Cheating Time

by T. R. Graves

  "You don't know anything about Jayden or Rorie," I challenged.

  Jayden may have hurt me, but she was right. He'd spent the entire day helping. He certainly didn't have to do that. Suddenly, I was conflicted again.

  "You got that right. Then… there's Dr. Angleton. Dr. McGorgeous as we like to call him. He's had every female in the camp throwing themselves at his feet for the last few months." She bounced her eyebrows. "Myself included. And while he's willing to roll around in the hay a bit… you know, let off a little steam… it's obvious he's more of a one-night stand kind of guy than a happily ever after. At least, that's what we all thought until you showed up nearly dead. He barked orders at us until he finally decided he could singlehandedly save you and demanded we leave the infirmary. I guess he was right," the woman said, staring at me from top to bottom.

  "He's the resident here. It's his job to save people who are dying," I explained.

  "Yeah. We've seen him with other patients. He's detached and professional. Don't get me wrong. He works hard… He just doesn't go ballistic. He for sure doesn't spend three days in a row sitting at their bedside, looking like a man who might lose the love of his life," she said, chuckling.

  "I'm sure you're exaggerating."

  The girl looked offended. "I'm Jenny Compton, by the way." She extended her hand for me to shake. "One thing you'll quickly learn about me is I don't exaggerate, lie, or take bullshit from anyone."

  I wasn't sure if she was trying to intimidate me, but I knew she wasn't the kind of person you shied away from if you wanted her respect. I threw my hand out and gave her a firm handshake, making sure she pulled back first. There was a glint of admiration in her eyes when she saw I wasn't a pushover, that I wouldn't roll up into a sniveling ball of tears with the tiniest bit of bullying.

  "I'm Carles Enoche," I said with confidence.

  Under normal circumstances, her eyes were large. When I said my name, her eyes popped open to the size of quarters and her mouth dropped to her chest.

  "Holy shit! You're Aspect Nation's Firstborn. Your mother is Selma Enoche. Jesus! No wonder Angleton has spent his every waking minute sitting by your bed. No one wants to be the person responsible for you dying on their watch," she exclaimed.

  "If I had died, it would have been because of my stupidity and a bed of snakes, not because of anything Thorne did or didn't do," I said.

  "Whatever you say. As if the loyal Surrogate wasn't enough, now you have Dr. Angleton leading you around camp, whispering sweet nothings in your ear, and holding your hand like the two of you are lovebirds. Again, nothing about that is consistent with the studious resident we've all come to know and love. The only person he's ever really paid attention to before you is his sister. The rest of us are just necessary evils in his eyes," Jenny said.

  "I'm not sure you and I know the same man," I said, wrinkling my brow.

  "Yeah… I don't think that's the problem. I think he's sweet on you. Just like that tall, dark, and lovely Surrogate. That brings me back to the reason we're all curious. We want to know what you have that we don't."

  Suddenly, I felt braver. "If you think I offer something underneath my clothes that none of you offer, you are correct."

  Jenny's eyes squinted because she automatically assumed I was being conceited. When I stripped naked and revealed the dozens of puncture wounds covering the bottoms of my legs, the tops of my arms, my entire back and neck—all of which told me I'd curled up in a ball and let the snakes have their way—there were gasps from all corners of the room. I refused to look down. I wouldn't join them in their gaping.

  I didn't need to. I knew without looking that the wounds were blackened from poison at the center of every puncture and that there was a rainbow of bruises that circled each. The inner ring the darkest purple with a lightening of the color the farther away from the wound it got, ending with a greenish-yellow bruise.

  I also knew—so did they—these puncture wounds would leave scars. Months from now, they would be small, perfectly round skin deviations, but I lived in a world where physical perfection was more important than a next breath to the most narcissistic among us. In fact, some of the most educated and ignorant people of our nation assumed these types of irregularities could be transferred to their children; therefore, they refused to be paired with a spouse who had the slightest defect, even those blemishes coming from trauma, scars that could never be genetically transferred. Ever.

