The Similars

by Rebecca Hanover

  Maude nods. “Does that mean anything to you?” she asks.

  I shake my head. That’s when I notice Madison looking from me to Maude curiously, like she’s starting to question what’s going on.

  “Time for round two,” I tell Maude, pulling a second syringe from my pocket.

  Maude nods, taking the syringe from me and injecting Madison’s arm with it. “I’d feel bad,” she says, “except she did the same thing to us, didn’t she? At the midnight session?”

  “Yep,” I say, turning back to Oliver’s stats. “Wait a second. Can you go back to Ollie’s birth certificate?”

  “I think so,” Maude says, pressing a few keys. “There it is. Why? Did you notice something?”

  “The names! Look at that. Oliver’s mother is Jane Porter. And his father is listed as John Underwood. As in, Albert Seymour’s half brother.” I can’t believe what I’m reading. I’m certain my eyes are playing tricks on me, but after blinking a few times, the document remains the same. “John Underwood is Ollie’s dad?”

  Dark Weekend

  I scramble for words, trying to explain this to Maude. “They were in the Ten together. Porter and Underwood. Damian Leroy, Jaeger Stanwick…and Seymour. The man behind the science that created you.” I’m so taken aback, I can barely think straight.

  “So?” asks Maude.

  “This says Underwood was Oliver’s dad. His DNA father.”

  “I thought Booker Ward was Oliver’s father,” Maude says.

  “He’s his stepfather. Adopted him when Ollie was two or three. Oliver never knew who his biological father was. His mother, Jane—she never talked about him. If his dad’s Underwood, Seymour’s half brother…and Seymour’s the reason you and your friends exist…”

  Maude gives me a look, and I backpedal. “I didn’t mean he’s the only reason you exist…”

  “Whatever. It’s fine,” Maude says, waving me off. “But this must be what Oliver meant in the note he left you.”

  I rack my brain. Oliver always told me he didn’t know his biological father’s name. He said Booker was his dad, regardless of whether they shared DNA.

  “Emma?” Maude prods.

  “Yeah?” I say, distracted by this new information.

  “Look what else the keys are storing. Medical records.” Maude’s back on her own hologram. “Blood pressure, height, weight. And look at this. Resting heart rate. BMI. Bone density. It’s all here.”

  “So the school is tracking stats related to our health? Aside from being invasive and a gross violation of our privacy, is that a big deal?”

  “It is if anyone studies these numbers closely. Emma, these stats prove that our bodies—mine and the other Similars’—don’t run like a normal human’s. They reveal our unique properties.” Maude looks noticeably distressed.

  “But who would look for variants? If someone didn’t know what they were looking for, the data wouldn’t look all that suspicious, would it?”

  Maude shrugs. “If these stats are run through a statistical analysis, an alarm bell might go off. Maybe it already has.”

  “Then what?” I wonder out loud.

  “No idea. But we should get back,” she says, switching gears quickly. “It’s almost seven. Breakfast starts in ten minutes.”

  “Wait,” I say. “Before we go. Madison?”

  “Yeah?” she says, still dazed from the injective.

  “Did you attack Prudence?” I ask, the words catching in my throat. “Was it you?”

  Madison stares at me, her blue eyes unfocused. “Attack Prudence? What do you mean?”

  “Where were you?” I press. “The afternoon Pru was attacked? Tessa said you missed an appointment for blood work. Why?”

  Madison blinks, then frowns. “I had a meeting with my virtual tutor. If I get another A minus in calculus, my mother will kill me. Don’t tell anyone. I’d rather fling myself off Hades Point than have anyone in the Ten know.”

  I sag. I don’t want to believe it, but Madison’s telling the truth. She must be. The injective doesn’t lie.

  “Madison,” Maude says loudly.

  Madison looks at her. “Yes?”

  “We’re leaving.”

  The three of us walk silently back to campus, the morning light threading through the trees. I can’t believe I was so certain Madison was Pru’s attacker. It was such a sensible solution. Now, I’m no closer to figuring out who attacked my friend, and that means Levi’s still a suspect. I fight off the tears ballooning in my eyes as I reassure myself that I’ve learned something useful today. I wonder if I’ve finally found it, the thing Oliver wanted me to know when he left me that note. Especially about him. The “him” in the note must refer to Ollie’s biological father, John Underwood. I feel a shiver creeping up my spine as I consider what this could mean, what it does mean for all of us.

