Losing Nuka (Litmus Book 1) (6 page)

“Maybe I should just go home,” I say.

“No! I
want
to spend today with you. I want to get to know the sister I never knew I had.”

My heart sinks. “You didn’t know about me?”

Sasha gives me a sympathetic, tight-lipped smile. “To be fair, I didn’t even know Mum was married before my dad. That makes Jonas number three, I’m guessing.”

“What was your dad like?”

She shrugs. “I don’t remember him. I don’t even know his name.”

I’m sensing a common theme with this family. “I didn’t know my mother’s name until a few years ago.”

“What about your dad? Where’s he?”

“He died when I was six. I have adoptive parents, but I don’t really talk to them anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Long story, but basically they refused to tell me about you, about my bio family.”

“Are you sure they even knew about us?”

“They knew … maybe not about
you
, but they at least had the power to find out. My adoptive mum is Allira Daniels.”

“
The
Allira Daniels?”

I nod.

“Oh. I don’t think Mum and Jonas will be too pleased to hear that.”

“Oh?”

“They aren’t exactly—”

Brett knocks on my door. “Be ready in twenty,” he says before turning on his heel and heading back down the hall towards his room.

“Does he do that a lot?”

“Interrupt? All the damn time. Especially if I’m with a guy. They’re like annoyingly big brotherly then.”

“Is that part of their job? To keep boys away?”

“If it is, they suck at it,” she says, laughing.

Looking at my little sister, who’s five years younger than I am, I get the distinct impression she’s more experienced than I am with guys.
That’s depressing.

“How are we going to go shopping? Shouldn’t you be at school today?” I ask.

“Uh … It’s Sunday.”

“Oh. Duh. I’m a day ahead of myself.”

“Besides, I don’t go to school.”

My brow furrows. “Isn’t that like a requirement for a sixteen-year-old?”

“I’m home schooled.”

“Cade home schools you?”

“Pfft,” she scoffs. “I home school myself.”

“Wow. That’s pretty impressive.”

She shrugs. “It’s all pretty straightforward.”

“Really? I barely made it through high school, and I dropped out of uni.”

“Clearly I just got all the smart genes in the family.” She winks.

I smile at her, but it doesn’t reach my eyes. I hate that we didn’t get to grow up together like proper sisters should.

“You don’t seem as spoiled as they say,” I say, nudging her with my foot.

She turns to me, her mouth falling open in shock, “Who said I was spoiled? Brett and Drake? Well, they’re so serious
all the time,
it’s easy to make them squirm … and it’s kind of fun.”

“So it’s all an act?” I can already tell she’s not the same girl from last night.

“Shh,” she says, placing her finger to her lips.

“Were you even out last night?”

She giggles.

“I think you’re the only girl in history to sneak out, only to sneak immediately back in just so she can get caught.”

She shrugs. “I have to show them they don’t own me somehow. They can throw as many bodyguards at me as they want, but the bottom line is, they can’t keep me if I don’t want to be kept.”

“Why do you need bodyguards anyway? I don’t get it.”

Brett appears in the doorway again. “I don’t see you getting ready, Sasha.”

She grabs my pillow off my bed and throws it at him. “Go away. We’re bonding here.”

He laughs and then leaves for a second time.

“I should probably call Declan before we go out, just to let him know I’m okay. We kind of got split up last night.”

“Who’s Declan?”

“I’m sort of staying with him at the moment. It’s just temporary until I can find my own apartment.”

“Is he hot?” she asks, a coy smile finding her face.

“Yes, but he’s twenty-one—that’s too old for you.”

“Playing the big sister role already, huh?” She laughs. “I don’t mind an older guy. Drake’s a pretty good kisser.”

“Drake? He’s a lot older than you.”

“He’s only twenty-two.”

“Oh. Still too old you. Are you and him … together?”

“God no, nothing like that. We’ve made out a couple of times, but it’s pretty clear it was only out of sheer boredom from being stuck together a lot. He freaks out after every time it happens, too. Says it can’t happen again.”

“That’s understandable. The impression I get is Mummy dearest won’t be too pleased if the help is helping themselves to her sixteen-year-old daughter.”

“Please, she’d be more upset over losing the employee or being sued or something.”