  "Oh my God! Those are hideous!" exclaimed a blonde-haired beauty who walked into the room while I stood in the middle of the women, confirming for them I did in fact have something under my clothes that they didn't.

  Stunned that anyone would put sound to such impolite words, my glare found the face of the one person willing to say what everyone else was thinking. Like Jenny, this woman, who looked barely older than Jenny and me, was a natural beauty. She reminded me of a California girl, complete with a dark tan, long, straight, and sun-kissed hair, and the type of hourglass body that would have men at a beach fawning all over her.

  I was vain enough for her words to hurt and belligerent enough to make sure she never knew. "Well, it's a good thing you don't have to worry about them. Isn't it?"

  As if pleading her case to her peers, this girl looked around at the group of people who'd gathered around to watch the freakazoid show. "Thorne. Thorne is too good to waste his time on this."

  She waved her hand toward my legs, the area where the majority of the bites were concentrated.

  Jenny stepped next to me in a show of camaraderie I'd never expected of anyone outside of my family. "You're just jealous, Kali La Colombe. We all know you and Dr. Angleton have spent more than one night moaning and groaning in your tent. He's probably not paid the first ounce of attention to you since Carles has been here." Taunting Kali further and endearing her even more to me, Jenny said, "It probably kills your soul to know he's purposefully chosen Carles—even with her wounds—over you, the epitome of perfection."

  Kali glared toward Jenny, took a few intimidating steps her way, and lorded over her. It was like an Amazon woman intimidating a tiny fairy.

  "How dare you tell everyone about my personal life? We may be tent mates and you might be trashier than a Surrogate, but that doesn't give you the right to tell everyone all the secrets you have in that tiny little brain of yours," Kali spat through lips that were the color of wet sand.

  This time, it was I who bristled. I wasn't sure if it was the way she was trying to bully Jenny, the fact that she'd confirmed she and Thorne had had sex… frequently, or the obvious prejudice she had for Surrogates. I may be pissed off at Jayden, but there was no universe within which he should be treated like the shit on Kali's shoe. None.

  "Rorie couldn't possibly approve of you and Thorne being together. Not someone as prejudice as you," I retorted, offering her the same contemptuous glare she was levying onto Jenny.

  "Rorie? There's no one at this camp with that name."

  Sure she'd won our war of words based on the ear-to-ear sneer and eye roll, Jenny's tent mate turned her back on me and began disrobing.

  Over her shoulder she said, "Do you think you could get covered up so I don't have to keep looking at that shit?"

  Jenny saw I was about to hop on Kali's back and pull every last strand of hair from her head—one at a time—and reached her hand out to mine, shaking her head in a way that told me she didn't consider disputing Kali worth my time. My head knew she was right.

  My heart had other plans.

  I leaned over to her shoulder. "Do you really think Thorne would do anything more than fuck someone who doesn't even know his twin sister's name?" I snarled.

  Her eyes nearly popped from her head. I knew recognition had sunk in. I smiled, turned, and ducked behind a shower curtain.

  I may have had the last word with Kali, but she'd wielded a serious blow to my ego. I wrapped up in a towel, covering as much as I could of my body and the bites. The second I was out of the cold shower, hiding in th
e corner and avoiding everyone's gaze, I tugged on my new T-shirt, jeans, and socks before slipping on the boots I'd claimed the day before.

  Clean and covered, I felt like a new person while I brushed my hair and pulled it up into a tight ponytail. The last thing I did right before leaving the shower room was glance around and catch one final look at my new mortal enemy, the woman who'd kill me in my sleep if ever given the chance based on the snarl on her upturned lip.

  I cringed when I realized she and I were leaving at the same time, that we were going to be walking out together. I refused to slow or cower or move to the side for her. Kali was a bully. If I ever gave her an inch, she'd take a mile, and she'd love every concession I'd be forced to take once the precedence was set.

