The Girl Who Wasn't Read Online Free PDF Page A

is it makes me afraid. Of him.
    “ Are you feeling all right?”
he asks.
    I tell myself I’m being ridiculous.
There is no possible way I’ve met this man before, nor do I have a
reason to fear him. I blink, forcing it away. He watches me, likely
waiting for a response.
    “ It’s been an eventful day,”
I say, my voice just above a whisper.
    “ Yes, well, I’m sure this is
more excitement than you’re used to, but you’d do well to acclimate
quickly. Things move much faster here than they do in the City. I
trust you can keep up?”
    I whisper an agreement and he
continues. “The staff—with the exception of Gus here—believes you
to be my daughter. You will act accordingly, even within the
privacy of your new home.” There is a pause and then his expression
contorts. “Child,” he snaps, clearly losing patience with my lack
of response. “Have you heard anything I’ve said?”
    “ Yes, sir,” I
mumble.
    He throws a glance over my shoulder at
Gus. “Leave us.”
    He doesn’t speak again until we’re
alone. I know we’re alone because my heart bangs against my chest
like a kettle drum. Something in me wants to hate this man. I’ve
never hated a person at first impression before. It feels unfair.
Then he is in my face and when he speaks, the malice behind his
words removes any guilt I feel at my unexplainable
reaction.
    “ My name is Titus Rogen, but
you will call me ‘Father,’ do you understand me?”
    I nod. He is so close, my nose almost
brushes his.
    “ There is a lot to go over
but first and foremost, you are here because there is a threat
against my daughter, your Authentic. Until that threat is
neutralized, you are her. You will walk, talk, and act like her.
You will attend all of her functions and fulfill all of her
obligations. You’ll have a couple of days to get up to speed and
then we will begin the process of drawing them out.”
    I say nothing.
    “ I know you go by Ven in
Twig City. That will not be tolerated here. Henceforth, your name
is Raven Rogen and you will answer to only that name. Am I
clear?”
    I nod a second time and manage, “Yes,
sir.”
    It’s all I can do. My mission is clear.
They want me to draw out the killers. They are unconcerned what
happens to me as a result. Only that they apprehend the guilty
parties so life can resume as it always was.
    I know as a trained Imitation, I should
show more initiative, a willingness to integrate myself as Raven
Rogen and do what I can to eliminate the danger against her. It’s
what I was made to do. But I cannot stop thinking how my own
existence matters so little to the very beings who should value
life so much.
    He sighs. “Look at me.”
    I do as he asks, raising my head and
letting my hair swing away from my face. He is surprisingly average
in stature considering the fear he evokes from the mere sound of
his voice. Slight and bald, his head shines like the granite walls
in the lobby. I think if I catch just the right angle, I will see
my own reflection in his cranium. A panicked laugh bubbles inside
me, lodging in my chest and sticking there. I cannot
laugh.
    “ Do you speak coherently at
all or do they manufacture them mute now?” He speaks with an edge
that makes me want to back away.
    “ I speak very well, sir,” I
say. My voice is small. I feel like Ida.
    “ Good damn thing. Would’ve
been ironic, me of all people getting a defective piece of
equipment.”
    I have no idea what he’s talking about,
so I remain silent and drop my attention back to the
floor.
    “ Gus!” he shouts, and I
jump.
    “ Boss?” a gruff voice says
behind me.
    “ Show Raven to her room.
She’s had a long day.”
    “ Yes, sir.”
    Titus looks at me once more and then
turns on his heel and leaves through a side door. It shuts behind
him before I can see where it leads. I turn to Gus. He is waiting
for me, an impatient expression on his already scowling face. “Come
on, then,” he says.
    I feel mildly better with him than I
did with