Freak of Nature

Chapter Nine

Kaitlyn stared blankly at him. “Can I help you?”

“Look,” Lucas said, his stomach suddenly aflutter with nerves, “I’m just going to come out and say it. Can you feel things?”

She tilted her head as if trying to process the question. “Such as pain? No, I cannot.”

“Not pain. Emotions. Feelings.”

Kaitlyn’s eyes darted to the ceiling. The red light of the camera blinked. “I don’t know what you mean. You have to be more specific.” 

What in the world was he thinking barging into her bedroom like this? She had no clue what he was even saying.

I’m such an idiot. 

Lucas sighed. “Forget it. I’m sorry, Kaitlyn. I shouldn’t have bothered you.” 

As he turned to leave, her voice stopped him. “Lucas, I would like some fresh air. Professor Adams says it is good for me.”

The request startled him. He turned back around, meeting her blank gaze, and scratched his head. “I guess I can take you outside.”

“I would like to be taken outside. The fresh air is good for me.” She untangled her legs and rose to her feet. Lucas watched, mesmerized, as she slid her slender feet into a pair of brown leather flats. 

He held open the door, and she brushed past him. When her skin hit his, it nearly dropped him to his knees. A jolt of electricity surged through him with only the barest of touches, and he knew it wasn’t because she was half electronic. A girl had never had this effect on him—and he had known a few. He could never seem to relate to them.

Lucas took a deep breath and steadied himself, asking himself again what he had been thinking coming here, it was bad enough he had to see her for hours in a clinical environment. Seeing her outside of work felt more intimate, and it scared the hell out of him.

“I will show you where I walk with Quess.”

“You walk with Professor Adams’s granddaughter?”

“Yes.”

How did he not know that? He should be talking to Quess instead of Kaitlyn. That would definitely be easier. Lucas shoved his hands deep in his pockets to stop from fidgeting as they walked the empty halls and out toward the courtyard.

It was a cool day. They didn’t pass anyone on the narrow sidewalk that led away from the dormitory toward the woods. “Did you know that dogwood trees used to be called dog-tree?” Kaitlyn said, breaking the awkward silence.

Lucas cracked a smile. “No, I wasn’t aware of that fact.”

“The name switched over in 1614.”

“That’s interesting.” He slid a sideways glance to her. “Do you like dogwood trees?”

Kaitlyn looked at him blankly. “It’s a tree.”

Disappointed, his shoulders slumped an inch. 

“Do you like trees?” 

Lucas blinked at her in surprise. “They are needed for clean air, so yes, I like trees.”

She didn’t ask anything more. They continued walking, Lucas so aware of her presence beside him that he couldn’t think of anything else. 

When they came to a large birch tree, Kaitlyn reached out and pressed her hand to the peeling bark. “This is my favorite.” 

Lucas stared up at the massive tree. She wasn’t built to have preferences for something like that. He kept a straight face, trying to squash the hope that built within him. Maybe he hadn’t imagined it. Maybe he really had seen emotion in her back at the lab. 

“Why did you come to my room, Lucas?”

“I-I don’t know. It was foolish. I’m sorry I bothered you.”

“It’s not a bother. I like to get out of the room.”

That word again. Was she trying to tell him something? 

“You do?”

Kaitlyn nodded once, a horribly robotic gesture, and kept walking. He hurried to catch up.

Lucas tried another tactic. “Kaitlyn, if I told you that you didn’t have to leave, would that make you happy?”

She tried to hide it, but he saw it: a flash of hope in her wide grey eyes. “Can you do that?”

“It depends. Do you want to stay here?” He didn’t have the authority to make such an offer, but he wanted to see her reaction. Maybe he could plead his case to Harrington. 

Yeah, right. 

She glanced down at the ground, and then back at Lucas. “I don’t want to leave. I don’t like it here, but I feel safe.”

His heart rate accelerated. Holy shit. This was huge. Lucas wanted to run back and tell Professor Adams, but something in her face told him not to. How could he have missed the signs that she still had feelings and emotions, hopes and fears? 

Lucas thought of the ramifications. Maybe he should keep this to himself. Professor Adams would want to remove any emotions, any humanity that Kaitlyn had left. He found himself wondering what her laugh sounded like. What a strange thing to think of at a time like this.

Kaitlyn’s clear voice startled him out of his thoughts. “Do you know where they plan on sending me?”

“No. I just know it will be for a government contract.”

“Will I see you again?”

Taking a deep breath, Lucas’s shoulders slumped. “I hope so. Since we created you and all, I think they’ll need us to stay involved.” He really didn’t believe that to be true, but he wished it were. The thought of never seeing her again … 

“I’m going to miss you.” He stiffened, surprised. Had he said that out loud? 

“You are?” Kaitlyn asked, staring at him curiously. “As in feeling of loss?”

He laughed. He knew her brain analyzed words and phrases at lightning speed. “Yes, that is exactly what I meant. We’ve spent a lot of time together.”

“Can you really help me to stay here?”

“I can try.”