Genesis Girl (Blank Slate #1) - Jennifer Bardsley Page 0,67
A sun.
I can stay in here a long time, and I can keep going. Because I’ve been thinking a lot about my perfect day. If Seth ever asks me again, I’ll know exactly what to tell him.
I want to go outside.
I want to go for a ride on my new motorcycle. Thank you very much for that!
I want to go to a restaurant and eat a hamburger.
I want to kiss Seth and tell him it’s for real.
I want to give Cal back his watch.
It takes me ten days to figure out what Barbelo wants. Today when he opens my door at four a.m., I am waiting for him, fully dressed and sitting on the end of my bed.
“Hello, sir,” I say. “What can I do for you today?” I am prepared for all possible answers, except for the one he gives.
“You can call me Father.” Barbelo narrows his eyes at me, challenging me to disobey.
“Yes, Father. Of course, Father.”
A moment passes in the semidarkness. “Well, perhaps you’re ready to come out after all,” he says at last.
“Yes, Father. Of course, Father.”
“I’ve been waiting for you to be ready, Blanca. You’re a prize. Did you know that? A real prize.”
He’s lying to me. I know it. He’s buttering me up to control me.
“You’re very kind, Father.”
“Good, very good. Then why don’t we eat breakfast in the atrium this morning? You can pick up your tray and follow me.” Barbelo turns to go, leaving my door open.
His back is to me.
I could kick him. I could strangle him with the pillowcase I’ve ripped into strips.
But would that be patricide, or not? Would I be killing my very own father? That’s why he’s a sneaky bastard. That’s why you should never trust a Vestal.
I can’t kill him, not until I know whether or not he really is my father.
Not until I know the truth.
Chapter Eighteen
Generosity is a fallacy. It’s a figment of the imagination. I’ve never known anyone to be generous in my entire life. When somebody gives you something, it’s usually because they want something in return.
Take Fatima, for example. She’s willing to risk her life for her unborn child, but she wants a baby. Fatima still wants something in return. And Beau? He wants Fatima. And Cal wants Seth, and Seth wants the truth, and I want to be free from all of it.
So when Barbelo says to me at that first breakfast, “You’re a prize, Blanca. Did you know that? A real prize,” I wait for it. Barbelo’s lying to me, I know it. He’s softening me up to control me. Sooner or later, I’ll hear what he wants.
“You’re very kind, Father.”
“The world can be confusing, but I can be generous.”
“You’re the only one I can trust, Father.” I curl my toes so the rest of me won’t squirm.
“I’m glad you see that because you’ve been wayward. I know about your online transgressions with Ethan. I know about your relations with that Virus. That’s why you had to be cleansed. A week in your cloister was a good way to start.” Barbelo pours me another cup of green tea.
It wasn’t a week; it was ten days. I know that. I’m a survivor, I’ve got good instincts, and I can think for myself. Barbelo doesn’t understand who he’s dealing with.
The first rays of morning sun pour through the oculus now, and I get a better look at my surroundings. The rooms span outward from the central courtyard. I don’t see any windows, only skylights. I don’t need to be at tech wizard to know this place is cloistered up tight.
“Yes, Father. Thank you, Father.” I take a sip of my tea. It’s boiling hot and burns my tongue. I pray that it isn’t drugged.
“Are you wondering why I asked you to call me Father?”
“No, Father. Not unless you tell me to.”
Barbelo considers this, and then smiles. “Yes,” he says. “That’s a very nice answer.” He watches me eat my figs. “You know, I’ve helped a lot of people like you.”
“Yes, Father. You’ve helped many people, sir.”
Barbelo gazes at me intently, with his green eyes just like mine. “Technology is a cancer of the soul,” he says. “It’s like a weed growing in the garden, stealing light from the living things that matter.”
“Yes, Father.”
“One little weed can do so much damage.”
“Yes, Father. So much damage.”
“That’s why Vestals are essential. We are a beacon of light. We show people there is a better, simpler way to live. People all over the world know