Alex POV

The thought of being in the same room as him was enough to drive me crazy!

Max and I turned at the same time to give him the same glare. "What?" I snapped meanly.

"You and Max are not sisters." He said simply.

"Well you're my dad and you're hers, so we are at least half sisters." Max stated.

"No," Jeb said. "Alex was created first. The scientist messed up her genetic coding and we didn't have the money to produce another set of DNA so we used the untainted human genes left over from Alex to create you."

I was quiet for a second. "So you're saying Max . . . is my . . . clone?"

"That is precisely what I'm saying." Jeb answered.

Max's mom was staring at me in awe. "So I have you as well as Max and Ella." She hugged me tight. "Welcome to the family, Alex!"

I slowly hugged her back. It was awkward; when she let me go I was fighting hard to control my blush. "I don't understand." I said to keep myself distracted from the loving look in Max's mom's eyes.

"Come and we will talk in the living room." Jeb started to walk away.

"No!" I snapped and Jeb turned to look me in the eye, that's where he messed up. "You will come back in here and tell me everything I want to know."

Jeb came into the room and closed the door behind him. I was sure not to break eye contact. "What do you want to know?"

"Tell me everything." I said simply.

"I've already told you about how Max was cloned, I should tell you why you could never be together longer than two minutes." Jeb started. "If you stay together too long once you leave each other you cannot breathe."

"We've already figured this out." I said. "Tell us the other consequences of what you stupid people did."

"You were designed to have a companion. A boy to service you and whatever way you want." Jeb thought for a minute. "Dax and Fang were created from the same DNA as-well. Dax was made for Alex but now that I think about it, he could have easily been made for Max while Fang are made for Alex. We do not know what will happen but the longer you are together the more likely it would be for Dax to end up with Max and for Fang to end up with Alex."

"And if I don't want Fang?" I asked.

"It is up to the male." Jeb said. "As far as we know they could switch on and off between wanting to be with Max and wanting to be with you. The only way to keep them from doing that is by sleeping with them." Then he simply added. "A bird mates for life."

I stared at Jeb and then I punched him. I wasn't sure what caused me to do it but my rage built over and it just seemed to happen. I stood up and stormed out of the room. I went up the stairs and found Dax in a room. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"If you had to choose between me and Max, who would you pick?" I had meant it to be casual and nonchalant but it came out sharp and intrusive.

"What are you talking about?" Dax asked. "Are you okay? Did Jeb say something to you?"

"Yes, well . . . no," I stammered. "Just answer the question."

"Why? It is pointless." Dax said.

I stared at him, shock and anger coursed through me, but I was also scarred. I realized for the first time that I could actually lose him. Why wouldn't he pick Max over me? We were the same person pretty much but Max didn't have the two different DNA strands mixed in with her beautiful features. She was much prettier than I was and I was sure Dax had noticed; that was why he wouldn't answer me: he would choose her.

"Fine!" I snapped meanly. "Pick Max! Why would I care?" I stormed out of the room before he could say anything to me. I ran into Nudge in the hall.

"Do you want to see your room?" She asked nicely.

"Yeah,"

She led me down the hall to the last door on the right. "This is it. I bet you want to be alone. I can remember my first time away from the school. It was really weird but great. I was so scared but yet I was excited too. I would imagine that—"

"Nudge!" I said calmly.

"Oh, sorry." She blushed, closed the door, and left.

I locked the door and collapsed on the bed without even looking around.

Max POV

Jeb sat up and looked around dazed.

I turned to mom. "You should have your party. Don't cancel your plans on our account. Alex was right."

"Are you sure? She seems upset." Mom said.

"I'll talk to her." I promised. Then I turned and left the room. I went upstairs and found Nudge coming down. "Hey, where is Alex?"

"In the last room on the right." She said. "Is everything okay?"

"I don't know." I said and started up the stairs. I went to Alex's new room and knocked on the door. "Hey, Alex, you alright?"

"I'm fine." She said. But I could tell by her voice that she wasn't.

"No you're not." I said knowingly. "Do you want to talk about it? I mean, your secrets our mine." I laughed a little at my joke.

Alex opened the door and regarded me coldly. "You think this is funny?" she snapped. "You have all these younger kids to be with and Dax is all I've ever had. He is my right-winged-man and I just learned that there is a possibility I could lose him. I don't see anything funny about this whole damn situation, but maybe I missed something so tell me what is funny?"

When I was trying to think of something to say she slammed the door and I heard it lock behind her. I sighed and went to get Dax, maybe he could help.

I knocked on his door and he opened it instantly. "What is going on?" he asked. "What did Jeb say to Alex? Why did she come up here asking stupid questions?"

I told him about our conversation with Jeb. "So now she is locked in the room and won't come out. My mom is having a party for some guy at her office and there is going to be drinking and if Alex does anything dumb . . . " I let my voice trail off.

"She thinks she will lose me to you?" Dax asked.

I nodded. Dax leaned back and looked very thoughtful. Then something seemed to hit him. "Drinking?" When I just stared at him, He repeated. "There will be drinking at this party tonight?" He asked.

I shrugged. "What's the big deal? They're adults."

He shook his head. "We have to get Alex out of here before then. When she is upset . . . and there is alcohol . . . it's not good."

"When was she ever around liquor?" I asked.

"The school had a cabinet full and during her first attempt at achieving freedom, she found it. Right before they caught her she had stuffed three bottles in the oversized sweater they made her where." Dax shuddered at the memory. "She drank a lot and it was not something I ever want to witness again."

I nodded. I didn't know what the big deal was but I knew we had to do something, and we had to do it fast.