No, no.
I can't accept this. 2.0?! I can't be her!! She isn't me, I'm not her. She's not my mother and I'm not her daughter. I don't care if my handwriting looks like chicken scratch combined with ink spills but it's not hers, is it?
I want to just stay inside the room. It's calm, peaceful.
Thankfully for me, Zinnia's on a phone call so she's not paying any attention. Maybe I should slip out? What about security? Should I ask Archie for help?
I would, but she's trapped him under her spell. I know science isn't magic and magic isn't real but there's just this witch-like thing about her and it makes them all believe her.
I really should stop obsessing over her. I can't keep thinking about it, but there's no way I'm telling anybody. I'm telling you there's not one other soul on earth who can say that they're a clone.
Aurelia Oxide 2.0. She isn't me. I'm not her. I wasn't some carbon copy, a pre-programmed puppet. I am going to forge my own path, even if it means running away to the other side of the planet.
Somewhere out there is freedom, a chance to escape Aurelia's clutches and build a life of my own. A life where I'm not just just a clone, a weapon... where I'm a normal person.
I don't know how to do it though. The lab is buzzing with security. I'm terrified here. I can't tell anybody.
My phone buzzed on the desk. Mom. Cadence. My real mother, the one who chose me, who loved me, even though I was… different. I hesitated, then answered the call.
"Aura?" Cadence's voice was filled with worry, a familiar ache that always tugged at my heart. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Mom," I lied, my voice trembling slightly though I tried my level best to be normal. "Just tired... otherwise fine."
"No, you're not," she said, her voice firm but gentle. "Something's wrong. I can hear it in your voice. You only sound like that when you have a cold, and you don't seem to be coughing. What's happening at the lab?"
I bit my lip, tears stinging my eyes. I wanted to tell her everything, to confide in her, but I was afraid. Afraid of what Aurelia might do if she found out I'd spoken to Cadence. Afraid of putting Mom in danger.
"It's… it's nothing," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "Just… lab stuff."
"Aura," Cadence said, her voice laced with urgency, "I know something's going on. I've been getting… strange calls. Warnings. They said you're in danger. They said you need to leave. Now."
Warnings? Who was calling her? Was it Dad? Had he somehow managed to contact her?
"Mom, I…" I started, but the words caught in my throat.
"Just go, Aura," she pleaded. "Please. Take what you need and get out of the city. Your sister knows, she'll cover for you. Go somewhere safe. We'll find you. I promise. Just tell Zinnia, 'I'm going to the bathroom,' and she knows the key words."
The line went dead.
I stared at the phone, my heart pounding in my chest. Mom believed I was in danger. Someone had warned her. It couldn't be Dad, could it? But who else would know?
A wave of fear washed over me, but it was quickly replaced by a surge of determination. I couldn't stay here. Not anymore. Not after what Mom had said.
I grabbed my pre-packed suitcase from under the bed, as it was for a week now. I had packed it for the contest. It was a small bag, containing the essentials: clothes, some cash I'd saved, my journal, and a few mementos from my… old life. A life that suddenly felt very distant.
"The hallway was deserted. Everyone was probably preparing for Aurelia's grand announcement, the one that would supposedly change the world. They were all so eager, so trusting. Fools.
I made my way to the back exit of the lab, the one I'd seen earlier on the cameras. The security cameras were strategically placed, but I knew their blind spots. I was ready.
As I reached the exit, I hesitated. A wave of doubt washed over me. Was I doing the right thing? Running away? Leaving everything behind?
But then I thought of Mom's words: You're in danger. You need to leave. She was right. I wasn't safe here. Not anymore. I was a pawn in Aurelia's game, a tool to be used and discarded. And now, Mom was involved. I couldn't put her at risk.
I pushed the door open and stepped out into the cool air. The city buildings stood tall in the distance, a beacon of hope in the darkness. I took a deep breath, the fresh air filling my lungs. This was it. My new beginning.
I started to move. I didn't know where I was going, but I knew I couldn't stay here. I had to disappear.
As I write this, I'm sitting at a bus stop, my hair tied up - a rare look for the shoulder length mop on my head. Blending is key when you're trying to disappear. Which, by the way, is my current life plan. Disappear. Poof. Gone. Like I was never here.
It's kinda surreal, you know? One minute I'm in that creepy lab, staring at Aurelia's face on a poster (seriously, that smile is haunting), the next I'm… here. Waiting for a bus. To where? That's the million-dollar question. Or, more accurately, the "however much cash I have shoved in my pockets" question.
Mom's voice on the phone… that was the scariest part. The warnings. Who's sending her warnings? Is it Dad? God, I hope so. But what if it's not? What if it's someone… worse? Someone who knows what Aurelia is planning?
Zinnia covered for me, thank god. "Bathroom emergency" was the code. We came up with it when I was five and she was eleven and we were convinced we were going to be spies. Turns out, spy skills are actually useful when you're escaping a potentially power-mad scientist who also happens to be your 40-something year old genetic twin. Go figure.
Archie asked about me, Zinnia said. "Concerned friend," she'd texted. Yeah, right. More like "Aurelia's little spy dog checking to see if the merchandise is still in place." Ugh. I hate that I'm even thinking about him. He's probably just as messed up in the head by Aurelia as everyone else. Or maybe he's playing the long game. Maybe he's even worse than I thought. I don't know what to believe anymore.
This whole thing feels like a movie. Except in movies, the runaway always has a plan. They know where they're going, who they're going to meet. Me? I've got a suitcase, some cash, and a whole lot of anxiety. Oh, and my trusty journal, of course. Now that I think about it... If I ever become famous (for something other than being a science experiment gone wrong), this journal is going to be gold.
The bus is here. Destination: who knows? Wish me luck, whoever reads this. I'm going to need it.
ns 15.158.61.46da2
