Deviation Read Online Free PDF

unwashed to fall back into the haphazard disarray he wore it in before.
    “What?”
    He walks back to his bed and sits, slumped over, staring at his hands. I wait, not wanting to rush him. I don’t know why or even when it happened, but at some point I became willing to forgive Daniel for what he tried to do, if only he continues to behave forgivably.
    When he finally speaks, there is too much defeat in his voice for him to be evil. He is only a boy. And he is beaten. “It was all for nothing. He wins. He always wins.”
     

Chapter Three
    I spend dinner in my closet. The closeness of the garments encroaching around me is a comfort. I never had such wide living space in Twig City. Everyone and everything pressed together. Not quite touching—that would be too personal—but not quite far enough to dismiss either. I need that now. Between my guilt of Melanie and Daniel’s perplexing behavior, I am overwhelmed with the need for closeness.
    Tears fall unchecked until my face and my insides are numb. I can’t cry anymore. It’s not what Imitations do. It’s not what Raven would do. Besides that, I made promises. If I can’t keep my word with Melanie, all I have left is Morton—and the others. They need me.
    I need Linc.
    I heard two of the men talking as they walked me back. They spoke about a new guy on their team. I didn’t bother listening after that. I only want Linc. He’s the only thing that makes me finally push to my feet and leave the closet.
    The drawn curtains throw shadows across my spacious room when I finally emerge. It’s evening. I’ve spent the day watching death—and almost experiencing it. I didn’t see Titus again when the door to Daniel’s cell opened and they let me leave.
    No one told me where Titus went and I didn’t ask. I still can’t believe he let me live. I wonder why, but I know better than to ask that either. My hands shake at the memory of how badly I’d wanted to hurt him, to kill him. It’s not a natural thought for an Imitation.
    Protect. Obey. Sacrifice.
    These are the words, the mantra, of my existence. I’m not sure if it’s Titus inspiring the desire to go against what I am or my own DNA deviating, but all I can think is how disappointed I am in my own ability to execute my utmost desire. It trumps even my wish for freedom. In this moment, I want nothing more than to watch the life bleed from Titus’s body. And I want it at my own hands.
    I stare at my palms. Strength aside, I wonder if I’m capable of taking a life. A human life, one with a soul. And I wonder if that isn’t easier than taking the life of an Imitation. At least humans have souls that live on. What do I have after this? Where will I go? Back into a syringe? Will Titus recycle me? Or will I be lost forever down a lab drain?
    Titus. The Creator.
    An image comes to me, unbidden. An image I didn’t even register at the time, but now it makes me smile inwardly as it surfaces from my subconscious. My nails scraping down his cheek, leaving behind a trail of pink that turns quickly to a line of red, pooling before it runs toward his chin. Titus didn’t walk away from my attack unscathed. It is a small consolation, but for reasons I can’t explain, it makes me happier than walking away with my own life. I hurt the Creator.
    If I did it once, I can do it again.
    Power surges through me. Adrenaline fills my veins and pushes bravery into my heart. I set my jaw and march out of my room and into the hall. If Titus wanted me to stay in my room, he should’ve locked the door. Or killed me.
    The house is quiet. Far down the hall I can hear dishes clanging as the cook washes up from a meal I didn’t bother to attend. I am not hungry when my stomach is so full of determination. I take the east hall, away from the mysterious office Titus likes to sit in and smoke his cigars. I don’t know if he’s home or not but I don’t care. I head for the security office on the other side of the apartment.
    I turn a corner