  * * *

  I’m dying to return to the research lab. Thinking of what I could learn by studying all those holograms—it’s taking everything I have not to steal more injectives from the infirmary and kidnap Madison again. But I know I can’t. We risked enough doing it once; surely we’d be caught a second time.

  I run down to the research building one evening after dinner, hoping to think of something, anything, that could get me access besides Madison’s key. When I reach the building, I see a figure standing outside the door. When I move closer to get a better view, I realize who this person is—a guard. I deflate as I move back into the shadows, not just because the door is being guarded, but because this guard has never, to my knowledge, been here before. Someone must know Maude and I were here. And now, that person wants to keep us out.

  I have no choice. I can’t go back to the lab, not without permission. Instead, I visit the Tower Room every chance I get, studying that photograph of the Ten from my father and Underwood’s year. Now that I know about Underwood’s expulsion, I assume that’s the reason he isn’t pictured. Still, his name is listed. Was the photograph taken after he was forced to leave the school?

  I don’t talk to Levi. I’m sure Maude has told him what we learned in the research building, both the revelation that Underwood is his DNA father and the fact that the Similars’ properties are being recorded and tracked. Plus, Madison’s “confession” of her innocence. I find myself sleeping more than I have in a year, but there’s a dark truth to it. In my dreams, there is no Theodora, and Levi isn’t off-limits.

  I’m momentarily surprised when I get a notice on my plum from Headmaster Ransom, saying he’s suspending our unofficial midnight sessions for the time being—there have been too many students out of their rooms, roaming campus in the middle of the night. I know he’s referring to me and Maude and perhaps is even warning us to toe the line, but still, I’m relieved, and I hope he’ll suspend the midnight sessions for the rest of the year.

  It’s a cold weekend in February when the parents arrive. Dark Weekend—our school’s version of a parents’ weekend—is an annual tradition, and classes are canceled on Friday. Normally I hate this obligatory “holiday,” but this year I have a goal in mind: finding out as much about Underwood as I possibly can.

  We convene outside the main house after breakfast to await the arrival of the students’ parents, legal guardian, or grandparents. The Huxleys step out of a long black limo, waving across the yard to the Choates, who’ve also arrived. It’s always strange seeing parents here, so out of place. This year, it’s exponentially strange. It’s not lost on me, or anyone, that the Similars don’t have parents. Sure, they have their guardian, Gravelle. But I haven’t seen him arrive, and I doubt he’ll show. Meanwhile, the originals do have parents. Parents they don’t or can’t—or won’t—share. I hear whispered conversations all around me, students wondering if the Similars’ guardian is coming, and if they will be invited to eat lunch with their DNA families, or whether it’ll be “too weird.” I think b
ack to the day when I first really understood that Levi was parentless. It’s not weird, I want to shout. It’s heartbreaking. It makes me think the Similars really were created by mistake. Who would do that to a child, creating him with no real family to love and raise him? In that moment, I long to support Levi so much, it hurts.

  I notice Jake Choate sidling over to greet his father. Ezekiel Choate slaps his son on the back before waving at someone across the way. “Jago!” Ezekiel calls out, gesturing for him to join them. Jake doesn’t look too pleased, and Jago looks even less comfortable.

  Seeing the Choates and Huxleys makes me wonder if the Leroy family will attend this weekend. We learned last week from the feeds that Tessa’s father has finally been sentenced—fifteen years in federal prison. He reports in one week. I spot Ansel chatting with the de Leons, more at ease with Archer’s dads since they all spent Christmas break together. He’s telling them a story, and Archer’s laughing. I wonder if Ansel’s making any headway on his task, whatever that might be.

