Cloned Against Her Will
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Elfy G
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Clone
THIRTEEN
If youâd looked at me back then, you wouldâve probably guessed I was in my early twenties. But the truth? Iâd only been alive for two years. It wasnât as complicated as it sounded. I was a copyâa clone, technically.
The real meâwell, the originalâwas Penelope Holtz. I had only existed to keep Penelope alive. That was the name we both had, once. Now, I was just a number. Thirteen.
We both had brown hair, but our eyes were different. That was how Iâd known I was the copy. My eyes didnât match the color from my memories. Well, technically, they were her memories.
Her eyes, the eyes from my mind, were a pale blue. But the eyes staring back at me in the mirror were a darker teal, just barely touched with blue.
My fatherâour fatherâhad been a brilliant scientist. Heâd created me to save his precious daughter. Sometimes Iâd wonder if that made me his daughter too. But he hadnât seen it that way. I was his Frankensteinâs monster.
It had all started about five years ago, when Penelope got sick. Leukemia. Little by little, her body had started to shut down. Penelopeâs mother had died years before, so it was too late to try for a savior sibling. That was when Father had his big idea: me.
If Penelope needed blood, they took it from me. If she needed bone marrow, they didnât hesitate to stick me with needles. I was always the answer.
Father had told me she wasnât aware of my existence, that she thought her donations came from strangers. Good Samaritans.
I still remember the first time Iâd opened my eyes. I was lost, scared out of my mind. For a moment, I had thought I was her. Her memories were in my head, like they were my own. But they werenât mine. They belonged to her.
Even though Penelope and I shared the same blood, I was not a daughter. To Father, I was just a tool, a way to keep his actual daughter alive.
I had often wondered why I wasnât sick like Penelope was. Why I hadnât gotten the cancer that ate away at her. Why I was healthy and she was not.
But I never had the courage to ask. And even if I did, I knew he would never answer me.
âWake up! Itâs time for you to eat,â Victor, my guard, yelled from the doorway as he turned on the harsh overhead lamp.
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 cared about me: Victor and Dr. Delilah.
I sat up, running my fingers through my hair. âSo, whatâs the schedule for today?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 in front of you,â he said, holding up the handcuffs.
I frowned. âAre they really necessary?â
âYou know the rules, darling,â he said quietly.
That was Victorâs thing, calling me darling when it was just us. To everyone else, I was Thirteen. But with him, I was something more.
One time, Victor had asked, âIf you could pick your own name, what would it be?â I hadnât answered. Iâd realized if I chose a name for myself, it would be hers.
Heâd 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 had tried to run, theyâd locked me in what I had thought was a tiny room, just barely large enough for me to stand, the tips of my fingers touching the walls when I stretched my arms out.
But then the ceiling had started to move down. I had thrown my hands up to stop it, but the floor had also begun to shift, rising upward. By the time they had stopped, I was bent in half, stuck like that for three days.
I could still hear Fatherâs words echoing in my head after they had released me: âIf you think having her face will stop me from making sure you know your place, you donât know me very well.â
I didnât understand it. This was the same man whoâd raised Penelope. I have fond memories of how he was when she was little, how caring he was toward her, how gentle he was. But I was not Penelope, and he was never truly my father, but I still loved the man from her memories.
But thatâs not who he was now. I was not Penelope, and he was not really my father.
âLetâs hurry before they start questioning why weâre taking so long,â Victor said, his hand tight around my arm. It wasnât painful, just firm, like 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 send someone else to watch me. And I really, really didnât want that. I was just a prisoner here. Nothing more.
That was my reality.
I never asked for any of this.
I never asked to be created so I could save someone else.
They always made sure I ate healthy food and kept my metabolism up. I had to stick to a strict diet so my weight would match hers. One of the many rules 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 had memories of my mom in the kitchen. Bacon sizzling on the stove. A warm smile as she transferred the bacon onto my plate. But she wasnât my mom; she was hers. Penelopeâs. Those memories werenât mine, and I had to forget them. But forgetting didnât stop the pain. It cut just as deeply.
Victor took off my handcuffs so I could 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 a new voice in the room.
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 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 for you, Iâm sure 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. And Iâll be right there to take your place.â Eddyâs eyes landed on me. His smirk made my stomach twist. 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 hadâIâd be completely lost.
I couldnât let that happen.
***
The nurse pricked my finger, her hands gentle but practiced. She worked with Dr. Delilah, and she had done this to me a thousand times over the past two years. Today she needed to check my hemoglobinâsomething about the iron in my blood.
But that wasnât the only test they needed to run. It never was. She cleaned a spot on my arm and slid in the needle. It stung for a second, but that was it.
Victor watched the whole thing, his eyes never leaving me.
They took a little over a pint of blood, same as always. I watched it flow into the machine, feeling a little empty inside.
I had tried to count how often I was in this sterile room, my blood leaving my body so it could help hers. But it was impossible. Time blurred together in a place like this.
Dr. Delilah glanced at me, her voice light. âSo, how are we feeling? Any dizziness?â
I shook my head. âNo, I feel fine.â
She was just making sure. Last time, I had almost passed out.
The nurseâs eyebrow twitched, and I could tell she didnât love how much Dr. Delilah cared about me, but I didnât mind. Dr. Delilah and Victor were the only people here who treated me like I mattered.
Suddenly, the phone on the wall rang. We all turned to look. That phone only rang for one reason.
Father.
Shit.
The nurse hurried over and picked up. âYes!â She listened, then nodded. âYes, sir. Iâll inform them right away.â She hung up, her face tight.
Victor stared at her, waiting for the news.
âMr. Holtz is on his way here,â she said, pulling the needle from my arm. She handed me some crackers and juice, like that would fix everything.
Delilah shot me a worried look before following the nurse out of the room.
I stared at the snacks. I knew I should eatâlosing blood made me lightheadedâbut my stomach twisted.
âYou should eat before he gets here,â Victor said, his voice low.
I didnât argue. I forced myself to take a bite. My heart pounded as I downed the juice.
Father walked in. He didnât even look at Victor. âGuard the door outside. Make sure no one enters before Iâm done here.â
Victor nodded and left. I knew he had no choice. If Father thought Victor cared about me, heâd be gone. I couldnât lose him.
Eddyâs words echoed in my mind.
If sheâs too much trouble for you, Iâm sure I can handle her.
I shivered. Handle me how? I didnât want to find out. Eddy creeped me out enough already.
Once the door shut behind Victor, Fatherâs eyes landed on me. âGood morning, Thirteen.â
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