And there’s one more thing I want to make sure I change. The Vojin, who betrayed us by killing our parents and setting forth a plan to end this planet, will never bring me to my knees again.
I tug on my suit and sit on my bed, waiting for the horn to sound. I need my own distraction to distract me from Marc. If I kill him, he would no longer be an issue.
The horn is loud, jarring me from my thoughts.
There’s a knock on the door.
As I open it, I hear Luke ask, “When did you leave?”
I step into the hall with him and pull the door closed behind me. “Just a little bit ago. I couldn’t sleep.”
“There is going to be a sweep tonight. Six of us will go.” We head downstairs and out the front door. “You and me, Marc and Sean, and Collins and Cecilia.”
I kick my boot against the dirt, causing gravel to scatter across the road. “Can’t we go without him?”
Luke’s ice-blue eyes pin on me. “Thought you’d be happy.”
“No Luke, I’m not happy about that. Are you coming with me to breakfast or do you have something to do?”
“I’m coming to breakfast. But I’ll be out for the day with the general and Colonel Harold.”
I stretch my arms over my head. “Who is Harold?”
“Remember the man who went with us to the hole? That’s him.”
We make it to the mess hall, and I hold the door open for Luke to enter behind me. “Oh! I’ve wondered what his name was. Where are you all going?”
“Back to the underground labs that they took us to before. They are going to dissect some Zombies and see how they are infused or infected. These are Zombies that just showed up, not that were changed. It’s like they fell from the sky. Then they want to test another vaccination on willing Creations to make sure our Creations here can’t be changed if they are bitten.”
“You’ll be back before dinner?” We nod to a few Normals who wave as we walk to the food counter.
“Yes,” Luke says. He looks me over. “You seem unhappy today.”
I stretch before grabbing a plate. “I’m thinking. Trying to figure out how I can remove this distraction without killing it. Or falling further. And then there are the other things you and I have to figure out.”
“Don’t worry about him. Stay back. I’ll get them to trade us out of the sweep tonight so you won’t have to be around him.” Luke always comes through when I need him. Even when I’ve upset him, he looks out for me. Nobody else is going to do that.
“Thanks.” I finish packing my plate, and we sit at a table with Fein and Floyd. “Hey everyone.”
“Hi,” they chime.
“Hey, no groups today. What do you want to do?” Fein asks me.
We don’t have that many options. We can train for fun in the simulators, lie around the houses, sit around the rec hall, socializing, or sleep. It’s so hot outside. If I were back home, today would be a day that I’d go to the diner and drink a white shake with a basket of chicken fries.
Being here gets boring sometimes. They require order at all times, so we are constantly being watched unless we are in our homes. This is the longest we’ve ever been in Separation. They usually train us for a maximum of three months, then we’re off to manage or control. For war, I’ve heard they train for five months to prep the Normals. Now that there are some Normals forced to be here, I suppose they need extensive training. But I’m getting bored with the same old routine. Wake up, shower, train, lunch, train, dinner, shower, sleep, and repeat.
The Guidance has got to need us to do something in the America. Get me out of Desert Hills so I can see something else other than red dirt hills and heat waves.
“I don’t know,” I tell Fein. “Probably go talk to Danny and Seas. It’s too hot to be outside with these suits on.” The heat has kicked out the cool breeze, just when we were getting used to it.
“She’s right.” Collins sits next to Luke. “It’s too hot to be outside. We should go to the theater auditorium. Watch a movie on the big projector or something. Maybe start up the simulator and have our own war.”
“Outstanding idea,” Floyd chimes in. “And the air is on, so we’ll remain cool.”
“What are we planning?” Sean asks from beside me.
“Go to the hall, watch something, then set up the simulator to have our own war,” I tell him.
He nods, and Marc sits on the other side of the table between Floyd and Collins’s sister Cecilia.
