Beep. . .beep. . .beep. . .beep!
What the hell was that annoying sound? I opened my eyes and squinted. The morning light streamed through the room like streaks of gold paint. I looked over at Harper who was beginning to stir. She pulled her pillow over her head and groaned.
"Are you deaf Tatum? Turn the fucking alarm off and get up," she grumbled with attitude.
"Why do I have to get up?" I asked ignoring the beep of the alarm.
"You can't be late for your first class." she explained.
"Huh?"
She rolled her eyes and sat up. Then she reached over and pressed a button on the alarm to make it stop beeping.
"Remember I'm in college." Harper explained as if I was a five year old.
I mean last time I checked I thought she was in college. Damn these humans are so freakin lazy. Do they ever do anything for themselves?
"So you expect me to go for you?" I questioned.
"Well duh. That's what I have a clone for; to do stuff I don't feel like doing." she snapped.
"But I-" I tried.
"No buts. Get ready classes start at 8:30." Harper stated.
I sighed as I rose out of bed. I made my way to the little drawer of clothes that the Staceys had prepared for me. It was full of dull, lifeless colors. There was only dark grey, navy blue and black shirts. The only colored pants were khaki or black with the occasional pair of jeans. I picked a gray t-shirt and some jeans. Then I slipped on some socks and the same pair of black and white converse I was given yesterday at the lab. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and walked over to Harper's bed expectantly.
"What?" she asked as she looked up at me.
"Well for one thing I don't know where your college is or what else I need to bring." I replied in a syrupy sweet voice with the fakest smile on earth.
Harper glared at me. "I set up for my neighbor's clone to take you. My neighbor and I go to the same college. He makes his clone go too. Anyway there's a bookbag in the corner over there," she pointed to a spot near her closet. It seemed to be buried in clothes. Big shock. "It has all the stuff you need. You should leave now. Clyde's clone is probably waiting for you."
I rolled my eyes and stalked over to grab the bag. Then I made my way out the bedroom and ran downstairs. At the bottom of the stairs I saw Clarissa dusting some shelves. When she heard me she turned around and smiled.
"Morning Tatum," she smiled.
I gave her a smirk. "How did you know it was me?"
"Well for one thing Harper doesn't dress like that or smile at me." she grinned. "Also I can see your mark."
"Huh? My mark?" I said confused.
"Yeah your mark," Clarissa explained. "Every clone has them so they can be told apart from their human. It's on the back of every clones right ear."
I reached to touch the back of my right ear. The skin was smooth.
"I don't feel anything. . ."
"You can't feel it but you can see it," she paused and dug in her pocket for something. That something turned out to be a mirror. "Here take a look."
I took the mirror and examined the back of my right ear. Clarissa was right. There was a black infinity-looking tattoo there. Wow how did I not see that before? I shivered.
"What?" Clarissa asked.
"I just feel. . .I don't know? Violated? I feel like that's another way the humans control us. Like were animals or something." I said with disgust.
"Well it is what it is." she shrugged.
I shook my head. "I should be going," I said. "Apparently Harper arranged for this clone from next door to take me to school. Wouldn't wanna keep him waiting." I teased.
Clarissa chuckled. "Clyde's clone I'm guessing?"
"Yeah. How'd you know?"
"That's Harper's boyfriend," she explained. "I've never met his clone before though. If he's nothing like Clyde then I'm sure he's a nice boy."
"Bye Clarissa," I chuckled as I walked out the door.
"Good luck!" she shouted after me.
It wasn't until I had made it outside that I realized I had no idea what Clyde or his clone looked like. I also didn't know what house he lived in. This was just honestly so great! I was going to have to stand there like an idiot and hope that Clyde's clone came soon.
I took a seat on the front steps and laid my head in my hands. It was nice just listening to the early morning sounds of the world. The birds were chirping and the wind was blowing making the trees make this lovely sound. I was so immersed with the sounds around me that my heart jumped when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I expected to see Clarissa asking what I was doing but my eyes met a boy.