“It just surprises me that Drake’s crossed that line. After Brett kissed me last night, Drake kept—”

“Wait, you made out with Brett? Like ‘life is not a game, I’m so serious all the time’ Brett?”

I feel myself blush. “Yeah. Right before Drake held a gun to my head.” I laugh. Sasha looks shocked.

I tell her all the events of the last two days—the PI, the house, the coffee shop, the club, everything. She’s in hysterics by the end of my story.

“That’s so not fair. I miss out on all the fun.”

“I can tell you that being cornered by two guys in a dark alley was not fun. You might do well to learn from that lesson—don’t impulsively agree to go home with a guy you meet in a bar.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she says with a smile. “Come on, let’s get up and go out for breakfast. Mum said you probably need some clothes, so I’ve bought a heap of my old stuff down for you.”

“Thanks.”

“I’m just going to run upstairs and get dressed, and I’ll meet you out front in ten,” she says, rushing out the door.

It’s only taken me fifteen minutes and one conversation to fall in love with my sister.

***

After dressing, I go to the bathroom to brush my teeth. Only, when I reach the bathroom, my new toothbrush is missing. I’m sure I left it in here.
Am I in the right bathroom?
The toothpaste and the makeup remover are still in here.
Where did my toothbrush go?

I look on the floor, in the bathroom cabinet, everywhere, but I can’t find it. Maybe I took it back with me to my room? Maybe I was drunker than I thought.

Outside of the bathroom, Brett’s waiting for me. His presence makes me jump.

“I’m not that scary, am I?” he says, smirking.

“Why are you waiting for me outside my bathroom?

“Like I told you last night. You’re one of them now. Drake and I are going to be stuck to you like glue.”

“Great,” I mumble.

Brett just laughs and shakes his head. “Great, two Sashas.”

“Hey, umm, can I use a phone before we go? I need to call my friend, tell him where I am.”

“Come use mine,” he says, leading me to the end of the hallway to his room.

He steps aside so I can walk in. I shuffle into his room, the size of it bringing me to pause. It’s much larger than mine. His gigantic bed makes my single one look even smaller, and his wide screen TV is an addition I don’t even have in my room. French doors open out to the pool area, giving Brett an awesome view of the perfectly maintained grounds.

“Nice room,” I state coolly.

“It’s not bad,” he says with a shrug.

I glare at him. “You’ve been working here too long if you think this room is only okay. You’ve seen the room you put me in, right?”

He smiles. “I was joking. I know I have the best room in this wing. The head of home security usually does.”

“So you’re like Drake’s boss?”

He runs his hand through his hair. “Something like that.”

“Oh,” I say, walking over and sitting on the edge of his bed.

“Uh, didn’t you need the phone?” he asks, pointing over to an old, wooden desk in the corner of the room.

“Oh, yeah. Thanks.” I make my way over to the desk, picking up the phone. “Is it okay if I’m left alone for this?”

He tilts his head to the side and gives me a derisive look. “You know I’d be able to hear you no matter where I go in the house, right?”

“Then don’t listen in.”

“Who are you calling?” he asks, his voice laced with suspicion.

“Declan. Who else would I be calling?”

He shrugs. “I dunno. It could be anyone. It’s my job to know what goes on in this house.” It’s clear he’s not going to let me have a private conversation.

“Fine, listen in. Whatever,” I say inarticulately.

Dialling Declan’s house, I feel self-conscious talking to him in front of Brett, who’s standing there with his arms crossed just watching me. Declan picks up on the first ring.

“Hello?” he says with a certain tone of urgency.

“Hey, it’s m—”

“Nuka? Oh, thank God. Where the hell did you disappear to? Why didn’t you come home? What the hell happened last night? Are you okay?”

“Calm down. I’m fine. I’m … I found my mother.”

“What? Where are you now?”

“At her house.”

“Why didn’t you call sooner?”

“I was getting to know my sister.  Why—”

“You have a sister?” There’s a smile in his tone now.

“Yeah, pretty crazy. I meant to call, but everything happened so fast. Why were you all panicky?”