Argh. I can’t sit here with him. I’ll stare, then he’ll stare. He’ll narrow his eyes as he bores through mine, silently requesting I stop staring. Then I’ll give him a tight smirk that tells him he’s equally staring, and when he looks away, I will. He’ll look away then back quickly to see if I’m still staring, and all the time…I am. Then I’ll look away and realize how unlawful our actions are and beat myself up about it until I see him later.
“Hey Fein,” I say, standing. “Come with me to the group’s rec hall. I’m going to get Fire, Danny, Jesail, and Amber.” I look around the table. “If that’s okay with everyone?”
“Yes,” most reply. “I’ll get a couple from my group too,” Fein agrees.
“Hey, Ky, get Sally and Marlin for me?” Cecilia asks.
“Okay, anybody else?” I ask the group.
“No.”
Luke grabs my attention saying, “I’m heading out. See you all when I get back.”
I give him a nod, and Fein and I leave the mess hall into the scorch. We nod to the General sitting on his stoop as we pass his office. He returns the gesture and goes back to his tablet.
Fein snatches her black scarf from her vest pocket and dabs it across her forehead. “These suits are only to help boil us, you know that, right?”
Chuckling, I say, “Well, we still have a mile to walk to their mess hall, so we will definitely be well-done by the time we make it.”
Fein grumbles, and I chuckle at her frowning face. They’ve parked five Humvees on this side of the base today, which are usually on the far end, near the entrance. They may plan a further sweep or trip to the city. Or, as I watch eight privates run over with towels and buckets, they just may be getting washed.
“Sometimes, it pays to be better than the sludge,” Fein says, gripping the collar of her vest. She strolls with her shoulders back, gloating.
“Queen of the world over there, Fein.” I laugh at her cocky sway.
She chortles, straightening. “I’m not serious. I wouldn’t mind washing a couple of windows.”
I’ve always known of Fein. She was an all-star statistician who fought with her mind by calculating every avenue of a win before landing the first punch. I’ve really grown fond of her since we’ve been here. I shove her shoulder. “You’re pretty cool, Fein.”
She punches my arm. “Thanks, Ky. Back at you.”
Drenched with sweat, we enter the private’s mess hall, shouting, “Aye! Hey! We need everyone’s attention.”
I stand on the table. “I need Jesail, Amber, Danny, Sally, Fire, and Marlin.”
Fein stands next to me, adding, “And Rick and Amy. Let’s go, you all are with us today.”
We jump down from the table as they come without question.
“What are we doing?” Fire asks.
“We are going to use you all as target practice so we can let our anger off from the heat,” Fein mutters seriously, wiping her face.
I laugh but don’t correct her. The terror on Fire’s face is priceless.
Chapter Eight
Everyone’s crowded around the film selection table, scrolling through the movie list. Collins stands next to Marc as they decide what movie to watch. She grins, grabbing his arm as they all joke about title fonts and cover images. She lightly slaps his arm as she chuckles and annoys the hell out of me. He’s flirting back, not pushing her away as she is entirely too close to him.
Though their actions make the nerves squirm in my stomach, I ignore it and find Danny.
“Thank
s for letting me join you, Ky,” Danny says when he spots me approaching. “I never see Luke anymore. He had other things to attend to today?” he asks.
I sit beside him in the auditorium seats. “Yeah, his new title keeps him pretty busy.”
Danny gestures around the room, asking, “What’s this?”
“It’s an off day and too hot to do anything outside. Sitting around the house alone is boring, so we invited a selected few to hang out with us for the day.”
Air blasts from the vent feet above our heads. I sigh and lean my head back, cooling off quickly. The auditorium is wide and open because the simulator is in here. The chairs fold into the floor by the switch of a button and the simulator gives us more direct, in-person training, bringing to life the war or whatever scenario is input into its database.
It can place us in any environment, may it be water, desert, city, fields. It looks very real, especially when we are in a forest or the woods. We can almost touch the leaves and feel them brush against us as we run. A headband is required, which pricks into our temples and causes the real-life effect for its direct connection to the brain. A slim, compressing pair of gloves allows us access to weapons or we can use the laser weapons, which are equally efficient. The vest that straps around our upper bodies zaps us whenever we’re hit. The experience is immersing for the Normals and is the preferred training option because we can’t actually shoot them.
