The suite felt strange after so many days of being away, or had it been days more like hours. Tina turned in a circle; there was much she could sense. Rubbing her swollen belly and arching her sore back, Tina sighed.

"I need food," she whispered, "there is no one home, and I don't have to explain my cravings ..." the thought brought a smile to her lips, "liberty to do as I please."

Walking into the kitchen, she prepared herself a meal; it was the oddest concoction anyone could imagine. Still, Tina enjoyed every moment of every mouthful. While washing her dishes, she noticed pieces of paper taped around the kitchen.

"How to use the dishwasher," she read, "don't eat the pickles; they are Gina's... what is all this?" she walked in a circle reading each one, "explanations on what, where and why ... who did all this?"

"I did," John said from the doorway, watching her cautiously, "I can take them down if you'd prefer."

"Before I answer that," Tina said, "why did you put them up?"

"Things run differently here from ... other places I've been," John said, "I didn't want to mess anything up or give either yourself or Craig a reason not to want us."

Tina frowned, "John, there is no reason for you to think that," she watched as he shook his head, "why would you think there is a reason?"

"You're going to have four of your own," John said, "Gina and I are ... afterthoughts... we always have been. That's why we look out for each other. No one else ever has."

Tina nodded as she sighed, "That is a lot for someone your age to take on," she watched him for a moment, his serious expression, the look of resignation in his eyes and the resolute set of his young shoulders. This child was older than his ten years, "sit down, John, let's talk."

Easing into a chair, she waited for him to join her at the table. He seemed reluctant, but slowly he moved to a chair and sat on the edge as though he was waiting for the death sentence on his stay with them.

"Put your bag down," Tina whispered, "and relax, we are talking ... nothing more."

Nodding, John complied, "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, we could talk about your day at school or what you'd like to eat, but somehow since it's the middle of the morning and you should still be in school, I'm guessing that's not why you're here."

"I'm supposed to be doing more tests," John whispered, "I asked if they would mind me doing it here rather than ..." he faltered, "I feel strain when I'm being watched to see if I'll achieve the expected level."

"You stayed yesterday because of Gina, didn't you?" Tina asked, her soft gaze watching him.

John nodded, "Gina needed me yesterday ..." he sighed, "I don't think she would have made it through all that pressure ..." he shook his head, "she spent most of the break times crying instead of playing with the other children. They didn't understand ... they thought she was being emotional ..." John scoffed, "she is eight ... eight-year-old children don't get emotional."

"Perhaps they were right on some level," Tina said, "she may not display it in the sense of being emotional, but her emotions could have gotten the best of her, and she didn't know what to do but cry."

John frowned, taking a moment to consider Tina's explanation before nodding, "It makes sense; it can happen to any of us. Today we are finding out another set of levels ..." John leaned back in the chair, "after Craig spoke to Gina last night and helped her get perspective, I figured she was okay for today," John chuckled, "actually ... she is brilliant. Today is a breeze for her ..." the smile faded. He looked decades older than he was, "today, I'm the one having a problem."

"I think you had a problem yesterday as well," Tina said, "but you put Gina's needs first. Today she doesn't need your assistance or presence, so you are finding it hard to push through."

John's gaze snapped to her own, "How did you know?"

Tina smiled, "You'll find everyone here has either the same or similar issues," she whispered, "even Craig," John nodded but didn't speak; Tina continued, "reverting to the issue of being wanted."

"Can we leave that? I was wrong to say anything ..." John stood, scooping up his backpack and moving toward the kitchen door.

Tina's hand extended and the doorway filled with a hazy blue, purple light. John stopped staring at the entrance before slowly turning toward her, his face pale, his eyes large and fearful.

"You're..." he whispered.

"One of my four," Tina explained, "they have a will of their own and sometimes when they take exception to the treatment of myself ... such as your rudeness right now ... they display that displeasure," Tina said, "John sit down, you were not wrong to say anything and no ... I'm not leaving it."

John glanced over his shoulder at the forcefield, swallowed hard and slowly sat again. The forcefield disappeared, and he inhaled slowly, relaxing.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Yes, there are our own four on the way," Tina said, "yes, they will probably be a handful," Tina sighed, "no, you don't have to be perfect all the time. No one is. It's what makes us human."

"I'm not human," John whispered, his eyes watching his hands, "whatever I am is not human."

"Were you born this way?" Tina asked.

"Some of it was at birth," John nodded, "but some .." he shook his head, "I can still feel everything they did to me. Every cell moving, changing, and becoming something else. The pain, the needles ..." John shuddered, "whatever I am ... it's not human."

"You know that was not your fault," Tina whispered, "you know the fact that you feel the way you feel about Gina makes you human. Giving so she will be okay and feel inadequate when the shelter is not needed, and you feel your problems deeper. We are all human ..." Tina paused, "... just a little more than other humans. We still bleed like a human, feel like a human, and we can die as well ... thinking and feeling emotion is also human quality. If a being cannot feel emotion or question actions, I would question their humanity. Do you understand?"

