Daughter of Nothing

by Eric Kent Edstrom

  The old man shook his head. “If Dante said he met his father, then he was mistaken. The person he spoke with was an investor, nothing more.”

  Dr. Carlhagen had no reason to deny it if it was true. His statement confirmed what Jacey had deduced. The Scions were clones.

  “Hmmm.” She sipped her wine. “Interesting that a mere investor would consider Dante ‘a chip off the old block.’”

  Mr. Justin returned to collect the salad plates. Only Humphrey’s was empty. Jacey had taken a few bites. Belle and Dr. Carlhagen had eaten none.

  When the butler came back with the entrée, Jacey stopped him. “May I borrow your tray?”

  Mr. Justin hesitated and looked to Dr. Carlhagen. The old man nodded, and his eyes brightened. His smile returned as Jacey took the tray and studied her reflection in the polished silver.

  “I wonder how much I resemble my mother,” she mused, turning her face slightly. “I mean, my investor.” She lowered the tray enough to peer at Humphrey.

  “You know, now that Humphrey has lost a bit of weight, I see something in his face. Something familiar. And in Belle’s, too.”

  She stood and rounded the table, going the long way so as not to alarm Dr. Carlhagen too much. He kept his right hand on the pistol.

  Leaning over Belle, she held the tray so she could see both their faces in it. “I was mistaken. We are clearly not related, are we Belle? Do you suppose your investor has such lovely, fair skin as you have?”

  Belle gave a noncommittal grunt and shifted in her seat to distance herself from Jacey.

  “And how about you, Humphrey?” Jacey moved behind him and held the tray in front of his face. She made a surprised, gasping noise. “Humphrey, would you mind holding the tray for a moment?”

  He took it, though he looked over his shoulder at her. He seemed frightened by her false charm. With gentle pressure, she turned his head to face the tray.

  “Yes . . . what I noticed in his face before strikes me as most uncanny.” She slid her hand down Humphrey’s chest and snatched the white napkin from his lap. She folded it into a small triangle. Holding it up to Humphrey’s chin, she said, “That’s what was missing. A white beard. Why, Humphrey, I think Dr. Carlhagen just might be your investor.”

  Humphrey’s skin paled, nearly matching the napkin. He let the tray drop, and it banged onto the table.

  Belle leaned forward to get a better view of Humphrey’s face. Her mouth hung open, and her eyes went wide.

  Dr. Carlhagen’s had narrowed to slits. But he said nothing. Did nothing.

  Humphrey broke the moment with a sudden laugh. Color returned to his cheeks, and he reached up to remove Jacey’s hand from his shoulder. “I know why Dr. Carlhagen never told us about our parents. He didn’t want us to dream about meeting them for years and years, didn’t want us distracted by the anticipation and excitement of it. He thought he was doing us a kindness. Because he knew that when we stood face-to-face with them, we’d be disappointed. Even worse, disgusted.”

  Dr. Carlhagen lifted the pistol and toyed with the barrel with his other hand. “You are all very entertaining. It’s a credit to your education that you speak so articulately and have such sharply honed wits. But I shall only tell you this once more. You have no parents. None will greet you after graduation. Jacey, please return to your seat. The fish grows cold.”

  Jacey returned to her chair and picked up her utensils. She wanted to stab Dr. Carlhagen with them, but instead turned her anger on the fish, chopping it up and stabbing a large chunk with her fork.

  Humphrey gobbled down his meal, then leaned back. The food seemed to have somehow filled in the hollowness in his face. “It occurs to me that if my punishment was not about the radio, then Vaughan’s was likely not about being discovered alone with Jacey in the bell tower. Tell us, why did you have him killed?”

  Dr. Carlhagen chewed a tiny bite of fish and swallowed, staring at Humphrey.

  “He’s not dead,” Jacey said. “Or so Dr. Carlhagen says.”

  Belle covered her mouth, but she couldn’t keep the reflexive sob inside. “Where is he?”

  “Dr. Carlhagen refuses to say,” Jacey said and clinked her knife against Charlie’s jar. “He likes to toy with people. But don’t get your hopes up, Belle. Dr. Carlhagen is a compulsive liar.”

