The Separation Trilogy Box Set: Books 1 -3

by Felisha Antonette

  “Going for laps,” I answer.

  Luke nods. “Most of you know Kylie and Feiney, and some of you may end up in either of their groups.”

  Fein speaks, “Hello. Looking forward to meeting you all more personally soon.”

  I hold my peace, training my eyes away from my distraction.

  “Move aside so they can leave,” Marc says.

  I’m the first out the door, keeping my gaze trained on a target at all time. We jog to the track and run laps until the Normals’ traffic settles down.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  It’s hot out, and the clouds are coming in. We’re due for a storm. I can already smell the wet mud and feel the beads of rain falling on my head.

  Fein and most of my group left the track when I called it a day, but five keep at it, including Jesail and Amber. I’m enjoying their momentum and drive. They’ve matured so much over the past couple of weeks. If they keep at it, I’ll be putting a good word for them to become leaders.

  “Be in before the rain,” I tell them before leaving.

  Cory’s at my side, heavy steps matching my jog. “Going to lunch?” he asks.

  “Yes.

  “Did Luke hear us last night?”

  I slow to a walk and frown, wondering if Luke might’ve said something. “No, why?”

  “The way he looks at me.”

  “In his eyes, you’re a traitor and a thief. How do you expect him to look at you? Wave and smile, maybe offer you a big hug?” I shrug.

  “I don’t know, it just feels off.”

  To someone who conspired against us, it would. “You just feel guilty for what you did and being caught.”

  He twists his lips to the side and knits his brows. “I guess. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to talk to you.”

  We enter the mess hall and grab trays already loaded with food. As I’m finding a seat with Collins, Floyd, Sean, and Fein, Cory joins us. Cory being with us draws stares and mutters.

  “Why aren’t you greeting?” Collins asks.

  “Why aren’t you minding your business?” I ask her.

  She glares at me through her lashes with an angry edge. “You can’t have both, Ky. And you don’t need to talk to me that way.”

  “Watch your mouth, Collins,” I tell her, looking back at my plate. She’s pushing her luck with me and this plastic fork.

  “Yeah, Collins, please don’t say the wrong thing to Ky today. You know, mention any names that rhyme with bark. She’s in a mood,” Sean says.

  I look at my fork and back at him. “Do you want to see how fast this fork can end up in your eye?”

  An evil grin takes up his face as his eyes light up with interest. “I would like to see that actually. Hold on.” He stands. “Let me go get Marc.” He smirks, looking down at me.

  I know Marc told him we ended things, and he’s teasing me, but it’s not funny. He’s being a jerk and is also working on seeing how talented I am with turning a fork into a weapon.

  “What are you doing?” Marc asks, taking the empty seat next to me. He looks over my shoulder at Cory and back to me. I scoff. How dare he question me? And sit next to me?

  I swallow the yell rattling my throat and the anger boiling in my head. “Nothing,” I answer.

  “Really? Doesn’t seem like it.”

  “I’m doing exactly what you asked me to do, Marc.” I shrug a shoulder. “Nothing.”

  “Fine,” he declares, getting up. I watch him walk away. My legs nervously twitching under the table is the only thing keeping me seated because I want to follow him. I have never felt this frustrated about something or someone, ever. Last night, when he stopped me, I should’ve just left.

  Why, Ky, why didn’t you leave? Why let him touch you like he did, knowing today would be like this? He told you before you laid down that was it, and you laid down anyway. Let this go! He needs you to let it go. Please. It’s not good for either of you.

  “Ky,” Luke calls, cutting into my thoughts. “What are you doing?”

  “That seems to be the question of the day,” says Sean, now seated.

  “I’m eating lunch,” I state, gesturing at my tray with open hands. “Isn’t that what it looks like.”

  His eyes shift around the table. “Let me talk to you about something, outside.” He looks from Cory to me.

  I throw my fork down as I stand. I bump him with my shoulder as I pass him and march toward the doors. “What?” I angrily shout after we’ve made it outside. “What the hell is so important?”