“Are you kidding me?
Why?
Maybe because the last time I saw you, you were talking to some random guy at the bar and then you disappeared for … oh I don’t know … eight hours?” He lets out an exasperated sigh. “I didn’t know where you were. I was worried. Where are you, Nuke?”

“At my mother’s house.”

“Yeah, I got that.
Where
is that?”

“I don’t actually know the address. Hang on …” I turn and look at Brett.

“He won’t be allowed in,” he says. “Not approved guest.”

“Who was that?” Declan asks.

“Uh, the guy from the bar,” I answer absentmindedly while looking at Brett, my facial expression asking him why Declan can’t come over.

“What?” Declan screeches.

Breaking eye contact with Brett, I throw my head in my hand. “It’s not like that. He works for my mother.” There’s a long silence, and if I had to guess what he was doing, I’d say he was pacing back and forth, trying to calm down again. “I’m sorry I made you worry. I kind of got carried away with the fact that I have a mother and a sister and … well, I figured you were at Cassia’s last night anyway, so I couldn’t go back to yours if you weren’t there.”

“I’m glad you’re okay, Nuke,” he says calmly. “When I didn’t know where you were, I kind of freaked out. I wish I could’ve been there for you when you met her. And about Cass—”

“I kind of wish that too,” I say with a smile. I don’t want to hear about Cassia. “It didn’t exactly go as well as I was hoping.”

“Oh?”

Brett clears his throat behind me.

I grumble. “I should go. I just wanted to let you know where I was.”

“Are you coming back here tonight, or?”

“Uh … maybe, but I’m not sure just yet. I’ll see how the day pans out and will let you know, okay?”

“When can I see you then?” he asks. “I think we need to talk about … some stuff.”

My stomach churns, making me feel queasy. I know what he wants to say. He wants to tell me that he’s back with Cassia and we can’t be as close anymore. He’s such an idiot for going back to her. I may as well get the conversation over with.

“You got uni in the morning?”

“Yeah. Free arvo though.”

“Late lunch? Usual spot?”

“Deal.”

-6-

SUSPICIONS

From what I’ve learnt about Sasha so far, she’s insanely smart. She’s like some kind of mathematical genius child. While I was trying to work out how much discount thirty-five percent off would be on the sales rack, she’d look at the price and spout the answer like it just popped into her head. I’m not talking an approximate guess, she’d tell me right down to the cent. It’s no wonder she has the smarts to home school herself.

There’s a knock on my door not long after we get home from our long, exhausting day of shopping.

“Your mother has requested your company,” Brett says as I open the door.

“Really?” My eyebrows shoot up and I find myself smiling. I tell myself to act cool, but it’s not happening.

“Yup, she wants you to meet Jonas and have dinner with you.”

“Should I change? Do I look okay?”

He laughs. “You look fine. Come on,” he says, leading me back into the hallway and through the maze that is this house.

He leads me to a formal dining room on the other side of the house. Evidently, I’m the first one to arrive, but my mother’s right behind me.

“Jonas should be here any minute,” she says, taking a seat at the end of the table.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Brett says, making his exit.

“Sit,” my mother says, gesturing to the chair to her left.

When I sit down to join her, a tall, thin, greying man enters and kisses my mother on the cheek. He looks over at me and continues to walk around to my chair. He holds out his hand for me to shake.

“You must be Nuka.” His voice and smile is friendly, but his eyes are cold.

All I can bring myself to do is nod in return.

“I’m Jonas Dalton. It’s nice to meet you.” He lets go of my hand and makes his way to the head of the table. He looks to my mother and gives her a small head nod, as if they’re having some telepathic conversation.

“So what are your plans? Do you have any?” my mother asks.

“Plans?” I ask.

“For a job, where to live?” she asks.

“Well … I … uh,” I stutter.

“Jonas and I were discussing it, and we would love it if you could stay with us until you figure out what you want to do. We may even have a job for you. If that’s what you want?”

“A job? Umm … I don’t need—”

“So what is it that you want? Money?” Jonas asks.

“I just want to get to know you,” I say quietly.

Jonas scoffs. “And how do you plan on supporting yourself? We can provide you with a bed and food, but you still need a wage to live on.”

“But—”

“I want to get to know you too, but Jonas …” She looks at Jonas and then back at me. “Sorry …
we
fear that you’re here for another reason.”

