More Than One: A Novel

by Fowler, Monica

  Ash looked up at his father with compassion in his eyes. That was a first. His father must have hit a nerve when he talked about his mom. I hoped this would be a new beginning for them both.

  “So, what are we going to do now?” Ash asked.

  “Martin, Abigail, and Mark have agreed to stay here until we find the cure and then we will counsel her until we feel she is ready to be out on her own. That is the best we can do for now. I don't think we are in any danger. Abigail explained all of this to her and she has agreed to cooperate with us,” he said. “I am so sorry son. I don't know how many times I can say that, but I am.”

  Ash looked at me. I knew he was letting me know he was trying his best to be nicer to his father because of what I said to him earlier. It was going to be hard, but I knew they would mend the fences and move on.

  “It's okay. I know you were trying to do what was best for everyone,” Ash said.

  “Thanks for understanding,” he said, and turned to leave.

  After his father shut the door behind him, I got up and went back to the bed.

  “How do you feel?” I asked.

  “I'm okay. At least nothing is going to happen to Elizabeth. If they find a cure before it’s too late, then we both win,” he said.

  “They will. We are in a house full of insanely smart people. If they can find a way to clone humans, then this will be a piece of cake,” I said. “Look at the bright side, your father and Dr. Lewis have already started on it, so it shouldn't take them too much longer to figure things out with my dad helping.”

  “Yeah, you're right.”

  “Okay, get some rest please. You look like crap,” I said and smiled.

  “Yes ma'am.”

  He moved back on the bed and closed his eyes again. I waited until I knew he was asleep to move. There was another knock on the door and I ran to it before they started pounding and woke up Ash. I opened the door and it was my dad. He looked so worn out, I felt bad for him. He came in and looked at Ash asleep on the bed. He silently closed the door behind him and hugged me.

  “How is he holding up?” he asked.

  “He's better now, just tired,” I said.

  “Well, your mother and I are going to the hotel to get some rest. Mrs. Dean said it would be fine for you to stay in one of the guest rooms if you wanted to be here for Ash.”

  I thought about it and it gave me chills. I wanted to be here for Ash, but I couldn't be in the same house as Elizabeth. I know Dr. Dean said she was fine, but the last dream I had was reason enough to be a little skeptical. I looked back at Ash and then my dad.

  “I think I'll go with you guys. Ash will be fine until I get back,” I said.

  “Well, we’re leaving now.”

  “Okay, I'll be down in a minute,” I said.

  He patted my shoulders and left. I went back to the bed, leaned down, and kissed Ash on his cheek.

  “I'll be back first thing in the morning,” I whispered in his ear, even though I knew he couldn't hear me.

  I pulled the sheet and covered him over before I turned out the light and left.

  My parents were standing at the base of the stairs when I came down. My father was talking to Dr. Dean and Dr. Lewis and my mom was still dazed and confused. They all shook hands and my dad waved for me to come on.

  “See you tomorrow Jamie,” Dr. Dean said.

  “Yeah, see ya,” I said heading out the door.

  On the way to the hotel, it was quiet. I was all talked out and I knew my father was probably analyzing solutions in his head. My mom just leaned her head back on the headrest and closed her eyes. I wasn't expecting this from my mom. She was always a strong, independent woman to me, and now she seemed so feeble.

  We made it to the hotel and I went in my room and put the extra safety lock on the door. I was still a little paranoid that Elizabeth might try to finish what she started. I knew she wanted it to end with me. I felt like I had to take extra precautions just so I could get some sleep. I finally flopped down on the bed and let out a long sigh.

  “Well citizens of Rome, it is now safe again. Don't hesitate to party hard,” I said to myself.

  I got up from the bed and went to take a shower. I wanted to wash everything away. Steam filled the bathroom while I went to my suitcase, grabbed my toiletries out, and placed them on the counter. I found some clothes and threw them on the bed. I jumped in the shower and washed every inch of my body. I tried to get rid of the memories of today.

  After I got out, I was so exhausted, I immediately got in bed, turned over and went to sleep. I knew I wasn't going to have any nightmares tonight since Ash's parents were keeping an eye on Elizabeth. It was easy for me to fall asleep with that knowledge.

  The next morning I woke up to the sun coming through the curtains. I hurried to get dressed and went to talk to my parents.

  “Where's dad?”

  “He's getting dressed. It looks like we are going to be here a little longer than expected. Your father really wants to help find the solution to Ash and Elizabeth's health problem. This is huge for him. You know how your father gets,” she said. “We will probably be staying over there for the next couple of nights.”

  “Are you sure that is the best idea?” I asked.

  “Well dear, they will be working day and night on this. There is no reason for you to be scared. We all will be there and nothing will happen to you.”

  “If you say so.”

  Why was I the only one worried about the murderous clone that was living in Ash's house? No one seemed to care that she had already taken so many lives, and wanted to take mine on top of that. I didn't know what to say at that point. I felt like I was in the wrong for feeling this way.

  “Go ahead and get dressed and come back when you're done. Be sure to pack up all of your things so we can take it with us,” she said. I nodded.

