Systematic (The System Series Book 2)

by Andrea Ring

“I just…I’ve been trying to get to the Attic for years. I don’t mean to imply that I’m smarter than anyone else here, but I do have things to share. I have abilities that the rest of you don’t. I want to help.”

  Tyrion smiles. “And so here you are. We cannot change the past. We can only do our best from here on out.”

  I nod at him. “You’re right. So, Dacey, you obviously overcame the cancer issue. Why ask about it?”

  Dacey lowers his head. “Tyrion, please don’t be angry with me.”

  “For what?”

  “You have cancer.”

  I suck in a breath. Tyrion smiles sadly.

  “Did you really think you were keeping your thoughts to yourself?” Tyrion asks.

  “You mean, you knew?”

  Tyrion shrugs. “I may not be able to sense our body, but I can sense your thoughts and emotions. I know you have been healing me while I sleep. I figured whatever it was would come out in the tests Dr. Trent is conducting. I knew the big split was far from a done deal.”

  “Talk to me,” I say. “What’s going on?”

  Dacey lifts his head, and his eyes are bloodshot and glazed. “In the beginning, after the…the first round, we were very careful. Everything was controlled. But when I began to grow Tyrion’s brain in earnest, I amped up protein production, and I produced too much. Now I cannot turn the protein off. I cannot dissolve it. If I don’t target the stem cells perfectly, the protein goes where it will and I cannot find the off switch.”

  “What cells are affected?” I ask.

  “Right now, there’s a tumor growing in the cerebellum. Malignant. I’m able to kill those cells, but more continue to grow as soon as I stop paying attention. There’s a lot of extra Protein T floating around, and I can direct it, somewhat, but I can’t get rid of it, and I’m afraid to grow more cells in the central nervous system that don’t need to be there.”

  “You can use it,” I say. “Protein T can be used to grow any cell in the body, not just the central nervous system. Direct it down to your fingertips, to the stem cells under your nails. Grow your nails longer.”

  “That will work?” Dacey asks.

  “Try it,” I say.

  Dacey and Tyrion both close their eyes. I glance at my watch to keep track of the time. Tyrion’s eyelids flutter, I assume, as Dacey invades his brain.

  Two minutes and thirty-seven seconds later, they’re still in a trance.

  “Everything okay?” I ask.

  Dacey speaks with his eyes still shut. “Moving past the elbow now.”

  The elbow? Jesus, I would have been done two minutes ago.

  A few minutes later, Dacey sighs. “Growing the nails now.”

  I watch his hand. His index and middle fingers’ nails begin to grow. I can’t actually perceive the growth, but when I blink, I can tell the nails are longer. It’s like trying to watch a flower bloom.

  Five minutes later, Dacey’s eyes open. I check the time.

  “Ten minutes, twelve seconds,” I say. “You got any nail clippers?”

  Dacey and Tyrion look at their hand. The two nails have grown to over a foot long each, curling around in spirals. It reminds me of the picture of the man with the longest fingernails in the Guinness Book of World Records. His nails spiraled too, as though he had antelope horns on his fingers.

  Tyrion lets out a booming laugh. “Just a bit of extra protein, eh?”

  Dacey cracks a smile. “It was my first brain, Tyrion. Give me a break.” Then he looks me in the eye. “Thank you.”

  I shrug. “You did all the work. How are you feeling?”

  “Beat,” he says, slumping back in his chair.

  I stand. “Where’s your food?”

  Dacey points behind him, to a door set in the back wall I hadn’t even noticed. “Through there.”

  I find a surprisingly well-stocked kitchen. I grab four protein bars from the pantry and four bottles of water from the fridge.

  “Drink the water first,” I instruct. “Dehydration is hell on the heart.”

  They guzzle water and finally gnaw on the bars. They both sigh in relief when the food hits their stomach.

  “You seem pretty exhausted after growing fingernails,” I say. “I mean, don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m not sure you’re in good enough shape to grow a heart.”