  Belle stared at the headmaster, lower lip trembling. “Let me see him. Please.”

  Dr. Carlhagen seemed genuinely surprised. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say our brutal mistress here is in love.” He leaned toward Jacey and said conspiratorially, “Are you going to allow her to stake claim to your lover?”

  “He’s not her lover,” Belle said through clenched teeth. “Now let me see him.”

  Jacey eyed Belle over the rim of her wine glass. The girl clasped her hands so tightly her arms trembled. Humphrey leaned away from her as if fearful she might explode.

  “All in due time,” Dr. Carlhagen said. He wasn’t even looking at Belle or Jacey. His eyes were on Humphrey. “Let’s enliven the evening with a little game. We’ll start with you.”

  Humphrey shifted uncomfortably and looked at Dr. Carlhagen as if the man might put the pistol to Humphrey’s head at any second.

  “Who do you think would be a better match for Jacey?” Dr. Carlhagen asked. “The vain and needy lad desperate for love, or the noble fighter whom everyone admires?”

  Jacey couldn’t believe the cruelty of the question.

  “The noble fighter, of course,” Humphrey said. “She’ll need such a man to defend her against the advances of perverted old men.”

  Dr. Carlhagen’s face went red, but then he chuckled and patted the table. “See? Is this not more interesting than gossiping about who resembles whom? Now one for you, Belle of the Iron Fists.” He put a finger to his lips and pretended to be deep in thought. “I’m interested to know the depths of your feelings for Vaughan. Which would you choose for him, a quick death or a lifetime with Jacey?”

  Belle folded her hands on the table in an obvious effort to control them. “Hypothetical questions like this are silly.”

  Dr. Carlhagen put a hand to his heart. “You wound me, Belle. I thought my question was well considered. After all, if you truly love him, you would want him to be happy. No?”

  “Fine. I’d want him to be with her.” She said it loudly, deliberately.

  “And here I was, believing that love was an outdated concept. More surprising is to be disabused of this notion by a girl who fractured Nurse Smith’s jaw. Ah, the violence of love!”

  His blue eyes, watery and large, shifted to Jacey.

  Here we go.

  “Jacey. Lovely, Jacey,” Dr. Carlhagen said, drawing out the first vowel of her name. “For you, a different question, but I want you to answer quickly to keep you from over-thinking it. And it’s more than a question. I’m going to give you a choice.”

  Jacey folded her hands in her lap and focused on the headmaster.

  Belle and Humphrey appeared frozen, eyes lighting her up like flashlight beams. Jacey didn’t think they were even breathing, and she knew why. Dr. Carlhagen’s game felt like a trap.

  “I’ll give you ten seconds to answer,” Dr. Carlhagen said. He pulled a watch from an outside pocket of his white coat and flipped it open. From another pocket, he removed something else. He kept it concealed in one palm.

  “If you say nothing before the time is up, then you will receive neither boon.”

  Boon? A gift?

  She was even more wary now, having already received Charlie’s jar.

  “Pick one of the following,” Dr. Carlhagen said. He set down a large black key that clicked on the mahogany table. “You may exchange places with Livy.”

  Jacey started to reach for the key, but Dr. Carlhagen slid it away. “Or . . . I will take you to see Vaughan.”

  He looked down at his watch. “Nine . . . eight . . .”

  Jacey couldn’t see why he was doing this, couldn’t see what he had to gain either way.

/>   “Five . . . four . . .”

  “Pick Vaughan,” Belle said, voice like ice.

  “Three . . . two . . . one—”

  “Livy. I choose Livy.” She took the key.

  Humphrey lunged for the pistol resting beneath Dr. Carlhagen’s hand.

  The two struggled, but Humphrey snatched the weapon away. He fumbled with it, then turned it on Dr. Carlhagen.

  The man sat very still. “So you do have a backbone.”

  “Shut up.”

  “Don’t kill him yet,” Belle said. “I need to know where Vaughan is.”

  Humphrey ignored her. “Kill him? I don’t plan on killing him.” He turned the gun toward Jacey.

  The opening at the end of the barrel stared at her, black and unblinking.

  “Humphrey,” Jacey said as calmly as she could. “I know we’ve had our differences, but—”

  “Stand up.”

