Atlantis: The Rebirth of the Empire (I)©

Chapter 12: The Bay (Part I)

Mina

 When I get home, the first thing I do is shout to announce my arrival. I know they're probably not there, but it's better to make sure of it so I can go up to my room and see if the thing is still there.

  —Mom, Mauricio, I'm home. —I don't get a reply, I hear paws on the steps, Klein pounces on me and I charge him in response—. Apparently, you're alone— I go up to my room and stand in the door frame, the clone is sleeping peacefully and Klein grunts in her direction, as Jordan said, she looks like a puppet, as soon as she feels the animal's presence she wakes up and sits on my bed, her gaze fixes on me, not on him, she stares at me and a shiver runs through my body—. Do you really feel anything?

 I ask and she doesn't move, her gaze makes me and my pet uncomfortable, and as soon as I put Klein down, she runs downstairs. The poor thing is bothered by her presence.

  >>Well, I guess it's just you and me —she blinks. I approach him slowly and, seeing that he won't do anything to me, I examine my features closely—. Do I really have that many black spots on my nose?

  —"Mina, take the earring out already. Then you can assess your complexion." —Jordan's voice comes into my mind as if he were an Atlantean. At this point, it's no wonder he's like that.

  —Has anyone ever told you it's rude to get inside people's heads? —I say to the air. I take a seat next to the clone and look at his ear, carefully removing the earring. I don't get a response from Jordan anymore, I guess I was a fool to think that everything was back to the way it was, things between us haven't changed.

 I sigh and watch as the clone fades into tiny particles. Its essence, as Jordan said, comes back to me, the other part of it blows away with the wind to the quartz it came from. Jordan went to a lot of trouble to make that thing look like me, considering I only felt something like when you're asleep and you feel yourself falling out of bed.

 Klein seems to sense that the intruder is gone, shyly peeks out the door and seeing that I'm the only person in the room, he happily asks to be carried to bed.

  >>I don't think that thing bothered to pack my bag for tomorrow's walk —I sigh and smile at my puppy—. It's going to be a long trip, eh —I get licks all over my hand in response.

***

 Based on the schedule that Professor Brandon has given us, we will spend about three days in the bay. I walk over to where the boys are ready to board their bus.

  —I'm surprised you talked to Jordan, but he's already told us about your little accident —Josh puts his arm over my shoulder and holds out a little white box with a light blue ribbon—. Take it as the gift I've owed you since January.

 I smile at him as I take the box in my hands and open it like a little girl. Inside is a phone, which I think is a little expensive, and I look at him with a grimace and he shrugs.

  —We've been cooperating —he winks at Nick, hoping for his support, he denies and turns to the other side. He hasn't said a word to me since I got here.

  —Is something wrong? —I ask and he denies. Josh pulls out of the embrace and walks over to our friend, wrapping his arms around him in a friendly gesture. Nick turns to look at him reluctantly.

  —He's in a bad mood because you didn't tell him first about what happened to you. Besides, he went to complain to Jordan about what he did to you, but he insists that something else happened between you two —what the fuck did my clone do in my absence? Nick turns to look at me as if he can read my mind. I smile nervously.