  He points his finger in my face. “You need to calm down, Kylie. You’re the one making a mistake.”

  I smack his hand out of my face. “A mistake about what, Luke?” I ask in a lower tone.

  He looks around him at the few people walking in and out the mess hall. “You know,” he mutters through his teeth.

  “Luke, I’m not doing anything. I’m not alone with him. We are around everyone else. What’s the problem?”

  “You shouldn’t be around him, period. He openly told you he was a traitor and tried to put the blame on someone else to justify his reasoning. You would still associate yourself with him?”

  “Time out, Luke, why are you even here? Don’t you have a bus to greet and a group to lead someplace? How did you even know I was here with him?”

  “Marc told me.”

  My jaw drops. “What?! Marc told you I was sitting with Cory?”

  “Yes. Calm down, Kylie,” he barks. “He should’ve told me. You’re losing your damn mind.”

  Smoothing my hands over my head, I breathe. “Okay, Luke. I won’t associate myself with Cory,” I say, hoping he will leave me alone so I can now go yell at Marc for being a tattletale.

  “Good, don’t do it, Ky. We’ll talk later.”

  “Okay, where’s Marc?”

  He shrugs. “I think he went walking toward the privates’ rec hall. Don’t get back in that either. I’ve never seen you this emotional, Kylie. All because of Marc. He was right to end it, and you know that. Leave him alone.” He grabs my shoulder. “It’s not important. You need to leave him in your past. He’s just another bystander in your journey.”

  I throw my head back. “I wish. But I get it. And right now, I’m going to ask him why he told on me,” I say, annoyed.

  Luke grabs my arm as I pivot and turns me back to face him. “Seriously, Ky, it’s not important. Leave. Him. Alone,” he states slowly. “You already can’t take it. Stop it before it gets too serious. I know how you feel. I promise I do,” he says softer. “It’s a bad place, I know. It’s new to you and confusing, and you took it there and then decided to fall back. I get that. But believe me when I say this is better. Before you go further, and you fall. It’s better to drop it now than to have it be the last choice, and you drop him or he drops you. Then I’ll have to drop him and his brother. Got it?”

  My hope and strength plummet. I haven’t felt this bad in a long time. My throat burns, and the inner corners of my eyes cringe, waiting on me to give in to my sadness. I clear my throat to remove the burn as I stare at the ground.

  “Go run it off, Ky,” Luke says sympathetically, rubbing my back. “I’m sorry it sounded cruel.”

  I run off to the obstacle course and hit it full speed. Thunder booms, shaking the wall I’m climbing. As my boots hit the dirt, the rain pours by the buckets. I squint to see through the blur, looking to head back.

  A small figure is running for me, charging through the pouring rain.

  A coyote. I make it out as it gets closer. It sits in front of me, fur muddy and drenched. It looks behind him and back to me. Its eyes flash the familiar mixture of blue and green, and I grumble heavily. What could the Vojin want with me now?

  “You want me to go with you?” I ask. Its head lowers, staring at me more directly.

  I check my surroundings, grateful I’m still alone. As fast and hard as this rain is pouring, no one can see me from this distance. I check my guns. Today, I’m carrying a regular gun and one
for the Zombies. Both are fully loaded.

  “Okay,” I say. “Where?” It turns and runs off toward the distant hills. I follow behind it across the wet open land to the tall hills. Minimal grass and a few trees at my height cover the land.

  The coyote runs down into a burrow underground, a bit wider than my width. It’s enough I’m following a coyote and talking to it. Following it into this hole would be too much. “No.”

  It snarls, baring its teeth. It barks once.

  “Hey,” I tell it. “You could get shot.” I firmly clutch my gun in my hand and line up my finger along the barrel. “I can’t believe I’m about to do this,” I mutter under my breath, cautiously approaching the mouth of the tunnel. Stepping toe then heel, I creep through the burrowed opening, crossing one leg over the other as the hole narrows to a dome-like center.

