Ominous Order

by Felisha Antonette

  My parents…Why does everyone try to persuade me of one thing or another by mentioning my parents? I snort, rolling my eyes. “And what do you know about my parents, huh?”

  Seits waves me to our left, and we move closer to the wall. She drops her voice even lower, and I have to turn my ear to her to hear her more clearly. “Had we delivered the pieces to that incomplete letter to you earlier, you and Luke would have blamed us and went straight for answers so many Creations and Normals died to obtain.”

  “Wait.” I thrust my hand in her face, shutting her up. “It was you, this entire time? What do you know?”

  “Not enough to answer your questions. But enough to know your parents were tossed around by the Trade and the Vojin. They knew our government was collaborating, enemy to enemy, and dared them to do something about it. I know that anyone who threatened the Vojin’s plan wound up dead, like them and Harold’s brother. Now we know their secret, which puts our lives in danger too. And if you stay here, you are more at risk than any of us.”

  I throw my hands to my head as the befuddlement brings back my headache. Turning my back to her, I groan, working through the never-ending surprises. She doesn’t know the detail of the first part of the letter, the part that reveals Luke and I are Itteix, although, I wish she did so that I could find out what it is.

  Seits taps my shoulder. “I understand you may still be upset and unforgiving about Luke. But you coming here, to be a pet of the Guidance, is insane regardless of what your intentions are. The leash they’ll have around your neck will be shorter than your arm. You’ll accomplish nothing and be left under their rule. You’re far more valuable to us then you are to them.”

  Shaking my head, I turn to face her. “That’s not the problem. Being a Creation makes me used to people using me. I run when I’m called and stand down when it’s demanded of me. It’s time for a change, Seits. I want to explore other avenues outside of being a Creation.” I need to get closer to the Guidance to uncover what the relationship is between them and the Vojin, and then get next to the Trade to uncover their relationship between them and my parents. I’m in the Guidance headquarters now. I can’t get any closer. And the Trade’s island floats high over the city. One day, and I hope one day soon, I’ll find a way to fly up there.

  Seits inhales a sharp breath as she rolls her tongue over her teeth. She digresses. “I suppose you’ll have to do what you feel is right. Go to Carden if you must, stay in this place of misery, shackled to their plan and your pain, be content with captivity disguised as freedom and know when they reveal their true colors, I warned you.”

  I don’t…I can’t tell her why I’m truly staying, and I won’t fight with her about her assumptions. Instead, I give her a soft grin and pat her shoulder before turning on my heels and heading down the hall.

  The lobby has emptied, and Carden’s left. “Excuse me.” My voice echoes through the circular foyer. From behind the desk the receptionist pops up with a bright smile and big brown eyes. I’m inclined to accommodate her perky posture, smiling just as wide as she does. “Have you seen Arletta’s son Carden?”

  “Hello, Kylie. I have. He’s informed me to advise you he is in room three-A. Follow the hall in the direction of the elevator. Pass them, and it’s four doors down to your left.” She gestures to the right. “He will be there.”

  I follow her instructions to room 3A where I push open the swinging dark brown double doors to a cinema. Lights mounted on the wall cast shadows over the seats though they light the red carpet. I walk behind a row of seats. There’s a wall to my back with curtains in both corners that reach the ceiling thirty feet over my head. I face the backs of five rows of chairs, five chairs per row. They’re empty, and the screen—about twenty feet tall—is blank.

  “Hello?” I expect the same echo I heard in the lobby, but my voice falls flat.

  “Oh!” someone says from above my head.

  I tilt my head back, finding Carden leaning over the balcony. “How’d you get up there?”

  “There’s a staircase over there,” he says and gestures to my left. “Behind those curtains. If you just—”

  From the back of a fifth-row theater chair, I jump up to catch the balcony by the lowest bar and pull myself up and over the railing. Up here, there are three rows of reclining chairs facing the screen.

  “That was entertaining,” Carden says, patting the seat of the chair beside him.

