
Cloned Against Her Will
Author
Elfy G
Reads
17.9K
Chapters
42
Thirteen
LEONA
If you looked at me, youâd probably guess Iâm twenty-two. But the truth? Iâve only been alive for two years. Itâs not as complicated as it sounds. Iâm a copyâa clone, technically.
The real meâwell, the original, I guessâis named Penny Holtz. I only exist to keep Penny Holtz alive. Thatâs the name we both had, once.
Now, Iâm just a number. Thirteen.
We both have brown hair, but our eyes are different. Thatâs how I know Iâm the copy. Her eyes are light blue. Mine are teal, with a hint of blue.
My fatherâthe brilliant scientistâmade me to save his precious daughter. Sometimes I wonder, doesnât that make me his daughter too? But I guess he sees the difference. Iâm his Frankensteinâs monster.
About five years ago, Penelope got sick. Leukemia. Her body started shutting down, little by little. It was too late to have another child to be a donor. Thatâs when my father had his big idea: me. If she needed blood, they took it from me. If she needed bone marrow, they didnât hesitate. I was always the answer.
Father told me she didnât know I existed. He said she thought her donations came from strangers.
I still remember the first time I opened my eyes. I was lostâscared out of my mind. For a second, I thought I was her, because her memories were in my head, like they belonged to me.
Even though we share the same blood, Father never saw me as his daughter. To him, I was just a toolâa way to keep her alive.
âWake up! Itâs time for you to eat,â Victor, my guard, yelled from the doorway.
I groaned. âDo you have to be so loud?â I rubbed my eyes, squinting at the bright light.
Victorâs face softened. âSorry, but I have to play along, or theyâll get suspicious. If you donât want a new guard, we have to do it this way. Weâve talked about this.â
Only two people in this place actually care about me: Victor and Doctor Delilah.
I sat up, running my fingers through my hair. âSo, whatâs for breakfast?â
âThe usual, darling. Eat, train, give some bloodâthe same old shit.â Victor gave me a look that said he hated it as much as I did.
Fantastic.
I glanced up at him.
âWhat?â Victor raised his eyebrows.
I rolled my eyes. âYou have to leave so I can change.â
Victor cleared his throat. âRight. Sorry!â
I covered my mouth, trying not to laugh as he practically ran out of the room.
Once I was dressed, I knocked on the door to let him know I was ready.
âHands out front,â he said, holding up the handcuffs.
I frowned. âIs this really necessary?â
âYou know the rules, darling,â he said quietly.
Thatâs Victorâs thingâcalling me âdarlingâ when itâs just us. To everyone else, Iâm Thirteen. But with him, I get a little more.
One time, Victor asked, âIf you could pick your own name, what would it be?â I didnât answer. I realized if I chose a name, it would be the same as hers.
He promised heâd pick a name for me someday.
âI hate these stupid rules,â I muttered, turning around so he could cuff my wrists behind my back.
âYou tried to escape. What did you expect? If there was another way, you know Iâd take it.â
I sighed. âI know.â
When I tried to run, they locked me in a compartment. The ceiling pressed down, and I threw my hands up to stop it, but then the floor started rising too. I was bent in half, stuck like that for four days.
***
I can still hear Fatherâs words echoing in my head after they let me go. âIf you think having her face will stop me from making sure you know your place, you donât know me very well.â
Itâs wild, really. This is the same man who raised me. I have these soft, blurry memories of him from when I was littleâhow gentle he was, how heâd tuck me in at night. But thatâs not who he is now. Iâm not Penelope, and heâs not really my father, but I canât help loving the man I remember.
Thereâs always been this question that eats at me. If Iâm supposed to be Pennyâs copy, why am I not sick like she was? I never had the guts to ask. Maybe I was afraid of the answer.
âLetâs hurry before they start questioning why weâre taking so long,â Victor said, his hand tight around my arm. It wasnât painful, just firmâlike he needed to remind everyone he didnât care about me.
He had to keep up appearances. If anyone noticed how he treated me, Father would just send someone else to watch me. And I really, really didnât want that. Iâm just a prisoner here. Nothing more.
Thatâs my reality.
I never asked for any of this.
I never asked to be created just to save someone else.
They always made sure I ate healthy food, kept my metabolism up. I had to stick to a strict diet so my weight would match hers. It was just another rule I had to follow.
Today was no different.
My breakfast was eggs, a handful of berries, some kiwi, and half a banana. Never any bacon. I missed bacon so much.
I remembered my mom always putting bacon on my plate. But she wasnât my momâshe was hers. Those memories werenât really mine, and I was supposed to forget them. But forgetting didnât make it hurt any less. The pain was still sharp.
Victor took off my handcuffs as I sat down to eat. He sat next to me, sipping his coffee like nothing was wrong.
âLook who we have here.â I cringed at the sound of his voice.
No. Not him.
Canât he just leave me alone for one meal?
âPiss off, Eddy. Let her eat in peace,â Victor said, his voice low and warning.
I never understood what Eddy had against me. Maybe it was because I wasnât a real person to him. Maybe he just liked messing with me. The way he looked at me made my skin crawl. I couldnât tell if it was disgust or something worse. Either way, he gave me the creeps.
Eddy snorted. âWhy should you be the only one guarding her? If sheâs too much trouble, I can handle her.â
âAnd thatâs exactly why youâll never be left alone with her. I donât even know why they keep you around,â Victor shot back.
I tried to focus on my food, pretending none of this was happening.
Eddy reached out, but before he could touch me, Victor shoved his hand away. âThatâs why Iâm hereâto keep people like you away from her. This is your last warning. Try that again, and Iâll deal with you myself.â
âHoo-hoo! Look at you, all protective. One day youâll slip up, and heâll see how much you care. Iâll be right there to take your place.â Eddyâs smirk made my stomach twist. His eyes landed on me. âI canât wait for that day.â
I felt like I might throw up.
âGo do the fucking job you were assigned!â Victor snapped, his jaw tight.
Eddy strutted off, laughing like heâd won something.
I wanted to thank Victor, but I couldnât. If I did, someone might notice, and I couldnât risk losing him. He was the only steady thing I had here. Without himâwhatever youâd call what we haveâIâd be completely lost.
I couldnât let that happen.

