  One way in and one way out. I flick on my flashlight. The pounding rain beats on the ground above my head, and I wait for it to eventually make its way through the softening mud and pour into this hole.

  “Now what?” I ask the coyote, readying myself to shoot whatever comes through the hole behind it.

  Thin lines of blue and green particles soar into the opening, forming three circles just above the ground. The center of each circle glows with a dim mixture of the colors and rises, forming three human-like silhouettes.

  Vojin. I lower my gun, wondering about their weird entrance and why the coyote.

  They materialize, and colors of blue and green dimly fuse through them, head to toe. They view me with dark, mirrored eyes the size of miniature avocados. The nose- and mouth-like human features do little to distract from the over-sized eyes and rubber-like, hairless flesh. The three of them are identical, nothing but the frame of man and woman to differentiate their appearance.

  “Yes?” I say, placing my gun in its holster.

  “They’re tracking the implants,” the three inform.

  “The Trade,” I offer.

  The America’s Trade just delegates the tasks taken on by each section of the country; Breeders, Farmers, Developers, Order Enforcers. To keep order in the development of Creations, the Trade established Breeders for Creations and disbursed them throughout The America so they’re heavily involved in the organization of Creations. They also took over management of life forces outside of Earth. They keep things together throughout the world and establish what needs to be done and what new law needs to be enforced. They’re responsible for transferring information throughout the countries as a neutral party but are to keep all the countries’ private information sustained. They know about everything that goes on in and outside the world. So really, their involvement may not be that farfetched.

  The Vojin nod, but only the man follows. “I am Talock.” He lifts his hands, palms up, in greeting. Before lowering them back to his sides, he gestures to his left at the two females. “Elihu and Kyp are my companions.” His thin lips part a little wider and stiffy forms his words as he explains, “There are some here, weeding them out. Stay safe and undiscovered.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that.”

  “We are simply advising,” he informs with a single nod.

  “Can you tell me about this new plan?”

  “Yes. There will be destruction here,” Talock answers. “There is no need to dominate over such a nuisance. Over these people who don’t care enough about the life on their own planet.”

  The woman in the middle, whom I assume is Elihu, nods and adds, “If they do not care for and cherish it, they do not deserve it.”

  “Who are we to determine that?” I ask accusingly.

  “Who are you to question us?” Talock shouts, color flashing maroon. His voice shakes the burrow, causing the dust from the dirt to fall around us.

  I lower my head, ashamed I questioned them and caused them offense. “No one.”

  “We understand you may have a connection to this place because you have spent so much time here, but this is not where you belong,” Kyp, the female on the far end of their line says.

  “It was, yes. But it is not anymore,” Elihu follows.

  Talock nods once, and he adds, “Remove your comfort from it. Soon it will diverge.”

  I look up, seeing his featureless face. “And the threat?”

  “The threat was a courtesy. A heads up that something worse is coming. Minimizing their population will make the transition easier. We’ll wipe them out with the rest, and there will be less fuss.”

  “That’s why it’s okay for us to kill them?”

  “Correct. There are enough of them now, it no longer matters. They will spread, and many will find themselves fighting for what’s left of this waste-land. What’s in store for those remaining will be far worse than the last destruction.”

  “We were not the reason for the last destruction,” I tell them, feeling separated from the we I used. “What happens if they decide to fight back?”

  “Let them. We will have you all to fight for us. There are hundreds of you here, and soon you won’t have to hide. That’s why you’re here. That’s why you’ve gone through such rigorous training. The day is soon coming, and we will rage war on them all.” He looks to his nodding associate and then continues, “After we were obliged to care for them, we started watching them. Watching their ways, understanding them, and for years, they have grown worse.”

  Elihu, still standing in the middle, adds, “One would think if destruction came once, they would learn and teach their offspring to do right, to become a better race of people, do away with the ways of hate, devastation, and the taking of lives. We hoped they would enforce love and correct the errors they made the first time.”