  I look for Pippa, and I’m momentarily thrown to see her waving to someone walking up the lawn, a rugged walking stick in his hand. It’s Jaeger. He’s here for Dark Weekend? To spend it with Pippa, not the daughter who he raised? While I’m thrilled he would come to support Pippa, I’m gutted by thoughts of Pru—of her still in a coma, lying in a hospital bed. That’s when I’m reminded of his cryptic note, the one that I haven’t been able to make any sense of, that led me to go to Ransom in the middle of the night. I will corner Jaeger about that the first chance I get.

  My own father arrives in time to attend the all-school assembly in the Darkwood chapel. We sit together, and as I get a whiff of his scent—lemon and soap—a dull, unwelcome ache settles in my chest. He and I weren’t always so distant. We used to have fun together when I was a little girl. It’s hard for me to grasp exactly what happened between us as I got older, but we became more like roommates than family. He’s always sad when he is with me. I could never make him happy, I remind myself. I could never fill the hole left by my mother when she died.

  Ransom gives a speech much like the one he gave at the start of the school year, and I zone out, scanning the room. This is the only day students sit with their parents or other family members instead of their preferred cliques. I look for Levi, but I can’t spot him from where I sit. I wonder if Jane and Booker flew out to support Levi like Jaeger has Pippa. Given everything that happened with the stock of Ward, Inc., I highly doubt it.

  With Jane and Booker in mind, I feel for Oliver’s key around my neck. My own father and I have been invited to a dinner at Headmaster Ransom’s house. It’s for current members of the Ten and their families. It’s another Darkwood tradition, and one of the “perks” of being a Ten: exclusive events and a chance to socialize with the other Ten members’ families. For me, it’s the perfect opportunity to find out more about John Underwood. After tonight, hopefully I’ll finally figure out the significance of “him”—Ollie’s biological father.

  In the fading light, my father and I walk to Ransom’s house. We are joined by Pippa and Jaeger. I’m surprised when my father leans in close to his old schoolmate, resting a hand on his shoulder.

  “How is she?” he asks, skipping over the formalities to inquire about Pru.

  “The same, old friend.” Jaeger’s voice is tight. “But we continue to be optimistic.”

  I can’t wait. “Your note,” I blurt. “Why did you tell me to—?”

  Jaeger silences me with a look. I’ll have to find him later.

  Ransom greets us at the door and ushers us inside, where we hang up our coats and convene in the living room. I’m instantly reminded of my foolish night seeking Ransom’s counsel.

  We are the first to arrive but are soon joined by the Huxleys, who exchange pleasantries with my father and Jaeger, and by Maude and Theodora, who arrive together, parentless, of course. Madison and Maude don’t speak to each other. They stay on opposite sides of the room as the Huxleys whisper loudly that Ransom should have held a separate dinner for the clones. My father mumbles something about how the Huxleys always were bigots, and I feel a surge of pride standing next to him.

  The other Ten members and their families drift in—Angela and Sunil with their families, and Archer with his dads—and, finally, Levi. As he shakes Ransom’s hand and joins Maude and Theodora by the fireplace, my heartbeat quickens. I wonder if he’ll reach for Theodora’s hand or, worse, put his arm around her. I’m relieved that he does neither of those things. I force myself to look away, toward the door, instead. That’s when I see Tessa stride in with her mother, Frederica, and her father, Damian.

  “Ransom,” coos Frederica as she sweeps in, air kissing him on each cheek. “Pleasure, as always. Can someone take my coat?” Flinging her stole at the nearest waiter, she blows past Ransom. I take one look at Tessa’s father and am stunned by what I see. Though he still wears an expensive suit and gold rings, dark shadows circle his unfocused eyes, and his skin hangs on his haggard face. He no longer projects the appearance of a powerful media mogul. My gaze turns to Jaeger to gauge his reaction, given their history. He adjusts his jacket collar, unfazed.

  Frederica greets the Huxleys, but from what I can tell, it’s all pleasantries, and her husband’s impending time in prison isn’t part of their conversation.

  After some mingling and a few more passed hors d’oeuvres, Ransom announces dinner and we filter into the dining room, where several round tables have been set up for us, complete with formal place cards. The Huxleys are thick as thieves with Headmaster Ransom, which strikes me as odd. Weren’t they angry with him at the beginning of the year for inviting the Similars to Darkwood? What’s changed? I try to listen in on their conversation, but there are too many people talking and I can’t hear.

