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

Nancy Candler greeted her with a smile and a hug, but there were worry lines around her eyes. "Amy, what were you doing with Eric?"

"Just hanging out."

"I hope you weren't showing off," her mother said.

Amy flushed. "No. Not really. Well, sort of. I mean, we were shooting hoops, trying to see how far we could throw and still score."

"And you scored every time," her mother said reprovingly.

Amy couldn't lie to her. "What could I do, Mom? Miss on purpose?"

Nancy reached back into the car and pulled out a grocery bag. "Whew, this is heavy."

"Give it to me," Amy said.

Nancy took a quick look around.

"Nobody's watching, Mom." Amy took the bag from her mother's arms. It wasn't heavy for her at all.

"Honey, I just don't want you to call attention to yourself," Nancy said as they went into the house. "We've talked and talked about this. It's for your own good."

"I know," Amy said. She didn't feel like talking about the fact that she was in a constant state of danger. But her mother rarely passed up a chance to remind her.

They went back to the kitchen, where Nancy took the groceries out of the bag and Amy put them away. "Amy, when you were born Ч "

"Made," Amy corrected her.

"You were born," her mother emphasized. "Remember, I was there. Your birth just didn't happen in the usual way."

"No kidding," Amy said. "What did you scientists do, anyway? Take cells from a zillion donors and pick out only the best ones to make me? I mean, us?"

"It was a little more complicated than that," her mother said dryly. "We thought we were doing something for humanity, learning ways to eliminate genetic diseases and disorders. We didn't know that the agency that funded Project Crescent wanted to create a master race of superior people."

Amy had heard the story before. "So you rescued the Amys and blew up the lab so the agency would think all the clones were dead. And you took me home. Mom, you've already told me about this."

"But you have to remember that there are people out there who don't believe the clones died," Nancy continued. "And you know as well as I do, we have reason to suspect that they've identified you as one of them. They still want to create that master race. If they could get their hands on any of you Amys Ч "

"They could clone us," Amy finished. "I know, Mom."

"Then you know you shouldn't make your skills and talents visible," Nancy said. "It's the reason you had to leave gymnastics, remember? Coach Persky wanted you to compete in national games. The last thing we need is for you to become famous."

"I'm not going to get famous shooting hoops with Eric," Amy pointed out.

Her mother sighed. "Amy, sweetie, you just have to remember that you're not like other people."

Amy grimaced. As if she needed reminding.

"And you can't tell anyone about yourself," Nancy continued. "No one, ever. Not even Tasha."