I follow him deeper into the woods. When Levi reaches a small clearing, he kicks at a bed of leaves, sending them flying. I move past him and sit on a rock, wrapping my arms around my knees.
“You could get surgery,” I suggest. “Remake yourself.”
“Don’t think I haven’t considered it.”
“Would you? Change your face?” I ask. Before I can stop myself, I reach out to touch his cheek. As soon as I do, I pull back as though singed.
“In an instant,” he says, looking directly into my eyes. “I’ve told you that already.”
“And now I believe you,” I say quietly. Because I am quite certain that being Levi Gravelle and living in Oliver Ward’s body isn’t something I’d wish on anyone.
*
It’s Sunday morning, and I’m meeting Jane and Booker outside the main house to say goodbye.
“Emma?” Jane asks as I approach. If she was exhausted and emotional yesterday, today she looks wrecked. She clutches her purse, and Booker wheels a suitcase behind them.
I pull Ollie’s letter, now careworn and wrinkled, from my pocket. “Oliver’s note, the one you sent to me? I don’t understand it. I’ve been trying to work it out, but nothing makes sense, unless…” I am not sure how to say this. “You read it, right? Who is ‘him’? Who is he talking about?” I hand Jane the note to jog her memory. “Did he know? About Levi? Did Oliver know he had a Similar?”
“How could he have known?” Jane asks. “We didn’t know ourselves.”
“Could someone have tried to contact you, and Ollie intercepted the message?” I know it sounds far-fetched. But still, I can’t think of any other explanation for Oliver’s note, for Oliver’s leaving.
“Emmaline, please,” Booker jumps in. “Don’t start this—” He stops himself, his harshness dissipating, when he sees the hurt in my eyes.
“I’m sorry, Emma,” Jane says. “We’ve been through an untold amount of stress. Booker didn’t mean…”
I get it. I nod. Still, there’s something else I want to say to them. “Levi was upset yesterday. What you offered him, it was very generous. I’ve gotten to know him the past few months. He’s a good person. I know what everyone says about the Similars, but it’s not true. They aren’t dangerous, and I don’t think they were brainwashed—” I stop myself as Jane starts to get emotional again. “Levi deserves to be a part of a family, of your family.”
Jane and Booker exchange a look.
“What?” I press. “What’s going on?”
Jane clutches the strap of her bag. “Emma, that’s part of the reason we’re leaving this morning. Levi—”
“What about him?”
“He signed the paperwork yesterday afternoon. We gifted him, in a custodial account, the shares of Ward, Inc. that would have been Oliver’s, including the super voting rights that would give him quite a bit of influence over the company. The only other shareholders who have that kind of power are us—Booker and me. We did this on faith, you understand. We did this because of everything you just said. Because the Similars, all of them, deserve a chance. And because he is my son.”
“That’s a good first step, isn’t it?” I say tentatively.
“We also did it because we are grieving. And we were fools. Early this morning, we received a call from our lawyer. As soon as the proverbial ink was dry, Levi’s guardian—as custodian of the account—sold Levi’s shares on his behalf,” Booker supplies.
“He sold them? But…why?”
“We don’t know why his guardian agreed to sell them, but we do know to whom.” Jane looks over at Booker. He nods. “Himself.”
“What?” I respond. “I don’t understand.”
“No, you wouldn’t, because it’s so hard to believe. But Levi’s guardian transferred the stock from Levi’s account to his own personal account, on Levi’s orders. Which means the man who raised Levi and the other Similars, Augustus Gravelle—whatever kind of person he may be—is now a key stakeholder in our family’s company.”
The Tasks
The day passes in a blur. All I can think about is how Levi handed his shares of Ward, Inc. to his guardian. There must be more to the story than that. Surely there is an explanation or justification for what he’s done. Before she left, Jane told me that they plan to fight this with a lawsuit. What Gravelle did was a gross violation of his custodial duty. I asked her not to blame Levi for what his guardian likely made him do. I don’t think Levi is a bad person, though I can’t say I agree with his actions. Still, it’s not enough to make me distrust him—or the Similars—like the students on campus signing up for DAAM do. Not since I’ve gotten to know them. Pippa misses Pru as much as I do. And Levi saved Pru’s life. All of that has to mean something. It must.
At lunch, I look for Levi in the dining hall, but he isn’t there. Neither are the other Similars, except for Pippa. I’m relieved when she sits next to me. She makes it feel like a part of Pru is still here, and not in a coma, or worse. Plus, in the time I have gotten to know Pippa, I have begun to think of her as a good friend. I don’t tell Pippa what I’ve learned about Ward, Inc. For now, it feels like my secret. Mine and Levi’s.