Author: S. M. Anderson
Publisher: Curiosity Quills
Release Date: December 11 ISBN-13:
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Target Audience: 14 and up
Distributor: Ingram
Book Blurb:
Adopted off the black market, Alexander Mitchell, has no idea his DNA is copyrighted and property of military weapons giant Texacom Defense. Nor that his DNA is being used to develop an army of clones. When the company discovers he was not properly disposed of 17 years ago, they send an assassin copy, BETA23, to terminate Xan and cover it up After he narrowly escapes BETA23’s first attempt, Xan teams up with Lacey, a genetically engineered genius he’s surprised to find common ground with— only they’re awkward together. Half of the time she stares at Xan like the science project he is and the other half…let’s just say Xan can’t keep his eyes off her lips. When they manage to capture a company copy by luck and sheer stupidity on Xan’s part, Lacey is determined to see the good in their prisoner to the point she believes BETA23 can be persuaded to give them the intelligence they need to keep the company forever off Xan’s back. Xan’s not sure if he can trust the darker version of himself, not when it means gambling with the lives of his family and the possibility of losing Lacey.
Chapter One
BETA23
stood straight, with his arms at his side, waiting for the man
sitting behind the desk to acknowledge him. The room contained the
same gray walls and minimal design as the rest of the complex, only
larger than the other offices. Dr. Carol tapped the glass panel that
doubled as a touch screen on top of his desk, illuminating the
surface.
“23,”
he said without looking up.
BETA23
straightened his shoulders and inhaled sharply. “Yes, sir.” He
strained his eyes to read the graph displayed upside down on the
table.
Dr.
Carol rubbed his chin. “Your comprehensive results are very good.
Second in your batch―only 0.02% behind 17.”
BETA23
flinched; he’d been chasing that 0.02% his whole life. Never mind
that he’d beaten thousands of others.
Dr.
Carol glanced up at BETA23. “The company has a mission for you.”
He paused, emphasizing his next words. “Your future, and that of
everyone here, depends upon it.”
BETA23
returned Dr. Carol’s gaze with a steel-hard look of his own. “Yes,
sir.” His voice remained cool and collected, masking the true
excitement he felt over his first assignment.
Dr.
Carol tapped the top of his desk and the orientation of his computer
screen rotated, displaying a picture of an adolescent.
BETA23’s
eyes widened as he took in the image, and the text typed at the
bottom, Alexander
Mitchell.
It was an Original name, not a number.
***
Thirds
at dinner less than an hour ago should have quelled Xan’s hunger,
but the smell of movie-theater popcorn set his stomach growling. He
held his breath and frowned, trying to ignore the gnawing in his
abdomen. It was unreal how much his appetite had grown over the
course of a year and no matter how much food he ate, he could barely
maintain his wiry frame.
Miles’
extra-wide build blocked his view of the menu board. Xan rocked on
the balls of his feet and craned his neck for a glimpse of it.
Miles
placed his order and then turned to Xan. “Spot me twenty.”
“Serious?
You still owe me thirty from last week.” Xan bit back some of the
outrage in his voice. He knew Miles’ mother struggled to keep a
roof over their heads, but it wasn’t like Xan’s family was made
of money.
“Duke
beat Virginia Tech,” Miles countered.
Xan
grunted. “So?”
Miles
avoided meeting his eyes. “We have a long-standing bet, remember?
You owe me twenty every time Duke wins.”
Xan
grimaced. “That was from junior high.” He didn’t add that he
hadn’t collected for a Virginia Tech win in over two years.
Miles
folded his arms across his chest and his gaze met Xan's. The firm set
to his jaw, visible in spite of the baby fat that still clung to his
face, indicated Miles wasn’t backing down.
Xan
glared at Miles, whispers from the annoyed movie patrons behind them
buzzing in his ears. The showdown wasn’t worth making a scene, not
when their dates were saving seats for them in the theater. Still,
Xan was more than a little peeved. If he paid for Miles’ food, he
wouldn’t have enough to get himself more than a drink. Defeated, he
relaxed his shoulders and stepped up to the counter. It took a second
for him to recall what Malinda had said she wanted, before she and
Miles’ date had headed into the theater to save their seats.