  “I didn’t even pass out,” Dacey says around his second protein bar. “And I think we’ll be able to stay awake until bedtime. I was thinking we did pretty well.” He stares at my furrowed brow. “You mean, you can do better?”

  “That’s not what I meant,” I say, but Tyrion sees through me.

  “How long would that have taken you?” he asks. “To move the proteins and grow the nails?”

  “Maybe thirty seconds total. Probably less.”

  They stare at me. And I can sense that they’re communicating again.

  “What?” I ask.

  “I want you to do it,” Dacey says. “Hook up to us and grow Tyrion a body.”

  “You promised you wouldn’t say anything to anyone,” I remind him.

  “For the record, I’m against this,” Tyrion says. “What would the effect be on your body, Thomas? What happened when you healed your friend’s heart?”

  “I lost two pounds, even after eating a fat-laced meal. I didn’t pass out right away, I was upright about two hours, but then I slept for thirty.”

  “No,” Tyrion says. “I forbid it. You will not do this, Thomas. If, and I mean only if, we can work it out, Dacey will do this. Not you. Two pounds for one-sixth of the heart! No!”

  And the door slides open with a whoosh, and Dad steps into the room.

  ***

  “What’s all the commotion?” he says, taking the chair beside me.

  “The usual,” Tyrion says smoothly. “I do not want anyone to suffer because of me.”

  “I understand how you feel,” Dad says. “I had a thought. How about a change of scenery?”

  Dacey raises an eyebrow. “You want us to move to GP?”

  “I’ve disabled the surveillance in this room,” Dad says, and Dacey bolts out of his seat.

  “I won’t consent, Mike! You can’t do this! I won’t let you kill him!”

  “Dacey, sit down.”

  “No! You will not bloody touch him, do you understand me?”

  “Dace, man, nobody’s killing anyone. Quite the opposite.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I assume Thomas told you what he can do.”

  Dacey and Tyrion look at me, but I stay silent.

  Dad finally looks at me. “Well?”

  I shrug.

  And Dad laughs. “Sit down, Dacey. I want Tyrion to live as much as you do. But we both know it’s not gonna happen here.”

  Dacey sits back down slowly. “Why not?”

  “The timetable. We know Tyrion has a malignant tumor, and you’re using a hell of a lot of energy just to keep it contained. We could do a standard operation to remove it, but I suspect it won’t eradicate the problem. And you’re too damn slow. By Dr. Trent’s calculations, it will take you ten years to create the rest of Tyrion’s body safely.”

  “The tumor’s not an issue anymore,” Dacey says.

  Dad raises an eyebrow at me. “You healed him?”

  “Not directly,” I say. “I told him what to do.”

  Dad smiles. “I knew you couldn’t keep a secret.”

  I scowl.

  “So yes, I propose you go back to GP. Isolation this long isn’t healthy.”

  Dacey turns to Tyrion. “Are you up for it?”

  Tyrion smiles. “I am along for the ride.”

  I clear my throat and look at Dad. “Dacey has asked me to grow Tyrion a body.”

  Dad shoots Dacey a frown. “And what did you say?”

  “I’m not opposed, but I have one major concern.” They all look at me expectantly. “Physically, I believe it can be done, probably in a couple months’ time. But I’m not sure it will work.”

&nb
sp; Tyrion nods in understanding. “You are worried about the soul.”

  I nod back, somehow unsurprised that Tyrion knew what I was thinking.

  Dacey laughs. “Mike, you actually have a son who’s religious?”

  Dad doesn’t say anything, and Dacey shuts his mouth.

  “I just…I do believe we each have a soul. My best guess would be that you two share Dacey’s right now. If I separate you…I just don’t know.”

  “We have thought about this,” Tyrion says. “Dacey and I believe in God, and we believe in the soul, as well. But we feel God infused me with life already, a spirit quite distinct from Dacey’s. Is this fact? Your guess is as good as ours.” He turns his eyes to Dad. “I do not want Thomas to do this thing. It is too dangerous. He should consult, nothing more.”

  Dad nods once. “We’ll discuss it. Thomas isn’t ready yet, even if he wants to do it. He might not be ready for a year. Dace, are you prepared to wait?”