“They act like it matters which drive they put in.” Sean takes the seat beside me. “Just pick a damn movie and press play,” he yells at them.
Floyd is with them, shifting through the drives.
“Sean, you remember Danny, right?”
Sean looks over at Danny on my other side. “Yeah, from the diner.”
“Wassup?” Danny greets.
“Trying to figure out…” he raises his voice, “…why the hell we aren’t watching the movie yet?”
“You are impatient,” I say with a laugh.
“Ky,” Cory calls from a few rows back. He waves his hand for me to come to him.
I stand from my seat, shuffle past Sean, and climb the few stairs to the row of seats Cory’s sitting in. “What’s up?” I ask, taking the seat to his left. “Just get straight to the point, Cory. What’s really going on?”
“I didn’t do anything Luke may have told you I did. Luke and I don’t like each other.”
“That goes without saying, Cory.” I roll my eyes. “Do you have anything useful you’d like to share?”
Cory frowns. “Sheesh, Ky. Can you cut me some slack? My sister even looks at me sideways, and she knows me better than anyone.”
I half shrug. “Maybe she knows you’re a traitor too.”
He stares me down as if he’s seeing through my brain. “I work as a Creation, not for anyone else. I’ve never been a traitor. I serve my country and the Guidance, and I was placed in Separation to do a job. All of my intentions here are pure.” He whispers in my ear, “I told you, I only got the names to weed out the implants, not to become a traitor.”
“Was your name on that list?” There is definitely something up with Cory. Him stating ‘destroy and reconstruct’ proves that. He draws back slowly, locking eyes with me. “Well,” I push, “was it?”
He moves closer so we are face-to-face. “I’ll tell if you close this distance.”
I press my palm to his face and shove him away. “I’m not doing that.” He pushes my hand away. “I’m only asking a question, not forcing you to answer.”
He smirks and drags his gaze away from me. “It might be, but then again, it might not be.”
I look away from him when the lights shut off, and the projector turns on, creating a screen on the stage as the movie plays.
The chairs of this auditorium are circled around the large centered stage. No matter which side you sit on, you can see what’s playing. The screen the projector creates is large, going up more than thirty feet and spreading out more than seventy-five. It is enormous and feels like I’m in the middle of the movie with how real and close everything appears.
I slouch, getting comfortable in the chair.
Cory is mixed, I know it. And he’s going to tell me, just not here. Cory tells me everything. I just need to find the right time to ask.
“What are you doing?”
I look up at Marc. Dark, wavy hair hangs loose around his head and the scruff of his beard emphasizes the twitching muscle in his jaw. His broad frame towers over me. I sit up to lessen the effect and look away from him to the previews. “Today is tomorrow,” I say, shrugging.
“You don’t say.” He taps my shoulder, drawing my attention back to him. “Come here.”
I say to Cory, “I’ll talk to you later.” I see what Marc means about not being able to avoid me when I approach him. I feel the same way. I was fine, but I can’t not go with him. He has some type of pull on me.
As I stand Cory grumbles, “Your nothing is really something, Ky.”
“Like the answer you gave to that question I asked. You left me just as high and dry, Cory.”
He smacks his lips at my back, and I ignore his derogatory huff. Marc and I walk to the far end of a row, away from the others.
“Why are you making this difficult?” Marc asks.
“I’m doing what I am supposed to be doing, Marc. And I was doing a great job before you bothered me.”
“Bothered you, huh?” he objects calmly.
