Entanglement (YA Dystopian Romance) (10 page)

“It’s
what he does to idiots who hit on Amber,” said Dominic, lowering his hand.
“You’re lucky his father was here to examine your head. Dr. Selavio wants to
check you again later.”

Dr.
Selavio
. Clive’s father. the same man, Aaron recalled, who was
likely responsible for Emma Mist’s half death. “We’ll see about that,” he said,
surveying the huge candlelit hallway. “By the way, where is our wonder boy?”

“If
I were you, I would stop provoking him.”

“Once
he fixes my car,” said Aaron. “This is his room, right? I think I’ll wait for
him here.”

“No,
you won’t. His father’s going to deal with him,” said Dominic. “Your job right
now, number eleven, is to go downstairs and end whatever fling you got with
Amber.”

Aaron’s
heart stammered. “She’s
here?
”

“And
she shouldn’t
be,” said Dominic. “If Clive comes back and finds both of
you, you’re dead.”

“So
they’re halves, then?”

“What’s
it to you anyway?” said Dominic. “She’s not available. End of story.”

“I’m
just curious, I’m not interested in dating her.”

“Oh
yeah? And what was all that on the dance floor?” said Dominic.

Aaron
turned away, wishing Dominic hadn’t reminded him. “It was her idea,” he said.

“I’m
sure you begged her to stop.”

He
ignored the comment. “So are they really juvengamy halves?”

Dominic
laughed. “What moron told you that?”

“On
Clive’s dresser,” said Aaron, feeling a twinge of hope as he nodded to the
sculpture through the doorway.

“Yeah,
he’s kind of twisted like that,” said Dominic, “but no, the Chamber hasn’t
confirmed them yet. I don’t know their full story, but I do know they’re going
in on their birthday just like everyone else. Now, go downstairs and deal with
her . . . tell her you have rabies or something.”

***

Aaron
forgot Dominic’s request, though, when he found her biting her nails in an
empty downstairs bedroom, her face hidden by her golden hair. Though she wasn’t
a juvengamy baby—and Aaron was still shaky at the good news—he still had his
doubts.

When
Amber saw him, she jumped up from the bed and tried without success to hide her
relief. “What did Clive do to you?” she said.

“I’m
fine.” Aaron stopped right in front of her, and he felt the same rush he’d felt
while they were dancing. Like the nervous, lightheaded excitement that comes on
a roller coaster before the big drop.

Aaron
had to resist the temptation to move even closer. “Tell me the truth,” he said,
“are you his half?”

“I’m
seventeen,” she said.

It
wasn’t even an answer. “Why is he making a collage of your face on his wall?”

“He’s
a family friend,” she said.

“Who
happens to be obsessed with you?”

Amber
smoothed her fingers slowly through her hair then let it swish back, fanning
Aaron with the smell of her vanilla shampoo. “Isn’t that what boys do?” she
said.

“The
sick ones.”

“Maybe
I take cute pictures,” she said.

“Yeah,
except most of them weren’t that cute.”

She
stared at him. “Aaron, what
am
I to you?”

“I
have no idea,” said Aaron. “We’re not friends, we’re not dating, and you don’t
think we’re halves. Why don’t you make something up?”

“You’re
infuriating,” she said.

Aaron
raised his eyebrows. “Oh, but
Clive’s
no big deal?”

“It
was a compliment,” she said.

“I’d
hate to get an insult.”

“You’re
about to.”

Her
hair fell in front of her face again, and in a dizzy flash, Aaron realized he
wanted her as close to him as possible—or as far as possible. Because one dance
had burned the silky feel of her body right into his skin, and that was a clear
sign he couldn’t trust himself around her. It was stupid to care this much;
halves
were predetermined.

“We
shouldn’t be doing this to each other,” he said finally, his conviction already
wavering, “especially not a week out. We’ll know who it is on Saturday, so
let’s just hunker down and wait.” He hated the way those words sounded.