John nodded, still looking at his hands, "I do. Thank you ..." he paused, took a breath, remained silent, took another breath, opening his mouth, he paused before continuing, "I didn't expect to be allowed to do my tests here," he said, "we were in a rigorous environment before, beaten if we didn't comply or come up to expectation ..." his gaze seemed to wander to a place the walls didn't contain, "have those awful procedures if we were defective, starve us if we didn't let them do what they pleased with us," his eyes filled with tears, "leave us in rooms that would go between extreme hot and cold until someone passed out."

"John, I'm so sorry," Tina said, leaning forward and taking his trembling hands in her own, "you never spoke about this to anyone, did you?"

He shook his head before swiping at his face, "There never was anyone to talk to and then when we got out," he sniffed, "there wasn't anyone interested. I know I'm here because of Gina, but I can be useful, and I know how to calm her when she gets all lit up ..." John stopped speaking as Tina squeezed his hands.

"You're here because we realise Gina and yourself have formed a family of your own," Tina said, "both Craig and I want both of you here, and so do your soon-to-be half brothers and sisters," Tina smirked, "if they didn't want you around the doorway wouldn't have been blocked."

John slowly met her gaze; his earnest, searching look felt like it was staring into her soul, "You mean that, don't you?"

"Yes," Tina nodded, "you have nothing to fear. You will always have a home with Craig and me..." Tina smiled, "Craig had the family talk with you, didn't he?"

John nodded, "We may not agree on things, fight, or irritate each other, but we'll always be there for each other."

"If you had that assurance from him, why do you need it from me?" Tina asked.

"I learnt at an early age because one person assures you in something," he peeked a look at her, "it doesn't mean anyone else is in line with the same assurances."

Tina stared at the child, "You know more than most adults, John," she smiled, "in this case, both Craig and I are giving the same assurances. You and Gina have nothing to worry about."

"Thank you," John whispered, glancing down at his bulging backpack, "do you mind if I get to the tests?"

"Are you hungry?" Tina asked.

"I still have my lunch," John smiled, "I'll eat that if I get hungry."

"Fair enough," Tina smiled, "go do your tests."

She watched John near the doorway and hesitate, "John," he turned back, glancing at the opening as he waited, "the notes ..." she indicated the walls around the kitchen, "they can stay up."

Nodding, he smiled before leaving the room. Tina pushed herself from the chair, shook her head, and headed to their bedroom. She needed the bathroom desperately and perhaps a shower.

"That would be a good start," Tina whispered, "no funny business while I'm in there," she patted the moving belly, "I'm making the water tepid, then no one has a choice ... it's mine."

Wrapped in a large, soft robe, Tina stepped from the bathroom. It felt good not to be confined by any kind of clothes; with her expanded proportions, she found it restrictive. Glancing around the room, her gaze fell on a pair of elasticised pants and an oversized shirt with a rose on the front lying on the bed. Looking around the room, she found herself alone.

Where had this come from?

A piece of paper lay next to the assembly. Picking it up, she smiled.

"Thank you, John," she called, "I love it."

A whoop from the other room made her chuckle. She was surprised at how perceptive the two children were and thankful for his thoughtfulness. Slipping into the clothes, she sighed; it was the first time in months she felt as though she could breathe with her clothes on. Scooping up her dirty clothes and towel, she dropped them in the laundry basket. She frowned at the strange triangular piece of paper protruding from under the adjacent chest of drawers.

"What is this?" Tina wondered, tugging at the piece of paper and starting as it brought an entire laptop bag into view, "Craig, what are you up to?"

Tina moved to the desk and carefully opened the bag, pulling the contents out and placing them on the desk. The papers were tucked inside the laptop, making it impossible to close. According to the low battery light glinting amber, the computer was still on. Plugging in the power source, Tina prepared to move away, trying not to snoop into Craig's life. Turning from the desk, she paused as a blipping noise came from the machine. She knew that sound had initiated it and heard it many times.

"Who are you tracking?" she whispered.

Opening the machine, she waited as it came to life. A map appeared on the screen, and a red blinking dot seemed to locate an area. Zooming in, Tina frowned. That was downtown, near the place she and Valencia had targetted after the first attempt on Craig and his team's life when they brought Alexis and Mandy in. Picking up the notes, Tina read quickly, looking through everything.

"Oh my ..." she gasped, "please tell me you didn't go after them on your own."

Quickly punching in her login details, Tina set a trace on Craig. She had to know his location to see if he was somewhere here or gone on his own? The room phone ran, absently scooping it up, her eyes still on the monitor; she greeted the caller.

"Are you okay?" Calla asked, "what is going on? Is it Gina or John, or Craig? "

The tracking programme brought Craig's locator up on the screen.

"No, no, no," Tina said, tears filling her eyes, "Calla, Craig found the location of the Darcia and Madden clones ... doubles ... whatever they are," she sobbed, "I hope he told Bre about it because he's gone to their location ..." she swiped at her face, "he's alone."