“You think I’m after your money,” I state, not question.

“Well, you have to look at it from our perspective,” she continues. “You come from a middle-class, working family. They’re upper middle class, but still middle class. They’re influential people, yes, but they’re not exactly—”

“How do you know who my family are?”

“We had to check your story out,” Jonas answers. “Brett got us all the information we needed.”

“Brett?”

“He’s good at what he does,” my mother says. “We had to make sure you were who you said you were. That you really are my Lavender.”

My brow furrows.
How did Brett get all of my information?

“DNA test,” Jonas says, as though he could hear what I was thinking.

I’m still confused until I realise … “My toothbrush.”

Jonas nods.

Anger starts to build up inside of me. I try to squash it down, but it just sits in my chest, making my breaths heavy.

“I’m not after your money,” I say as calmly as I can manage.

Great. Instead of letting the anger take over, tears have come out. I try to subtly wipe them away, but my mother’s stare burns into me.

“Could you leave us a minute, Jonas?”

“Sure. Maybe I’ll go have dinner with Sasha, wherever that girl is. It’ll give you two time to really talk. I’ll tell the kitchen we’ll be eating separately.”

After Jonas leaves, we sit in silence: me staring at the table, my mother staring at me.

“I’m sorry about ambushing you like that,” she finally says. “You have to understand our position in this. You literally turn up in the middle of the night claiming you’re my daughter, and you have nowhere to go. The daughter I gave up had blue eyes, yours are purple. I thought maybe … that maybe you were here for other reasons. I couldn’t even be sure you were mine.”

“That’s okay,” I mumble incoherently.

“When the test confirmed you are mine, I was so happy that I’d found you and that you were here. But then Jonas pointed out that the DNA test didn’t mean you weren’t after something, and the fact you have nowhere to live … well—”

“I only don’t have anywhere to live because I haven’t found my own place yet. But don’t worry. I’ll be out of here tomorrow. I can go back and stay with my friend—where I was before last night.”

“That’s not necessary, Lavender.”

I wince at my birth name.

“Sorry. Nuka. I still can’t believe your father named you that.”

“Why
did
he change my name?”

“So here come the questions,” she says in a playful tone. Her look turns sombre when she sees I’m not entertained. “I assume he did it so I wouldn’t be able to find you when you got out.”

“But he changed it long before I was out of the Institute.”

“He had plans of busting you out of there the moment he found out what I did,” she says, hanging her head shamefully.

“Why did you … why …” I can’t ask the question.

“Why did I give you up?”

I nod.

“I wish I could say it was because it was the law, because I
had
to. But if I’m being completely honest, I did it for more selfish reasons than that. I saw it as a way of escaping.”

“Escaping?”

“I don’t have the best track record with men. Starting with your father.”

“My father?”

“He isn’t the man the media made him out to be.”

“Oh.”

“I shouldn’t really get into this with you,” she practically whispers. “He’s your father and he achieved amazing things for this country and your kind before he died, that much is true.”

“But?”

She gives a reluctant sigh, knowing I’m not going to let this go. “But he wasn’t a nice man, Nuka.”

“Did he … hit you?”

Her face relaxes into a half-smile. “No. He wasn’t physically abusive. But there are many forms of abuse.”

“Why didn’t you come find me when he died, or even after I was released from the Institute?”

“After I gave you up, he threatened to kill me if I ever came near you again.”

“But you just said he wasn’t the violent type?”

“He would’ve found a way. Staged an ‘accident.’ He wouldn’t have been stupid enough to come right out and murder me. He was smart, manipulative, and he always got what he wanted.”

My stomach churns. That’s when I realise. “That’s why you changed your name. I went to the Institute when I was one. You changed your name around the same time.”

She nods. “I was scared he’d do it anyway because he’d lost you. I’m not proud of my cowardice. And that’s what giving you up was. It was cowardly. So was not coming for you when your father died. At the time, I’d just left Sasha’s father. He
was
the physical type. I had an almost one-year-old, no money, nowhere to go. I knew I couldn’t have taken you on as well, even though you were my responsibility. I saw in the news that Paxton was marrying that Defective woman. I thought she’d be able to take care of you better than I could. She could also understand you better than I could. I have no idea what it’s like to be Defective.”

