Freaks in the City (32 page)

“Jay, what did Sixer do to you?” Michael
asked, his tone reeking with concern that should have warmed her
heart but only made her feel tired—a new experience for a cyborg.
Perhaps she needed to refuel.

“Only what he believed necessary to
survive,” she said, and rang off.

Once she’d showered and encouraged her
wounds to heal, she covered them with gauze and taped them
securely. The scabs had come off the original three bullet wounds
in her chest, leaving behind healthy pink skin. The two latest
wounds were scabbing over.

The bullet holes in her jeans weren’t too
noticeable. She picked at the edges of the holes, fraying them.
Interesting look. She dug another few random holes in the denim.
They’d make a fashion statement... once she got the blood stains
out.

She dressed in clean clothes and cleaned off
the blood that had spattered over various parts of her bedroom. The
comforter, too, would need washing, she discovered. She’d do that
next.

Following the odor of old blood, she found
the t-shirt she’d been wearing when she was first shot in the
warehouse stuffed in the garbage can by the back door. She fished
it out. She would burn it later.

She’d just headed back inside when she heard
someone approaching her front door. No way Tyler or Michael could
have gotten here this quickly. And from his gait, this person was
older than Michael. All her senses ratcheted up to full alert.

His voice came through the front door
speaker. “Miss Jay? It’s McPhee.”

She ditched the t-shirt in a corner of the
laundry room, sprinted to the entrance and opened the door. “Hey,
McPhee. Would you like to come in? I’ll put the coffee on.” Just as
well she’d showered and changed. An observant man like McPhee would
spot bullet holes a mile away.

“Don’t mind if I do.”

He glanced around as she led him through
into the kitchen. “Nice place you’ve got here, m’dear.”

“Thank you. Are you going to show me what
you’ve got there?”

His eyes sparkled. “As if you don’t know
what I’ve got tucked beneath my arm.”

It was impossible to mistake the shape of a
painting beneath the brown paper wrapping. She smiled—and surprised
herself that not only was she capable of smiling, but that it was
genuine. Bless him, as Father used to say. Bless McPhee for his
impeccable timing, and for shining a light on the pall shrouding
her.

He placed the painting on the counter. “I
still don’t believe it does you justice,” he said.

“Nonsense.” Her hands shook with
anticipation as she picked apart the knotted string and ripped off
the paper.

Her breath caught in her throat. “Oh,
McPhee. It’s…. It’s….” She couldn’t think of any suitable words so
she hugged him. And as he patted her shoulder, her control slipped
and the events of the past few hours crashed in on her and she
wept.

When her crying jag ended, he offered her a
handkerchief. She mopped her face and gave him a sanitized version
of events while he spooned coffee grounds into the filter and
organized Mr. Coffee.

“You helped bring a baby into this world?
Well now, that’s big—really big. No surprise you’re feeling a tad
emotional.”

Jay wished she could unload her burdens and
tell him everything but unloading would have to wait until Tyler
got back. She settled for, “I can’t have children, McPhee.”

He said nothing until the coffee was ready
and that was okay. She didn’t want platitudes. She didn’t want
pity.

He poured a mug of coffee and handed it to
her. “I’m very sorry to hear that, m’dear,” was all he said. And it
was enough.

She gave McPhee a tour of her house and they
both argued in a friendly way over the best spot to display her
painting.

“Is that the time?” he asked. “I’ve
outstayed my welcome.”

“Never. You’re welcome any time.” She hugged
him, and thanked him again for the precious gift of his
painting.

At the door he halted and bumped his forehead
twice with his fist. “Ah, almost forgot.” He fished a folded
envelope from the pocket of his baggy khakis. “When Allen found out
I was coming to visit, he gave me this for you. Said someone
dropped it off at the studio.”

“Thanks, McPhee.” She kissed him on the cheek
and watched as he wandered down the path toward the sidewalk. He
gave her a wave, and she watched until he was out of sight before
heading back inside and closing the door.

She ripped open the envelope.

Inside was a photo of a girl sitting in a
wheelchair. She was dressed in pale green, ill-fitting cotton
pajamas. Her hands were folded neatly in her lap. Too neatly—as
though someone had placed them in that position and she was
incapable of moving them. The photographer had caught her straight
on, and she had been staring vacantly into the camera when the
shutter clicked.

She looked exactly like Jay.

Jay turned over the photo. On the back
someone had written in black pen,
Gamma, meet Beta.

The End

Maree Anderson writes paranormal romance,
sci-fi, fantasy, and young adult books. She’s a Kiwi, a New
Zealander, and she’s addicted to chocolate—the darker the better.
Not to mention coffee, and the occasional glass of excellent NZ
wine. She’s not quite so addicted to her local gym—she’d much
rather do an hour’s karate class and go Ceroc dancing than pound
the treadmill.

She shares her home with a depressed goldfish
who likes to scare her by lying at the bottom of the fish-tank and
playing dead, and a neurotic ocicat who brings her bones stolen
from the neighbor’s dog.

Maree’s currently reworking a fantasy trilogy
before starting on a fourth book in the Crystal Warriors
series.

