For Everly: A Xeno Sapiens Novel (Genetically Altered Humans Book 8)

by Rena Marks

  “So what shall we name the second Jack?” Thane asked. “Jackangela?”

  “That’s a girl name,” Jacob said, frowning at Thane. “Jack’s a boy.”

  “Oh. How about Peter?”

  “New name. New name,” Everly called out, her voice a bit strangled. “No Peter. No Dick. Not even Harry.”

  “Butch? That’s a good one. Jack and Butch, climbed up the hill, to fetch a pail of water…” he stopped, unable to remember the rest of the tune. “That rings pretty good,” he said. “So Butch said, ‘Whoa. You’re real. Just a little different from me. Your hair isn’t as long.’ See, Butch’s hair went all the way down to his shoulders and he used to wear it in this cute little ponytail at the back of his head, but he did wonder how it would look if his hair started to thin out on top and he had a glorious ponytail hiding in the back—” he broke off, distracted with Everly’s pointed stare. Oh, that’s right. Keep on track. “’We can cut your hair like mine, Butch,’ Jack said, grabbing a pair of scissors from the dresser. Now, Jack knew he wasn’t allowed to play with scissors, but he wanted to seem all grown up in front of Butch so he could impress him. He took those scissors and snip, snip. Then he stood back in shock. No one ever really explained how sharp and dangerous scissors were. They were so sharp, Butch’s hair stood up in tufts of dark brown, which looked even darker now that it was so uneven. Jack smoothed it down with his hand, but it wasn’t going anywhere. ‘Um, maybe we should let this grow,’ he said. ‘I didn’t realize you had so many cowlicks.’ Now, he didn’t really know what a cowlick was, but he knew his mom complained of it every time she combed his hair for church. But poor Butch. His mutilated hair stuck out in a hundred different directions, and Jack knew if his mother saw Butch’s hair like that, she’d run screaming for the hills. He couldn’t leave Butch here in the giant land. He couldn’t take Butch home with him looking like an alien. So he did what he had to do.”

  “Whaat? What did he haf to do, Thane?” Jacob asked, leaning forward onto Everly’s lap as he popped a grape into his mouth.

  “He opened the bedroom door, swiped his hand down the pee-covered wall, and shuddering, brought his hand to Butch’s head, smearing the whole mess down.”

  “Eww!” The children groaned, ruffling each other’s hair with pretend pee-fingers. Thane smiled. Smart as a whip, these kids.

  “He rubbed a bit harder than necessary, wanting to get the pee out from the cracks between his fingers. When he was done, some of the longer pieces laid down rather greasily onto Butch’s head though the really short pieces had no hope in hell.”

  Everly cleared her throat.

  “Heck. I meant heck.”

  She gave him a beaming smile.

  “’Thanks,’ Butch said, and from that moment on, Jack knew they’d be best friends. Beyond best friends. They were gonna be brothers. Beyond brothers. They were gonna be twins.”

  “Twins,” Jacob breathed reverently.

  “Uh, huh,” Thane nodded. “But one thing that didn’t occur to Jack? Are twins necessarily a good thing? There’s a reason why it’s called double trouble. After all, those giant babies were twins…”

  “Oh, oh,” Stevie said. “Are they gonna get in big trouble, Thane?”

  “The worst ever,” he assured Stevie. “And this is why, sometimes it’s best to keep twins secret. See, Jack realized no one had to know about Butch. Because he didn’t want to be associated with those bratty giant baby-twins. And, gross, but Butch was already wearing pee in his hair. While it kept those awful-looking tufts down, some would argue that it was pretty naughty to wear pee in the hair like a greasy hovercar dealer. To dial down the naughty factor, they’d have to consider keeping Butch a secret.”

  “I’d keep twins a secret,” Jacob whispered, slipping his hand into Angela’s. “Especially you.”

  “Thanks,” she mouthed then smoothed down her shorter, darker hair and wiped her hand on her pants.

  He broke into giggles. “I’m not gonna try pee in my hair, Ang’la.”

  “I hope not, cutie.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Everly:

  One could call the expedition to the outside a success. The parents were all happy with her again, the children still loved her, the bad seeds were relocated, and most of all, she had Angela here with her.

