Entanglement (YA Dystopian Romance) - By Dan Rix Page 0,35
eroding the minerals in the fossil,” said Mr. Sanders.
“Thousands of years? But halves weren’t discovered until—”
“Exactly. We’re starting to find evidence now that halves existed all along . . . Either that or its somehow propagating backward through lineage, in which case this could be recent.”
“But there’s still clairvoyance even though this guy’s dead?”
Mr. Sanders nodded. “It’s proof that even death doesn’t break the channel between halves. The channel stays intact no matter what, even after the halves are long gone. Ironically, that’s what causes half death.”
Aaron perked up at his teacher’s words. “Half death? What do you mean?”
Mr. Sanders smiled. “Think about it. When your half dies, it’s like removing a plug from the other end of your channel, thus your clairvoyance leaks out. If the channel closed instead, then nothing would leak out and you could keep on living—albeit, severed from your half.”
Aaron twisted away from his teacher, his skin prickling. So that was what Dr. Selavio’s meant by a “cure.” His machine severed the connection between halves in an attempt to keep one alive without the other. He had severed Emma and Justin.
By the time Aaron’s chills subsided after detention, though, an idea had crept into his mind that made his insides squirm.
He and his half might die as soon as they met each other, but if they let Dr. Selavio sever their channel, there was a chance they could still live—and that’s what scared him the most. That, and how desperately he clung to the insanity of it, how the madness took hold and dug in its claws. And he knew—despite his body’s revulsion—that he would go through with the cure if he had to. That if he had to, he would sever his channel to his half.
Aaron imagined how Emma must have felt when her link to Justin was torn out of her, how she must have grasped inside her mind, terrified and lonely, but felt only the hole where he used to be. And Aaron tried to imagine a lifetime like that, perpetually hollow. Wasn’t it better than nothing, though?
Maybe. Probably not. Regardless, Aaron wanted to know what Dr. Selavio was actually capable of. Still queasy, he dragged his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Clive’s number.
And he accepted Casler’s invitation.
***
Fifteen minutes before midnight, Amber finished straightening her hair and studied her reflection. She felt beautiful, a feeling that hadn’t left since she last saw Aaron. Tonight, he wouldn’t stand a chance.
Not that she stood a chance either. Their first kiss had ruined her. Now whenever she closed her eyes, she felt like she was falling into his arms all over again.
Amber heard the muted buzz of her cell phone. Heart pounding, she leapt onto her bed and dug it out from her comforter—but for the twentieth time, it was Clive.
She silenced the phone, both irritated and embarrassed by her sudden adrenaline rush.
She watched the screen flash Clive’s name then go blank and wondered again if her parents’ story was wrong. What if everyone was wrong?
What if Aaron was actually her half? But it was too much to hope for, and she knew it. Aaron would forget about her the moment he met his half on Saturday. Amber collapsed miserably into her pillow as she imagined a replay of their first kiss, but with another girl. His half would be tan and exotic—and she wouldn’t deserve him.
Amber’s phone buzzed again with a new voicemail. Amber stared at the screen, now uneasy, and something told her she needed to hear this message.
Six minutes before midnight, Amber pressed her cell phone to her ear and listened to the hiss of Clive’s voice.
“Amber, if you don’t call me back in the next two minutes, I’m waking up your father to tell him,” he said, and even though he was carefully measuring his voice, she could tell he was livid. “And one more thing—”
For a moment he just breathed into the phone, as if trying to calm himself. “Your boy toy’s joining us at the warehouse tomorrow. He’s going to realize you’ve been lying to him.” He let out a low chuckle. “You have one minute and thirty seconds.”
Then he hung up.
Amber dropped the phone, horrified. What was Aaron thinking going to the warehouse with Clive?
She glanced at her clock. She was meeting him in five minutes. They had waited all day for her parents to finally fall asleep, and if Clive woke them up now—