Chatter grows into ruckus as everyone tries to talk over one another. Richard has joined in, shouting from his podium to someone on the far end of the table, whose idea is to deploy missiles into the sky and hope they hit the Vojin. People stand up at the table, shoving their fingers at one another, getting rowdy. I can’t understand any of them at this point.
“Hey,” I shout. A hush falls over the room, and all their gazes pin on me. “Sit down! Only one person can talk at once!”
“Thank you, Kylie Alexander,” Richard says, looking down from the podium. He gives me a nod. I’m grateful he approved, and I’m not reprimanded for speaking out of turn. They were getting out of hand. “We all have questions that do not yet have answers. We can’t―” He gasps. Others follow as we all take notice of the green and blue lines of particles quickly blowing into the room through the doors and windows. My hand flies to my gun, like the others. We retrieve our weapons as the thick dust-like particles circle near the ceiling before diving to the floor, separating into five pits.
The Vojin rise and solidify. One says, “When we are the topic of discussion, we would like to be present.” The five Vojin, all male, look toward the podium, three feet away from Richard.
They are lined up, side by side, and the third Vojin from the left speaks. “It is courtesy,” he states.
Richard says, “If you were giving answers to questions and not threatening humanity as a whole, you may have been offered the proposition. Please excuse yourselves so we may continue our discussion.” Unlike many faces around the table, Richard stands at his podium, fearless as he speaks to the Vojin. A stern tone makes his voice hard and assertive, and the stoic expression is a clear indication he’s been trained well.
“When have any of your beings tried to contact us?” The Vojin asks. “No one has tried to make contact with us. We’ve waited.”
Richard nods. The Vojin must be right. “Answer a few questions today then.”
“We are willing to answer any and all questions you may have.” Just because the Vojin agree to answer their questions, this doesn’t mean the questions will be answered truthfully.
Arletta walks onto the stage and stands at the podium next to Richard. Her petite frame straightens as she draws her shoulders back. She licks her red painted lips and says, “Why have you all threatened humanity?”
“You all have threatened your own humanity. You murder your own kind, destroy your life source, and treat the ground you walk upon like the trash you burn. The atmosphere of your Earth is crumbling, and there is no care for it. Your people run about murdering, stealing, and enduring the evil of your land. Why not have it destroyed so we can bring forth a better living?”
“What gives you the right to take out an entire planet?” Arletta asks.
“We have received acceptance of our proposal from the Maker. He provided permission to enforce our change.”
“No one speaks to the Maker!” Richard shouts angrily.
“We speak to the Maker,” The Vojin on the far right states. Unlike the other Vojin we’ve encountered, they don’t introduce themselves and they don’t sound familiar.
Arletta whispers in Richard’s ear. He nods. “What will you do after your change?” he asks calmly, making air quotes as he utters the word.
“We will reconstruct it. Teach the new occupants a better way to live.”
They will rule the world and have the humans be their slaves as they’re taking over another planet. That’s what I believe.
“What are you gaining from this?” Arletta asks dryly, a bored expression causing her once furrowed brows to relax. It seems she doesn’t believe them either.
“We have been protecting Earth for years. You all need a change. We are gaining nothing but the title of being the reason why the Earth will be better than what it is today.”
“Why have you implanted Creations with your misty residue?” Arletta asks.
The Vojin look at each other, heads turning as their bodies remain still. “They will help convince the humans to side with us when we implement our plan. You all have created an amazing type of human that we happen to need at our disposal. However, they will not be needed in the future of the Earth’s reconstruction.”
“I see,” Richard says with a nod. “Is there any way we can get you to change your mind about the destruction? Anything we can offer you?”
The Vojin doing most of the talking steps out of their line. “Remember my name. Soval. I am leader of the Vojin race. Here this from my mouth.” He pauses and turns around, looking at everyone in the room. Each Guidance leader he makes eye contact with jumps, except Arletta and Richard, who remain unfazed by his intimidation. To Richard he says, “We want to enforce a new set of laws. To enforce a better order that does not involve the loss of life lessening the already lowered population. We will institute a better way to resolve issues that does not involve wars and loss of lives. If we cannot have order over the humans, there is nothing you can offer us, and nothing to discuss.”
Richard and Arletta whisper back and forth to each other for a few minutes, then they turn back to Soval saying, “Then it is settled. You all can leave.”
The Vojin sink into their pits of fusing particles and blow out of the room the same way they blew in.
“Protectors of Earth,” a man blurts out. “That is preposterous!”
“We can’t stand for this,” another man says louder.
Everyone’s yelling again, expressing their disapproval for the Vojin.
Richard raises his hands and slowly lowers them as though to decrease the volume of the angry Guidance leaders. “We will not stand for this. We will fight back as we have fought back anything and anyone who has posed a threat toward us.”
“How?” a woman shouts. “How will we fight back?”
Personally, I doubt any of the people in this room will be fighting anything. The loosely used we is upsetting. They should be asking how they―the Creations―will fight back. Because it will be us who will be fighting the Vojin. The humans, they are too afraid to fight. They fear what they don’t know and what they cannot understand. They fear what they don’t believe they can defeat. For us, even if we cannot defeat all of them, we will defeat most of them. That is why I’m going. I don’t need to murder them all, but enough to compensate for the death of my parents.
