Page 16 of Everdoll | AllFreeNovel

“Why?” Our promise had always been about forever; our dearest eternity was so reassuring, so sweet, so innocent. How could he hate it now?

“I ask why!” I shouted in agony. But the question only made the big hands tighten the grip. I attempted to cough, it was pulsing through my veins now. At this rate, I might actually die.

“Re…” I clawed at his wrists, my nails digging in until his hold faltered. When he finally released me, I instinctively stepped back, rubbed my bruised throat and coughed violently.

“I… I’m sorry…” He stood with his head bowed, black hair falling across his face, his silhouette swallowed by the dark. “Sometimes your master… loses control like this. Don’t worry. Just go to sleep.”

“Tell me…” I panted. “Why? Why do you hate it?”

“I said go to sleep…”

“Answer me!”

At my outburst, he froze. And then, infuriatingly, one corner of his mouth lifted.

“You dare to yell at me. I haven’t seen one like you in years.”

I pried my hand from my throat and drew a long breath. A moment ago he had been apologizing, and now this amused him?

“Why is that? Are clones always obedient?”

“Isn’t that the point?” His shaky posture was gone now. I couldn’t keep up with how fast his moods shifted anymore. He rolled his shoulders back, something clicking behind his eyes, and when he opened his mouth again the voice that came out belonged to an entirely different person.

“Humans can never be like mindless creatures. They will inevitably rebel, abandon. Robots or clones are not like that.”

“And they live forever,” I interjected. “So shouldn’t you love eternity?”

“You know nothing.” He shook his head, then wheeled around again. No, no, no. I snapped, pouring the last of my strength into my voice.

“What about Mina?” When his footsteps stopped again, I knew I was on the right track. “You’re in this state because you miss her, aren’t you?”

“Miss her? No way. I can’t miss her. I can’t but… that’s one of the challenges of being human. You can’t understand that.”

“Maybe…” I forced myself to swallow. Well, acting like a clone hadn’t exactly been part of my plans for tonight, but luckily, performing was my specialty. “If you explain it… I can understand.”

It was the most honest thing I’d said all night.

He glanced at me briefly, then sighed. “You can’t control it. There’s no logic to it, no solution. You just continue, carrying the pain of knowing you’ll never find anything more meaningful than that. Than her.” He stood like a man confessing at the gallows, his gaze on the floor. “Since you’re not human, you don’t need to worry about this. Your master… is a little pathetic. Just know that.”