  While she and Thane still frequented the over-the-wall visits, Angela preferred to stay within the walls, usually choosing those times to bathe Zee, or read to him, or brush his hair. How they’d ever gotten it unsnarled was beyond Everly’s comprehension.

  A lot of time, while Thane was off working and she and Angela were alone, they spent the time at the beach created by the Xeno Sapiens. Angela had even volunteered them for time in the fields, and she was almost as tanned as Everly was. It was like she couldn’t get enough sun, and now, the only differences between them was the scar and the fact that Angela had shorter hair.

  Everly slipped on a naughty little bikini. It was the same color as her skin and would drive Thane wild when he saw it later. She shivered, knowing that he’d imagine she was naked.

  Angela had already told her she’d be wearing the white one, and somehow between the two of them, their suits had gotten skimpier and skimpier. No one seemed to care, and in fact, Robyn, the one person who Everly thought might say something, seemed to encourage it. It was odd. It wasn’t that they had anything to be ashamed of. A lot of Xeno Sapiens preferred to be natural. But what was odd was that between the twins, they’d attracted the unwanted attention of Zee once. Everly would have thought that Robyn would be focusing on that.

  There was a brief knock at the inner door. The filtering room had been disabled, and Angela had been handprint-scanned for the outer lock.

  “Come in,” she yelled out.

  From the straps around Angela’s neck, she was definitely wearing the white suit. It was covered by a thin wrap-dress and she carried a bag over one shoulder.

  “I have a surprise,” Angela said. “We need to make a detour before heading to the water. Pax and Steele are waiting.”

  “Oh, yay,” Everly said, turning to see how much of her butt was covered in the mirror. With as skimpy as the suit was, it still was acceptable. None of her previous tan lines showed through.

  “Hurry up, slap something over that, and let’s go,” Angela said.

  Everly slipped a sheath-dress over her bikini. “I hope Pax’s multiples are out,” she said to Angela. “I’ve met all six, but not at the same time. I’d like you to meet them. They’re fun.”

  “Mmm, hmm,” Angela murmured, picking up her pre-packed beach bag for her.

  Angela led the way—out toward the main building where the wing of the sci-fi wizardry of Pax and Steele was contained.

  Pax greeted them at the door.

  “Sweetheart,” he said, kissing her cheek. For a second, she was shocked and then she realized it wasn’t him.

  “Happy!”

  “It is I!” He grinned, turning toward Angela. Just beyond him, Everly saw Pax with Steele in the back of the room.

  “Let me escort both lovely ladies,” he said, holding out an arm for each of them. “I was on the bubble-team, you know,” he said to Angela. “Had to teach Everly how to eat like a lady.”

  Angela laughed.

  He brought them over to where Steele and Pax sat and seated Everly with them but brought Angela to the center of the room.

  “Can I do this demonstration?” Happy asked.

  Pax scowled. “Why do you ask? You know you’re going to.”

  “It’s only polite,” Happy laughed.

  From another table in the room, three other multiples worked. They tossed wadded up paper at Happy.

  He caught the paper and deposited it in a trash can without comment but rolled his eyes at the girls.

  “We’ve got Jealousy, Petty, and Mouthy out today,” he whispered. “Ignore them.” He combed his fingers through Angela’s hair, sweeping it back from her temples into a half-ponytail.


  Angela didn’t look surprised. Everly suspected she’d been hanging out a lot here, exploring all the gadgets they’d created.

  “Now look at what we have for you,” Happy said, pulling out a jar of cream.

  Next to Everly, Pax and Steele sat down on either side.

  “Happy’s project,” Steele said. “He’s made a foray into skincare.”

  Pax snorted. “We’re a regular cosmetic company.”

  “Don’t listen to them,” Angela whispered. “Just do you.”

  “They’re jealous.” Happy smeared the cream onto Angela’s scar, feathering the edges out to the smooth skin beyond. “And, voilà!”

  He spun her chair in a circle before steadying her to face the three watching.

  Her scar was gone. Completely gone.

  “How—?” Everly sprang up from her seat.