  The Leroys stick to themselves in a corner, hovering near their table. Damian turns white as a sheet as he scans the place cards. I can’t figure out why until Theodora approaches the same table. She’s been seated with her DNA family. I have no idea how they feel about Theodora, since Tessa’s never said anything about her Similar one way or another, but from the look on Frederica’s face and from Damian’s ghostly pallor, they are not pleased.

  Taking my eyes off the Leroys, I follow my father, who has found our table and gestures me to the seat next to him. I glance at the card to see who will be sitting to my left. It’s Levi.

  The Last Supper

  “Ransom must have a sick sense of humor,” I mutter as I pull out my chair and sit.

  “I was just thinking the same thing,” Levi responds.

  Does he look amused?

  Pippa and Jaeger are across from us. I’m relieved. Maybe the two of them will talk enough for the whole table.

  “Look,” I say to Levi. “I’m sure you’d much prefer I were Theodora, but she’s sitting over there, and I’m here, so…” I shrug.

  “Emma, about that…”

  “Dad?” I say, an idea forming. My father turns to me. He’s been listening to the two of us; I’m sure of it. “We’re switching seats.” I grab my father’s place card and trade it for my own. “Meet your new neighbor, Levi Gravelle.”

  “I’m Emmaline’s father,” my dad says vaguely to Levi. As confident as he usually is, I can tell he is thrown to see Oliver’s Similar up close. “Colin Chance.”

  “Pleasure,” Levi says, holding out a hand for my father to shake. But my father keeps his own hands by his side.

  “You’re the one who allegedly attacked Emma’s roommate, Prudence,” my father says, unsmiling.

  “Allegedly,” Levi says, not breaking my father’s gaze, but lowering his hand.

  I feel obligated to explain. “Levi was questioned, but—”

  “Welcome to the fourteenth annual Darkwood Ten dinner,” booms Ransom, interrupting my impassioned defense of Levi. “You are here because you have climbed to the top of Darkwood’s ranks
.” I notice Bianca leaning over to Bob, whispering something in his ear, while Madison glares across the table at Maude. Wait—Ransom has seated Maude at her DNA family’s table too? Just as Theodora is with the Leroys? Why would he do that? Does he think a single dinner might change the Huxleys’ minds about their daughter’s clone? Or the Leroys’ about theirs?

  “We also have a great many Ten alumni in our presence,” Ransom continues. “Colin Chance, Bianca Huxley, Damian Leroy, Jaeger Stanwick, and Ezekiel Choate were all Ten members when they attended Darkwood. And Sunil Bhat’s mother was also a student here, though not a part of the Ten.”

  “A failure that has haunted me every day since,” she chimes in. I zero in on Sunil’s mom—a petite lady with shiny black hair and flawless skin—and I wonder if she’s joking or not.

  Ransom smiles politely. “Oh, and I must not forget Luis de Leon, but he probably doesn’t need introducing, given his visibility on the Hollywood scene as a renowned TV producer. Nor does the esteemed former vice president, Bob Huxley. Though he didn’t attend Darkwood himself, his wife and daughter have convinced him of the school’s many virtues.” Ransom chuckles. “As you can see, being a part of the Ten is not to be taken for granted. It is the highest honor at Darkwood, and some would say, in the nation. The Ten alumni are an influential group, serving as arbiters of taste and culture in our society. They have historically been highly respected patrons of the arts, technology, and education, as well as avid philanthropists.” I look over at my father. I’ve never once heard him speak of the connections he’s made because of this society. Is that normal?

  “I hope you keep that in mind as you take advantage of tonight’s company. Here in this room are some of Darkwood’s finest. Please, enjoy your dinners and a night that is sure to be memorable.” Ransom sits back down, and waiters bring soup to the table, leaving us to our own devices.

  It’s awkward as we all pretend to be fascinated by the soup. I’m uncomfortable, and not only me—Pippa is too. I don’t know why I thought she wouldn’t be. She’s clearly not comfortable sitting next to Jaeger, not when Pru isn’t here. I notice Pippa exchange a look with Levi. He nods, then says something across the table to her, probably in Portuguese.