  “But they did not,” Talock takes over. “They invented things like Creations, ruthless monsters generated to harm innocents.”

  “We protect these people and this—”

  “They,” he emphasizes in a corrective tone, “do as they’re told. They use Creations to fight their wars, lessen the overpopulation, and control the weak.”

  Sounds familiar to me…

  “Comply with our decision, Kylie Alexander,” Elihu orders. “Or there will be two others considered for the reconstruction.”

  “Reconstruction?” I question. Lafren, the Vojin-Zombie who helped me in Chicago, mentioned nothing of a reconstruction.

  “Reconstruction of this planet. It is not the globe that causes issues, but the people who walk upon it. After it is all destroyed, we will reconstruct and place four upon it as firsts to establish a new life. A better life.”

  I cross my arms, eyes narrowing as I survey them. “You’re saying you’re planning to kill every person on this planet?”

  “And plant a new being to grow and rebuild this place.” They revert into atoms, sinking into dimly lit circles.

  “Wait.” I approach them. The coyote jumps in front of them, growling. “I’m not afraid of this miniature wolf. I have more questions!” The coyote continues to bark. I pull out my gun ready to shoot it. “Shut up,” I shout.

  The blue and green particles zip from the hole through the tunnel.

  “Wait,” I shout after them, over the barking coyote. I go ignored.

  They trail out. I fire my gun twice. It’s silent.

  The blue and green particles rush back, quickly forming a body. The hand of the man wraps around my neck, choking me as he lifts me off the ground. I grab his wrist and grit my teeth as I tighten the muscles in my neck. His grip worsens, and I drop my gun to wrap my free hand with the other.

  “You killed that animal,” Talock angrily accuses, his glow taking on a livid red.

  “You all were influencing it. It wouldn’t stop barking.”

  He slams my back into the dirt wall, grip tightening. “That is not a reason to kill that innocent animal.”

  “Reason…enough, if you…can’t…answer my questions,” I manage through staccato words with his hand around my throat.

  He pulls back and slams me against the wall again. “Ther
e was no reason!” He throws me to the ground. “If you become like them, your future will be like theirs. You and Lukahn. Your placement mother and father would not look upon your behavior well if they were here.”

  Holding my throat, I heave for air, knees planted on the dirt. “My parents would want me to know and understand.” I jump to my feet, charging in his direction. “To fight for what I believe and know what is the right thing. To stand up for what they believed in,” I state angrily.

  He stalks toward me with anger in his stride. “And when someone or something like yourself goes against us, they end up like your parents did. Like they are. And how they were.”

  I lunge at him.

  Quicker than I, he has me in the air, his hands around my neck so tight he cuts off my air. My blood rushes, angered by his sudden reveal. Betrayal. “Do not destroy what you have established, Kylie Alexander. You have done well so far.” He shoves me down to my knees, forcing me to look up at him as pain shoots through my spine. “Do not mess it up,” he warns. “There was reason in what happened to your parents. Do not make the same mistakes they did.”

  This is where the authority lies, and in order to make it out of this burrow alive, I must swallow my pride and play them as they have played us for all these years.

  In his choking hold on me, I nod. He releases me. I pant, grabbing my neck.

  On my knees, I watch him transform into blue and green particles and quickly float away like a breeze blowing sand, back through the hole.

  My eyes burn and an acid-like sting works through my chest.

  Don’t cry, Ky, I tell myself. You cannot have weakness. Now more than ever, you cannot show weakness.

  I pull myself from the ground and dust the dirt from my knees. Cracking my neck, I work out the growing sadness. No. This isn’t sadness I’m feeling. It’s sorrow; a feeling of deep distress caused by loss, disappointment, or misfortune suffered by oneself or others. I have to throw a punch in my gut to remove the remainder of it lingering in the pit of my stomach that makes me want to hunch over and scream at the top of my lungs as tears fall faster than the rain.