"Replica02 - Pursuing Amy - Kaye, Marilyn" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kaye Marilyn)

Amy turned to look at herself in the mirror. "Baaa," she said experimentally. She didn't feel like a sheep. She didn't feel like a clone. But she didn't feel like a regular person either. She hadn't felt like a normal kid for several months.

At first she had tried to convince herself that Tasha was right, that she was simply going through the changes all girls her age went through. She wanted to chalk all her weird feelings up to exploding hormones. But she didn't need to be a genius to realize that the dramatic improvements in her vision, hearing, strength, endurance, and concentration couldn't be blamed on puberty. Puberty couldn't account for her sudden ability to solve complicated math problems in her head, not to mention her flawless athletic performances Ч a back flip on the balance beam and a triple toe loop on the ice, when she'd never even had a lesson in figure skating!

At least she looked normal. That was a blessing, she figured. Now, if only her efforts at surfing the Web could lead to a connection with others who felt normal but knew or suspected they weren't. People who were "perfect" in every way. It was a long shot, especially since direct questions were too risky. There was no telling who else, well-meaning and not, would be trying to track down the same information. Discretion was key.

An hour of clicking on icons and reading her screen didn't lead to any major encounters or revelations. Amy was disappointed, but she was getting used to the feeling. She was glad when the sound of a bouncing ball outside her open window distracted her. She looked out. Eric, Tasha's older brother, was on the Morgans' driveway next door, tossing a basketball toward a hoop hanging over their garage door. He wore a sweatshirt with the sleeves ripped off, and Amy noticed that his arms weren't quite as skinny as they used to be.

Amy had known Eric as long as she'd known Tasha, which basically meant forever. When they were all little kids, the three of them had played together. About five years ago, when she and Tasha were seven and Eric was nine, Eric seemed to have made an unspoken pact to ignore the girls' existence, and they had reciprocated. On those rare occasions when Eric spoke to them, he was either yelling at Tasha or teasing Amy.

Lately, however, Amy had noticed a real improvement in Eric's personality. He looked better too. And it seemed to her that Eric had decided she wasn't just his annoying sister's annoying friend anymore.

She didn't really feel like hanging around her room pondering her own weirdness, so she went downstairs, out the back door, and across the grass to the Morgans' driveway. Eric greeted her with a lopsided grin.

"Hi, what's up?"

Amy responded with her usual "Not much."

"Tasha went to the supermarket with my mom."

They had dropped Amy off on their way to the store. "Yeah, I know."

Eric bounced the ball a couple of times, then held it still. He stared at the basket over the garage door. Then he took a shot. The ball went through the basket. He quickly looked at Amy to see if she'd noticed. She nodded with approval. He went after the ball, took it to a position farther from the garage, and shot again. This time the ball teetered on the rim of the basket and fell off the side.

"My turn," Amy called out. Eric tossed the ball to her, and she stood on a spot even farther away. Taking careful aim, she released the ball. It sailed through the basket cleanly.

Now it was Eric's turn to nod with approval. He retrieved the ball and tossed it back to her. She took five steps backward, shot, and again cleared the net.

It wasn't the first time she'd demonstrated her basketball skills, but Eric never failed to be impressed. "Can you make a basket from the end of the driveway?" he asked her.

"I don't know, I've never tried." Amy took the ball and went to the street end of the driveway. The garage door seemed very far away, but she wasn't concerned. She aimed and shot. The ball swished straight through the basket, just as she'd known it would.

Eric was awed. "How do you do that?"

Because I'm not a normal girl, she wanted to say. Because I'm a product of genetic engineering. Because I was created in a laboratory, where scientists used cloning techniques to create perfect human lives.

What would Eric say if she told him the truth about herself? Would he be shocked? Would he be fascinated? Would he be disgusted?

She'd never know. She couldn't tell Tasha, and she certainly couldn't tell Eric.

"Hey, space cadet!"

She blinked, realizing that her thoughts had taken her far away. "What?"

"Try and take the ball from me."

Eric began bouncing the basketball. He dribbled low, close to the ground, and danced around in front of her. He moved pretty fast and kept switching hands and directions, but even so, Amy was able to snatch the ball before he realized it was gone. Then she whirled around and tossed Ч Swish! Ч and was again rewarded with Eric's awe and exclamations.

The honking of a car horn drew her attention. She turned to see her mother pulling into their driveway. "Gotta go," she said to Eric. "Tell Tasha to call me when she gets home, okay?"