Hello
It's Tanya.
As you all know, I'm now a nineteen-year-old orphan.
What you don't know is, that today's the first day of the rest of my life.
......
I don't have parents, but I do have a family. In Kelly and Troy I have a brother and sister, in Kelvin I have the little brother I always wanted (despite the fact he's a cloned adult.) In Maria, I have a kindly aunt (she remains in our Chicago home taking care of Brogan.) And in Kade I have the icing on my cake: a soul mate.
When Kade and I returned home after witnessing The Surgeon being sliced in two on the Love Rush (or, pathology slicer as she called it,) I became suddenly concerned. It was all too clean and easy; the lack of blood bothered me. I insisted we go back and check it really was her.
Thankfully, Kade's mom, in the guise of Thomas was there to allay our fears. The blade on the Love Rush is an ingenious device, which slices the body and immediately infuses the parts with formaldehyde (preserving fluid,) while encapsulating both parts with a thin, transparent sealant material. Which explains why it looked like a work of art. In fact, both parts of The Surgeon are on display at the overseas facility – a permanent reminder of her demise.
We can all rest assured: she and her team are gone for good.
......
Today, I'm traveling with my new family back to the place wherein my story started.
The first time I traveled these roads, alone with my father, I was filled with fear and dread. Now, as we pass through tiny villages that lead into dark dense woodland, I'm full of hope and happiness. Music blasts from the speakers and we all bellow-a-long with a fervent joy.
......
I am going to claim what is now mine. Or I should say, ours, my families
My intention is to turn the horror of my inheritance into a force for good. I'm confident in achieving this as I have one of the world's most brilliant brains to help me do so: Kade and Kelly's mother.
Our plan is to turn the facility into a state of the art re-constructive surgical site for people who have suffered life changing dis-figuring injuries. We want to give them back the ability to face the world with confidence, again. We will hire the world's best plastic surgeons and it will all be legitimate, legal and open.
......
Kade and Kelly are humming with happiness at the prospect of meeting their mother's real brain. She was the driving force in helping us defeat The Surgeon. She now resides and waits for us in the secluded organ facility, along with the cryogenically frozen body of her husband. One of our first, priority projects is to revive him; Kade and Kelly want their adult father back.
Meanwhile, dad junior, Kelvin continually fidgets in the back of our four wheel drive repeating over and over, "Are we there yet," in a bored, whiny voice, lol.
......
As we continue our journey and the terrain becomes ever more secluded, I have a sudden memory of the dread I felt when I first witnessed this landscape as a fifteen-year-old boy. Kade notices my unease, "What is it, Tan?" He asks.
"Nothing, I'm tired, that's all," I reply, not wanting to put a dark shade on the bright atmosphere in our vehicle.
His hand finds my knee and he squeezes it; a knowing gesture that instantly puts me at ease. I'm with people I trust now, who have my best interests at heart. I exhale and relax back into the journey.