  I was not going to get any sleep staying at Ash's parent’s house. There was no way this was going to work. I had to figure something out. I am going to have to talk to Ash about this and see what he thinks.

  When we made it to the Dean's, Ash made it quickly to my car door opening it with a big grin on his face.

  “Hey Jay, how did you sleep?” he asked.

  “Okay, I guess. I see you had a good nights rest,” I said.

  “Yeah.”

  He left me and went to help my dad get the things out of the car. The butler ran out of the house to grab some things as well. They took everything in and I sat down in the living room, while the butler took our bags to the upstairs room.

  My father immediately went back to the laboratory and my mom was in the kitchen chatting with Mrs. Dean. Ash came in and sat down next to me on the couch.

  “I heard you guys will be staying with us for a little while,” he said.

  “Yeah, do you think that is wise?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  “Because Elizabeth is here and she has a personal vendetta against me,” I said.

  “Don't worry about that. She won't do anything, especially since she knows we know what's going on. I won't let anything bad happen to you, I promise.”

  “Okay, I hope you're right,” I said. “I still don't think I will be getting any sleep while I'm here.”

  “Whatever you say.”

  We sat there for a while talking about school and whatever else was going on back home. I just knew I was going to flunk out this semester. My dad couldn't possibly be mad at me for this. Ash didn't too much care; he was a rich kid. He was only going to college as a means to be free from here. He talked about what he was going to do with his inheritance when his father kicked the bucket. I knew he was joking trying to lighten the mood, but it still made me uncomfortable talking about it.

  We settled into the couch and the doorbell rung. Once again, the butler came out of nowhere to answer it. I looked up to see who was at the door. Ash tensed up next to me when Michael walked through the door. Michael looked at me and smiled.

  “What are you d
oing here?” Ash yelled as he stood up.

  “Calm down Ash,” he said. “Has no one told him yet?” he asked me.

  “No,” I replied.

  Ash turned around to look at me.

  “Told me what?” he said.

  I forgot that Michael was going to show up and I wanted to warn Ash, but things just slipped by me. I stood up and looked into Ash's eyes. How much more can you take?

  “Michael works for your father. He sent him to Georgia to keep an eye on you,” I said.

  “Keep an eye on me? Why?” he asked.

  “So he could help you if anything happened before they found a cure,” I said.

  Michael was smiling, obviously enjoying this. It was sickening.

  “I was going to tell you about it yesterday, but you were so upset. Then when you finally calmed down, I didn't want to bring it up to make things worse,” I said.

  Ash glared at Michael before he stormed out of the living room toward the laboratory. Michael came and stood in front of me. I was so disgusted by his smug attitude.

  “Why didn't you tell me you were coming here? I would have come with you,” he said.

  “Well it was on a need to know basis and I guess you just didn't need to know,” I said furious.

  “Are we doing this again? I thought we were good. What's with the attitude?”

  “You don't know what I've been through these past couple of days, so I don't want to hear it,” I said.

  “Jamie, how many times do I have to tell you that I am here for you,” he said grabbing my shoulders. “All I asked from you was to just let me in, let me know what's going on. And what do you do? You hop on a plane with your other boyfriend and leave me out once again. I don't get it. Why are you doing this to me?”

  “First of all, and for the last time, Ash is not my boyfriend. Second, when you say other, it implies that there is more than one. I've tried to put all the lies behind me and I can't do it.”

  “So, what are you saying to me?” he said looking into my eyes. I turned my head before I could get sucked in again.

  “I'm saying I can't do this with you anymore.”

  “Jamie, I love you. What can I do to make you see that? I came all the way down here as soon as I found out you were gone. That's got to count for something.”

  “You came down here because your job relocated, not for me,” I said rolling my eyes.

  “That is partially true, but you have to know that if Ash had stayed behind, I would have still come. You believe me, don't you?” he said pulling my face up to his.

  He forced me to look into his eyes and my cold insides started to melt away. How could my heart still be this torn behind him? I hated it when he pleaded with me; I felt like I was the bad person in the scenario. I let down my guard, once again.

  “I don't know what to believe anymore. Are you a clone, too? Is that a secret that you have to hold onto?”

  “Now you know that is not fair. I came clean with you when you found the letter. I told you everything. I thought after we had that conversation, things were going to get better between us. You know, no more secrets equals trust,” he said and flashed a smile.

  “Michael, it is not that easy for me. I can't think about this right now. Things are too complicated. I just saw my clone, Elizabeth. I don't even know how I feel about that,” I said.

  He took a step back and looked at me like I was crazy.

  “What do you mean your clone?” he asked.

  “Oh don't act like you didn't know anything about that.”

  “You have a clone seriously?”

  “You really didn't know, did you?” I asked.

  “No, where is she?”

  “In the laboratory, they are running test on her to see if they can come up with something to help her and Ash.”

  “Wow,” he said walking to the couch and sitting down.

  “I know, right,” I said sitting in the chair across from him.

  “I told you they were geniuses. This is amazing. Does she look exactly like you?”