  I sit. “It was exhilarating.” I could really go for a run on an obstacle course. “Will we watch the gray screen or will a movie play?”

  “It should begin playing any minute now. I just made my selection.” He shakes his frameless tablet in front of me. After stuffing the device into his left pocket, he pulls a white box from the other. Its contents rattle about inside. “Do you like candy? It’s flavored sugar.”

  I roll my eyes. “I know what candy is. I don’t live under a rock.”

  “I’m sorry. I meant no offense.” He tilts the box toward me, and I shake my head. I’ve never been a fan of sweets, with the exception of a vanilla shake here and there. “I’ll find out what your favorite snacks are soon enough. Pardon me for asking, however…before, were you involved with Marcain the Creation?”

  The lights dim, and the screen flickers, a picture slowly coming into view. I whisper, “Why is this information relevant?”

  “We’re the only two here, you can speak in a regular tone.” He doesn’t give me the chance to respond as he continues. “I understand you may not want to answer at this moment, but I will need to know before we tie the knot.”

  My head jerks back a bit. “Tie the knot?”

  Carden crosses his right leg over his knee and slouches a bit into his chair. “You are considering staying, correct?” He’s dropped his political persona, muscles relaxing in his face, relieving me from the smile that lives on his mouth. He looks at me with more seriousness, and I finally feel like I can take him seriously.

  I breathe easier, also slouching a bit. “I’ve not decided yet.”

  “What is keeping you from making a decision?” He shakes a few round candies into his hand and tosses them into his mouth, one by one. “If you stay,” he says, chewing, “our union won’t be immediate. I’m not exactly in a position to court you yet, with the events happening across the America. However, it will happen. You will be my consort.”

  I narrow my eyes, though keeping my gaze fixed on the screen. “This is an obligation if I stay?”

  “I will not force you into it. I will wait for you to be ready. Yes, it is a future responsibility. But I do not intend for it to be looked upon as an obligation, Kylie. Though Creations were brought up to ignore emotions and feelings, I will be able to help you open your mind to emotions of affection and intimacy. I will teach you human reactions so it will appear natural until you get it all down.”

  My trigger finger twitches. These people and their assumptions. Open my mind to affection and intimacy? I scoff. Teach me human reactions? What a moron. “I think I can teach you some things as well.”

  “Fantastic. I love learning,” he cheers. “So you’ll love me before we take our vows.” He tosses more candy into his mouth. “Oh, love is—”

  “I know what love is, Carden. I’m not a robot.”

  He chortles. “I realize this.” Under his breath, he adds, “But can you imagine how much better Creations would be if they were?” Tensing in his seat, he looks at me. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. All I mean is, it’s easier to give commands to a computer than it is to force your way on Creations. Their design is complex.”

  I dart my gaze to him from the corner of my eye then back to the screen. “Whatever you say.”

  “Obviously, we don’t love each other yet. Because love isn’t something you come upon. You grow into it.”

  I don’t believe that. Being a Creation restricted from affectionate feelings, I know love is something dropped down on you when you least expect it. It’s definitely something you stumb
le upon and can’t make sense of. It’s unexpected. It’s irrational. It’s unpredictable. It is something that I hate and I…love.

  “I feel like I’m doing a lot of talking and not really getting much from you, Kylie.”

  I clear my throat and shift uncomfortably in my seat. “I am, um, just soaking up everything you’re saying.”

  “Well, Kylie. I just want to be honest with you. I’ll need you to give me the opportunity to help you get comfortable here, and I can’t do that if you leave today. If you wouldn’t mind staying at least a couple of weeks, see how you like it here. See the town. You may like it. And then, after each business day is over, you and I can spend time together, getting to know each other better.”

  “You can just send for me. I don’t have to stay here to become more acquainted.”

  Carden sits up and leans over on his knees. “What’s to say when you go back, there will still be a you for me to send for?”

  “I’m a fighter.”

