Chapter 30

"You can come in," Eyan agreed.

He nodded to Relda and the crew.

"Pardon me," he said, and he sprang to his feet.

"What's the code?" The girl asked.

"You can't reach it, my dear," Eyan yelled through the door. "And I've got...guests in here."

Relda went slack-jawed and rolled her eyes.

"It's N377A," she stated. "But by all means, if they can't reach it, the code doesn't matter."

"We'll discuss how you know that later," Eyan muttered.

Eyan punched in the code, and the doors split open. Five little girls clothed in shiny jumpsuits, and the starry sky visible through a glass wall glittered behind them. The sandy brown hair, high cheekbones, and eyes the color of sapphire gave them away.

Relda jabbed Raylay with her fingernail and leaned sideways.

"Are those Ozla's…?" She started.

"Clones. Yes." Raylay retorted. "A surrogate carried them. She died in childbirth, so Eyan raised them. We tried to get here when they were a year old, but didn't have a way to pay."

One scurried in, dressed in a silver jumpsuit. Raylay stroked his chin.

"That one is Daly."

Two more came in. One wore a mint green suit; the other, navy blue with purple accents.

"Darrion is in blue and purple," Raylay introduced. "Anthem is the one in green."

Two more entered. One in pink. One in gold.

"The one in pink is Anniston," Raylay continued. "One in gold is Annika."

Eyan pointed to Raylay, to Ty, and then to Relda.

"Uncle Ray!" Daly announced.

"Ty!" Darrion added.

Eyan directed their attention to Relda, and their eyes locked.

"That's Relda," he said. "She's going to be very important."