Glass Cases- Guest spot!

 

Sarah LaPollaSa is a associate literary agent at Curtis Brown, Ltd in New York and a writing enthusiast. She likes talking about books, publishing, pop culture, and promoting up-and-coming authors. Hence, her blog "Glass Cases" was born!

ReGeneration Post

In case you haven't seen the highly snooty NY Times "review" of Game of Thrones, or read the even snobbier "defense" of said review this week, then I suggest reading those now, but only if you feel like getting enraged. Both pieces can be summed up with the phrase "only classless nerds and boys like fantasy. Obviously, we all know better.

Today's story is not fantasy, but it does fall into another overlooked and under-appreciated genre - science fiction. Not only that, but it falls into the third category of young adult, which to the philistines who refuse to educate themselves outside their own worldview, might as well be "kid stuff." Again, we all know better.

This is all to say that I am very happy to bring you some teenagers, some futuristic worlds, and some clones with today's excerpt from the novel, ReGeneration. It's set in 2031, twenty years after human cloning first became possible. Even though human cloning is no longer illegal, not everyone accepts them, including high school sophomore, Riley White.

The author, Tamara Kelly is a mother of five (!) and somehow finds time to work on a new novel and, she adds, a few novellas "here and there," she says. After you give her story a read, check out her blog at ReGeneration Series. Enjoy!

ReGeneration
By Tamara L Kelly

Despite it being the first day of school, I was already in the principal's office. Mrs. Ward had seen my shoes and assumed they were against the school dress code. School uniforms sucked! Even though I went to a public school the district had changed their policies a year ago and forced us all into wearing “school appropriate clothing.”

It never failed that I ended up in the office, at least five or six times a year. I had all but memorized the school guidelines by now, especially the part about uniforms. It didn't specify what kind of black shoes were acceptable.

So, my thick healed, lace up Docs should have been fine. I was wearing the required navy blue skirt, white-collar shirt and had the tie loosely hanging around my neck, like a noose. My hair had been died to a black color, from the pink it had been during the summer, and a band-aid was over my left eyebrow, where a new piercing was concealed.

I sat in the hallway, now picking at the black nail polish on my fingers waiting for Principal McFarlin. In the rush to polishing them and my mind having been focused on the article I hadn't been as steady as I had earlier thought, slopping some of the enamel onto my skin and cuticles.

“Riley you're already in here?” Principal McFarlin barked across the hallway from his office. He was leaning to the side of his chair peering out the open door.
“Mrs. Ward sent me in.” I said, a lack of emotion resting on my face.

He motioned for me to come into his office. His dark stained wood veneer desk was neat and orderly, with only a small stack of papers to the right and a new name plate on the front edge. I slouched down in the chair in front of his desk, picking up the name plate and twisted it in my hands, while reading it out loud.

“Principal Marlin McFarlin?” I looked up at him. “Seriously! Marlin?” I snickered. He calmly grabbed the name plate from my grasp, placing it back on his desk, then nudging it just so, making it line up with the edge of his desk. Principal McFarlin was your typical middle-aged man with a receding hair line and a thinning spot towards the back. In-spite of me being in his office he was a decent principle. He'd actually listen to the student before administering punishment and sometimes he could be persuaded by something you said, which was what I was hoping for now.

“I thought it would take longer to see you in here Miss White. What did Mrs. Ward send you in here for?” He stood up stepping closer to the door, peering out at the front desk. It was obvious he was distracted by something else. “Torturing small underclassmen?”

“Whatever!” I turned in my chair to face him.”That really wasn't my fault last year.”
He looked down leering at me “So you say, but I'm sure that Sarah Copper would think otherwise, since you were the one to have started the name calling.”

“Mrs. Ward is looking for anything to get me written up. I guess my shoes aren't acceptable for the dress code,” it sounded harsher than I meant to, but I didn't want to talk about Sarah Cooper and her life as a pathetic and miserable wench.

“You can change into your gym sneakers.” he said. He stood to the side, towering over me, now giving me his full attention, probably attempting to intimidate me. I, however, wasn't about to back down.

“Mr. McFarlin, the dress code doesn't specify the type of shoe. Only the color.” I stood firm on my argument. He was about to speak when the main doors to the school opened adjacent to the office. Through the glass window of his office I saw a boy with brown hair and brown eyes walked in. He looked just as normal as any other boy in the school. I didn't notice anything different about him. He was wearing the school uniform, his tie was perfectly straight, his shirt was pressed, and his shoes were perfectly polished.