“Did
Dominic tell you to say that?” she said.

“He’s
right,” said Aaron, “we’re just stringing each other along—and you should go
before Clive gets back.”

“I
liked you better when you didn’t listen to anybody,” she said.

“Yeah,
well, I got smarter,” said Aaron, his throat tight as he held the door open for
her. “Maybe I’ll see you in a week.”

Amber
shrugged and sauntered through the door, flinging her hair to the side so it
whipped him in the face.

“Classy,”
he said.

She
paused in the doorway and locked eyes with him. “You
won’t
,” she said.

“Won’t
what?”

“Ever
see me again.”

Aaron
held her gaze. “Then you’re just going to have to miss me.”

“Don’t
hold your breath,” she said, but instead of leaving, she just stood there—and
Aaron felt the weight of their looming birthdays more than ever. Next time she
would be with her half, he with his, and they wouldn’t even notice each other.
Their pre-birthday fling would be as unmemorable as if it had happened in their
mother’s womb. They couldn’t say goodbye like this.

Aaron
shut the door, and as if the sound had freed them both, he swept forward and
she collapsed into his arms, tugging his shirt to her chest.

Aaron
wrapped his fingers around her hand, and she let go of his shirt to squeeze
back. His lungs felt tight. It was the coolness of her skin, the bristles of
electricity climbing his fingers, the shallow beat of his heart.

Staring
into her green eyes, he knew they were about to kiss, and the rush made him
dizzy. He could feel her heartbeat through her hand, like a butterfly’s wings.
They moved closer.

But
just before their lips touched, the door burst open next to them, and Clive
Selavio strode into the room.

***

Aaron
stepped in front of Amber to protect her. Clive, who hadn’t seen them yet,
heard the movement and halted in the middle of the room, his shoulder’s flexed
under his gray hoodie. He raised his head and sniffed the air, and as he faced
them, Aaron caught a whiff of antiseptic—and saw why.

Blood
dripped from gashes under Clive’s eyes. Dark bruises gleamed with Neosporin,
polished and shiny. He had been beaten.

As
Aaron watched, he touched his eye and caught a drop of blood, which crawled
down his finger like a black beetle before his tongue flicked out and licked it
clean. “Amber, I didn’t say you could be here,” he said.

Aaron
felt her tense beside him. “Isn’t that up to Dominic?” she said.

“It’s
up to me,” said Clive. “It’s what I
let
you do, and until you behave—”

Aaron
cut him off. “Buy a pet if you want to make rules, Clive.”

Amber
flashed him a warning look. “
Don’t
,” she said.

“You’re
wasting your breath,” said Clive. “Harper doesn’t know the negative command.”

Amber
glared at him. “Do you want me to get your
father?
” she said.

At
the mention of his dad, Clive flinched. “Amber, could you do me a favor and go
home?” he said.

Aaron
starting rolling up his sleeves. “Wait outside,” he said to Amber. “This’ll
just take a second,”

Amber
watched him nervously. “Aaron, you’ll
lose
,” she said, and then she
left.

Clive’s
pale eyes tracked her out the door then flicked back to Aaron. “My father will
see you now,” he said.

“What
the hell happened to you?” said Aaron, rolling his sleeves back down.

Clive
stepped toward him, and his eyes flashed treacherously. “I said my father will
see you now. You wouldn’t want to be late for your appointment, would you?”

***

Back
upstairs, Aaron watched the quiet hallway from Clive’s bedroom. His heart
thundered impatiently, and Amber’s playful smile winked at him from every wall,
driving him crazy.

Unable
to bear it, he forced his eyes to the opposite wall, to a poster above Clive’s
headboard. The famous photo of Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna. Taken 1939, when
ninety thousand people packed the courtyard to learn the identity of their
halves.

The
first generation.

Aaron
envied their pre-discovery lives. Everyone just living, loving whomever they
pleased . . . sometimes loving
no one
 . . . no ticking clock—

There
was a quiet knock at the door, and Aaron’s heart slapped against the inside of
his chest. But the man who entered was nothing like what Aaron expected.