“Add
a large Coke and a small Sprite to the order.” He slipped his
wallet from the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a crisp
twenty-dollar bill. Without bothering to look at the cashier, he laid
it on the counter. He didn’t know why he still hung out with Miles
when the guy was such a mooch. He supposed friendships formed in
kindergarten deserved more tolerance.
The
cash drawer popped out with a ring. Xan held his hand out to collect
the change and glanced up at the uniformed worker. The guy’s hard
gaze, an exact parallel in height to Xan's, felt like a fist hovering
inches from his face. Xan’s breath cut short and he backed up a
half step, feeling too much like he’d caught the eye of a rabid
dog.
The
cashier dropped the change into his hand and disappeared behind the
soda fountain. A clank
followed the sudden wheesh
of liquid.
There
was something strange about the worker; a smug confidence Xan didn’t
like. He nudged Miles in the ribs. “Hey, do you know that guy?”
“Huh?”
Miles tore his gaze from two skimpily-dressed girls hanging out near
the bathrooms. The end of his cornrow braids flicked across his face
with the sudden turn of his head. He blinked. “What did you say?”
Xan
nodded at the cashier and lowered his voice. “Does he go to our
school?”
Miles
shot the worker a sideways glance. “I think I would remember
someone with a full beard.”
“Yeah,
you’re right.” Xan still wasn’t certain, though. The guy gave
him a bad vibe. He grabbed his drinks from the counter, leaving the
rest for Miles to handle.
Miles
snatched his food. He set his date’s drink on top of the popcorn
and shoved the tub into Xan's already-full arms. “Toss me one―I’m
going long.”
“But…”
Miles
released his grip on the bucket, darting past Xan down the corridor.
Xan juggled his drinks into one hand and stopped the popcorn with his
knee before it tumbled to the ground. The extra drink sloshed, brown
liquid pooling on the plastic lid.
“Miles,”
he groaned. But Miles was already ten feet away, waving his hands
back and forth, like a wide receiver looking for the Hail Mary play.
Xan freed his throwing arm by stashing the two drinks next to the
other atop the bucket. “Ready?” He grabbed a piece of popcorn and
chucked it.
The
popcorn flew in a graceful arc. Miles scrambled into position beneath
it, his mouth opened wide. He ducked at the last second,
over-adjusting, and his knee caught the edge of a large trash can.
Miles shook off the knock to his leg and checked that none of his
drink had spilled. A giant grin spread across his face. “One more
time.”
Xan
shook his head and chuckled. Miles was always good for a laugh. “The
girls are waiting.”
“Come
on―give me your best shot.”
Xan
shot him a “you must be crazy”
look and
threw the next piece of popcorn as hard as he could. It sailed past a
movie poster, framed by dancing lights, and lost its momentum.
Miles
dove, his opened mouth lined up to snatch the popcorn out of the air.
A split second before the food missile reached its target, he crashed
into an unsuspecting girl exiting a nearby theater. They landed on
the ground in a tangled heap.
Lacey
let out a startled yelp. Ice-cold soda drenched her face and
shoulders and dripped down her square jaw, spotting the thin pink
cami she wore under an open lab coat. Splotches spread like the
aftermath of miniature explosions until her shirt changed from pink
to a solid brown. She jerked her head upward, flashing her dark,
slanted eyes filled with resentment.
“Watch
it, Smarty-pants.” The tone in his voice transformed from
surprised, to menacing. Lacey was one of the few people Miles
couldn’t resist torturing. He called it “payback” for something
that happened in the second grade. “What are you doing here? Your
daddy rent the whole theater? I thought people like you stayed at
home or hid in the library on Saturday nights.”
Lacey
shoved Miles off her. “I just saw The
Blue Planet
documentary, not that it’s any of your business.” She glanced
down at her shirt. The wet fabric clung to the contours of her bra,
leaving little to the imagination. Her pale face flushed red. She
gripped the front of her lab coat, trying to wrap it around the
see-through fabric.
