Freak of Nature - By Julia Crane Page 0,31

unprecedented rate, and her body was always on alert.

They key scraped the lock and Lucas pushed open the door. His body was tensed.

Kaitlyn was sitting on the edge of her bed with her feet planted on the floor, staring straight ahead. The TV was on and she was watching a National Geographic documentary turned down low. She reached for the remote and clicked it off. Lucas rubbed his arms as goose pimples formed on his skin; the room was cold—colder than would be bearable for a normal human, though Kaitlyn’s thin cotton dress showed she was unbothered by it.

“Kaitlyn, would you come with me for a walk? I’d like to ask you some questions.” He opened the folder to punctuate his statement, but closed it quickly when he realized there was nothing in it. Smooth.

“Okay.” Kaitlyn stood up and smoothed her dress down before slipping into her shoes.

Lucas fought the urge to tell her to grab a jacket, that it was cold outside. It stung him that he so often gave her human characteristics; he wanted her to be fully human. To react to the weather. He had never seen her shiver.

“How are you feeling?” he asked as he held the door open. She slid past him, causing him to inhale sharply as her skin touched his. Even though he knew she could no longer feel for him, she still tied him up in knots. He would probably never get over her. And he had done it to himself. That was the worst part.

This was not going to be easy.

Kaitlyn inclined her head. “I’m fine. Thank you.”

Lucas was at a loss for words as they made their way outside. The sun was dipping below the horizon, low enough that the sidewalk lights had already flickered on. The fragrant smell of a burning fireplace filled the chilled evening air. He glanced sidelong at her, hoping for a response to the cold, but she just fell into step beside him, her arms hanging loosely at her sides.

“Do you like the new upgrades?” Lucas tilted his head to the left to see her clearly.

“They are interesting. The slang chip and the facial recognition will be very useful. Humans express so much with their faces,” Kaitlyn responded stoically looking up at him briefly. “Sixty to seventy percent of meaning is derived from nonverbal behavior in communication. I think I’ll understand people better now.” Her gaze carefully scanned the perimeter.

Lucas knew she was looking for threats. As she was programmed. He flinched at the reference to ‘humans.’

“Like now,” she spoke up again, her grey eyes moving to settle on his face. “You flinched. I know it bothers you when I say humans. I wouldn’t have picked that up before.”

“We should have thought of adding the program sooner.”

“I agree. I didn’t realize so many words had double meanings.”

They drew near to Kaitlyn’s favorite tree. He wondered if she would notice the sturdy birch today. The new chip should have removed that preference from her mind.

Lucas realized he had a lot in common with the tree. Kate shouldn’t be attracted to him and yet she had been.

She didn’t say anything as they passed the large tree.

A wave of sadness washed over him; the old Kaitlyn was gone.

“Can we go that way?” She pointed off to the right where a slant-roofed gardner’s shed sat illuminated by a security light.

“Of course.” Lucas was puzzled that she would want to change direction. Maybe her sensors had picked up on something in that area.

Once they reached a large oak tree, Kaitlyn sat down and shifted to the side to make room for him.

After a slight hesitation, Lucas sank down to the ground beside her. He braced himself for the cold, distant Kaitlyn. Her knee brushed his and sent a jolt through him. He longed to touch her, to lean over and capture her lips again and feel her warmth, but he kept his hands by his side. He would have to live with his decision. His unhappiness for the sake of the project. Dear God, what had he become?

“What did you want to ask me?” Kaitlyn asked, her palms resting lightly on her thighs. In the twilight, her legs looked long and pale.

Lucas flushed. “Oh. Umm, I just kinda made that up. I wanted to see you.”

“I was hoping you would come by.”

“You were?” he said, surprised. He hadn’t been expecting that at all.

She nodded and cast her grey eyes upward to meet his. The moment their gazes met, he felt