I nod as I contemplate what she’s telling me. “So you knew where I was and didn’t even try to find me,” I mumble.

“Sorry, what was that?”

I shake my head. “Sorry, nothing.”

“Oh,” is all she says, and then, “Perfect timing.”

The kitchen staff enters, carrying plates of food.

“I was beginning to think you’d forgotten about us,” she half-jokes, but it’s the kind of joke that holds truth behind it. I think the staff knows that too because they’re quick to apologise and disappear again.

Realising our conversation is over, I start eating the food that looks more like art than something edible. It may look weird, but as soon as the food hits my mouth, I don’t care what it looks like. I’ve never tasted anything like it, or anything as good.

“So about the job.” She starts talking halfway through the meal.

“I don’t exactly need a job, but I’d love to work for you if it means I get to spend time with you, get to know you more.”

“Do you already have a job? How are you able to pay for things?”

“My dad left me a trust fund. It’s not much, certainly nothing compared to what you have, but it’s enough for me to live off for a long time, probably forever. It’s also the reason I’m not here for your money. I don’t need your money.”

“Oh.” Her face brightens a little, making me realise she still doesn’t completely believe I’m not here for her other reasons. “Well, it’s up to you. You can keep your trust fund in savings and work for us, if you like. We kind of got excited when you turned up last night. We’ve already got pretty big plans for you.”

“You do?”

“I’ll explain everything as we go. You want to come tomorrow and see what we have to offer?”

“Sure.”
But lunch with Declan.
“How long will we be? I’m meeting a friend for lunch, but I can cancel if you want?”

“Oh, we won’t be getting started until tomorrow evening. We’ll show you around, explain what we do.”

“What
do
you do?”

She smiles. “All in good time. I’m going to head to bed,” she says, even though her food has barely been touched. “Goodnight, Nuka.”

“Goodnight … umm …”

She grins. “You can call me Cade until you feel comfortable enough to call me Mum,” she says reassuringly.

“Goodnight, Cade.” I like how her name rolls off my tongue when I say it.

She pauses in the doorway. “One more thing.”  She waits until I’m looking at her to continue. “It’s probably best we don’t tell Jonas about your little trust fund. He’s always looking for investors, and while most of his ideas are inspired, it can be risky to invest with him—financially speaking. We’ll tell him that you have a little money left over from a previous job, but it’s not much and you’re willing to work for us to earn your keep. Okay?”

“O … kay,” I say, a little confused.

“I just wouldn’t want you to lose the money your father put aside for you.”

I nod to her and she leaves.

***

“I hear you’re one of us now?” Brett says, catching up to me as I walk down the hallway to my room.

“One of you?”

“Maybe you were placed in the employee section of the house on purpose after all.”

“So, you know where my missing toothbrush is, I hear?” I ask, changing the subject.

He winces. “I had to,” he says quietly.

“Well, can I get another one? Brushing my teeth with my finger is sure to cause some cavities.”

He smiles and looks a little relieved that I’m not pissed off at him. “I’ll go get you one,” he says, turning and walking the other way.

Grabbing some new pyjamas from my shopping bags in my room, I start to head to the bathroom. Brett meets me in the hallway with a brand new toothbrush, still in its packaging.

“Going to steal this one too?” I ask, reaching for it.

“Not unless they ask me to.”

“They could’ve just asked
me
. It’s not like I don’t understand their concern. It may have upset me, but it’s not as bad as finding out they went behind my back.”

“They still would’ve checked you out, no matter what you told them. You know that, right? People like your parents—”

“Mother,” I correct him. Jonas is no father of mine.

“People like your mother and Jonas,” he rephrases, “have to watch their backs. They have a lot to lose.”

“A lot of money, you mean.”

“To some people, that’s everything.”

“Is it everything to you? Is that why you do this job?”

“I’m just trying to keep my head above water. Being Defective doesn’t exactly open doors for great careers. We do what we have to just to survive.”

“That’s bullcrap.”

He raises his eyebrows at me.

“Look at my adoptive family. Nearly all of them are Defective. They’re doctors, politicians, directors, police officers. They don’t let their abilities hold them back.”