“Yes. Why don’t you go sit with Collins and do that thing you were just doing with her?” He jolts up and all but charges past me. Before he gets too far, I grab his arm. “Okay, wait.” His nostrils flare as he sighs and sits back down. “I didn’t mean that. It’s just that…It’s really hard to know what we know. A part of me wants so badly for us to leave here and have each other because…I…I…Because I just do. And that same part of me wants you to be okay with running away. But the more reasonable part of me knows that will never happen. I’d never leave my brother. You’d never leave yours.” I pause, but not long enough to give him time to respond. “But this is us. This is what we get, as unconventional and annoying as it is for the both of us. And I’m working on leaving you alone like you want me to and like I need to, for us.”
“There isn’t an us, Ky. There can’t be an us.”
Argh! “Your stubbornness is annoying, Marc.”
He slouches on his chair and stares at the movie that’s gone quiet as a title card graces the screen. I tap his hand for an answer, and he nods. “It’s complicated,” he utters.
That is a good title for what we have. Complicated. “Good to know you are as confused about this as I am.”
“I am not confused. I know what this is, I know what I want, I know what I am, and I know how I feel. But I know I can’t have what I want. So I push you off and try to force you to leave me alone to make it easier to leave you alone. But I’m terribly jealous, and I don’t want anyone else to have you either. I’m not confused at all,” he says with a shrug.
I turn in my seat to face him. “What do you want to do?”
He flicks another glance at the movie. I wait for his answer and tap him again when he doesn’t speak. “You can go sit with Cory, and I’ll go sit with Sean.”
I sit back in the chair, angered by his suggestion and his contradiction. “No, Marc. I’m not doing that. But seeing you would push me off on Cory, like I were an unwanted pet animal, I get it. You make sure you hold up your side too because you most definitely are confused.” I stand and shove his legs out of my way as I pass.
“Wait.” He grabs my waist.
I shove him off me. “No way.”
I look for Fire and Fein in the auditorium and make my way to them and sit down.
Fire gets up and goes to sit next to Marc, and at this point, I really don’t care. At least, this is what I tell myself.
I turn my attention back to the movie. It’s one I’ve not seen yet where an alien species battles the human race, and I’m able to call the ending befor
e it’s over. The humans win, they always win. Maybe, one day, there will be a place for something a little more than human to take down the aliens and stand up for something like this country.
The movie goes off, and we prepare for our fake war. We put on our headbands, gloves, and vests. The needle from the headband sticks into my temple, and I’m immediately transported to the forest, hidden behind a tree.
Gunshots are blazing, birds sing, and rough waves crash against a nearby beach.
I lean against a tree, staring at my gun. I could be more into this simulated war, but I’m just not. My leg jolts in pain, and I realize I’ve been shot.
I’m not up for playing with them. Not with Collins all over Marc’s back and trying to jump on him. Her laugh echoes through the air, attracting my attention to them near a bush about twelve feet from me. I hate her, and if he smiles at her, Collins will be eliminated from Separation. She jumps on his back again after he’s shaken her off twice.
Blaming my actions on jealousy, I aim my gun at her and pull the trigger, sending a bullet into the middle of her forehead. Her head whips back, and she loses her balance, falling backward off Marc.
I remove my headband, and I’m snapped back in the hall. I replace the gear on the charging shelf and leave, stepping out into the scorching heat. The desert is vacant, everyone afraid of getting sucked dry by the blazing sun. Heat waves dance across the ground on my walk back to our house. I hope Luke isn’t out in this weather.
I could really go for a nap, but I have a dilemma. By now, I should definitely be able to sleep on my own. I should be able to lie on my own bed and accept a nightmare like anyone else and not jump up from it trying to murder whatever brought me discomfort.
I had my first nightmare experience years before my parents died. It was something silly that would bother a child, and I can’t remember it today, but my mother came in my room at the time, calmly. I must have been crying loudly, or I might have screamed. She said to me, “Peace, Kylie. It wasn’t real, and you have to learn to separate the real from the unreal. Think of when you have a good dream. You don’t wake up thinking that was real. Relay those thoughts and feelings to the bad ones.”
The Separation Trilogy Box Set: Books 1 -3 Page 36
