Oh no, I thought with a groan, Rilyn is at it again. Just what I needed to come home to after such a shitty day.

Quietly, I closed the door, hoping to not attract any unneeded attention. Much to my dismay, the girl herself started stomping down the stairs from the higher apartments. Each stair groaned as she made her way down until she neared the bottom, jumping over the last step. It looked ready to fall through at any moment.

Rilyn seemed momentarily surprised to see me, her hair, which had been genetically altered to come out a bright bleached blond, just like mine, sat in disheveled waves down her back. She was a few years younger than me but other than our hair length and my swollen cheek, the differences were nearly indistinguishable if you didn't know us. Her face hardened into a scowl once she got over her shock at seeing me. We both flinched as our big sister Linnie yelled down at her.

“Do you know what Gage would do if he saw you with this, Rilyn? He’d have you sent straight off to the ECCO Recall Center, that's what! We all know what happens to Marilyns there. I don’t know how you got this money, but you need to get rid of it right now!”

I lifted my brows at her. There was only one way a clone would be in possession of real cash. Rilyn turned away from me, her eyes flashing with defiance.

“Blast! If I didn’t know better, I would think I was living with a bunch of Audreys. So what if I keep some spare change on me, it's not like Gage is ever going to find out! He. Doesn’t. Care,” she yelled back, her face red. Her blue eyes blazed and her hands balled into fists at her side. Once any of us got riled up, I was surprised the whole compound didn’t hear.

Yet again, that was probably why they gave us the housing furthest from the rest. The only other clones who could rival us were the Elizabeths.

“Stop that Rilyn, you need to get rid of it. I will not have another one of us…” Linnie trailed off as she looked down over the railing, seeing me standing there next to Rilyn, who was strapping up her boots. Linnie was only a few years older than me, her main difference being that she actually tried to look like a proper Marilyn. Her blonde hair was curled neatly around her head so not a single strand stood out of place. And though she wore the same grey top and black pants we did, she wore it with elegance. Her eyes looked me up and down, taking me in, her painted red lips turning into a frown.

Rilyn looked over at me, her eyes dropping to my cheek. “Your turn now big sis,” she grinned, she should bumping mine as she moved past me out the door.

“Time to get your own earfull.” The door slammed as she stepped outside into the darkness. I frowned. It would be curfew in an hour, where the hell did she think she was going?

I looked back up at Linnie, letting out a tired sigh as I started up the stairs, jumping over the same step that Rilyn had on my way up.

“You’re late,” Linnie said as I tried to walk past her. But before I could evade her, she was blocking my path.

The hall behind her was old, big dark water spots marring the walls like some particularly ugly wallpaper that people had used before to decorate their homes. A door to her left creaked open, and a pair of little blue eyes peeked out between strands of long dark blond hair.

Linnie turned to her. “RiRi, you should be in bed already.”

RiRi startled, surely positive she had been stealthy in here eavesdropping and quickly shut the door. RiRi was my youngest sister, a child compared to the rest of us at just under ten years. Gage had picked her up for a deal as they tried to find places for the last of their Marilyn stock. Unlike me and the rest of my sisters, RiRi was not enhanced, resembling our original’s more natural looks. Our manufacturers hadn’t bothered putting in the extra time near the end of our production.

“Well,” Linnie said with forced calmness, her voice holding a warning. I turned back to her, realizing she had been staring at me the whole time with an expectant look on her face.

“Gage had to talk to me,” I said. I tried to step around her to the other side. The door to my room was just past her, salvation nearly in sight.

Linnie wasn’t fooled, cutting me off before I could take another step. “About what?”

I smiled thinly, noting how my skin on my face pricked, feeling heavier on one side. The redness and swelling were likely visible, even in the dim flickering light of the beaten up building.

“About work stuff,” I said, again trying to avoid the inevitable conversation. I knew Linnie would not rest until she got the whole story. She always worried these days, especially after what happened with Ari.

“Mari...”

I sighed. There was no point, she had likely already suspected most of the whole story. It's not like it was the first time this had ever happened. But, all those times, the bastards had deserved it.

Linnie just didn’t really see it that way.

I shot my arms out in a large, defeated gesture.

“The creep was calling me baby. Honestly, Linnie, if you saw him you would have wanted to make sure he didn’t reproduce any more of his spawn either.”

Linnie’s face fell, her already pale shine blanching. “You didn’t,”

I winced, and I pulled my arms back in. “I did.”

She shook her head. “Mari. We have talked about this, you need to stop drawing unnecessary attention to us. Your sisters -- other Marilyns. Especially with Rilyn already always acting out. You are the second oldest, you need to realize whatever you do out there”-- she gestured out to the wall, indicating the world outside the clone compound— “reflects on all of us. You need to keep your head down and just let it slide.”

“Third oldest,” I corrected. “And I know. You of all people should know how infuriating it is. I just can’t let them treat me or anyone of us that way.”

Linnie’s face softened, but only a fraction. Her eyes remained stern. “Is it worth your life, Mari? All of our lives? Edden wants to issue a widespread clone recall, did you know that?”

I shook my head. Linnie was being ridiculous. This was nothing more than just her anxious paranoia acting up.

“He’s insane, Linnie. No one is ever going to let him do that. The Emperor himself keeps clone pets among his mistresses. They aren’t going to ever recall all the clones.”

“Maybe not,” Linnie conceded, but she still wasn’t convinced. “Still, that doesn’t mean he won’t convince him to recall some of the clones. Clones like us. Think before you act, Mari.”

I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself. “I do,” I replied, finally moving around her to reach my room. I ha just reached the sensor to unlock it when she spoke next.

“You need to, Mari. You need to be invisible.”

I let out a low, humorless chuckle as the door swung open with a little beep. The inside of the room was already dark.

“Invisible? Oh, Linnie. Don’t you understand we were created to stand out?”