Read What Lies Behind: A New Adult Dark Science Fiction Romance for Free Online

went about cleaning up the kitchen, and then made her way into the bathroom.
    She picked up all the things Natalia had left all over the place. She deposited the deodorant in the drawer, the dirty clothes lying on the floor into the hamper. She went to the closet to pick up what Natalia had strewn over the floor there as well. Cass wasn’t sure why some of the clothes were on the floor. Natalia never had to go through her own closet, Cass did that for her. Why she always left her closet a mess was beyond her. Cass placed the clothes by color and shades on hangers around the closet. It was as though Natalia had gone around and randomly pulled garments out of place and tossed them on the floor.
    Her hand hesitated on the pair of white shorts. Her fingers quivered against the material. They were rough…whatever that meant. Her visual overlay would tell her when something was soft or rough, but they both felt the same to her flesh. Maybe felt was the wrong word. She couldn’t specifically feel them. There weren’t senses in her skin like there were for humans. She could determine hot and cold, and she could determine density and wetness. She couldn’t feel the cool rush of water, or what coarse material felt like slipping over her skin. She tried to imagine what rough would feel like on her.
    What would these look like on me? She wondered. To wear something other than the ugly blue pants she’d been given hadn’t been a thought to her before yesterday, when all of those other programs started coming online.
    Cass’s gaze darted to the closet door. She stilled herself and listened for any noise within the apartment. She didn’t hear any, but still she was worried. What if Natalia returned?
    She would make it quick. Cass shucked off her blue pants and pulled on the white shorts. Her fingers were shaking, but she managed to get them buttoned. She and Natalia were about the same size, though Natalia was taller than Cass. The shorts fit her well.
    It was so strange seeing her legs. How long had it been? She couldn’t remember. She wore the same clothes day in and day out. Her legs were long and slender and looked a perfect shade of tan against the white shorts.
    Once she’d changed her pants, Cass was emboldened. She pulled her shirt off as well. She ran her hands over the different shirts in the collection, finding one she thought was perfect. It was a white shirt with short, puffy sleeves. There was blue embroidery around the top and a blue decorative string laced through the collar. This was more flowing than the shorts. The shirt must be softer than the shorts.
    She yelped when a knock sounded at the door. Cass tugged the shirt on and padded, barefoot, out through the living room and to the front door. At first she was worried that it was Natalia, but why would she knock?
    Cass peaked through the peephole and saw that it was Brandon.
    She’d almost forgotten about the surprise he planned today. In fact, she had been planning on investigating the doctor more before Brandon knocked on the door. She frowned. It wasn’t that Cass didn’t want to spend time with him today, it was that she’d rather spend time investigating what was changing about her. Why was she suddenly so different? Was it really because of all the abuse she’d been facing?
    Cass opened the door and smiled at Brandon, pushing the thoughts aside.
    “How are you feeling?” he asked as she closed the door behind him. He stepped closer to her and felt at her head. His face creased in a frown, his eyebrows pulling down.
    “Fine,” she said, letting him feel where she’d been struck before.
    “And everything is alright? Your programming is okay?” he asked.
    She nodded, crossing her hands before her.
    “Hey, new clothes!” he said. A smile spread across his face, showing a straight line of white teeth. “Did you do something special to warrant such kind treatment?”
    Cass chuckled. “No, Natalia’s at work. She doesn’t know I’m playing