Page 39 of I Dated the Lost Song

Arcady blinked slowly.

“She was shot entering Aksalla, and it was something we bonded over. But this isn’t my story either. Not yet. She pled her case in front of a court and explained the lack of resources and the very definite danger she was in. They assigned her to my group home, and that is where we met. I told her I wasn’t capable of hurting her, and she smiled and hugged me.”

“How old were you?”

“I was ten or twelve. We had just escaped from Uradda. Those with me needed a lot of medical attention and were given to families who wanted to adopt.”

“What?”

“I drove a bus full of infants and toddlers out of Uradda’s premier lab, where they were taking known active genetics and trying to silence it. I don’t know what made me or how. Anyway, I was shot getting out of the van. Someone was really nervous. I held my gut as they called for backup, and I got the names, ages, and sexes of the babies on file as the little ones wailed and I bled out. It was quite an evening. After that, I was healed by Dr. Torenne and sent to a group home. I don’t know where the kids are, but they are better here than there.”

Arcady nodded. “So, you are my sister’s childhood friend.”

Leska said softly, “I am Cadence’s childhood friend. She stopped being your sister a very long time ago.”

“What?”

“What is her favourite colour, cake, flower? What does she want to do for her birthday next month? What is her favourite fabric? When she was a child, where did she hide so she could practice her harmonics?”

Arcady blinked. “I...”

“Right. So, if you want to introduce yourself again, let her be herself. Cut the past off. All you share is genetics right now. If you want there to be more, you are going to have to go eighty percent of the way. She’s already been rejected by family more than anyone should have to be. She is being accepted and welcomed by Raek and Im-bar. Let her have that. Let her have joy without trying to insert yourself into it. You are a researcher looking to keep track of changes in her activation. Stay in that lane until she reaches for you. Right now, she can’t trust you. She had a nerve-racking insemination, and you were right there, laughing and cooing like you were close, and when she started getting praise, you angled to block it so that it could be directed at you. Yes, you need therapy.”

Arcady blinked rapidly. “Right. Can we start this again?”

“Sure. My name is Leska, and I was an Uraddan experiment.” She kept going, and Arcady was all business.

Chapter Seven

“Leska!” Cadence ranto her friend with Maximus bounding behind her.

Leska caught her and spun her around. “There you are. How are you feeling?”

“Great. So comfortable. Did you know you could get clothes that don’t hurt?” Cadence was giddy.

Leska laughed. “I have suspected it for a long time. I am glad you have discovered some.”

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