  “Damn, Happy,” Steele said. “That worked better than I expected.”

  Happy frowned at him. “Really, Steele? Really? I’m one of Pax’s multiples. Did you really not expect perfection?”

  Pax smiled, and the two of them smacked palms.

  “How did you make her scar disappear with a cream?” Everly asked, stunned.

  “It’s not really gone,” Happy explained, holding his hand under Angela’s chin to angle her head. “Think of the cream as a makeup. The scar is covered.”

  “But I can’t see the makeup,” Everly said.

  “It’s invisible. It only works with light.” He yelled out over Everly’s shoulders. “Would one of you turn out the lights?”

  The lights were switched off, leaving them in the dark. Happy pulled out a small penlight and switched it on. It shone a black light over Angela’s face. The scar was clearly there just as it had always been.

  Someone turned the lights back on, and her face looked unscarred.

  Everly reached out to touch the skin. Sure enough, her fingers felt the scar. She just couldn’t see it.

  “It’s waterproof,” Happy said, handing Angela a mirror. “Eventually, it’ll wear off on its own. We’re going to see how long it takes.”

  “And it’s only detectable under a black light?” Everly asked.

  “Yep.”

  “That’s amazing.”

  “Thanks for being my tester,” Happy murmured to Angela. “You ladies have fun swimming today.”

  As Angela rose, Everly stared into the face that was as familiar as her own. “You know, once your hair grows longer, no one will be able to tell us apart.”

  “Just like before,” Angela commented.

  Everly smiled so wide her cheeks hurt. What were the chances that she’d find her sister again after seven years? It was a miracle, and she was going to take advantage of every second of it.

  “Ready?”

  “Always.”

  * * * * *

  When they were finally settled on the beach, soaking up the sun’s rays, Everly said, “So what really happened during the three weeks with Zealish?”

  “He was…intense,” Angela said. “I was terrified at first. No matter what I threw at him, he brushed it aside like I was a weak little girl instead of a trained assassin. And then tried to coddle me. Sat me in his lap and finger brushed my hair. Rubbed my shoulders. Brought me food. I finally figured out he just wanted someone to care for. Once I realized that, we got a long much better. It wasn’t bad, except my primary goal was to find you, and he wouldn’t let me out of his sight.”

  “He scared me shitless the first time I saw him,” Everly said. “He’d dug a trap and Thane fell into it, breaking his leg. Leaving me alone with Zee.”

  “What did he do?” Angela asked.

  “Sniffed me. He wanted Thane gone, but he was still sane enough that he wanted him to leave on his own because he knew he’d fight him to the death. Then, some of the other Xeno Sapiens arrived, and Thane attacked him. They drugged him and penned him in the electrical field, which is where you found him.”

  “I guess I was just your substitute,” Angela said, her voice a bit odd. “He couldn’t have you and focused on me instead.”

  “I’m Thane’s. I’ve always been. I tried to tell him that, but he wasn’t thinking properly.”

  “I thought he was gonna eat me at first. But instead, he laid his head down on my lap and let me stroke his hair. It calmed him.”

  “I can’t imagine him calm,” Everly said. “All he ever did was roar.”

  “I think that was a show to keep people away so they wouldn’t find me. He began digging his den frantically at night so I could hide in it during the day. Not that I realized it at first.”

  They were quiet for a bit, contemplating their thoughts.

  “He’d bring me little gifts,” Angela said. “A smooth rock. A clump of flowers for my hair. It’s been a crazy mateship,” she laughed. “But as long as the paperwork works for our benefit, it’s all good.”

  Everly laughed along with her.

  When they sobered, Everly asked her, “Do you ever wonder about them? Our parents and uncle?”

  “Not anymore,” Angela said. “But that’s probably because while I was being trained by Crested Ute, I learned a bit about them.”

  “Like what?”

  “Uncle William was sterile. As a youngster, he had blockages in his testicles that rendered him infertile. Our mother was an employee of Crested Ute, and she agreed to marry our father for the sake of the Dual-Kenesis Experiment—us. But it’s rumored that over time, she tended to favor Uncle William. Not that father cared, of course. Not as long as she kept up her end of the bargain in public and was a dutiful wife who produced children. As far as anything within the industry, he was the boss, and the other two had to cater to his whims.”