“We will get back to you about that. For now, peace amongst each other for peace within our citizens. Enjoy your evening, and we will see you tomorrow evening for the Premier’s birthday celebration.” Slowly, everyone stands and leaves. We wait around for them to exit the room and be dismissed by Richard.
Richard and Arletta walk to us. “Would you all like to accompany us to dinner?”
We nod, and Jord responds, “We would.”
“Great,” Richard says with a smile. “We will have someone bring your clothing to your rooms. Give you a break from your suits.” He pats Luke’s shoulder.
“Tonight?” I ask. “Isn’t it unsafe to go out after dark, Guidance Leader, sir?”
Arletta shakes her head. “Highrum doesn’t have this issue. There have been no walking dead in our city. But if we did, we have a brutal set of Creations just waiting for the opportunity to take them out.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Luke lies next to me on the bed nearest the window. “I’m stuffed, Ky.” He belches.
I rub my stomach. “Me too. I haven’t eaten like that since before we left for Separation.”
“Too bad we were only born as Creations.”
“Yeah, if we could have been born anything else, we could enjoy this kind of life every day.”
“Yep.” He belches again. “Why do you think they don’t have Zombies here?”
“I was wondering about that earlier, before we left for dinner. You think they even know about them?”
“These snobs, no way. The Guidance wouldn’t even allow Highrum citizens to experience that kind of fear. They monitor everything these people eat, watch, a
nd read. Notice how the Creations stay separated from the Normals? We’ve never had a Creation here before,” Luke mocks the receptionist from earlier. “Creations know too much, and they don’t want them sharing it with the Normals.”
“I didn’t notice that. But I did notice how skinny their Creations are.”
“These Creations here are useless in a fight. They’re just for show and city maintenance.” Luke yawns and stretches his arms over his head. “What’d you and Seits do when you went out?”
“Shopped. What are we supposed to do tomorrow?”
“They are going to show us effective ways to kill the Vojin. Well, they will show us ideas they believe may be effective in killing the Vojin.”
“Do they have any Vojin?”
“Supposedly.”
“Oh,” I sing, shocked. “This oughta be good.”
We receive a wake up call at 7:35 AM. Sleeping in feels luxurious, and I’ve missed it. “Luke, wake up. We need to go find out how to kill the Vojin.” I shove his arm.
“I know how to kill the Vojin. We shoot them.” He turns over on his stomach, throws a pillow over his head, and snores.
I kick the side of the bed. “Come on, Luke.”
“Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.” he grumbles groggily, pulling himself from the bed.
I make sure he’s at least sitting up before heading to the bathroom.
I shower, dress, and leave the room to roam the halls while I wait for everyone to get ready. The halls on this level of the Inn have pictures on the walls, and the floor has white tile instead of gold. The pictures, in black and white, are events from before the world’s first destruction. The collages cover the entire wall. The one I pass is of a group standing among debris, holding hands with the American flag hanging over their heads.
“Excuse me.”
I turn around to face a tall, teenage boy with blond hair that stops at his shoulders. He has a strong jawline and sharp light brown eyes. Smiling brightly, he gazes at me.
“Yes?” I answer skeptically. Luke was right. We don’t see the Normals speaking with Creations here, so this boy speaking to me is throwing me off.
He slowly crosses the hall. “I couldn’t help but notice I’ve never seen you before. And from the light in your eyes, I can tell you are not from around here.”
“No, I am not,” I answer, turning to finish my walk down the hall, interested in studying the remaining pictures.
The boy jogs to my side and looks at the walls. “Where are you from?”
I cross the hall and observe the collage on this side where the pictures depict happier events. A marathon of some sort, people smiling with their fists raised in the air. “Arizona Separation. Why?”
“Just curious. I keep up with newcomers in this area.”
“Who are you?” What authority does he have to keep up with people here?
“Carden. I’m in line for Citizen Guidance Leader, second in rule. Because I’m only nineteen, I can’t have the title as a Guidance Leader yet.”
I nod. “Not until you’re twenty-one can you become a leader of the Guidance.”
“Exactly. What’s your name?”
“Kylie. If you would excuse me, I’d like to finish looking at these pictures.”
“I could explain them to you. By the look on your face, you don’t seem to recognize the events.”
I do not recognize these events. I’m not very familiar with the history of the America before its partial destruction. The picture I’m looking at is of a burning building and another that resembles it, but it’s standing tall. Not too far from the building, however, is a plane and by the way its path is headed, it may hit the building still intact. “What happened here?” I ask, touching the part of the picture with the undamaged building. “Did this aircraft collide with the building?”
He raises his hand and places it on the wall and walks, gliding his hand over the picture from one end to the other, saying, “Thiiiisssss.” He inhales. “All of this is an event labeled as nine eleven.” From the end of the hall, he walks back to my side. “Terrorists attacked the America back on September eleventh, two-thousand-one. They took over two planes and flew them into these buildings,” he points to each building, “in the middle of the day. Many lives were lost. It happened in New York City, and these were called the Twin Towers.”
