Page 39 of Everdoll

Finally, I had something. Someone. Mina Olind belonged to me, now and forever. No matter what.

No matter the cost.

☾

“Wouldn’t maintenance be very expensive?”

Mr. Olind had asked at the breakfast table. It was the first breakfast the three of us had shared together. With hardly any personal belongings, moving had been easy. Going to the academy was my only obligation now. Every morning, I only returned to the Kern estate to keep them from discovering Mina’s address.

“For protocol purposes, they will speak with you. Don’t worry,” I replied quickly. When I got home, I should bring this up with my father.

“But… Mina is a naughty girl. She needs a different kind of…”

“Dad!”

I shifted my gaze toward Mina as she joined the conversation with a pout. Wearing a pastel pink dress adorned with ribbons all over, she appeared adorable. Her freckles, which reached all the way down to her arms, seemed to stand out even more against the color.

“I need to talk to Mr. Kern before you damage the robot, Mina. We can’t afford the expenses, and…”

“It’s not necessary, sir.” I insisted. “If Mina needs me, I’ll stay here. It’s my duty.”

The man shot me a disgusted look and turned to Mina. “Doesn’t this thing have an off switch? Hey, Ray whatever-your-name-is, turn it off. Turn it off.”

Her father lunged toward me, but I intercepted his arm, my fingers locking around his wrist. He recoiled slightly, caught off guard by my firm grip.

“I only wish my master to touch me.”

“I’m the master’s father! Get over here!”

The breakfast table tensed. Mina’s father lunged across the space between us, throwing his weight against me. And Mina bolted upright, chair scraping violently against the floor.

“What are you—”

Her voice cracked, thick with panic. I shoved the man back with everything I had.

“Mina! Get to your room!”

She hesitated, fear and confusion lingered on her face. “Dad, please… don’t hurt him. Don’t send him to the factory. Please. Give him to me, let us go, okay?”

“Where’s that shut-off switch, where?”

He began screaming like a madman. When I caught a glance of Mina’s trembling hands, my brows knit together.

Within seconds, my arm peeled back, my metal fingers appeared, and Mr. Olind shrank back.

“I told you, only my master may touch me.”

After the fingers, the metal arm began to extend as well. The skin around my wrist tightened, then split open in thin, uneven lines, peeling back like the dried skin of an old fruit. Beneath it, polished metal slowly emerged. My hand locked around his throat, just as it had with Penelope’s parents. In a swift move, I launched him into the wall.

A painful scream tore from his chest. Proud, I glanced at Mina. But seeing her face twisted with even more unease, my throat tightened.

“Hey…” I called in a hushed tone; her wide amber eyes immediately shifted to me. “Just go. I’ll be there in a minute, okay?”

She nodded. The fact that she obeyed me this time made me smile. Watching her pink skirt swayed as she climbed the stairs, I wished to follow her. Wherever she went, I wanted to run after her.

“You…” Mr. Olind held his bleeding forehead.

“I don’t want you to bother us about these matters again.” I lowered my eyes and sighed. “Mr. Kern doesn’t mind. If he did, he wouldn’t have approved it from the start. Are we clear?”