More Than One: A Novel (18 page)

              “Clones? But you guys made me feel like I was stupid when I mentioned it before when we were all together.”             

              “Yeah, because no one is supposed to know about it. But what Dr. Dean has discovered is amazing. Cloning can be done and he is the one who set the wheels in motion. Your precious Ash, he is a clone created by Dr. Dean.”

              My eyes got wide and he chuckled, apparently pleased with my reaction this time.

              “Ash is a clone? That's impossible. He is so normal,” I said getting bored with this conversation. I wanted him to tell me something I didn't already know.

              “Yes, he is a clone and that is why I was sent here to keep an eye on him. Through recent studies, we have learned that his health was going to start declining and Dr. Dean wanted me to watch out for any signs of his health changing and report back to him. Ash is very stubborn and hates coming home, so it is hard for him to keep up with what's going on with him. If there were something wrong, he would never tell his father. They don't get along,” he said scooting back on the couch with his hands stretched out over the top of the seat. “They have been working on a cure to save him and I'm here to make sure nothing happens to him before they find one.”

              “His health is fading? You mean Ash could die if they don't find a cure?” I asked. Ash didn't mention any of this to me. I wondered if he even knew.

              “Yes. The expectancy of the clone’s lifespan is twenty-one years. Ash is nineteen now and Dr. Dean suspects that he will be starting to feel the effects of the change soon. Him blacking out the way he did was not a good sign. It could mean that the process is speeding up and that would take time off his life.”

              I was starting to panic. The things I researched on the cloning process made me scared to think that Ash's life could be taken at any moment. He could die sometime soon if they didn't find the cure.

              “So, do you think they will find a cure for him?” I asked.

              “Yes. Dr. Dean and Dr. Lewis are geniuses in my opinion and they are dedicated to making sure Ash comes out of this alright. You shouldn't worry about that.”

              “Why twenty-one though, how did they come up with that age?”

              “The research showed that the growth of the cells in clones developed faster. Right now, he is nineteen, but if you looked at his insides on a scientific level, he's older. He just doesn't age on the outside as fast.”

              “Wow, this is a lot to take in. So, you say Ash and his father don't get along. Why not?” I asked.

              He laughed and I thought it was rude of him. I wondered how close Michael and Ash's father were for him to know all of this.

              “Well, Ash has always been a hot head. His father wanted great things for him and he was always going against the grain. Ash could have stayed in Rome, but when he graduated from high school, he applied for a college far away from home so he could get under his father’s skin,” he said.

              “Wait, Rome? Ash is from Rome and not New York?”

              “Yeah, I thought you got that.”

              “No, I didn't. Why didn't he tell me he was from Rome? That makes no sense.”

              “Well, it is another protocol that we must follow. New York is the place we always have to say we're from, security reasons,” he answered.

              “But the murders... they are in Rome. Tell me the truth, do you know anything about that?”

              “Well, of course I know about the murders in Rome, but I seriously don't know why you are dreaming about them, I promise.”

              I believed him. He's been honest so far. There had to be another reason why Ash didn't tell me he was from Rome. He opened up about everything else, why leave this out? He has to be hiding more information and I know it must be related to my situation. At least I think it is. How could I find out though?

              “There is something I'm missing in all of this. Ash is a clone, you work for his father. You guys are actually from Rome, which just happens to be the place the murders that I am dreaming about are taking place. This Abigail person, is sending me letters telling me to be careful. Where do I fit in, in all of this? Why is she sending me the letters?” I asked.

              “That part, I don't know for real. I'm just doing as I'm told by delivering the letters to you, but I don't know why she is telling you that. I guess that information is on a need to know basis and I might not need to know. Trust me, if I knew why, I would tell you.”

              “Okay, I believe you,” I said looking at my watch. “I have to go before Keisha calls back and curses me out. But we have to finish this conversation later. I still have a lot more questions to ask you.”

              “Sure. Just call me when you get off work. I'll be around.”

              “Okay,” I said and stood up to leave.

              He walked me to the door and then hugged me.

              “I know you are confused, but it will make sense soon enough. Just don't let it get to you like before,” he said.

              I looked at him and the calmness in his face sent a chill down my spine. Even after finding out the mystery, I still didn't know this man. He wasn't the guy that I first met and fell for. The secret was out and yet I still felt like I was in the dark. I backed away from him. I didn't feel safe with him anymore.

              “I have to go,” I said and bolted out of the door.

              I walked to my car and I couldn't turn around and look back at him. There was something about him that disgusted me. I thought about the way he said,
Your precious Ash is a clone
. It was almost like he wanted something bad to happen to him.

              I took out my phone and texted Rach and told her I needed her to be back at the dorm tonight. I explained how important it was. Screw all the secrets, I was going to tell her everything.             

              The last couple of days have been full of surprises. Ones that I would never have thought in a million years could be possible. The way Michael and Ash opened up to me was disturbing for some reason. They acted as if what they were telling me was just so simple. Like I was supposed to take it in and just be okay with it. Why didn't they understand why it was bothering me so much? I told them all about my situation, but they refuse to see how they are linked in some way.