  Jacey rose. She had thought his mean behavior toward her during dinner had been an act, a way to spite Dr. Carlhagen. But his eyes were so wild, she wondered if the love he’d confessed to her had soured, had turned vengeful.

  “Move to the door.” He waved the gun.

  “What are you—”

  “Move!”

  Dr. Carlhagen flicked his right hand. Mr. Justin stepped from the servant’s door behind Humphrey. He held something long in both hands. A rifle.

  Belle’s face went white, and her eyes latched onto Mr. Justin’s. The butler raised an eyebrow and shook his head.

  “Outside,” Humphrey said, giving Jacey a shove out the door.

  Mr. Justin’s arms whipped up, and with a sharp stroke he brought the butt of the rifle down on Humphrey’s head. The boy fell sideways into the table, overturning wine glasses and pulling plates from the table as he slid to the floor.

  Belle reached for the pistol, but Mr. Justin easily pushed her aside and snatched it up.

  “That was close,” Dr. Carlhagen said, a nervous laugh escaping him. He took the pistol from Mr. Justin. “Escort Belle to the medical ward and lock her in one of the side rooms. Then come back and collect Humphrey.”

  The butler swung the rifle toward Belle. “If you please, Miss Belle.”

  The pale girl trembled, at once furious and terrified. “Please. Let me see Vaughan.”

  “No,” Dr. Carlhagen said.

  For a moment, Jacey was sure Belle was going to lunge at Mr. Justin. But despite the waves of emotion that had overtaken her, she was a pragmatic girl. Slowly, she turned and walked from the dining room. But not without throwing a hateful glance back at the headmaster.

  “I’ll take you to the pit myself, my dear” Dr. Carlhagen said to Jacey.

  “No need to trouble yourself, Doctor.”

  “It’s not because I don’t trust you—though I certainly don’t. I’m going that direction anyway. I need to go down to the ward and tend to my patients.”

  He motioned at the table with the pistol. “Put the key down.”

  “Won’t we need it to unlock the grate?”

  “That’s not the real key. Only Sensei has that one.”

  Of course. Dr. Carlhagen had covered every contingency, including having Mr. Justin standing by to intercede.

  She tossed the key onto the table and walked out of the dining room, holding her head high. As if she didn’t have a gun to her back.

  30

  Leverage Gave Him Power

  By the time Jacey got to the pit, Sensei had already opened the grate, and Livy had climbed out. She ran to Jacey, but Dr. Carlhagen thrust his cane between them, keeping Livy away.

  “Ah, ah, ah,” he said. “I would hate for Jacey’s beautiful gown to be ruined.”

  Water dripped from Livy’s uniform, evidence she had been immersed in the filthy water at the bottom of the pit.

  “Stand aside, child.” Dr. Carlhagen turned to Jacey, looked her up and down, and shook his head sadly. “You think you’ve saved Livy, that you’ve spared her a discomfort. What you’ve really done is put yourself under my power.”

  “So is that my weakness? That I have compassion?”

  “Indeed. Compassion is a great weakness, but it’s one of many.” He stepped closer to her and tapped a finger against her breastbone. “Your greatest weakness is that you refuse to seize the power that you have and use it.”

  “And what power is that, Doctor?”

  “It’s all about desire. Once you know what others want, you can give it to them or you can withhold it.”

  “And what do I have that I could possibly deny you?”

  “That’s a good point,” he said. He grabbed her shoulders and turned her away. With a sharp jerk of his hand, he unzipped her gown. “I would hate for this lovely dress to be ruined. Remove it, and I’ll see it safely returned to the villa.”

  “No!” Sensei shouted.

  “You dare contradict me, Mario?” Dr. Carlhagen said, voice cracking. He waved his pistol at the martial arts master. “Stand back. And remember that I have contingencies in place should something happen to me.”

  Sensei trembled with rage, but he stood back.

  Chills crossed Jacey’s arms and legs. And then passed down her spine as the easterly breeze brushed the skin of her exposed back. The wind had lifted, bringing with it a hint of moisture. To the east a band of black clouds obliterated the stars.

