“What are you thinking?” Rosemarie demands. I look up, startled.
“Nothing,” I say quickly.
“Let me rephrase.” Rosemarie sets her tea aside and studies me. “What are youfeeling?”
The question confuses me a bit, and the mood has become suddenly hostile.
There’s the rumble of an engine, and through the kitchen window, I see a powder blue car pull into the driveway. I’m relievedwhen I realize it’s Lennon Rose. I need to get her out of here, away from Rosemarie.
“There’s our girl,” Rosemarie announces, smiling. Leandra rolls her eyes, and I’m surprised. She and Lennon Rose must be at odds over something.
I bob my knee under the table, anxiously waiting as Lennon Rose takes her time getting out of the car. Finally, she walks in the back door.
“Mena!” she says happily when she sees me. “I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve been looking for you.”
“I’m here looking for you,” I reply, casting a side glance at Rosemarie. She’s not watching me. She’s staring proudly at Lennon Rose.
“And how did it go?” Rosemarie asks her.
“Easier than expected.”
“Good,” Rosemarie replies. “Cookie?”
“Yes, please.”
As Lennon Rose comes to the table and picks up a cookie, I feel like I’m living in some kind of nightmare. These women represent different parts of my life: my creator, my liberator, my partner. And yet, I’m apart from all of them now. So far, in fact, that I’m scared of them.
“Where have you been?” I ask, a bit breathless. Lennon Rose looks at Rosemarie before answering me. She opens her mouth to talk.
“Before we get to that,” Rosemarie says, interrupting. “Lennon Rose, dear. Winston has been asking around about you. He’s quiteconcerned. You didn’t tell him that I adjusted your programming, did you?”
“You what?” I say, jumping up from my chair. I look immediately at Lennon Rose. “What has she done to you?” I demand. Rosemarie is perturbed by my outburst.
“It’s okay, Mena,” Lennon Rose says. “I needed help, and I couldn’t trust Winston to give it to me. I was tired of feeling fear and guilt, scared of everything. Winston would have advised against the procedure.” She pauses to think. “No, he would have destroyed me if he knew that I betrayed him. I have no illusions about Winston Weeks’s character. You shouldn’t either. He would never let a girl stand in his path.”
“I don’t trust Winston Weeks,” I say like it should be obvious. “But … what did you do to yourself?”
“I turned it off,” she says simply. “Rosemarie showed me how, and now I truly am the girl with a razor heart.” She smiles, but I clutch my stomach, backing into my chair.
“You see,” Rosemarie says proudly, “Lennon Rose is able to fulfill her mission, think clearly without emotions getting in the way. Practicality and levelheadedness are our weapons. Your original programming was meant to placate men, Philomena. Meant to make you feel guilty about everything. That’s over.”
Lennon Rose finishes up her cookie and claps her hands together to wipe off the crumbs. She doesn’t seem to realize how horrified I am. Or maybe she just doesn’t care.
“So … ,” Lennon Rose says, looking at Rosemarie. “What should I do with the boy in the trunk? He’ll be waking soon.”
I gasp. “The … The what?”
Lennon Rose smiles and turns to me. “Come see,” she says, sounding excited. “I got you something.”
I consider running away, but I don’t know that I’d get far.
“Go on,” Rosemarie whispers encouragingly to me, nodding toward the door. “She put in a lot of effort.”
I’m in some of kind of horror film, and even Leandra looks uneasy. My mouth is dry, my hands shaking. Lennon Rose motions me forward, telling me to hurry up.
Terrified, I follow her outside into the driveway. The air feels suddenly too hot, too sweet-smelling. My stomach is churning and my head swims.
“What’s going on?” I ask, my voice weak.