  Dacey’s eyes glow. “Tyrion will not die while I have breath left in my body. We’ll wait.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “So you caught me on tape revealing myself to Dacey and Tyrion,” I say on the drive back home.

  “Yep.”

  “And you’re not angry with me?”

  “Nope,” Dad says. “I want Tyrion to live. I was counting on you doing the right thing.”

  I sit and fume, staring out the window.

  “But you told me the right thing was to keep it a secret!” I explode. “You have me so confused, I’m tied up in knots! Why didn’t you just tell me to tell them?”

  “Because I wanted it to be your choice,” he says. “I didn’t want to make the choice for you.”

  “But you also want me to do what you say. How can I follow your orders and also have a choice?”

  “Thomas, you always have a choice. That’s the price of becoming a man. You have to decide what to do.”

  “That’s a bullshit answer,” I say. “I’m only sixteen, as you are so fond of reminding me. I have no say in my own life.”

  “I’m sorry if I gave you that impression,” he says. “Maybe I assumed that because we are so much alike, you’d be a bit better at rebelling.”

  “So now you insult me? As though I’m not rebellious enough? What do you want from me?”

  “I want you to take control,” he says. “I want you to decide where you’re headed. I’ve steered you, yes, and I will continue to give you the benefit of my expert opinion—” I snort at that, “—but I’m handing over the reins. You want to heal, we’re making it happen. You want to find researchers to study with, you have my blessing. You have a steady girlfriend that you plan on marrying, and you’re making a man’s choices and having lots of responsible sex, again with my blessing. Though now that I think about it, maybe being away from Tessa these past two weekends has made you cranky.”

  I frown. “And what makes you think you know anything about my sex life?” I say.

  “Please,” he says. “Any man getting laid regularly isn’t wound so tight.”

  “Oh,” I scoff, “and I suppose sex is the reason you’re the picture of calm right now.”

  Dad just smiles.

  “You’re seeing someone?”

  He continues to smile.

  “Well, are you going to tell me? Is it serious?”

  He just laughs, and I sit on my hands to keep from slapping him.

  ***

  “It’s not that girl at the grocery store, is it?”

  “Thomas, give it a rest.”

  “But why won’t you tell me? It must not be serious if you’re working so hard to keep it a secret.”

  “We promised not to involve our kids until it’s a done deal. I’m just respecting her wishes.”

  “Done deal? You mean I won’t meet her until you’re married?”

  Dad laughs. “Thomas, if I’m planning to get married, or anything else earth-shattering besides regular sex, I promise to fill you in immediately.”

  “So it’s just about sex.”

  “No, actually. That’s just a side benefit.”

  I growl. “Fine. But you have to see this from my point of view. You tell me to do one thing and expect me to do the opposite. You have an important relationship you won’t share with me. Four people died taking my protein and you never mentioned it, and don’t think we won’t talk about that later, because we will! You constantly withhold information. I can’t…I don’t want our relationship to be like this. I can’t take it. I don’t feel like I know you at all.”

  Dad’s grip tightens on the steering wheel. “Don’t say that.”

  “What else am I supposed to say? What else am I supposed to think?”

  We sit in silence for another forty-five minutes until we pull up in our driveway. I slam my car door shut and shove my way into the house. I flop on my bed and force myself not to cry.

  Dad comes in my room and sits on the edge of my bed.

  “She’s married, Thomas. Has been for the last five years we’ve been together. It’s a complicated situation.”

  Five years. He’s been seeing someone for five years, while I had no clue. And this woman’s been cheating on her husband the whole time. What a loser.

  “The physical part of our relationship is recent. She finally told her husband she’s leaving him. We hadn’t even kissed until a couple of weeks ago.”

  I fling my arm over my eyes. “How can you say you’ve had a five-year relationship if you only kissed her now?”

  “I admitted my feelings back then, and she admitted she felt the same way. But she wasn’t ready to end her marriage. We spend a lot of time together. We support one another. We always knew we’d be together eventually.”