His hair was a lovely dark brown and looked slightly messy with this 'I don't care' look. He had beautiful hazel eyes and well he was just extremely attractive to say the least. His slightly tanned skin looked as if he was glowing. Ok so you know how clones are identical to their human and all? Well let's just say I knew why Harper was dating Clyde.
"Hey your Harper's clone right? I'm Sebastian." he spoke.
I knew I probably looked stupid, gawking at him and all, so I decided to speak. "I. . .uh. . .I'm Tatum." I blurted out. He gave a polite smile before replying.
"Cool. Listen were gonna be late so let's go." he urged.
I nodded stupidly. Man was I doing a lot of stupid things lately? I got up with the help of Sebastian and followed him to his car. Well that's if it was his car. It could be Clyde's but you never know. It was pretty impressive. It was a nice sleek silver that was so shiny that I could see myself. It was like looking in a mirror. I was able to get a quick glance at my mark and it gave me a sick feeling in my stomach. I shook my head to clear it and focused on how amazing the car looked. It looked like a modern bat-mobile; very expensive and very fast.
"Whoa," I admired. "Nice car."
"Thanks. It's not mine though. It's Clyde's. Clones aren't allowed to have cars." he replied.
My eyes widened in surprise. Well hell, what are we allowed to have?!
"I guess you could say nothing." Clyde said.
I looked at him in confusion. "Did I say that out loud?"
"Yeah you did. C'mon the clock is ticking." he chuckled.
My body heated up in embarrassment. I bet I was making a wonderful impression. I opened the car door and slid into the passenger seat. As I was buckling my seat belt I realized I would have to suffer awkward-car-talk until we got to the campus. That was honestly going to be great. Now don't get me wrong Sebastian seemed like a pretty decent dude but well....I wasn't much of a talker. I'd only been on earth for barely a day and I already knew this. Talking to people, especially new people made me feel weird and I just didn't wanna go through that weirdness. I rather stay in the safety of my head.
I played with my fingers nervously and watched Sebastian enter the drivers seat of the vehicle. He put the key in the ignition and backed out of his parked spot. Then without a warning he slammed down on the gas and we propelled off down the street. My body literally was shoved forward. My hair was blowing wildly and I could hear the wind slicing in my ears. He was driving way too fast. I grabbed the edge of my seat in fear. My heart flew into my throat and my eyes bulged out with fear.
Was this guy crazy or something? This is the day I die.
He peaked over at me once and then returned his attention back to the road.
"So I take it you've never driven in an actually car before?!" he shouted over the sound of the engine and the wind.
I brushed a strand of hair out of my eyes and stared at him like he was a psycho. "No I haven't! When I went home with the Stacey's we were teleported " I replied.
"That's cool!" he responded.
The casual tone in his voice made me want to strangle him. Did he realize how fast we were going?! I stared out the window to do some sight seeing but that didn't do any good. I couldn't make out anything. We were going too fast. Everything was a blur and it was making me dizzy. I closed my eyes and tried to steady myself. That didn't help either. When I closed my eyes it felt like we were going faster so I opened them.
"Is this safe!?" I asked.
"What?!"
"This. . .the way your driving!" I clarified.
"Yeah! This is pretty slow compared to how normal people drive!" he explained.
I shook my head in disbelief. This was slow? Then I damn sure didn't wanna know what fast was.
Finally after what seemed like ages, Sebastian slowed down and I looked out the window to see the campus. It was beautiful. The main building was hard to miss considering it was the largest out all of the buildings. It looked like the pictures of the empire state building I saw in my history book except it was slightly smaller and not as tall. It was so elegant. Everything looked so fresh and new like it was built recently. The grass was a bright lime green and it looked freshly watered. The whole campus looked like it was kept up and clean. The buildings that weren't the main building were still tall and intimidating. There were kids walking to classes, lounging on random park benches scattered around the campus, or just arriving like Sebastian and I. It looked pretty normal and not at all 'high-tech'.
"Pretty cool isn't it?" Sebastian said commenting on my gawking.