His hair parted and combed to one side. If you asked me it looked more like the uniform was the style of clothing he preferred, a preppy look. There were two adults with him, probably his parents. I didn't really get a good look at them, considering I was more intrigued to know if this was the boy, we'd heard so much about? They walked forward to the front desk where Mrs. Ward stood waiting on the opposite side. She motioned to Mr. McFarlin.

“Okay Riley. Get to class.” He dismissed me forgetting the topic completely and letting me off the hook. I wasn't sure if it was because of my argument or because of the current situation distracting him, but I would take it any way I could.

While reaching for my bag, “Marlin” walked out to the new arrival waiting for him. With all the fussing occurring at the front desk; papers being pushed in front of them, lots of looks from school staff and students, and knowing most of the time Principal McFarlin didn't handle the new student enrollment forms, I could only assume this was all for Liam Kingsley, the clone.

Liam Kingsley

  While most Father's had dens or offices, mine had a lab in the back room of our house. On more than one occasion he'd remind me, "I'm a man of science, not philosophy." My mind lingered over this while I sat waiting with him for test results in his sterile lab. He broke the silence between us. 
  “Looks good. I can see there's some change. We'll keep you on the current dose. It shouldn't be any worst then the last time.” he said, picking up the syringe in front of us.

   I couldn't help but tense up. He tightened his grip on my arm pressing it down against the cold wood desk. Making sure to inject slowly. A stinging sensation rose up my arm and continued up to my shoulder, on it coursed with each heart beat. Finally the stinging lessened, then realizing he was done.

   “I know this is what you don't want to hear,  try to relax. It will go smoother.”
  "Easy for you to say, " I commented.
   "I'm sorry, " he paused, "I wish there was another way."

   Like it really mattered. I was the one going through all this. I guess it could have been hard on him too, but he seemed so unconcerned about the whole thing. However that was just on the outside. I knew my father well. It was bothering him just as much it was my mother, he just hid it better.

   “Can I go lay down?” I asked.

   “You okay?”

   “Yes. I just want to lay down before I start feeling ill.” I stood up, already feeling zapped of energy.

   “I'll check on you in an hour, you should start feeling it then.” A faint look of regent shown on his face. I walked back to my room, sat on the bed and continued to listen to the stereo I had left on. I thought of Riley and wondered what time she would be leaving today for Henderson.

   I thought about her often, especially being stuck in bed with nothing to do made my thoughts of her more prominent.  She was all that consumed my mind. I'd thought she was beautiful from the first time I'd met her, in spite of her obnoxious remarks. I closed my eyes and tried focusing on the music.

   The room was getting hotter as the time passed slowly, it seemed like the songs began to get longer and longer until I realized it was just me. The toxin was working. Nausea was beginning to set in and I was becoming disoriented.

   “Mom!” I though I yelled out loudly, but she didn't come. Mustaring up every ounce of energy I had left, I yelled again.“MOM!” 

   She came through the door, with a bowl, wet towel, and a cup of water. “It's already working?” she turned toward the hallway, “Martin!” She put the cup next to me on the nightstand. Placed the bowl down to my side and checked my forehead, it was dewy and a bit sticky with sweat. Her hand was cool to my touch and it felt good to have it on my skin soothing me. She placed the wet washcloth on my forehead.

   “Thanks.” I looked up at her for a moment.

   She forced a smile, “Gladly.” Although she said it she wasn't glad about any of this. But I was grateful that she had left the choice up to me for us to try this.

   “He's already feeling sick?” Dad asked, but it sounded more of a statement then a question. He checked his watch. “That was fifteen minutes sooner than the last time.”

   “Did you up the dosage?” Mom looked concerned.

   “No. This is good,” She gave him a you've got to be crazy look. He continued, “his body is accepting it, chances are the next time it will be faster still.”

  I laid in bed in and out of consciousness for the next few hours. Fading back and forth in and out of reality. Minutes passed like hours and soon I found I had no concept of what time it truly was. My mother came in with a concerned look.

   “Riley's here. She wants to see you before she leaves. Are you well enough to handle it?”

   “Yes.” I sat up as best I could. Not really sitting up at all.

   “Go on in.” I heard her guide.