Xan
tugged on the collar of his T-shirt, uncomfortable in the situation.
“Miles, just leave her alone.”
The
words soared past Miles, who didn’t bother to acknowledge them. He
rose to his feet, his indignant gaze fixed on Lacey. The line in the
middle of his forehead creased as he scowled. “You owe me another
soda.”
Xan
yanked Miles away from Lacey so hard that he nearly dislocated his
shoulder. “Just go.”
Miles
cranked his head toward Xan, finally acknowledging Xan’s attempts
to intervene.
“Didn’t
you see how she got in my way?” He spun around and pointed an
accusing finger at Lacey. “She thinks she can walk all over people
just because her dad’s some hotshot CEO. But that’s not how it
works in the real world. People have to pay for…”
“Here,
take my soda.” Xan pressed his drink against Miles' chest. “I
haven’t touched it yet.”
Miles
wrinkled his nose and waved the paper cup away with the back of his
hand. “I don’t want your soda. You know I only drink diet.”
Xan
stood there unwavering, his feet planted on the ground, facing off
against Miles. Xan wasn’t going to let him bully her, not when the
incident was their fault.
“This,”
he said, nodding toward Lacey, “was our bad.”
Miles
pursed his lips and glanced at their theater, then turned his hard
gaze back toward Xan. “I can’t believe you’re taking her side.”
Betrayal flashed across his face and then he jutted the ball of his
shoulder into Xan's chest as he crossed the hall.
Popcorn
spilled over the bucket’s lip. Xan staggered back, absorbing the
blow, and fought his impulse to wince as he watched Miles disappear.
Once the double doors closed behind Miles, Xan set down his food and
turned back around to help Lacey.
She
still sat on the floor, squeezing drops of soda from the nerdy coat
she wore to pay homage to pharmacists and evil scientists. Xan
offered her his hand. She shrank away from it, as though he couldn’t
be trusted, eyes narrowed and full of suspicion. He swallowed,
forcing himself to hold still and be studied like a science project.
Her observing look unnerved him as he imagined her taking in the
sight his light-brown hair, greenish eyes, and tanned skin. She was
clearly not checking him out. That sort of appreciative glance
wouldn’t have felt so strange. He considered her scrutiny a penance
for his part in inadvertently knocking over an innocent bystander.
After
a few tense seconds, she relaxed. Lacey reached out and slipped her
hand into Xan’s, and he pulled her to her feet. She wobbled and he
gripped her elbow with his other hand, holding her until she
steadied. Her eyes met his, and Xan frowned. She was tall for a girl,
but not as tall as he. Xan glanced down, noticing her high-heeled
boots and smirked. Cheater
shoes.
Her
lab coat hung open, and she quickly readjusted it to conceal her wet
shirt.
He
glanced away and slipped his arms out of the green windbreaker he
wore. “Here, take it.”
She
furrowed her eyebrows. “But won’t you need it? It’s cold
outside.”
Xan
shook his head. “I don’t mind the cold.”
Lacey
looked him over―he was the subject of close observation once again.
Then her forehead smoothed and she nodded, removing her wet coat.
He
held the windbreaker open while she slipped her arms in. Once the
jacket was zipped, she spun back around, a slight smile playing on
her lips. “Thanks.”
“It’s
nothing.”
He
watched her timid expression grow to a genuine smile. He didn’t
know if he’d ever seen her smile―at least, not at people. Before
Xan could stop himself, he grinned dumbly in return, surprised by how
pretty she looked. Even in the baggy windbreaker, with nothing to
hint at her feminine form, there was a carefree light in her eyes
that made her appealing.
Lacey’s
smile melted away, replaced by the no-nonsense expression he saw
every day in school. “Don’t forget about the lab on Monday.”
Xan
nodded. The air between them seemed to shift, feeling tight and rigid
again. The carefree Lacey was gone, replaced by his AP biology T.A.
