Free Shattered Girls (Broken Dolls Book 2) by Tyrolin Puxty

the first place. He didn’t have any blood. They’re doing an autopsy, but Officer Bloom said that he doesn’t believe he has any organs either.”
    “So… the professor is a robot?”
    “The
imposter
is
seemingly
a robot, yes. The only thing is, he doesn’t have any wires either. He was just a big… doll.”
    Officer Bloom clears his throat. “Gabby, I believe you have to finish an assignment.”
    I turn my head, not my neck, a full 360 degrees to face him. “Officer Bloom, with all due respect, I think Gabby needs a moment to regroup. She was almost abducted, and her parents are missing. The last thing she needs to worry about is a silly group project.”
    I’ve never seen Officer Bloom so tense. His jaw locks, his eyes are squinted, and his mouth keeps twitching. “Ella, take note of this. I will not let
my daughter
fail due to someone else’s crap. Pardon my French. Gabby
will
complete this project before she goes home today.”
    Gabby and I roll our eyes in unison, not particularly fond of being held captive for a school assignment. With an air of defiance, Gabby turns her nose up and carries me upstairs.
    Second one on the left past the landing, Devin’s room is extraordinarily bland. The walls are peach, the carpet is cream, and the bed is white. The wardrobes are inbuilt, and a white desk sits against the window. Talk about decorating skills!
    “Hey, Devin,” I say through gritted teeth. I play it cool, but deep down I still resent the girl. Sure, her video made it possible for me to be seen in public. But she hurt Gabby, and I can never forgive her for that.
    Devin jolts when she hears my voice, her dark eyes watery. She looks fragile, with her twig-like limbs and sad eyes. Gabby and I haven’t really spoken to her since the whole Brenda thing and we were only paired up by default in our science class.
    “Hey, Ella,” she says, her legs crossed on the chair. “It’s good to see you. I’m glad you’re okay.”
    I don’t reply. I just glare as Gabby sits me on the desk and takes her place next to Devin on a chair that looks to be borrowed from downstairs.
    “This is stupid,” I say when Gabby picks up a pen. “You should be with Sianne, resting!”
    “I don’t have a choice,” Gabby mumbles. “It’s due Monday, and Officer Bloom… well, you saw. It’s a good distraction, anyway. It kinda normalizes everything.”
    “What’s the project?”
    “Don’t you listen in science?”
    “No. As you can see, biology doesn’t really apply to me, does it?”
    “It’s Natural Selection. Do I have to explain that to you?”
    “Nah. Sounds boring. I’m going to have a look around. Do you have any cats, Dev?”
    Dev shakes her head. “No dogs, either. You can play with my little brother across the hall, if you’d like. He likes dolls.”
    “Okay!” I jump from the desk, my hinges squeaking when I hit the floor. Gabby and Dev mumble something incoherent, so I make my way across the hall and into a room that has stickers of planes plastered on the walls. There’s a little boy with jet-black hair sitting in the center with a toy soldier in his grubby hands.
    “Hey.” I curtsy politely. “May I come in?”
    His eyes light up. “Oh boy! Another talking doll! You can play with Alex! Come in!”
    I smile at the warm greeting and stand next to the trucks and cowboy doll, craning my neck to study Devin’s brother, who must be seven or eight. “What’s your name?”
    “Chase. Yours?”
    “Ella. Which one is Alex?”
    Instead of picking him up, Chase points at the cowboy, all dolled up in his hat and spurs and holding a whip. I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something strangely familiar about him.
    “Howdy!” he bellows when I step closer to examine his blank face.
    I yelp and fall on my behind as the cowboy adjusts his pants and winks. “What?! You’re
real
?!”
    “He’s a robot.” Chase twists the sheriff badge on his vest. “I just got him. Alex is awesome, aren’t