  “You’re a human,” he states, sincerely, “with beautifully colored eyes. If anything happens to you, that’s it. And I’ll miss you. I’ll miss out on getting to really know you and whatever a future with you could’ve held. Maybe the issue here is that I’ve never actually conversed with a Creation on a personal level, sitting side by side, enjoying chocolate-covered raisins, and a movie. Maybe I don’t know how to relate to you. Yet. Give me that chance to understand, to know you better. Stay here. Please?” I stand, and he adds, “Sorry if it feels like I’m pressuring you.”

  I stuff my thumbs into my jean pockets. “You are pressuring me.”

  He rises too. “I just don’t want you to leave and something bad to happen to you on your way home. Then I’ll never see you again.”

  “Don’t worry about that. With or without my twin, I got this.” I pat his shoulder. “You’ll know I stayed if you see me tomorrow. Bye, Carden. Thanks for the movie.” I climb over the railing and jump down.

  “It’s not even over yet,” Carden yells behind me.

  I land hard and wave behind me as I head out of the cinema.

  My intentions were to gather more details from Carden about the transition and possibly inform him that I’ll be sticking around. The problem is, while I know I’ll have eyes on me while I’m here, being a consort to someone does make me feel more like property than a Creation. How much free time will I have to myself? The last thing I want is to be Carden’s wife, to tie the knot, or like Seits said, be a sidekick. But my options are limited. I don’t know another way to get my answers.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Hey. Can we talk for a minute?” Collins is standing next to the door when I exit the cinema.

  I point over my shoulder. “Did you follow me here?”

  “Kind of. I just need a minute,” she says as I continue past her. Last night, and in so many words, Marc told me I was wrong for being so hard on Collins, that I should let bygones be bygones.

  I pinch my lips as I release a breath. She doesn’t deserve that courtesy, but I give her the floor. “Fine, Collins. What do you want?”

  “You’re the closest I’m going to get to apologizing to Luke, and I owe him that.”

  Anger warms my neck, and I bite down hard on my bottom lip. The words cut from me, hissing past my teeth. “Don’t you dare speak my brother’s name, Collins. Not one peep.”

  “Calm down, Kylie. You’re always so revved up, always so damn angry. Look at me.” She steps back twirls on her toes. “I’m like you now. Take a good damn look. Just like you don’t have a twin, neither do I. The way you wanted it.”

  “Collins,” I grumble. “Get out of my way. If it weren’t for you, we’d both have our twins.”

  “I did what was best for me and Cecilia,” she fires back.

  “I noticed.” I half shrug. “What is it that you want from me? Forgiveness? Count yourself lucky to be standing in front of me and I’ve not decapitated you.” I head down the hall, refusing to explain anything to her. I don’t owe her an explanation. She and Marc could have included us in their dilemma, and we all could’ve figured it out together. But they chose to keep that secret, and maybe they thought that was the best option, but that shows they didn’t trust us.

  Collins shouts behind me, “You’re so damn stubborn and selfish, Kylie. The real enemy is out there, and you’re mad at us!”

  “I’m mad at the world, Collins. Don’t feel special.”

  Jord, Seits, Marc, Sean, and Arletta enter the hall from the lobby, coming in our direction. I halt when their eyes fall on me and their narrowed glances sober. It’s evident they’ve been looking for me.

  Jord begins, “We are preparing to leave. You all should be getting ready. The cargo has been loaded and we have enough artillery to take on anything that tries to attack us when we land back in Arizona. Does everyone have everything they need?” He looks Collins and I over before shifting his gaze to Marc and Sean, nodding.

  Arletta is staring at me. Her red-smeared eyelids sit low over her gray eyes as she surveys me. Seits is also eyeing me, her fixed gaze a lot more pronounced with her brows pulled taught and her eyes narrowed. The slight shine in her purple eyes, though, brings a little comfort. She holds a small duffel bag in her left hand, and the right is balled into a fist that’s propped on her hip. They both await my final decision. Do I stay and find out what the hell has been going on for the past eighteen years of my life? Or do I go off to war and fight this threat with the Creations?

