A Step to Nowhere (20 page)

“You like everything in my world.” I made an accent on the word
my
.

“Oh, yes. Why would I lie to you? These two maids are also from your planet.”

I raised my eyebrows.

“As I’ve told you, my husband’s business is transferring and replacement. These two,” a nod toward the door, “are from your planet. We replaced them, but I decided to keep them alive and make them work for me. It’s pretty noble, right? And free help.”

“I don’t think I understood you.” I took a sip of cold champagne and held it in my mouth for a few seconds. It wasn’t too bad, actually. Probably something super expensive. Could be enjoyable. It wasn’t the place or time for enjoyment, but would I have another opportunity? I chuckled to myself. How easily I signed my death sentence.

“To make it short, we replace your people with ours.”

I started to understand the meaning of her words and the scale of the operation. I put the glass on the table.

“Many of our people show interest in moving to Planet Two. Even temporarily,” my copy said, studying the food on the tray. She picked salmon and bit a little piece. “But we can’t just throw them there like helpless kittens. Besides the everyday complications they also have doubles. It’s not very convenient.”

“Sure. How could it be? So, you kill them?” My teeth were clenched.”

“People from our world take their places, flow in their lives. Of course it’s not easy and having the same look is not enough. They need to go deep into their doubles’ characters. They need to learn their habits, connections. We send dozens of agents into your world to study the object thoroughly.

“Object,” I repeated slowly.

“Yes.” My copy swallowed food, wiped her mouth and hands with the blue napkin.

So, that’s what was all that about? That’s what those messages on the stranger’s phone meant.

“You wanted to become me?” I asked.

“I’d never become you.” My copy screwed her lips as if I was the most disgusting creature. “We’re too different. But I plan to move to Planet Two, yes. I will move there. I don’t want to be there permanently. I will live between two universes. I’ll have to rebuild your life gradually, train your friends and family to accept your new lifestyle, so I could get away painlessly.”

Everything inside me shrank, from anger and helplessness. I hated this woman. Because she was taking my life from me. Because she was going to manipulate my friends and family. Could my mom accept her as her daughter? Never! She’d have no luck. Or … My mom could think that I’d created some new adventure, try to change my mind, and then give up. I always had new ideas and the stubbornness of two bulls.

“Some of my friends are on Planet Two already,” my copy continued. She didn’t pay attention to my anger that I was sure appeared on my face. “We keep a lot of people. I told you about those two women. The old one was a famous actress on your planet. You should know her even though she doesn’t do movies anymore. My friend took her place and enjoys life. She loves your planet. I don’t like your job. Well, I’ve never worked really, only with my father. I can change that. I’ll have enough money to not waste my time at work. I know how to explain money to people who know you.”

“You wanted to become me.” My lips moved slowly, my brain sorted the flow of information, trying to make sense of it all and take it in. I kept myself from the impulse to run to that bitch and destroy her face, so she wouldn’t look like me.

My copy raised the crystal glass of champagne to her lips and winked at me. I wanted to kill her.

“They followed me,” I hissed through my teeth. I might have time to jump on her, but that would be my last action and I had more questions. “How did you find out about my relationship with Ray? With Ray from my world? I’ve never told anyone about it.”

“It wasn’t as difficult as you may think. Our agents are professionals. They studied your Ray’s life because my husband was going to move with me, as you already may understand. Agents learned all aspects of his and your lives, so we could connect you at some point. Gradually. Understand? My husband would replace
your
Ray and contact you … Me at that moment. He would tell his family and friends about his love for you … For me. That the plan we had … by the way, what do you mean relationship? You didn’t have any relationship as far as we know. So, you had a secret. Interesting. You are not me, but also not that simple.

There was no point to hide anything now.

“I was in love with him.”

My copy raised her eyebrows. The same way I did it.

“You had feelings for him. Interesting.” My copy took another bite of her toast, finished her champagne. “Interesting. He didn’t know?”

“We didn’t talk about it. Your husband, on the other hand, has known.”

“What do you mean?” She twisted the empty glass in her hand. Her eyes half closed.

“When we met he knew everything that was going on between us. Let’s say, he voiced my thoughts.”

“Hold on a minute.” My copy closed her eyes and shook her head. “You said you met my husband. You also
talked
to him on Planet Two? In that universe, not just here?”

“What do you mean
talked
?” I asked with pleasure. Understanding what had happened and stretching my little vengeance. “Of course I talked to him. But he, in my understanding, carried out your program. Correct? Even when he had sex with me?”

The eyes of my copy flew open.

“It’s not true,” she hissed.

“In spite of my hating him now, I have to be fair,” I continued; aggravating the pain I was inflicting. I wanted to hurt her. She would win by killing me, but I needed to get some points in my account. I went on, lowering my voice and holding back a smile. “He’s God in bed. You’re lucky. I didn’t have a chance to know my Ray at that level, but your husband helped me to appreciate how it
could
be. I’m grateful for that. I can die satisfied now.”