  I was keeping a close eye on her when we walked out into the light of the morning. When a grin bigger than the state of Texas broke out on her face, I glanced in the direction she was skipping. As soon as I saw who was the light of her eye, Thorne, I knew she was laying her claim.

  With her body wrapped around him and me now knowing the two of them had had sex on a regular basis, I was more than just a little uncomfortable. I wanted to duck back into the shower room and let them ride off into the sunset. I wanted that more than anything.

  When I tried to dash around the corner of the building, Thorne stepped around Kali, ignoring her and the hug she was smothering him with.

  "Carles, wait up," he shouted.

  I pretended I hadn't heard him. Rather than wait or slow, I took off in a full-out run. I wasn't sure where I was going; I just knew I wanted to be away from him and Kali. And Jayden.

  Damn! Soon, there won't be anyone I can tolerate.

  After I'd ducked behind enough trees and sneaked between almost every tent in the camp, I was sure I'd lost them all. With the beginnings of a smug grin playing on my face, I turned toward the forest. I planned to see if there was somewhere I could go to be by myself. Thinking is a basic necessity. Instinctively, I made a quick pivot and was about to take off jogging toward the outskirts of camp when I ran smack dab into a chest. It was one I knew well.

  Jayden! Good Lord! This day just gets better by the second, doesn't it?

  Chapter 26

  Abominations

  Carlie

  "Carlie, what's wrong?" he asked, grabbing me by the shoulders.

  As soon as I got over the shock of freefalling and then not hitting the ground, I realized Jayden had saved me, that his hands were on me. I jerked away from him.

  "What's wrong with me?" My laugh was sardonic. "What's wrong with me… you have the nerve to ask?"

  Every muscle in Jayden's face contorted from worried concern to frowning irritation. "Yes. That's what I asked."

  "Could it have anything to do with the fact that you've been manipulating and using me? You knew I liked you, and you used that against me. I won't ever let you do that to me again. Not ever. Now get out of my way," I said, pushing past him, which wasn't nearly as simple as it sounded.

  He was so hard and muscular that I might as well have been pushing aside a carved marble statue. He didn't budge.

  "I'm not going anywhere until the two of us talk. We can do it here, or we can find someplace a little more private. That's your choice, but we are going to talk," he assured me.

  I shrugged. "I'm going for a run. Do whatever you want."

  With that, I took off. The one thing I needed to do was build up my stamina. My earlier pretend run was nothing more than a brisk walk. What I really needed was to run away from all of this. To run away from all of these people. Those last few days of recovery had done nothing for making me stronger. I felt weaker than ever. Training would be the only way to get my body back into shape. And to forget.

  * * *

  I wasn't sure what the camp's parameters were, but I didn't care either. If I went outside of them, would it really matter? I had my own special, jackass Lead Surrogate Soldier running beside me. We ran for what felt like hours. It wasn't like running on a road or on a machine. This was up and down hills, over logs, between trees, under limbs, over tiny brooks, and through large creeks.

  It was just Jayden and me. The more I thought about what he'd done, the harder I pushed. The more I thought about how much I missed Mom and Dad, the harder I pushed. The more I thought about Gran and Tawney, the harder I pushed.

  I didn't stop until the forest whirled and a bout of nausea seized my stomach. It may have been early spring, but the day was warm, especially when you considered the terrain I'd been covering at brisk speeds.

  I dropped to my knees and heaved. I bent over and planted the palms of my hands on the forest floor and threw up stomach acid until my toes curled and tears streamed down my face.

  "Jesus, Carlie! Why did you have to push yourself so hard? Why wouldn't you just stand still for one second and talk to me?" Jayden seethed, rubbing his hand up and down my back.

  Everything about his touch, his concern, the fact that he was still with me made me want to turn toward him and bury myself in his chest. I didn't, though. My heart wouldn't betray me the way he had.