For blurbs, excerpts, and more about Maree’s
published books, please check out the Books page of her
website:

Website/blog:
http://www.mareeanderson.com

Facebook author page:
http://www.facebook.com/MareeAndersonAuthor

Facebook YA page:
http://www.facebook.com/MareeAndersonFreaksofGreenfieldHigh

Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/MareeAnderson

Group blog:
http://www.WritersGoneWild.blogspot.com

FREAKS OF GREENFIELD HIGH

http://www.FreaksofGreenfieldHigh.com

When a teenage cyborg is forced to hide out at a
small-town high school, the unthinkable happens: she falls in love.
But with a covert organization intent on using her as a weapon hot
on her trail, now’s sooo not the time for a cyborg to get all
emotional!

**Optioned for TV by Cream Drama, Inc.**

Winner: Maryland Romance Writers “Reveal Your Inner
Vixen” Contest

Young Adult category

Winner: Gulf Coast RWA’s Silken Sands “Self-Published
Star” Contest

Young Adult Category

~~~

REVIEWS

“This book has one of the best heroines ever.
Jay, the cyborg heroine, was so much fun, and the author wrote her
really well. When I started the book, I was just going to read a
little before going to bed. I ended up finally shutting off my
Kindle at 2 a.m. I finished the book the next night. A really
enjoyable story. The teen hero had more growing up to do, which
made him realistic. The YA language, doubts and attitudes were
perfect, as were the cliques and the popular kids vs. the
picked-on. It moved fast, and I think adults will like this as well
as teens.”

~~~

“I was searching for some interesting
material to read last night and accidentally stumbled upon this.
What an amazing read. I really enjoy a good fantasy/sci-fi romance
and this hit the spot. There was enough action, humor, and romance
to keep the pages turning. You really find yourself falling in love
with this cyborg who tried hard to run away and ended up
discovering the greatest thing of all, raw human emotion. I just
fell in love with Tyler and his sister who are the perfect brother
sister example. They fight, argue, but at the end of the day, love
each other unconditionally. As for the cyborg, Jay, she’s just
awesome. Make sure to have some long sleeves because you’ll
secretly be wiping tears during the last few chapters. I’ll be
buying this author’s other novels.”

~~~

“There are three things I'd like to see more
of in fiction: ninja, bionics, and cyborgs. Maree Anderson has
provided us with the latter, enclosing it in a YA tale of... well,
coming to terms with feelings, but the author takes that sap and
executes it superbly so it's no way near as cheesy as it sounds.
Needless to say, the cyborg is my favourite character. (Not so much
her love interest, who writes love songs. I've never been one for
balladry.) Read this, and you'll understand why Jay Smith is so
awesome - she's my new favourite heroine. Now, to convince the
author to create a ninja character...”

~~~

“A thoroughly enjoyable read! How is a
teenaged girl cyborg to fit in at a new school? By attaching
herself to the guy that is on the outs with everyone else. This
story grabbed me right away and I enjoyed Maree Anderson’s easy
style and her spot on teen-speak. The characters were believable
and I was impressed with Anderson’s ability to create such a
loveable and meaningful character such as Jay, a cyborg on the run
from a secret agency bent on capturing her and using her for their
own means. Anderson gave this cyborg some interesting dilemmas and
a kick butt approach that made her endearing and real. She also
nailed the teen boy experience and voice, and I totally forgot I
was reading something a woman wrote. Tyler is an unlikely hero,
being that he is an outcast in his school and faints at the sight
of blood. But from the first moment you meet him (when he’s
examining a huge zit on his chin), to when he is lovingly
tormenting his kid sister Caro (who gives it back in spades), Tyler
is real and sweet, and I enjoyed watching his growth throughout the
story.”

~~~

“[…] a great YA cross between the Terminator
movies and the Sarah Connor TV show. I devoured this book in two
nights. It totally played out like a movie in my head. Anderson’s
descriptions of cyborg Jay were amazing. I especially loved that
Jay was a girl, trying to learn how to cope with new situations
while learning more about humanity. I loved how Anderson added
human angst to Jay who was trying to cope with blending in while
playing being human. And Tyler and his twin sister had their own
problems but friendships are the underlying theme in this book. It
was fast paced, riveting, real teen language that I loved and I
didn’t want it to end. I seriously hope Anderson will write a
sequel featuring more cyborgs.”

~~~

“So, I kept seeing this pop up whenever I was
looking for a read and I’d skip over it because I really wasn’t
interested in a story with a cyborg in it, but finally, because it
kept nagging at me, I gave it a shot and wow, probably one of my
favorites! I absolutely loved the characters and the storyline, it
was amazing! I spent half my break from college laying on my couch
and reading it. Good grief. Thank you for the great story.”

~~~

THE CRYSTAL WARRIOR

Book 1 of The Crystal Warriors
Series

http://www.TheCrystalWarrior.com

She’s a dancer, and the most important thing in her
life right now is the success of her new dance studio. He’s an
alien Crystal Warrior with one big-ass curse hanging over him. In a
moment of weakness she lets him seduce her. Now they’re magically
bonded and his life is in her hands.