“It’s not true.” Green eyes drilled me; pink spots appeared on her skin. I didn’t get red, maybe a couple of times in my life. “It’s not true. He … He couldn’t sleep with
you
.”

“He told me that he loved me.” I added poison, at the same time poisoning myself. I didn’t want to remember anything of what happened between me and Ray’s double. It hurt. I was talking and twisting a screwdriver in my heart. “His kisses. No one has ever kissed me with such passion and greediness. I thought …”

I dodged down, barely avoiding the flying glass. It hit the wall behind my back and a few fragments fell on the arm of the chair and my head. I shook it off my hair.

“You need to make an appointment with a therapist. You have an anger problem, girl.”

“You’re lying to hurt me,” my copy hissed. “I know you. Your characteristics are scandal and provocation. I know everything about you.”

I didn’t like scandals. My copy received wrong information. I could answer to injustice, to insult, sometimes aggressively, but scandals—never.

“You didn’t know I loved Ray,” I said, holding a fragment of glass between my fingers.

It looked like the woman at the table was ready to choke me. She even rose a little, but the phone rang and she grabbed it, pressed it to her ear.

“Oh! I was waiting for you!” Her lips stretched into a grotesque smile. “At my office … Sure.” She put the phone down. “Confrontation time. Is that what you say? I can’t wait to send you to onis. I’ll go there myself to watch your execution.”

“I hope you enjoy it and won’t consider it a waste of your time,” I said, but the sounds were muffled by blood pulsing in my temples. I snatched the fabric on my pants and tried to breathe evenly and slowly, in spite of my heart beating somewhere in my throat. Confrontation time.

The door opened.

“Hi … Samantha,” the dear voice almost whispered my name.

CHAPTER 22

I didn’t want to face him. No matter what he’d done, no matter who he was, his voice alone subdued every cell of my body. He didn’t have the right to hold such power over me. Didn’t have the right. How could I get rid of this delusion?

“Your father …” Ray cleared his throat. “Your father ordered that we send her to onis right away.”

“Change of plans. I couldn’t resist the temptation of meeting my double.” My copy—Samantha said in a dry voice. He called her Samantha, me—Sam. I liked people calling me Sam. He’d studied his subject—
me
, very well.

I raised my eyes at him; he was looking at me. His face was pale; his hands were inside his uniform pockets.

His wife stood up and walked to him.

“You haven’t had a chance to tell me about your last day on Planet Two. Haven’t shared the details of the operation.”

Ray blinked and moved his gaze away from me and to his wife.

“I …” He rubbed his temples.

“Are you all right, Cream?” Samantha asked.
Cream
. Blah.

“No… I…” He glanced at me one more time. “I just remembered that I have to make a call. I’ll be back in a second.” He turned to the door.

“Who?” My copy stopped Ray and when he turned to her, she touched his chin with two fingers. It was impossible to imagine somebody doing that to
my
Ray. He was so authoritative, no one would even think about such action. Here … it was a strange scene. It was also strange that after everything that had happened to me today I still could find something strange. It was
he
and
I
in front of
me
.

“Corporation, of course. We are sending hunters tomorrow to Planet Two, to chase the runners. Again. People go wild there. I need to specify some things.”

“Sure. Hunters.” My gross copy rose on her tiptoes and kissed Ray on the lips. My stomach turned. I felt the same reaction every time somebody was flirting with my Ray. Yes, it was a different person in front of me, but my brain thought and my heart
felt.
My body refused to stay cold, no matter what I’d ordered it to do.

Ray moved his wife away, gently.

“What’s the matter?” she asked.

He nodded in my direction.

“So, what?” My copy looked at me.

“I feel uncomfortable when the woman with your face is watching us.”

“Why?”

“Samantha,” he said with reproach.

“She’s dead already. You can’t …”

“Samantha,” Ray interrupted and closed his eyes for a second. “We have to send her to onis, don’t you think? Now. Should I call Dan?”

My copy took a step back, keeping an eye on her husband.

“How did she escape from the corporation?” she asked.

“I’ve told you.”

“I want to listen to it again. Unbelievable story. We’ve never had anything like that happen before.”

“Samantha, what’s going on? Do you want to discuss it in front of her?”

“You said one of the workers was from Hlifian and he helped her to escape. He’s in onis, right?”

“Keeky,” Ray said and I laughed, but they didn’t pay attention to me. Good. My laugh sounded sick. “What’s going on?”

“You tell me. Did you communicate with her there? On Planet Two?

Ray looked at me, licked his lips then turned to his wife again.

“It was short. I ran into her on the street, right before transferring. I didn’t want to upset you with such insignificant details. Sorry, Keeky.”

“Is that it?”

“I don’t know what she’s told you, but it’s the truth. I would never do anything to undermine your trust or your love. You know that.”