  “How can you say you spend time together?” I ask, my words muffled by my arm. “I’d have known if you were gone a lot. Unless you’re seeing her instead of going to work.”

  “Nope. I actually show up for work every day,” he says.

  “But the only person you hang out with is…”

  I stop. I close my gaping mouth. I remove my arm and sit up slowly.

  My dad’s in love with Tessa’s mom.

  ***

  “But Erica…you’ve been in love with her for five years?”

  “Longer. I just didn’t want to break up her marriage.”

  “But you did.”

  “That’s debatable. Erica and Ron haven’t been close in a long time, well before I came along. But since the three boys are out of the house, and Tessa’s almost done with high school, Erica found the courage to end it.”

  “Are you getting married?” I ask.

  “Not now. Someday, I hope.”

  “But Tessa and I will be brother and sister!”

  Dad chuckles. “Only by marriage. It doesn’t mean you can’t be together.”

  “But I’ll be kissing my sister!”

  “Thomas,” he sighs.

  “Fine, but you can’t expect me to keep this a secret from her. We don’t lie to each other.”

  “I won’t ask you to lie. I’ll call Erica now and tell her you know. All I ask is that you give her time to talk to Tessa.”

  “Do it now,” I say. “If I don’t talk to Tessa tonight, I’m gonna explode.”

  Dad nods and leaves the room.

  Just a few minutes ago, I was thinking the woman Dad’s seeing is a loser for cheating on her husband. And then I find out the woman is someone I care about and respect.

  I should have known, should have seen the signs. Erica runs our art gallery, The Heart. A few years ago, Dad helped her install a little bakery and coffee bar in one corner. They talk every day, about business, I assumed.

  I’m at Tessa’s house half the week. I haven’t seen her Dad in the flesh in over a year. He’s always working, always traveling. Tessa hasn’t said much about it, just that she wishes he were home more.

  It’s a sin to cheat on your spouse. Is it a sin to develop feelings for someone else, even if you don’t act o
n those feelings?

  Is it a sin to ignore your family?

  ***

  Someone knocks on our front door an hour later, and I don’t have to be psychic to know it’s Tessa.

  But when I open the door, Erica is standing there.

  “Erica,” I say, surprised and uncomfortable and totally unsure of how I should act.

  “Hi, Thomas,” she says. Neither of us moves.

  “Would you like to come in?” I ask, stepping aside.

  She smiles and follows me to the kitchen.

  “I’ll just go get Dad,” I say, but Erica stops me with a hand on my arm.

  “Thomas, can we talk for a second?”

  I face her.

  “This…I need you to know your dad means the world to me. I tried to do the right thing with my marriage, and it just didn’t happen. I want you to know…nothing about this changes my relationship with you. I mean, I won’t try to take the place of your mother. I know she’s irreplaceable.”

  I scrub a hand across my face. “Honestly, Erica, it hadn’t even occurred to me. Under normal circumstances, I’d be happy for you both and that’s it. But I’m worried about Tessa. You’re breaking up her family.”

  Erica sighs. “I’m not going to make excuses, but I want to defend myself. Ron’s been cheating on me for years.”

  I don’t know what to say to that, so I stay silent.

  She laughs. “Every time he went out of town. And sometimes in town. I stayed for the kids as long as I could, but Sam…he called a few weeks ago. He’s having a baby.”

  “Sam’s only nineteen,” I say, confused.

  She nods. “I know. My baby having a baby. And he’s not even in a relationship with the girl. I thought my kids needed an intact home, but instead, I’ve taught them that it’s okay to screw around, that women don’t deserve respect. I can’t…I won’t teach them that anymore.”

  “Wow,” I say, thinking about Tessa’s older brother becoming a father. “I’m sorry.”

  “Me, too,” she says, blinking back tears. “I love your dad, and Thomas, I love you, too. You’re Tessa’s best friend, and so respectful of her…I just hope she can see that she deserves those things, and that she demands those things.”

  “I meant what I said the other day,” I tell her. “You’re a good mom. Tessa’s the best person I know, and that’s because of you.”