"It really is. I feel like it's the only normal thing that hasn't been updated." I stated.
"I wouldn't speak so soon. Wait till you get inside." he smiled. Our eyes met and I looked away. He cleared his throat. "So. . .uh do you need help getting to class. . .or something?"
It was then that I realized Harper had told me nothing about the campus or her schedule. She just handed me a backpack and shoved me out the door.
"Yeah uh I think I do." I said sheepishly.
I didn't wanna seem like an idiot but what choice did I have?
"Ok do you have your schedule?" he asked.
"Um I don't know..." I trailed off. I could feel my face heat up.
"Did Harper tell you anything? Anything at all?" he questioned. I shook my head no in response. He snorted and shook his head. "Is that girl good for anything?"
I snickered at his remark. He had a point. Harper didn't do anything as it is. Now that I'm around she can do as much 'nothing' as she wants. She doesn't have to pretend like she's doing something with her life. It didn't help that little miss plastic Barbie babied her. I think the only reason Harper was going to school (more like making me go for her) was because someone was forcing her. It couldn't be her mom because she lets her do whatever she wants. So far I hadn't seen a 'Mr. Stacey' so I pretty sure that possibility was ruled out.
"Maybe it's in this bag that she threw me out the door with." I suggested. He chuckled as I opened my bag and dug through the mess trying to find a schedule. This this was like a black hole. How was I supposed to find anything in here.
"Maybe we'd have better luck going to the main office and having them give you a new schedule." he said after a minute of me digging.
"Yeah I think your right." I replied. I zipped up the bag and followed Sebastian in the direction of the office. I also made a mental note to organize this bookbag when I got home.
"I think your gonna like it here. It's not as bad or boring as people say it it is. I think it's kinda like a stereotype. I mean sure I guess it was boring at one point but that was the past. They don't teach the same things they used to teach in school."
"Really? Like what classes?" I asked genuinely interested.
He grinned. "I want it to be a surprise."
"Oh come on! You can't just say something like that and leave me hanging." I protested.
"I'm not telling." he teased in a sing-song voice.
I playfully hit his arm. "Jerk."
"Naturally." he responded. I laughed.
Ok maybe this wasn't as bad as I thought it was. Sebastian was actually a pretty cool guy. I guess I would need a few friends if I was going to be going here.
"So how do you like it? Being a clone I mean." I asked curiously.
His expression darkened. "It's whatever. I mean. . .there are better things to be but it is what it is."
"But don't you get annoyed at the stuff they do? The humans are so selfish and ungrateful. They treat us like animals, like were nothing. Were worth nothing to them. I hate them I just wish-" I ranted before I was interrupted.
Sebastian's hand flew over my mouth. I tried to pry it off but he wouldn't budge.
"Shh! Don't say something like that out here for them to hear." he whispered.
"Why not?" I asked but my voice was inaudible. He uncovered his mouth from my hand. "Why?"
He looked around and pulled me behind one of the campus buildings.
"If a human hears you saying something like that out loud they'll. . .they'll think your trying to rebel. They don't take kindly to rebels."
I folded my arms into my chest. "That's so stupid! I mean maybe if they treated us like equals then they wouldn't have to worry about us rebelling. They treat us lower than them, like we don't matter. Were just like little slaves they can boss around and we can't do anything about it. Maybe if enough of us stood up to the humans then-"
"Tatum just stop! That'll never happen. They've installed too much fear into the clone community. I understand what your saying and I agree one hundred percent but some clones are too afraid."
"Afraid of what? What else can they take away from us?!" I exclaimed.
"Our life." he said simply.
"Is this really a life Sebastian? Being someone's slave and not doing anything to make yourself happy? Is that a life?!" I questioned.
Instead of answering he grabbed my hand and pulled out from behind the building. Silently we made our way to the main office.
Once we got to the main office and I'd told the secretary my situation, Sebastian had left. No 'goodbye' or 'see ya later' he just left. I didn't understand why he was so mad. We both knew everything I said was true. Was it wrong for me to wanna do something? I found it hard to believe I was the only one who wanted to do something to stop it.
