Synthetic Code for Sincerity (Synthetic Code Series Book 1) by Naya Zayn

Author:Naya Zayn [Zayn, Naya]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2023-05-24T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Yugo kept to himself like his life depended on it. And perhaps it did. Each time he caught a glimpse of Vincent, his lungs turned on him, squeezing the breath from his chest in a vise-like grip. Any interaction would surely lead to his end. Death by hypoxia. An awful way to go.

Yugo valued his lifeforce, so he fled to his rooms where he felt secure. He stocked enough food for a year, and defended his space like a fortress, ignoring all the knocks that came to his door. His solitude became a self-imposed prison, and that was fine. It was a prison he chose. One he’d willingly endure to avoid the headache. Even now, Vincent’s words plagued his brain. There was probably some truth to them, Yugo didn’t know. He couldn’t entertain any of it. Not even a little. Not while he’d open the doors for more misery. So he spent his time in relative peace. He drew and he listened to music. And the days stretched to a week.

“Yugo, are you alright?”

He jerked from the sound of her voice. “Sorry,” he croaked, feeling chewed up and spat out.

Avian had listened without interrupting while he told her everything. He told her about Vanguard, about visiting the synths, and his call with Raphael—all leading to that damn moment when Vincent flipped on him.

He’d been so wound up while saying everything. And now sitting deflated, his slow brain insisted on tuning her out.

“…had a great time.”

Yugo frowned in confusion. “What?”

“I said it sounds like you had a great time.”

“When?”

“With Vincent’s family.”

“Oh! Yeah…”

“Great. I’m really glad you had fun. Let’s set that aside for now.” Her hologram flickered as she leaned back in her seat. “Take us to the events of Vanguard. Why were you so upset about Spencer?”

Yugo’s gaze flicked to the ceiling. “I don’t know if I was upset about her, it’s just—It’s an awful thing to see, you know?”

“Okay. Let’s replace Spencer with your previous house. The fire, that’s also an awful thing to see. Does it change anything?”

As if he was there again, a raging red seared into gaze while thick smoke clogged his nose. And Yugo had been upset, sure. But compared to her…”I don’t know, it hits differently.”

“Why do you think it hits differently?”

Yugo squirmed in his seat. “I don’t know, it just does—” He didn’t want to think about this right now. Why did she always have to make things so difficult? He suddenly remembered the reason he called her in the first place. And how she’d avoided the question. “Why can’t we talk about why you’re pro-synth?” he demanded. “That’s kind of important. And don’t bother denying it. It’s always been obvious.”

Avian blinked at him. “I don’t deny it at all. And while you’re right, it’s important… I’m not sure it’s more important than other things though.”

“Other things like what?”

“Like your peace of mind for example.” She leveled him with an even stare.

And again, Yugo shifted in place. Nothing about this conversation was sitting right.

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