  “I’m surprised we were the only ones they had.”

  “Mother’s contract called for one more pregnancy. They’d planned to do it after our eighteenth birthday—and final experiment. In other words, our experiment was about to be terminated, and they were going to begin anew.”

  There was a bit of silence.

  “I guess I don’t feel bad about ruining those plans,” Everly said drily.

  “Right?”

  “What was he planning on doing to you that night?”

  Angela shrugged. “Splicing some neuro connections that would have been a miracle had I lived through it. It was a last ditch effort, so they had nothing to lose. Our experiment had been deemed unsuccessful after eighteen years of work.”

  “So when he promised us our freedom at eighteen, it was a line of bullshit.”

  “Oh, we were getting our freedom,” Angela said. “Just not the way we planned.”

  “Life is so much better now. I have you, and I have Thane. We’re finally free.”

  “We’ll be free when Crested Ute is no longer waiting for us outside those gates, baby girl.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Everly said breezily. “We’re safe in here, and that’s all that matters.”

  Angela stayed quiet, so Everly knew she was on track with her thinking.

  After cooling off in the water, they both ran back to their sunning spot and stretched out on their stomachs so their backs could get some sun.

  “What is this?” Everly jerked up to see Thane staring down at her.

  “What is what?”

  “Dude. Cover your eyes,” he snapped. The Xeno Sapien with him did cover his two eyes but left the huge one in the center of his forehead uncovered and staring.

  “All of them!” Thane snapped.

  “But I’m not looking at your mate,” the man whined.

  “You’re staring at her sister! Who looks exactly like my mate but is wearing a more appropriate swimsuit.” He glared accusingly at Everly.

  She giggled. “Because it’s in white?”

  “Something makes it more appropriate,” Thane amended. “I’m not sure what it is.”

  Probably because his eyes were glued to her.

  “We’re about done here, anyway,” Angela said, sighing a
s she sat up. “Besides, I’m starved. How’s my makeup?”

  Everly peered at the area of scar on her face, which was still completely invisible. “Holding up like it was just applied.”

  “Awesome! I think I’ll take a walk to the mess hall for some food,” she said.

  “We should walk her,” Everly said.

  “Why?” Thane asked. “Angela’s perfectly safe. If you want, Vien can walk her.”

  “I’d be honored, Miss Angela.” Vien bowed low.

  “Thank you,” Angela said, reaching for her wrap to slip over her head. She gathered up her bag. “Have fun, you two,” she called out, allowing Vien to take her bag for her.

  “I don’t think she was actually hungry,” Everly fretted.

  “Of course, she wasn’t.” Thane grinned. “She knew you were being naughty wearing a skimpy swimsuit that is deceiving me into imagining you naked. You know from far away, you look nude, right?”

  “Kind of disappointing when you get up close?”

  “Not at all, mate,” he said, scooping her into his arms. “It makes me want to peel the suit off and see what’s underneath.”

  “Too bad you can’t really do that out here in the open,” she murmured.

  “Who says I can’t? We can be quick about it. Vien and I got off early, so we have at least an hour until the rest of guys on our shift get off work.”

  “Being cooped up in an apartment for three weeks has made you kind of kinky,” Everly said, pulling on the strings of her bikini. Her plump breasts spilled out, the nipples hard like they were already begging for his touch.

  His eyes sparked like they did when he conducted electricity. “Beautiful,” he muttered. Instant heat filled her when he bent his head and captured one into his mouth.

  “Thane, I love you so much!”

  He released her nipple. “Baby, you know I love you.” His large hands palmed her breasts, smashing them together as he alternated licking between her nipples. With a yank on the strings at her hips, the fabric holding together the bikini fell away.

  “You’re a goddess,” he said, covering her body with his.

  She meshed her mouth to his as she worked at unbuttoning the UV protectant shirt that most of the men wore while working the fields. He smelled hot and sweaty and delicious. Soon his shirt was unbuttoned and flowing freely. Her nimble fingers worked at the buttons of his pants. When she finally released them, she tugged them down enough so he could work his erection into her.