Static Ruin by Corey J. White

Author:Corey J. White
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Kerry brews a pot of ginger tea and pours us each a cup as we sit at the lounge. I hold the tea in my lap, letting the steam waft the sharp scent of the spice into my nose. Teo takes the open packet of cookies from the pantry and sets it in front of Pale with a cheeky look on his face. Pale grabs three biscuits in one handful and eats them hurriedly, like someone might take them away. Ocho sleeps in Pale’s lap, unperturbed by the crumbs raining on her and getting lost in her fur.

Teo seems to have forgotten about me and Kerry, wholly focused on Pale. Maybe Teo wouldn’t have abandoned his children if they’d been sons. Maybe Pale would cope better if he had a father. Still, watching them spikes my chest with jealous pangs.

“Is it safe to have all those plants out on the bench?” I ask Kerry, to take my mind off Teo and Pale.

“I honestly don’t know,” Kerry says. “I think they’re harmless; just a few basic experiments to keep him occupied.”

“How is it looking after him?”

“It’s fine,” Kerry says with an easy smile. “Hardest part is convincing him to use the chair so he doesn’t have another fall.”

Teo blows on his drink, still staring at Pale. He takes a sip, closing his eyes against the steam.

“You always wanted a son, I bet,” I say, loud enough to get Teo’s attention.

He turns his head, keeping his eyes on Pale as long as he can. The grin falls from his face when he looks at me. Thanks, dad.

“Yes, I wanted a son. Never knew what to do with girls.”

I laugh, and Teo smiles like we’re sharing a joke, but I’m laughing because it’s the only way to stop the tears. I want to hate this fucker, but how can you hate someone who’s barely there? He doesn’t know how deeply he’s wronged me. My hatred means less than nothing to him.

“Why have two of us then?”

The cup shakes gently in Teo’s hand as he lifts it to his mouth. He holds it there and asks, “Who are you?”

“Mariam.”

“Of course, of course.” He takes a sip. “You look just like her.”

“Cilla.”

He smiles, but slowly his mouth splits open and his lower lip starts to quaver. “I loved you. Why couldn’t you love me?”

“Because you got rid of me as soon as you could.”

He winces, confused, and looks back to Pale.

I lean closer to fill his sight. “How did she die? How did Cilla die?”

“It wasn’t my fault. I loved her.”

“This is going nowhere,” I say under my breath. I look to Kerry for support, but he’s reading his shard, a world away from the conversation. “Why did you clone Cilla?” I ask Teo.

“Because the other one didn’t work. It was a waste of time, effort, and DNA.”

“She had a name,” I say, biting off each word.

“She was a failed experiment.”

I stand and spill tea down my pants as the cup drops to the floor.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.