  Soon, my retching stopped. When it did, I sat back on my ass and scooted until my back was against a tree several feet away from where I'd thrown up. Jayden slid down next to me.

  "I know you don't trust me. I know I've not given you any reason to. Still, I want you to. I'm… I'm asking you to. Everything I've been doing, I've been doing for the good of Aspect Nation. It's not about you or me. It's about people that don't have the same luxuries and freedoms you have, Carlie. You are the one person in this world who I thought would understand that sometimes there is a greater cause," Jayden said with the emphasis and passion of a man prepared to change the world.

  Jayden was a leader before he was anything. I wanted to be on board with him because he was right. I did care about the rights of those who'd had their freedom stripped away because they were genetically altered Surrogates, or worse yet, their lives stripped away because of a genetic anomaly passed down to them by their parents. The problem was I was a teenage girl who wanted the person she liked—loved—to care more about her than his cause.

  It was with extreme guilt that I admitted just that to myself. I knew I was being worse than the most selfish, self-absorbed brat to ever exist, but that's what I wanted because Tawney's books had taught me that true love was the kind where two people are willing to put each other before anything and everything.

  Jayden had just freely admitted his agenda was more important than keeping me in the loop or telling me the truth. The fact that he saw nothing wrong with what he'd done and showed no remorse painted for me a picture worth a thousand words, and each and every one of them had the same underlying message:

  Caution.

  Hurt.

  Betrayal.

  Avoid.

  Run.

  Ignore.

  Lies.

  When I looked over at the beautiful man beside me, I knew it would be easy for me to give in to him. Accept him and his offer without the first ounce of hesitation and pretend as though following him blindly was the right thing to do. It wasn't for me. It never would be for me.

  We would be equals, or we would not be. He would put me before his cause, or his cause would be all he had.

  "I believe you, Jayden. I believe you did whatever you did for the greater good."

  His relief was evidenced in the smile he offered and the lifting of his weighted shoulders.

  "The problem is… I'm not okay with how you went about it. Will I support you and your cause? Hell yeah! All day. Every day. Will I follow behind you like a blind warrior who is willing to take it on the chin the next time it's more convenient for you to lie to me or manipulate me rather than tell me what I need to know and give me the option of following along because it's the right thing to do? Hell no! Not now. Not ever."

  Like the band holding it wide had been cut, Jayden's face-splitting grin popped and turned into open-mouthed shock.

  "Don't look at
me like that. You know me better than that. I've never mindlessly followed your lead. What in the round world would make you think I'd do so now?"

  With a glare, he said, "I thought since your father trusted me… since I care for… you. I thought all of that would be proof enough for you that I'd only do things that are in your best interests."

  "Tell me this, Jayden. If my best interests and the cause you've embarked upon were at odds, where would your loyalty lie?"

  "I don't answer hypothetical questions. There's nothing to be gained," he said, swearing under his breath.

  "In other words, you're with me and you'll fight for my best interests as long as you don't have to put your plan for Surrogate equality on the line. Here's the thing… Jayden. I get it. I understand it. Really, I do.

  "The problem is I'm worried there's going to be a day real soon when you're going to have to choose between me, the original MicroPharm recipient, or your fight for Surrogate soldiers. If this all gets as frenzied as I suspect it might, there'll be fanatics who will demand that anyone—Mom, Dad, Gran, Tawney, and me—associated with the Aspects and MicroPharms be executed. When that happens… will you stand by and watch or will you put the family who took you in, the people who've loved you your entire life, before your cause?"

  Jayden looked torn. Like a man who was being ripped from the inside out. A long while later, too long for me to believe him, Jayden whispered, "I'd never let anyone hurt you, Carlie."

  His words hurt. Not what he said, but rather the reality that he'd merely wanted to believe them more than he actually did.

  "Like I said… I'm there for you. I'll help in whatever way I can, but I'm the only one who is looking out for my best interests. For Mom's, Dad's, Gran's, and Tawney's best interests. They need me, and for me, they are as important as any cause.