  “Yeah, except for her eyes, of course.”

  “I wonder if they will let me see her.”

  “I don't know.”

  “I'm going back there. I have to let Dr. Dean know I am here. I do want to talk to you later though. Will you please just give me an hour of your time? There is something important I want to ask you.”

  “I guess that will be okay,” I said.

  “Okay, let me get in there,” he said getting up to leave. “See ya later.”

  I leaned back in the seat. I hope there is no tension when Michael goes in there and Ash sees him. No sooner had I thought that, Ash came around the corner. He looked very upset. I knew he just had it out with his father and he was going to be pacing again.

  “Ash, before you say anything, I was going to tell you, I promise,” I said.

  “How long have you known?”

  “Just a couple of days, but he made me promise not to tell you.”

  “So, you're looking out for him instead of me now?”

  “No, you know it isn't like that. I was gonna tell you yesterday, but there was never a good time.”

  “Whatever,” he yelled walking out the front door and slamming it hard.

  I sat there in the living room alone. I just wanted to erase this week out of my memory and move on. I hope my dad and the others came up with a cure soon. I can't take being here in the mist of this anymore.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  A week has gone by and everyone's spirits have been light. The last test ran on Ash and Elizabeth had proven to be auspicious. Ash said he'd never felt better. He wasn't tired anymore and he had all the energy in the world. And from what I've heard, Elizabeth hasn't suffered any pain in her chest. Things were really looking up for them.

  Ash has forgiven me and is now talking to me again. He was always in a great mood until Michael came around. They can't sit in the same room without trying to bite each others head off. I've been trying my best to stay out of it.

  I'm not mad at Michael anymore, but I have decided that it was best if were just friends. After all, he was going to stay here in Rome when this was all over, so there was no sense in prolonging the inevitable. He has still been trying to convince me that I am making a mistake, but I figured he would, so I was prepared. His smile and eyes don't get to me like they used to and I think that bothers him.

  Dr. Thompson told me that Elizabeth has been calmer. I haven't seen her since the first time we met and my dreams haven't shared anything new, so I don't know if she was still holding a grudge. Hopefully, we won't be here too much longer and I won't have to find out.

  My mom and Mrs. Dean have gotten close again. They were inseparable. They went out together, chatted all day long, and everything. I didn't think it was fair that they got to leave the house and Ash and I had to stay in. I could see what Ash meant when he said this place was like a prison. I was told it wasn't safe for me to go out just in case someone saw the clone. I was in this beautiful place called Rome and I couldn't take in any of the sights.

  My father told me we wouldn't be here too much longer. They just wanted to monitor Elizabeth and Ash to make sure their health was coming along the way they expected. It was the best news I heard all week.

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Today is the last day we will be in Rome and I am so excited to leave. Dr. Dean says I will probably still have the dreams, but they won't consist of murders and being held hostage. That was something I would be relieved of. Ash was coming back with me and we were going to try and salvage what we could from the classes we missed.

  I came around the corner to the living room and my parents and Ash's parents were sitting on the couches talking. My mom looked up at me and I went to have a seat next to her.

  “Good morning everyone,” I said.

  “Good morning baby, you look nice,” my dad said.

  “Yeah, thanks to mom, the shopaholic,” I said laughing.

 
“Well, you needed some new things. I saw what was in your suitcase. You should learn to pack better,” my mom said.

  “I know, you're right. Where's Ash?”

  “He's with Dr. Lewis. I believe he's exercising right now, but he should be done soon,” Mrs. Dean said.

  “Yeah, he has so much energy now, it is great. He says he feels great. I think we did it Martin. I think we found the cure,” Dr. Dean said. “His convalescence is proof of that.”

  “I hope so. I certainly hope for the best for Ash and Elizabeth,” my dad said.

  “I couldn't have done it without you. I appreciate you staying and helping my son. It means a lot to us and him of course,” Dr. Dean said.

  “It was my pleasure, William. You know you couldn't have pried me away from here.”

  My dad and Dr. Dean kept going with their colloquial conversation, so I leaned over and whispered in my mom’s ear that I would be back. I wanted to go check on Ash. I got up to leave and the chatting continued.

  I went around the corner to where the kitchen was and Heidi was preparing a meal. I waved at her and opened the door that led to the laboratory. I stood in the hallway and hesitated. A feeling of apprehension came over me as I watched the first set of lights come to life on the floor in front of me. What if Elizabeth was in there with them?

  I stood there looking at the door in front of me, contemplating whether I should go in or go back. My nerves were bad, so I decided to turn around and just wait for Ash. Before I could get out of the door, Dr. Thompson opened the door on the other end.

  “Hi, Jamie. Were you looking for Ash?” she said shutting the door behind her.

  “Yeah, I was, but I thought about it and I don't want to disturb him,” I said still holding onto the doorknob.

  “He's almost done, you can go in if you'd like.”

  “No, I'll just wait.”

  She was finally in front of me.

  “I know you're a little on edge about Elizabeth, and I understand that, but you have nothing to worry about. Things are different now and her behavior is definitely better.”