“New York City?” I ask with highbrows and wide eyes. “New York was big enough to be its own city?”
“It was, believe it or not. That’s how it got its name. It affected everyone in the America, and even some other countries. Stories say that for once, everyone who lived here actually got along. People joined together and were unified.”
“That must’ve not lasted long.”
“Of course not.” Carden chuckles. “But this moment made history because of its destruction and reconstruction.”
I stammer, “What?” Taken aback, I repeat skeptically, “Destruction and reconstruction. There is no reconstruction after things are destroyed,” I tell him. Cory and the Vojin instantly crowd my mind. Maybe Carden’s no different.
“You must be a Creation,” he articulates with a wide smile. I look back to the wall as he says, “This moment proves that after destruction, things can be reconstructed. Maybe not what was destroyed.” He waves for me to follow him down the hall, and we stop where people are hugging, holding hands, crying, sad and happy with gray faces where no one is separated by eye color, skin color, or hair color. “See,” he says. “These two buildings were destroyed, thousands of people died, and look what came from it. People were brought together, regardless of who they were or what they presented. Even if just for the short time it took for these pictures to be taken. It shows reconstruction in mankind. It shows we can come together.” He looks at me to see my reaction before he continues. “What’s sad about it is that something tragic had to happen in order for it to occur.” He strides down the hall and points at the wall at different times when people are not covered in ash, and they are holding hands with raised candles, signs that state the event and flags that represent the America. “The gatherings didn’t last long, but this moment was always remembered. And I hope that when they did remember it, it continued to bring people together and made the America a better place back then.”
I cross my arms, keeping my gaze on the picture as I ask, “You believe that in tragedy lies good?”
“And in hate lies love.”
“And things of bad nature can hold destruction in order to implant a reconstruction of happiness to make it a better place?”
He nods once. “Just about, but it’s not the same beliefs as what you might think. I don’t believe the whole world needs to be destroyed, just a part of it. It’s the reason why the world is this way. It’s the reason why we have turmoil and tragedies, why there is death, why there is hate. As humans, we have to see the difference, which gives a choice in what life we are to partake in. The hate or the love.”
I flick my gaze to the wall on the other side of the hall. A couple is laughing, hugging. “Some of us don’t get that choice.”
“It doesn’t seem like it right now because of how humans are born into factions with instructions and meanings and requirements of life, but any human with a brain can choose what they want to do. Doing as you were made or not.”
“So if I wanted to be in construction though I was born a Creation, you are saying, I could leave being a Creation and go into construction?”
“Yes,” he states simply with a nod, and his blond locks brush his cheeks.
I scoff, “And get myself killed for going against the Guidance.”
“If that’s what you choose. Do you fear death, Kylie the Creation?”
My lips twist, disgusted by the word. “I fear nothing.”
“Good. You sound like a respected Creation. Born for what they created her to live by.” That sounds insulting. He looks past me. “And this must be your twin? Hi,” he says cheerfully. “I’m Carden. Soon to be Citizen Guidance Leader.”<
br />
“Hello,” Luke greets dryly. “Let’s go, Ky.”
I turn as he turns. “Bye, Kylie the Creation.”
Luke knits his brows and crinkles his nose.
“I don’t know, Luke, he’s weird,” I say for only Luke to hear as we head for Jord and Seits’s room.
“How long have you two been talking?” Luke asks as he knocks on their door.
“However long it took you to get dressed. He was telling me about the pictures on the walls.” I gesture around us at more pictures plastered around the hall.
Seits opens the door. “Good morning,” Seits greets us as she and Jord exit the room.
“Good morning,” I say.
We head for the elevator, and Luke asks, “You left and got a history lesson from that guy?”
“That’s exactly what happened. He was telling me about this event called nine eleven. Said it was tragic and killed thousands of people, but it also brought them together. I was into it until he mentioned destruction and reconstruction. I don’t understand how people can think what’s destroyed can be reconstructed. It’s like trying to iron out a wrinkled sheet of paper—impossible. But then he made this point by saying, everything doesn’t need to be destroyed in order for reconstruction to take place.”
“Like saying,” Seits begins, “destroying the tree but keeping the seed. Then planting the seed to grow a new tree from the base of the old one.”
“Great analogy, General Seits, leader of 23rd base, division section 245.” Carden welcomes himself to our small discussion as we’re waiting for the elevator.
“This is Carden Fett,” Jord introduces, “He is in line as leader for the Guidance.”
“Hi,” Carden greets cheerfully. I’ve taken that his cheerful attitude is a reflection of his entire personality. It goes along with being a part of the Guidance; their motto is “One must appear happy to make the citizens feel there are no worries so they can also be happy.” Our motto as Creations is “Appear fearless and manage the fearful.”
“Are you attending the Premier’s birthday celebration this evening?” Carden asks, clasping his hands gleefully in front of his chest.
The Separation Trilogy Box Set: Books 1 -3 Page 54