Dr.
Selavio ducked through the doorway, clipboard in hand, and stood to his full
height; he nearly reached the ceiling. His white lab swished in behind him, parting
to reveal a beige collared shirt and matching tie. His skin glowed bronze, and
although his eyes sagged from lack of sleep, they were bright, heroic.

Aaron
breathed a sigh of relief.

Dr.
Selavio saw him turn away from the poster and grinned, revealing a wide,
immaculate row of white teeth. “A world transformation in just a few years,” he
said, nodding to the poster. “I pity all their lives before the discovery. All
those wars and all that hatred. All that loneliness.” He reached out his hand.
“Casler Selavio.”

Aaron
took his hand and felt calm wash over him. It was only after the handshake that
he noticed the black flakes of blood on the man’s knuckles.

Casler
saw where he was looking and rested his hand out of view behind the clipboard.

“I
apologize for my son’s behavior this evening,” he said. “He has trouble coping
with his condition, and he often lashes out. It’s always something. Lately,
he’s been sneaking off with my things.” He scanned the room before his eyes
settled on Aaron again. “In fact, I don’t mean to pry, but has he ever showed
you anything curious?”

“Curious?”
said Aaron. “Like what?”

“Perhaps
a vial?” he said.

Aaron
swallowed. “What was in the vial?”

Casler
just smiled. “You will tell me if that vial turns up, won’t you?”

Aaron
nodded.

“Excellent,”
said Dr. Selavio, beaming at him. “Now about what happened to you tonight . . . ” He
scanned his clipboard. “Clive discovered his ability to inflict pain on others
a few years ago, quite by chance, actually. We’ve seen counselors about it, and
by now, he knows the risks of permanent injury, both to himself and his
victims. His slipup tonight was unacceptable.”

“How
does he do it?” said Aaron.

The
corner of Casler’s mouth twitched. “Sadly, my son’s connection to his half is
weak,” he said. “The attractive forces that hold his clairvoyant channel
together tend to drift. When he touched you in just the right spot, those loose
forces tugged at your channel and caused you tremendous pain—and in your case,
knocked you out. Your reaction did concern me a little, so I hope you don’t
mind that I took the liberty to examine you earlier.
” Casler nodded and
glanced up, his eyebrows low and brooding. “What troubles me, Aaron, is that
curious lump of scar tissue you have blocking your channel.”

Aaron was used to
hearing bad news from doctors, and he zoned out most of what Casler said, but
this surprised him. “How’d you figure it out so fast?” he said. “You can’t
possibly have an MRI machine
here?
”

With a smile,
Dr. Selavio reached out and bent Aaron’s head
sideways. “Ever felt pain in this spot before?” he said, his thick finger
probing the back of Aaron’s skull.

“Sometimes,”
said Aaron, suppressing the urge to shiver.

“I
understand you and Clive share the same birthday,” he said. “You must be
excited.”

“Yeah,”
said Aaron, unnerved as Casler continued to feel around the back of his head,
“just about as excited as anyone with a blocked channel can be.”

“Hmm—”
Casler pulled his hand back. “With your permission, Aaron,
I’d like to run a
simple test to see what we’re dealing with here. I’ve got some equipment down
in the cellar.”

“What kind of test?”
said Aaron, wondering if Justin Gorski had ended up in Dominic’s cellar after his
“appointment.”

“There’s something
about that scar tissue that really troubles me,” he said. “I’m actually not
authorized to test minors, but since this is a private home—and since you only
have a week until your eighteenth birthday anyway—I’m willing to make an
exception. I’d like to reveal the identity of your half.”

***

Aaron’s
eagerness to know his half switched to utter dread when he stepped into the
musty wine cellar ahead of Dr. Selavio and saw the tripod-mounted, powder-white
glass globe affixed with an orbiting brass scope.