The tenderness in his voice was too obvious and I bit my lip to keep away tears of offense. He talked like this to me and I trusted him. His wife, my copy, was just as naïve as I. Maybe she pretended. Maybe he did tell her the truth.
 
He was just a man and it was just sex that didn’t mean anything to him. Why not use the situation to find out how it was to sleep with two different women who looked identical?

“She told me that you … hmmm … slept with her.”

Ray cackled and landed a haughty gaze on me. I was a bomb ready to explode, but I didn’t start to cry, didn’t blame, didn’t slap him in the face. I held his gaze and even kept my breathing smooth. I could ask him counter questions, be acrimonious, throw a sarcastic joke, but I didn’t do any of that. My voice would tremble and betray me. It would be good – for her. She would trust me, she would get hurt. Maybe. Only I didn’t want to look weak and wounded in his eyes. He didn’t deserve it.

“I can imagine what she’s told you,” he said in a cold voice. If he was nervous in the beginning after entering the room, now he took his emotions under control completely. He was a better pretender than I.

My copy also was looking at me, as if trying to guess who was lying. After a second I understood that her decision moved to the more advantageous side—mine.

“I can’t believe that I almost let her convince me.” Samantha went to the table and picked up the phone.

“I’ve seen enough of her,” she said. “It’s time to say bye-bye. Did I say it right?”

“As always.” Ray turned away from me. Something flashed in his eyes, but I couldn’t decode it. I didn’t try. My heart was tearing apart from grief. I tried to calm myself down and it didn’t make any sense. Soon I was going to stop suffering. Soon, nothing was going to bother me. He didn’t risk anything.

“What do you want to do?” he asked indifferently. Why did he try to save me? Was it some kind of a game? Why did he risk his own safety?

“Dan will take her to onis and tomorrow she’ll be executed. I want to get a good night sleep to get ready for the show.”

Breathe deeply,
I commanded myself
. Act as if nothing is happening.

“I can take her,” Ray said.

“You?” Samantha put the phone to her ear. “Why?”

“So, we won’t have any surprises.” Ray spread his arms. “If I had observed her execution the first time, everything would be over.”

“This time she won’t get out, trust me.” My copy patted Ray’s cheek. My stomach convulsed. It was an unpleasant sight. “I want to spend the night with you. It doesn’t happen so often when you’re home. She will go with Dan. You don’t doubt him?”

“Dan’s the best.” Ray nodded, glancing at me again. “I hope she’ll get to onis alive.”

“I have a job for you,” Samantha said into the phone and dropped it on the table. She then approached Ray again, clung to him, turning her face in my direction. She was torturing me. I already had a knife in my heart, but she wanted to make sure it was planted to the very grip. Why did I have to tell her that I loved Ray?
My
Ray? I suggested to her the best method of torturing me.

“I had to assure my father that you had nothing to do with her escape. He wanted to talk to you personally. Demanded a report.”

“He’s called me.”

“Really?” My copy lifted her gaze to her husband. “Poor you. I hope he didn’t threaten you.”

“Not as much as before the wedding.”

Samantha laughed and I wanted to close my ears, that’s how repulsive her laugh was, so I closed them.

“What happened?” My copy twisted her lips, noticing a movement from my direction. Before this second, I was sitting as a stone statue.

“Your laugh is nasty,” I said as I put my hands down.

“No worse than yours.” She raised her chin. “Ray, do I really look like … her?” Contempt in her voice splashed out with the word
her
like foul water.

“Just at first glance,” my copy’s husband answered. Sincerely.

After a second somebody knocked at the door and my copy let in two tall men with the faces of pit bulls. They both were wearing black uniforms with white stripes on the sleeves. One had hair smoothed back, the other one had his head shaved. The bald one stood a head taller than his partner and his facial expression suggested that he was ready to tear into pieces everything in his way. I shrank inside. I had to go with these two monsters. Suddenly Ray’s phrase about me getting to onis alive made sense.

“She must be in onis tonight,” Samantha said as she pointed to me. Then she picked up the handcuffs from the table with one finger and gave them to baldy. “Block D.”

The bruisers nodded. The bald one stomped to me, grabbed my arms, twisted them behind my back, and pulled me up. I felt like my wrist cracked when he put the handcuffs on and I gasped. No one had done anything like this to me, ever, but everything in life one day was for the first time, right?

“Don’t break her arms,” Ray said. I looked at him and saw a flash of fear. It was gone before Samantha presented him with
her
look.

“Who cares? She’s not going to suffer for long.”

Ray chuckled.

“You’re just so similar. For a second I imagined them doing it to you.”

“Just don’t imagine her in my place during different situations. You’re dismissed.”

The man pushed me so hard I almost fell, and I didn’t look at Ray for the last time. I would probably see him tomorrow, when they injected death into my veins. If I didn’t die before that.