"Here you go dear." the secretary said as she handed me a electronic hand-held device. It was very small and round with a single button in the middle.
"Um excuse me but I said I needed my schedule." I said confused.
She gave an impatient smile which made me feel even more stupid than I already did.
"Yes I know. You just press that button and a hologram of your schedule appears in front of you." she explained.
I pressed the button and good enough my schedule appeared in a blue hologram.
I gave an embarrassed smile and thanked her before rushing out of the office. I guess you could say today was off to a good start.
Not.
As I was in the hall I studied the schedule.
1st hour Getting to know your clone (Room: 302)
2nd hour Time Travel: Guidelines and Dangers (Room: 516)
3rd hour Yoga (Room: 103)
4th hour How to Work Your Robot (Room: 208)
5th hour The Art of Persuasion (Room: 104)
It was a pretty interesting set of classes to say the least. As far as I knew, they didn't teach yoga in school. What really caught my eye was the clone class. I was also surprised to see only five classes on the schedule. I pressed the button again on the device and curiously headed to my first hour class.
***
I sat in my first hour class waiting for it to begin. The professor happened to be running late. I was thinking about all of the strange things that were on my schedule for the day. I still found it strange. I knew I was being silly because these were normal classes. I'd been reading too many history books. Apparently they would teach things like English, Mathematics, Science and History. All of those subjects would help you later in life to live a good life and maybe invent things. That was only if you got lucky or something. I guess nowadays almost everything was invented and everything was so up to date there wasn't a need for more inventions. I bet the industrial companies were having trouble coming up with more junk to sell to the people. I shook my head in disgust. Humans and their selfish ways.
My mind was about to go on a rant about selfish humans and all that when the professor walked in breathless. Strands of her blond hair were sticking out of her bun. She put her briefcase on her desk and opened it still trying to catch her breath. Her appearance made me wonder if she had driven one of those insanely fast cars like the one Sebastian drove us in.
The thought of Sebastian gave me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. He was the only friend I had in this place and I made him mad. Then another feeling of worry stirred in my stomach. Sebastian was also my only ride to school. Even if I'd try to walk home I wouldn't make it. The drive was short but I knew the Staceys house wasn't walking distance from this school. I made a mental note to find Sebastian before my day ended. Hopefully he didn't have a schedule shorter or longer than mine. I prayed he didn't.
"Good morning class sorry I'm late!" she said. Her voice projected all over the lecture hall. I happened to have a good seat that was pretty close to the front so I could see the dark purple circles under her eyes. She looked worn out and tired. Then her eyes rested on mine. She studied me up and down before speaking again. "So I see we have a new student today; a clone."
The low chatter in the room stopped and everyone's eyes followed to where the professor was looking. All eyes fell on me. I nervously tugged on a strand of my ponytail. The professor indicated I stood up and joined her in the front of the class.
The room was dead silent as I stood up and slowly walked to the front of the class. I could hear my converse heels scuffing the ground. It was like I was walking on an endless trail of embarrassment. I gulped the huge ball of nerves in my throat and spoke directly to the professor.
"Hello miss. My name is Tatum Welsh. I've came in place for Harper Stacey." I said nervously.
"Oh yes I was told Harper was supposed to come. I'm surprised she didn't come instead considering it's her first day." the professor replied.
"First day?" I squeaked. She nodded.
First day?! Seriously Harper?! You were that damn lazy that you couldn't go on your first day of college? I was beyond pissed.
"Well welcome Tatum. I'm Professor Mason and were happy to have you. Maybe since your the only clone in this class you can take more from what I teach you." the professor said politely. That's when the whispering started.
Great I was the only clone in a class about clones. This was honestly just amazing.
I smiled at Professor Mason and quickly returned to my seat. I kept my eyes straight forward and tried to pay attention to the lesson. It was hard to focus when I felt eyes on my back and whispers about me. I just wanted the day to be over already.