“What is it?” Ima asked, chasing after Vaughn. He had walked ahead without her, away from where they were camping.
“Sorry I interrupted you.” Vaughn’s face and voice were devoid of emotion, and Ima had no idea what he was really thinking. Did he care at all that she was hooking up with Nahum? It was impossible to tell.
“You probably saved me from making a mistake,” Ima admitted. She thought of Dash and how quickly she ruined that relationship by sleeping with him. “Another one.”
Vaughn chuckled. “You are so old-fashioned.”
“What?”
“No one attaches meaning to sex anymore. We don’t reproduce that way, and we don’t marry or mate for life. It’s archaic. Sex is for pleasure, nothing more.”
“Sounds animalistic,” Ima noted. “Which, ironically, is more archaic than attaching meaning.” She was surprised at how comfortable she was with the conversation; normally, talking about sex embarrassed her, but Vaughn was so emotionless that talking about it with him was like talking about it in an empty room.
Vaughn shrugged. “Humans are cyclical, I suppose. We always get back to basics, eventually.”
His words saddened Ima, especially the frankness of them. There were some things she loved about this new world, but the culture would take some getting used to. She didn’t know that she could ever change her views on love or what a family—a mom, a dad, and children—should look like.
She shivered, wishing she had grabbed one of the fire jars on her way out of the tent. She didn’t think she could last in the coldness much longer. “This can’t be what you wanted to discuss with me.”
An odd look crossed Vaughn’s face, a mixture of sadness and confusion. “You’re right,” he said. “I wanted to talk to you about joining the Socialpunks.”
“What about it?” Ima’s teeth chattered involuntarily. She pulled her blanket tighter around her body, but it wasn’t enough to stop the shaking.
Vaughn wrapped his arms around her, pressing her body to his. The warmth from his body cradled her and his hot breath stilled her shivers. “You shouldn’t.”
“What?” Ima looked up at Vaughn. His chin touched the tip of her nose. “How can you say that?”
Vaughn stroked her hair and pressed her head against his chest so that she couldn’t see him anymore. “It’s just—it’s a bit sudden, isn’t it? There are hundreds of hashes in the city. Without a doubt you’ll need help from one; you’ll never survive here otherwise. You shouldn’t commit to this one, though, not without learning more about the city and the life you want to make for yourself here.” He glanced at her, and she lifted her head up to see his eyes. “I’ll help you find the right one, make introductions, make up a cover story—“
“A cover story?” Ima asked. Her confusion quickly turned to understanding. “Because a new hash wouldn’t want someone like me.”
Vaughn nodded. “We don’t even know what you are, if you’re a natural human or a clone of some sort. We used to have them, you know—cloned humans, not born from two unique genes, but copied instead. We used to use them for all sorts of purposes—organ donations, replacing lost loved ones, dangerous or degenerate work. Cities would build massive, disposable armies that would lay each other to waste and accomplish nothing. The problem was, none of the clones were truly disposable—they each had come into this world self-aware, same as me. They each had a spirit, yet they were treated like objects in society.”
“It sounds horrible,” Ima whispered, trying not to think too hard about where she came from. She couldn’t handle any more bad news, not when she would be facing her operation soon.
YOU ARE READING
Socialpunk (Socialpunk #1)
Teen Fiction"This book would be good for those that enjoyed the Hunger Games!” ~ Cover 2 Cover Blog "When I read the first page, I did not anticipate that I would be finishing the book that night, but I did. I had to. I didn’t care that I was up until 3:00AM."...
