Mechanical (21 page)

I glanced at Jessica and Michael from the
corner of my eye. They were staring at Yvonne in horror.

“Yvonne ... we’re not world leaders or
anything,” I said, laughing a little to lighten to mood.

But Yvonne didn’t even smile. “Remember,
I
have the upper hand here.” She held up the system, which
recorded my tracking device. Her voice was cold and her eyes were
sharp like ice shards.

I knew Yvonne. I knew her well enough to know
that she would do anything to get that power. I knew she would turn
us in. It was just a matter of time. Any second now, she would
press that little button on the device and the other androids would
come running.

“Please, Yvonne,” I whispered. “We used to be
best friends. Don’t you remember that? Please don’t turn us in.”
But I knew deep down it was no use.

God, don’t let her.
I silently
pleaded.
Not for me, but for Jessica and Michael
.

Every time I thought about the androids
catching us and taking us to the Institution, I thought about the
boy on the operating table, his wrist slit open, his mind, his
body, all realigned.

“I’m not afraid to get what I want, Drew,”
Yvonne said slowly.

I closed my eyes. This was it. “I know.
Turning us in would get you farther with the creators. The one
thing that seems to mean more than anything to you,” I replied
sourly. “You always get everything you want.” I knew too well.

There was a pause.

“So what do you want?” I was afraid to
ask.

“I want power, Drew.” Yvonne smiled sickly.
“I’d think you would know me well enough by now.” Her voice was
syrupy. “We
are
perfect, you and I,” Yvonne said to me, her
dark eyes glinting. “I’ve already pointed that out. We’re better
than the creators. And
I
want to be the one to lead the new
world. Not them.”

In her eyes, I saw something that I had never
seen before. It scared me. Sure, I had seen her angry, greedy and
self-centered, but nothing like this. Her eyes were hungry,
craving, murderous. She wanted this more than anything else in the
world. And she would stop at nothing to get it.

“And so,” Yvonne twirled the tracking device
between her fingers like someone might twirl their hair. “To answer
your question on whether or not I am going to turn you in ...” She
smiled. “Depends on you.”

I looked at her, startled. “Me?” I
blinked.

“I want to be a leader,” Yvonne repeated.
“But to do that, I need followers; people who will help me achieve
what I want.” Her expression was intense. “You can help me do
that.”

I stared at her. She wanted me to help her
become the nation’s, or possibly the world’s most powerful leader?
Yvonne? The thought of her gaining any sort of power made me sick.
She was selfish, sneaky, and did things only for her personal
benefit. The world would crumble to its knees if Yvonne somehow
found her way to power.

And she wanted me to help her get there?

“It’s an easy choice, really,” Yvonne said
much too happily. “Either you help me, or you and your friends are
snatched up by the creators.” She gazed adoringly down at the
tracking device. “So Drew, what’s it going to be?”

My initial reaction was a definite
no
,
but then I saw Yvonne watching me closely, delicately fingering the
tracking device like a glass figurine. My heart sank. She wasn’t
going to give me a choice.

“Okay,” I said quietly, not meeting her eyes.
The word tasted bitter on my tongue.

Yvonne smiled unpleasantly. “Oh, good. I’m so
glad you chose that.” Although she didn’t sound exactly glad.

I looked away from her.

“So, since you’ve pledged your allegiance to
me, I guess the least I can do is keep you safe,” she said,
lowering the tracking device. I let out a quiet breath of relief.
“I have a place where you can stay,” she told me.

I watched her turn and begin to walk off,
beckoning for us to follow. My feet seemed to move without my
telling them to, trudging reluctantly after her. It seemed as if
the tracking device controlled every part of me. I stared at
Yvonne’s back as we hurried through the woods and thought about her
proposition—what it all meant. I would never be sure of whether
she’d eventually turn me in. There was no guarantee of anything. I
saw Michael and Jessica out of the corner of my eye, each of them
looking equally nervous, and suddenly something stirred inside of
me. For as long as I could remember, I had always been controlled
by someone—before, the creators, and now Yvonne. My eyes glanced
down to Yvonne’s hand, the tracking device still planted firmly in
her palm. It shone metallic in the sunlight, like a cage—my
cage.

I gritted my teeth, anger and determination
boiling over me. I would take it from her. Somehow, I would find a
way to get it and my life would be mine. No more orders, no more
deals. My decisions and my life. Once and for all.

Perfect
The Mechanical Trilogy, Book Two

Available June, 2013

Drew now knows the real mission her creators
were trying to accomplish; create a perfect world. In other words,
taking people, eventually all of the people on earth, and turning
them into mechanically altered, perfect, human beings. That is what
Drew previously found out had happened to her.

But, although Drew, Jessica and Michael know
that they need to somehow stop the creators, Drew also knows that
she’s made another enemy along the way; one possibly even more
dangerous than the creators.

As Drew struggles to detach herself from the
people who ‘created’ her and untangle the mess they’ve made, she
discovers that it might not be as easy as she thought, that she is
destined to play a larger role in this plan than she ever
intended.

About the Author

Pauline C. Harris is now seventeen years old
and has been writing since the age of eight. After self-publishing
her first novel when she was fourteen, she moved on to write the
Mechanical Trilogy. She loves reading science fiction and fantasy,
and her main hobby, other than writing, is playing violin in
various orchestras and quartets. Mechanical is her first
professionally published novel.

Website:

www.paulinecharris.wix.com/author

Twitter:
@PaulineCHarris

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