Chapter Six

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Lying on the bathroom floor, I shivered on the tufted mat, counting the grey porcelain tiles that climbed the walls. I needed to start the shower. I'd been stalling for half an hour already, and it was well past time to get my ass in gear. In a handful of hours, I'd move into the dorm at Mendel, but I didn't feel ready. Not even close.

From my spot on the mat, I spied a tiny spider weaving an intricate web in the corner by the window. Mom hated spiders, but I didn't make a move to squash it. Instead, I watched it walk a silky tightrope across the wall. Who was I to change its eight-legged path, anyway? One of us might as well control our own destiny. Sighing, I pushed myself up from the floor, reached for the shower door and let the last drops of memory fall into place before I turned on the tap.

"We expected you'd have questions, honey." Dad's voice was calm as he moved toward the bed. "What we didn't expect was not knowing the best way to explain your truth. We wanted to give you a normal childhood, and you seemed so happy, we were afraid to ... upset you." He looked at the floor. "We screwed up, Marin. But that wasn't our intent."

I picked at the wallpaper seam with my fingernail. My resolve was flickering, but I wasn't ready to forgive them yet.

"I know you're angry – we should have told you sooner instead of hiding our heads in the sand. But all this has a happy ending, I promise." Dad took a breath and his words spilled out, charged with excitement. "Thanks to the program, your life will be nothing short of incredible. Our prayers were answered the day they told us a donor match was found. We jumped at the chance and haven't looked back."

"A donor?" Turning away from the wall, I looked him in the eye. "What exactly did they donate?"

My father's gaze slid to my mother's face, then dropped down to his hands. He was playing with his glasses, something he did when our conversations required concentration.

"A procedure pairing the best of our genetic potential with select elements from our donor's DNA made your life possible. Thanks to the procedure, to the program, to our donor, we're a family."

I waved off the details and skipped to the punchline. "Hold up. Are you saying it took three people to make me? Is that what you're saying? Who was my donor? And what parts of her did I get?"

A knock on the bathroom door shook me from my thoughts.

"Mare, have you showered yet? Breakfast will be ready in twenty minutes. C'mon honey, let's not start your first day off behind, okay?" Mom had tried about a million tricks to cure my allergy to punctuality, but the habit stuck to me like a shadow. When my parents spilled their genetic fairy tale, I embraced my chronic lateness. After all, no one would select that trait on purpose, so it was one hundred per cent mine.

"I'm getting in now, Mom. I'll be down soon."

***

Porters in Mendel colors swarmed the visitor parking lot, tagging bags and tapping mobile devices to confirm student room assignments. I watched my suitcases being hauled away and looked at my baggage tag: it said Watson 6B. Sophomores stayed in Mendel's two dorms, Watson and Crick. The dorms were full of single suites, so I didn't have to worry about a roommate's quirks, but I wouldn't have company when I was lonely, either. The breeze suddenly felt cool against my cheek.

Mom, Dad and I took the cobblestone path leading up to the school. We were a Grey sandwich: my parents nestled on either side of me, fingers laced through mine, me filling their gap in the middle. Families surrounded us – some with siblings in tow, some parents walking with a single Mendelite, like me. I wondered if those kids and I had something in common: maybe they were solo miracle babies who didn't have anyone to share the weight of their hype with either.

When we reached the stone steps, I looked up at the school with its sprawling glass windows and examined the massive crest etched into the tall front doors. Which quadrant would I fall into once PACK assessments were done?

"Mark! Anna! Marin!" Lily and James were waving from the top of the steps. As we climbed toward them, I noticed Opal leaning chill against the wall, a round pair of shades hiding her eyes, her shiny black hair tied in two knotted braids at the top of her head.

"Hey, Moth. Ready to become a butterfly?" Raising her tinted glasses, Opal winked and tossed me a wide gap-toothed grin.

"So this is where I trade in my wings, huh? Hope it's painless." I grinned back.

"We'll have fun finding out; won't we?" She cocked an eyebrow and laughed. The day was starting to look up. Just then, the bell rang proudly and we turned to see porters pulling open the front doors. My parents, the Chos and I huddled together in a group as the crowd's current steered us into the school. Something inside me glowed as I realized I was less alone than I had been the day before.

***
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