Title: The Cyclopes’ Eye
Series: The Cyclopes’ Eye, Book One
Author: Jeffrey Haskey-Valerius
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: 04/09/2024
Heat Level: 1 – No Sex
Pairing: No Romance
Length: 103000
Genre: Science Fiction, Lit/genre, young adult, sci-fi, family-drama, dystopian, medical procedures, twins, eyes, medical research, conspiracy
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Description
First, they came for his sister’s eye. Now they’re coming for his—and what’s even worse is he deserves it.
Henry has never had anything good happen to him, period. That’s why, after school, he’s going to put on his big-boy pants and confess his love to his best friend—because the universe owes him one, dammit, and he needs a win.
But maybe it wasn’t the best idea to do it on Drill Day—the one day a month that healthcare conglomerate Axiom infiltrates schools across America to select a new candidate to give up one of their eyes, for… research? When the new candidate is selected, Henry’s plans go awry, and he and his friends must figure out how to escape from Axiom. But when the past threatens to eat him alive, things aren’t as easy as they seem.
The Cyclopes’ Eye
Jeffrey Haskey-Valerius © 2024
All Rights Reserved
Everybody’s lined up in rows—sort of. Toward the middle of what should be five distinct and orderly lines, they all do this zigzag thing and start trickling and bleeding into one another. There’s not enough space for all two thousand people to form five perfect lines, so everybody in the back hangs around mingling in a huge blob.
They’re all either talking with one another or staring down at their phones, mindlessly scrolling away as they wait for their turn to be scanned. I recognize some of them even from this distance. This will be the last time one of them looks like this: with two eyes. Standing tall and sure of themselves. Unbroken, untraumatized. In a matter of a week or two, they’ll be walking into school with a pretty blue patch, their new disfigurement hidden with a decorative fashion statement.
Of course, this also might be the last time I’ll be here with both eyes. I can’t imagine they would pick Judith and me in back-to-back months, but I guess it’s not impossible. It’s enough to make me want to run away. Sneak back onto the bus and curl up under one of the seats. Wait until it takes me back home. I would too if it weren’t for the fact that if I’m not accounted for today, I can absolutely kiss my eye goodbye.
That happened to one of the sophomores last September, at the first Drill Day of the year. He skipped school without a good enough reason, like being legitimately bedridden, then the next Drill Day, he was conveniently chosen as a donor.
But that’s just speculation, technically, even though it’s obviously true. It’s not like you can ask anyone from Axiom if they did that on purpose. They would never admit to that sort of malice—they’re the good guys, after all. They’re trying to cure blindness and other afflictions…by making people half-blind.
A stone sinks in my stomach as I trudge toward the crowd. I dodge sideways glances as I make my way to the back, but I don’t have to work too hard to avoid bumping into people. They practically jump out of my way when I near them. It’s like I’m a bad-luck charm or something because of what happened to Judith. But I’m no victim. I’ve done the same thing to others in the past. I avoid talking to kids with patches whenever I can, and when I’m forced to interact with one, like when we have to do a project together or something, I try not to look at them. It’s too sad. Too real.
“Yo, Henry, up here!”
Norah. I look around, but the crowd is so dense and I can’t see her anywhere. Then there she is, jumping up and down, waving like a lunatic. I have to walk at a snail’s pace, and I do so head down, muttering apologies as I pass. It’s not like most people mind when you cut because it means their own scan gets delayed. But some people do. Some want to get theirs over with and move on with their day.
And there’s even the choice few who want to be scanned. Want to be selected because Axiom always gives you something in return for your eye. That’s how they get away with it. Judith’s eye, for instance, rewarded my family with a brand-new house.
The back of Norah’s head greets me. She’s whispering with someone I can’t see but who I’m pretty sure is Sam. My insides turn cold at the prospect of seeing him, knowing full well what I have planned after school. Don’t fuck it up, Hen.
I clench my jaw and lightly kick the back of her leg with my shoe, which I just now remember has vomit on it. Great. She turns and cocks her chin.
“Ah, the lord finally bestows his greatness upon us.”
“How kind of him!” Sam calls, and appears beside her, smiling wide. “Took you long enough.”
He looks incredible, because of course he does. Dimples so cute you could die? Check. Wild blue eyes with crinkles at the corners and long beautiful lashes? Check. Tight-but-not-too-tight cardigan accentuating his perfect arms? Check. Oh, and what’s this? Looks like he got a new pair of corduroys, which do amazing things for his legs. God, kill me now.
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Jeffrey Haskey-Valerius rarely knows what’s happening. He works in healthcare by day and writes weird fiction and poetry by night. His shorter work has been featured in numerous literary journals and has been nominated for prizes, including Best of the Net. He currently lives in the Midwest with his unbelievably handsome and perfect dog, and also a human whom he loves. The Cyclopes’ Eye is his debut novel.
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