[ COMPLETED ]
BOOK 2 of the ORPHIC series
MONACHOPSIS
/ˈmənˌāˌkōpˌsis/
the subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place.
~~~~~
Lucille "Lucy" Opal Baker might be the unluckiest person...
اوووه! هذه الصورة لا تتبع إرشادات المحتوى الخاصة بنا. لمتابعة النشر، يرجى إزالتها أو تحميل صورة أخرى.
"I know you're out there."
Madripoor, Indonesia January, 2013
LUCY DIDN'T FALL ASLEEP. She knew she was running on the last of her human emotions. She felt depleted, being herself for so long. It was easier to be Verfall; there were no choices, no right or wrong, no emotions. And that was worse. Because she'd spent so much time being a weapon that she was starting to prefer it. She tried her best to remember the things Peggy had said, that she was preferring it because that was the only way she could cope— the only way she could survive.
Lucy didn't know how much of that was true. Her eyes remained on the ceiling, body completely still. She didn't quite know who she was anymore, or if she had any semblance to herself before she'd been taken.
She remembered a time she enjoyed the monotony of things. She followed the same schedule everyday, ate the same meals, had the same coffee in the morning and the afternoon, read books at the same intervals of time. And that'd taken some time for her to figure out herself. She had the same hospital shifts and never went for extra times, never let her times get taken either.
The one time she hadn't checked to see if her taxi was the exact same one she always took was the moment everything completely crumbled.
A long sigh escaped her lips.
There was no point in thinking about such things now. She couldn't turn back time, nor could she travel back. She was stuck where she was and no matter what Peggy had said in the past didn't ring clear anymore. Sasha had taken parts of her when he'd taken her hearing. The Soviets had never dared hurt her senses, because she was important and they didn't care about being above her.
They worked for efficiency.
They didn't work for pride.
She felt James shift beside her. Her brows furrowed. James hadn't moved through the night–day, technically. She was uneasy about the fact James had fallen asleep. He wasn't supposed to, and most of the time, he did end up waking up with switched gears. It's why at the hotel James had expected as much.
Lucy wondered if he wouldn't be James when he woke up.
Thinking back on it, she probably jinxed herself then.
James turned on his side, curling in on himself. And taking all of the blankets with him. Lucy sighed, rubbing her eyes as she turned to face his back. She watched him fondly, until she saw the shudders traveling through his body. Her brows furrowed.