He ran a hand through his thick brown hair. “Yeah, thanks for the
reminder.”
“Well,
I gotta go.” She pivoted on the heels of her boots and strode past
him for the exit. A whoosh of air whipped through the corridor as she
opened the door.
“Enjoy
your movie,” she called over her shoulder.
Xan
raised his hand, stopping mid-wave because he suddenly remembered
where he was supposed to be―the
movie, Miles, Malinda!
He cursed under his breath.
Grabbing
the concession food, he darted into their theater. It took a few
seconds for his eyes to adjust, but soon he could see well enough,
with the reflection from the screen and the sharp incline of stadium
seating, to spot them near the back.
Xan
plopped down in the open seat next to Malinda and glanced over at
Miles and his date, who were busy making out. The armrest between
them was up, and they huddled together in one mass with Miles’ hand
rubbing up and down her back. Xan grunted at their lack of restraint,
set the popcorn tub down by his feet, and took a long sip of soda. If
Miles was too busy to eat the popcorn, Xan wasn’t about to let it
go to waste―not after he had paid for it.
A
woman sobbed on screen, but he had no idea what was going on. It
wasn’t like he could hear the audio through Miles’ and Tina’s
urgent smacking.
Malinda’s
delicate fingers interlaced with his, and Xan leaned closer. She
draped his arm over her shoulder, and snuggled into the crook of it.
His chin rested on the top of her honey-blonde hair and the scent of
her strawberry shampoo filled his nostrils. He smiled, realizing how
perfectly she fit next to him.
He
took another sip of soda and his stomach lurched. He doubled over,
clutching his sides. The movie theater spun around him. He rested his
head between his knees. The pain subsided, but returned, sharper,
moments later.
“Are
you okay?” Malinda’s eyes were wide with concern.
Xan
could barely comprehend Malinda’s words through the potent
throbbing inside his head. Her mouth moved again, but he had no idea
what she said.
He
scrambled out of his seat, bumping into the back of the chair in
front of him. An older woman glanced over her shoulder and shushed
him, but he didn’t stop. He had to get out of there, had to get to
a bathroom before he hurled on someone. His foot kicked Miles’
stupid popcorn, unleashing a cloud of artificial butter flavor that
assaulted his senses. He clamped a hand over his mouth and stumbled
down the steps two at a time.
Muffled
footfalls treaded behind him and Xan thought he recognized Miles’
voice calling after him. He didn’t look back, knowing that if he
stopped, he wouldn’t make it. His legs turned to jelly. He rammed
the bathroom door open with his shoulder and darted into the nearest
stall.
A
wave of nausea slammed into him. He staggered backward, knocking the
stall door closed behind him. The checkered pattern of the floor
blurred to gray.
He
puked up the contents of his stomach into the toilet, bits of vomit
soiling his T-shirt. Xan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
For a moment he thought the worst had passed, but then darkness
closed in. His arms flailed against the laminate walls of the
partition. He slumped to the tile floor, his forehead ricocheting off
the edge of the toilet seat. His head pounded as if someone had taken
a hammer to it. He half-opened his eyes. Tears blurred his vision and
then everything went black.
S. M. Anderson (Sarah Anderson) was born in Lima, Peru. She has lived in seven different countries, on five continents, and speaks a smattering of languages. As a child and even young adult, writing and reading were difficult for her, so difficult that she received extra help outside the classroom and was diagnosed with a learning disability. However, she always loved stories, especially ethnic folktales from the countries she lived in. It was the desire to create stories of her own that fueled her determination to overcome the challenges that came with writing. She has a BA in Art Education from BYU, with a minor in Russian, and a love of power tools. She has a growing family of three kids and currently lives in Springville, Utah.
Target Audience/Markets
Copied will find a home in the hearts of readers who enjoyed Divergent and the TV show Heroes. The novel contains enough action to engross male readers with a romantic subplot that will captivate the fairer sex. Although Copied’s main target audience is teenagers the core of the story deals with ethical dilemmas that will trigger a crossover appeal to more mature readers.
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