EverChange

chapter 29

Cosma had been going through the files. Thousands of files, thousands of patients. Hundreds of them were children. Her heart broke every time she read the age and found they were so young. Everyone was young compared to her, but why did humans thinks they were so... disposable.

"...Your sister is quite... Something." she said, scanning the forms when Roanne Sinclaire sat next to her.

"She's a paradigm." she said, turning her smart phone sideways to play a rhythm game. Something similar to DDR but just for the thumbs. "And she hates Sandexon for using her as such."

"Hmm?" Cosma looked at the young woman. Roanne Sinclaire looked very much like Sam, same nose and eye shape, round chin and her cantor in her words. There were details like her powers, skin tone, hair texture, and the fact that she was a bit more slender than her sibling that made them different.

"Sam, she told me never to get caught by them because they'll cut you open for parts," she didn't look up from her screen.

"....So you know what they did to her?"

"She's my sister. She'd just give me warnings. Same with Linden. They wouldn't tell me exactly what happened." Roanne puckered her lips, frowned, then sucked in a breath. "Hol' on. I wanna get a perfect score."

"....Jessamine Sinclaire is a very important person, you know?" Cosma said, turning away from her computer to look at the younger Sinclaire.

"Oh course she is. Shifter blood is said to be as good as stem cells on the market." Roanne slid her thumbs, and tapped them to the beat. "She's also pretty emotional and good at exploiting people's weaknesses. I wouldn't put it past her that people see her as a threat."

Cosma had to laugh at that. "Sam isn't the type."

"Her empathy overrides her want to dominate." Roanne hissed between her teeth, then grinned. She punched the air, then held out her phone for Cosma to see. "When we played games she was my copilot. I was her gunner. She sees the small details in an emotional level, and then we exploit their weaknesses-- it's probably why she kidnapped those doctors?"

Cosma tilted her head.

"Like, sure, they hurt her and Denny, but in the big picture they did a bunch of projects that would have been tied back to Sammy and Denny. Since shapeshifter blood is so important." Roanne looked at her finger tips, her nails glowing soft purples and blues. "....Sammy throws herself in her work and doesn't think much about herself."

"....She fought my men tooth and nail to not be separated from Donovan's godkids."

"Sam's a proud mama bear." Roanne nodded. "Even though she's not a mom yet, like, instincts run deep."

Cosma frowned. Those tooth and nail moves, that desperation. Those weren't instinctual. They were learnt actions.

Someone cleared their throat, and Cosma and Roanne looked up to see Imelda standing in the doorway. Sam's mother looked like both daughters, her brown eyes scanning Cosma before frowning a bit.

"Ro, honeybun, wanna get dinner?"

"Sure," she grabbed a pen off the desk, scribbling down some numbers. "Text me if there's any new news about the stuff going on with Sammy and Donny. And don't you dare let them elope."

Cosma smirked when she saw the corner of Imelda's mouth twitch. She offered a small wave as the pair left, then turned back around to the computer screen to see Gidget standing above the screen, looking down at her.

"Shit!"

"...I spooked you?" Gidget snorted, carefully placing a Styrofoam cup of something sweet next to her.