Riley White

 Having lived in Overton, Nevada her entire boring life she's working towards obtain a scholarship and get the heck out of this Podunk town.  Sophomore year becomes interesting when the town's first clone moves in. Being a teenager in the year 2031 is hard enough, but having a human clone in town is adding pressure onto an already difficult time in her life.

                       ReGeneration

   Despite it being the first day of school, I was already in the principal's office. Mrs. Ward had seen my shoes and assumed they were against the school dress code. School uniforms sucked! Even though I went to a public school the district had changed their policies a year ago and forced us all into wearing “school appropriate clothing.”

   It never failed that I ended up in the office, at least five or six times a year. I had all but memorized the school guidelines by now, especially the part about uniforms. It didn't specify what kind of black shoes were acceptable.

   So, my thick healed, lace up Docs  should have been fine. I was wearing the required navy blue skirt, white-collar shirt and had the tie loosely hanging around my neck, like a noose. My hair had been died to a black color, from the pink it had been during the summer, and a band-aid was over my left eyebrow, where a new piercing was concealed.

   I sat in the hallway, now picking at the black nail polish on my fingers waiting for Principal McFarlin. In the rush to polishing them and my mind having been focused on the article I hadn't been as steady as I had earlier thought, slopping some of the enamel onto my skin and cuticles.

   “Riley you're already in here?” Principal McFarlin barked across the hallway from his office. He was leaning to the side of his chair peering out the open door.

   “Mrs. Ward sent me in.” I said, a lack of emotion resting on my face.

   He motioned for me to come into his office. His dark stained wood veneer desk was neat and orderly, with only a small stack of papers to the right and a new name plate on the front edge. I slouched down in the chair in front of his desk, picking up the name plate and twisted it in my hands, while reading it out loud.

   “Principal Marlin McFarlin?” I looked up at him. “Seriously! Marlin?” I snickered. He calmly grabbed the name plate from my grasp, placing it back on his desk, then nudging it just so, making it line up with the edge of his desk. Principal McFarlin was your typical middle-aged man with a receding hair line and a thinning spot towards the back. In-spite of me being in his office he was a decent principle. He'd actually listen to the student before administering punishment and sometimes he could be persuaded by something you said, which was what I was hoping for now.

   “I thought it would take longer to see you in here Miss White. What did Mrs. Ward send you in here for?” He stood up stepping closer to the door, peering out at the front desk. It was obvious he was distracted by something else. “Torturing small underclassmen?”

  

   “Whatever!” I turned in my chair to face him.”That really wasn't my fault last year.”

He looked down leering at me “So you say, but I'm sure that Sarah Copper would think otherwise, since you were the one to have started the name calling.”

   “Mrs. Ward is looking for anything to get me written up. I guess my shoes aren't acceptable for the dress code,” it sounded harsher than I meant to, but I didn't want to talk about Sarah Cooper and her life as a pathetic and miserable wench.

  

   “You can change into your gym sneakers.” he said. He stood to the side, towering over me, now giving me his full attention, probably attempting to intimidate me. I, however, wasn't about to back down.

   

   “Mr. McFarlin, the dress code doesn't specify the type of shoe. Only the color.” I stood firm on my argument. He was about to speak when the main doors to the school opened adjacent to the office. Through the glass window of his office I saw a boy with brown hair and brown eyes walked in. He looked just as normal as any other boy in the school. I didn't notice anything different about him. He was wearing the school uniform, his tie was perfectly straight, his shirt was pressed, and his shoes were perfectly polished. 
   
   His hair parted and combed to one side. If you asked me it looked more like the uniform was the style of clothing he preferred, a preppy look. There were two adults with him, probably his parents. I didn't really get a good look at them, considering I was more intrigued to know if this was the boy, we'd heard so much about? They walked forward to the front desk where Mrs. Ward stood waiting on the opposite side. She motioned to Mr. McFarlin.

   “Okay Riley. Get to class.” He dismissed me forgetting the topic completely and letting me off the hook. I wasn't sure if it was because of my argument or because of the current situation distracting him, but I would take it any way I could.

   While reaching for my bag, “Marlin” walked out to the new arrival waiting for him. With all the fussing occurring at the front desk; papers being pushed in front of them, lots of looks from school staff and students, and knowing most of the time Principal McFarlin didn't handle the new student enrollment forms, I could only assume this was all for Liam Kingsley, the clone.