              I locked the doors to the store and got in my car. I checked my phone and saw that I had two text messages. Rach was telling me she was already in the room and Michael was asking me if I was okay. I know I told him I was going to call him when I got off work, but I didn't want to talk to him anymore tonight. I deleted his text and started the car heading to the dorm.

              I got there and ran up to my room. I came in, slammed the door, and started pacing. Rach looked at me like I was crazy and she wouldn't be far from the truth on that. It seemed like the more I got answers, the more lost I felt. I thought it was making sense earlier when I was talking to Michael, but it really hadn't. It just felt like another bad dream that I was wishing I could wake up from.

              “Um Jamie, what's going on with you?” Rach asked.

              I turned to her and grunted. I finally put my things down and flopped on my bed.

              “You will not believe the day I had. Actually, I take that back, the week I've had,” I said.

              “Michael still mad at you?”

              “No, that's not it. I mean, am I awake right now? Pinch me please,” I said walking over to her bed.

              She pinched me. “What’s going on? I've never seen you put on a drama like this,” she said moving over so I could sit down.

              “Listen, what I'm about to tell you is going to sound outrageous, but I swear to you it’s all the truth. I keep finding out things and it is literally driving me insane.”

              “Okay, I'm all ears,” she replied.

              “You know how I told you Ash has been trying to tell me something, but he could never find the words?”

              “Yeah.”

“Well, it turns out that he is a clone.”

              Her expression turned blank and she kept blinking repeatedly.

              “What?” she said.

              “Believe me, it’s true. He told me the other day and he made me promise I wouldn't tell anyone, so you can't say anything.”

              “What?” she asked again.

              “Ash was cloned by a scientist from a baby boy who died in the hospital.”

              “That's not possible. Cloning humans can't be done. Are you sure you heard him right?”

              “Look, Rach, I know how this all sounds, but that's what he told me. Why would he say that if it weren't true? But that's not all,” I said taking a deep breath. “Michael hasn't been answering my phone calls, so I decided to go over there after class. He told me the reason he was avoiding me was because he was tired of me always putting Ash before him. Well, anyway, we discussed that and moved on. While he was in the kitchen, I found a letter that was addressed to him from Rome. The person who has been sending me the letters warning me was being delivered by him.”

              She looked dumbfounded. Her mouth was open wide and her body was stiff.

              “So, let me get this straight. Ash is a clone and Michael is some crazy lady's minion. Is that about right?” she said.

              “Pretty much.”

              I couldn't tell if she was believing any of this and what she thought about it if she did. The more I thought about it, I realized how it must have sound to her. Probably the same way it did to me when they told me.

              “I'm still in shock right now. This is too bizarre,” she said.

              “Tell me about it.”

              I went into detail about the whole conversation I had with Ash and then the one I had with Michael. Rach grabbed a piece of paper out of one of her folders and then turned to me.

              “Okay, let's think about this and try to analyze it from every angle and see what we come up with,” she said.

              “Alright. So, make columns and put Ash, Michael and my name in each of them and then we'll go from there.”

              “So, in your column we have nightmares, murders in Rome, and a file that was found in your dad's cabinet.”

              “Then put in Ash's column that he is a clone, he is from Rome, his health is fading, and that his father is a scientist. For Michael, put he is from Rome, he is an intern for Ash's father, has been delivering messages for Abigail Thompson, and that he is here to watch over Ash,” I said.

              “Okay, now how does this all connect to each other,” she asked.

              “There is something more that the guys are not telling me. I asked Ash if he thought it was possible that maybe someone was cloned from my DNA, and that is the person committing the murders and he said it wasn't possible. But I'm not so sure. What I need to find out is if my parents have ever been there or knows someone from there.”

              I got my phone and dialed my parent’s home number. I knew it was late and they were probably asleep, but I needed to know. There was no way I would have been able to sit here all night not knowing.

              My dad answered the phone and it sounded like he was still up. He asked me if there was something wrong and I told him no. I told him I got his email, and I apologized for my grades and for missing classes. I told him that I was making my grades up. He said he was glad that I was. There was silence on the phone for a minute while I was trying to figure out how to ask him.

              “Hey, uh, dad. Have you ever been to Rome?” I asked.

              “Why do you ask?”

              “No reason, just curious. So, have you and mom ever visited there or lived there or even know anyone from Rome?”

              “Well, we have been to Rome. We stayed there for a little bit before you were born. I was studying with one of the doctors there for a while. We went back once after you were born, but you were too young to remember any of that.”

              My eyes got wide. There was a possibility that someone could have gotten some of my DNA.

              “Wow, that's really something,” I said. “Why didn't you tell me this before?”

              “It never came up before now and like I said, you were too young to remember any of it anyway. What's going on Jamie? Why the sudden curiosity in our travels?”

              “Nothing. I just wanted to know. So how are you and mom?” I said trying to change the subject.

              “We’re good.”

              “I saw the pictures from Hawaii. You guys must have had an amazing time.”

              “We sure did. I wish you could have been there.”

              “Yeah, me too. Well, it's late and I know you want to get to bed and I have an early class tomorrow. Tell mom I said hello.”