  She stared into the impenetrable depths of the pit, but she would not allow Dr. Carlhagen to see her fear. Calmly, she stepped out of her gown and handed it to him.

  “And the shoes,” he prompted.

  She kicked off her shoes and stood shivering and rubbing her elbows.

  Sensei took a step closer.

  “Have a care, Mario,” Dr. Carlhagen said.

  “Why do you torture them?” Sensei demanded.

  “Torture? Is that what you think this is? Everything I do is to teach.” He put a hand on Jacey’s shoulder and stroked down her arm. “The next time you see me, my lovely, I will be reinvigorated. A whole new man. While you’re down there, think about the advantages you might enjoy if you were a bit more cooperative.”

  Jacey stumbled forward to escape his touch, nearly toppling into the pit. Sensei leapt forward and caught her.

  “Help me,” she said, searching his eyes. She found them filled with pain and anger, but also resignation.

  “I can’t.”

  He held her steady as she lowered her leg over the edge to catch the top rung. She started down the ladder, but stopped with her head just above the rim and glared at Dr. Carlhagen. “Humphrey once told me you were in love with me. I thought it was crazy then, but he nearly had me convinced. Now I see that love has nothing to do with it. I’m nothing more than a toy. But be careful not to leave too many scratches on me. It would be a shame if my Progenitor arrived only to discover her clone was broken.”

  Sensei gasped, but he didn’t move.

  Jacey climbed further down the ladder, until her feet touched water. Hooking her arms and legs through the rungs, she hung just above the cesspool. The grate fell shut overhead with a reverberating clang, and the sharp click of the lock snapping shut followed it like a slap. Sensei’s form was visible through the grating as a mere shadow. She couldn’t see the look on his face. She had hoped for a moment that he would intercede and stop the madness. But he was as owned as she was, his freedom and family used against him as much as Livy was used against her.

  And as she hung from the iron ladder, shivering, the first raindrops struck her face.

  Dr. Carlhagen’s voice drifted down to her. “Jacqueline, my love. I am not at all concerned about using you as I see fit. Your Progenitor is dead.”

  31

  Protocol Hemlock

  Dr. Carlhagen swallowed several pills as he walked toward the medical ward. The dinner had gone much worse than he’d expected.

  The Scions were too clever. Their thinking was too independent, too sophisticated. He’d always planned to keep them childlike, ignorant in the ways of the
world. Innocent.

  He supposed that had been naive of him. How ironic.

  The girl’s last comment struck him as particularly surprising, using the word “clone.”

  He wondered how she had pieced it all together.

  Remarkable.

  But since the Scions weren’t in open revolt, he reckoned she hadn’t told the others yet. He’d have to keep her separate from the others until he was ready to leave the island with her.

  He climbed the steps to the medical ward, hoping the andleprixen kicked in soon. That last bit of drama with Humphrey and the pistol had caught him off guard, made his legs feel weak.

  He pushed through the door and sighed. Oh, how he wished for a good night’s sleep. Dabbing the sweat from his brow, he moved around Nurse Smith’s desk.

  The guardian AI, Chax, appeared on the monitor as a beefy man with a sidearm and uniform. “Good evening, Doctor.”

  “Unlock the door.”

  The door clicked. “Done.”

  Dr. Carlhagen started to push through the door, but Chax stopped him. “Sir, there was a transient temperature alarm in the freezer room last night. The door sensor was activated for a few minutes, and the temperature rose five degrees. Nurse Smith went in through her door twice last night.”

  Dr. Carlhagen tapped his cane on the floor thoughtfully. He hadn’t sent Mr. Justin down, and there had been no reason for him or Nurse Smith to check the freezer room. They both knew what it held. Someone had, though. And it could only have been one of two people. Sensei or Jacqueline.

  It had to have been Sensei, he decided. The martial arts master had been pressing Dr. Carlhagen to see Vaughan. He’d probably snuck in when Nurse Smith opened the door.

  “Chax, notify Captain Wilcox that I want to activate Protocol Seven, immediately.” That would get the ball rolling. Sensei would be gone before he knew what was happening. Dr. Carlhagen pulled the watch from his pocket and flipped it open. That gave him ninety minutes before the helicopters arrived.