  Everyone but me has responded to Jord. I swallow uneasily and wipe my sweaty palms over my pant legs. Drawing my shoulders back and straightening my neck, I say, “I’m not going back,” sternly and confidently so I’m not questioned on my decision.

  “What?” Marc says, stunned. The duffel bag once clutched in his hand falls to the floor.

  Seits leans over and whispers in Jord’s ear. His pad falls, and the pen in his free hand snaps. As she concludes her reveal, she leans away from him, gaze still locked on me. Jord nods once and pins his gaze on me also. His tone is firm and authoritative when he says, “Kylie.” He pauses and the muscles in his face tighten. “You want to give up your position to stay here and become a—” his face contorts, twisting angrily as if the word boiled his insides and was about to spew up his throat and from his mouth, “—a goddamn sidekick?”

  “I beg your pardon,” Arletta cuts in. “Kylie is of as much value here as she is with you,” she says peacefully.

  “I am not staying to become consort to Carden although I understand this may come in the future.”

  “Ky,” Marc cuts me off. “What are you saying?” he asks in a tremulous, croaky voice. He’s used this voice once before, and I wasn’t able to place the feeling then, but now I am. The muscles in his face are relaxed, and his dark hair sweeps his shoulders. We’d have to be alone for me to see his true expression, but his tone is enough to tell me I’ve deceived him with this news.

  Looking away from him, I say to Jord, “I’m staying here. If the offer still stands,” I say to Arletta.

  Her shoulders rise, and she gives me a single clap as she shrieks, “Of course.” A grin takes over her face. “Carden will be so pleased when he hears the news.”

  I give her a small smile. “I’ll tell him, if that’s okay.”

  “Oh, a surprise,” she sings. “My son is a joy for surprises. Please find me after you two have spoken. Well, if he doesn’t find me first!” She bellows a laugh, throwing her head back and holding her stomach. “Carden is quite infatuated with you, Kylie Alexander.”

  I’m unsure why the news is so entertaining, but I smile and nod, because that’s what a human would do instead of staring at her like she’s off her rocker as the Creations around us are doing.

  “Kylie,” Marc says from behind me. “Let me talk to you.”

  Arletta taps my arm. “I will let you all talk. Excuse me.” She trots down the hall, back the way they came.

  I turn my attention to Marc. “We already talked abo
ut this last night.”

  “You can’t stay here,” he says.

  “Actually,” I retort, “I can.”

  “You can’t. I won’t let it happen.”

  Collins smacks her lips and rolls her eyes. “She doesn’t want to stay. She’s just doing it to get back at you. She’s a vengeful bitch.”

  I step toward Collins, and Jord’s arm shoots out between us and pushes me back.

  “I know what she’s doing,” Marc says. “You don’t have to do this, Ky. I get it. I swear I do. You don’t have to stay here and marry this guy you don’t know at all just to get back at us. Yes, it stings like a bitch, but in the end, you’re hurting yourself. You’re hurting all of us.”

  I shake my head and offer Marc a soft smile. “My decision has nothing to do with any of you.” But I see how it can be perceived that way. After the recent events, I would assume I’m running away from my problems too if I were on the outside looking in. And if I were to tell them the entire truth, they, too, would want to stay. I can’t have that. They would get in my way and be an unneeded distraction.

  “Kylie?” I face Jord, and he says, “You have considered all your options here, and you are certain this is what you want to do?”

  As my general, he’s right to double check, to give me the options available and ensure I’m making the right decision, but he can’t talk me out of this. “Yes, sir. I’m staying.”

  Marc grabs me by the muscles of my upper arms and pulls me down the hall, away from everyone. He tucks us behind a gold pillar, out of sight from our group, but in plain sight if someone were to come down this end of the hall that opens to another area of the building. His back is to the hall, and with his height and him standing directly in front of me, it’s hard to see anything but him.

  “Please, Ky. Come back with us. Don’t stay here.”