Page 59 of Anarchy Chained: Alpha Thomas

“So why do you want to get rid of him?”

“He pretty much stole my fucking body, Sadie. I’m me. Not him. I’m me.”

“Maybe you’re both you?”

“We’re not both me,” I say, almost hissing the words out from between my teeth. “There’s only one me. If there were two of us, well, we’d be an us then, wouldn’t we?”

“Hmmm,” she says again.

“What’s that hmmm for?’

“I’m just thinking. Wondering, really. I get it, Sullivan. I’m not saying your feelings are invalid or anything. It was just a question. Mostly because it’s true what you say. And it’s also pretty likely that I have some kind of link in me. To you, obviously. But it feels like…”

I wait for her to finish. Not patiently. And when the pause drags out for several seconds with no continuation, I say, “Feels like what?”

“Like some part of me is missing.” Her body turns towards me, her arm pressing against mine. I wish that stupid fucking phone was still working so I could look at her. “Do you think they split me in half too?”

Split me in half. God. Those words make me sick to my stomach.

“I mean… What if I have some other personality inside me too.? What if… Oh, fuck.”

“What?” I ask, placing my hand on her arm.

“What if the reason I can’t remember things is because I’m the otherme? God, that makes no sense.”

“No,” I say. “It does. It makes perfect sense. What if they did the same thing to you that they did to me? And now you’re…”

“Thomas. I’m the Thomas in this scenario. The body-snatcher.”

I wonder what the other her is like?

Then I feel guilty for thinking that.

“So…” she continues after a short pause. “So they’re gonna come get me.”

“And me,” I add.

“Yes, and you. Which, from what Thomas says, was the whole reason I was at the hospital that day. To get you. So if they get us both, that means…”

I don’t wait this time. It just needs to be said so she knows what she’s up against. “That means they’re gonna switch you off again. Put you back in that dark room where they’ve been keeping you for however long. And let the other you take over.”

She leans her whole body against mine now. Defeat, that move says. “I don’t want that, Sullivan.”

“Me either, Sadie. I kinda like you, odd as that is, since it’s so fucking obvious you are my Omega. Not in the traditional sense, obviously. But somehow, some way, they linked us. If I go down, you will be the reason why.”

We sit in the dark for a long time after that.

I have so much more to talk about, but none of it is good. None of it needs to be said now. So I let the itchy feeling of healing nanites preoccupy me. That’s enough to make me sick—the thought of all those little fuckers inside my body, just running off a program that I never asked for and have no control over. The only bright side to it is they will be finished soon. And then they will retreat to that little corner where they hide when not needed.

“Sullivan?” Sadie says, breaking my thoughts.

“Yeah,” I answer.

“If they break the tunnel and the green gas comes and makes me not-dead… Don’t let them take me back.”

Fuck. Fuck. I scream it in my head. Why do I have to like her? Why do I have this connection with her? Why does she have to be pretty?

Back at Prodigy Thomas was relentless. He killed every Omega they sent us. He laughed at Lincoln when they sent him little Molly. We all knew why they switched from boys to girls. To make us love them. Make us even more vulnerable. And Thomas was so cocky. So sure he didn’t have a little Molly Omega hiding in the school somewhere.

Well, he was right about that. She was in a different school.

“I’ll do my best, Sadie,” I whisper, answering her question. “But I’m pretty sure it won’t be enough. Now try to get some rest so you can heal. If we have any chance of getting out of this you need to be able to walk.”