Monster (The Chosen, Act 2, Part 5)
Act 1:
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7
Act 2:
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
September 24th, 2171
”But I don’t want to be inside anymore, it’s boring! Everyone else is allowed to go out, I’ve seen them! Why can’t I go?” Lily stomped down with her foot, arms crossed in front of her chest. Her lower lip was trembling, and Joel could see tears form in her eyes. He couldn’t blame her. The poor kid had been stuck in her room for a week, ever since the delegation of the legion of the Venezuelan democracy had arrived.
”I’m sorry, Lily”, Joel said for the 500th time, he assumed. ”You can’t go out while our … guests are here. If they see you, they might take you away.”
”Let them try! They can’t take me!”
Suddenly, a shoe, that had previously been lying on the floor several steps away, rose up into the are and flew towards Joel, only missing his head by the width of a hair.
”LILY!” He called out, his heart pounding in his chest. Joel took a mental note to check for sharp objects in the child’s room, and ensure they’d be removed. ”You know you’re not supposed to throw things at me with your mind.”
”I didn’t throw it at you, I threw it past you”, Lily argued innocently, but Joel could see the twinkle of delight in her eyes. She knew exactly that she had done something she wasn’t supposed to, and that she’d get away with it. Joel had to keep himself from shuddering. The hybrid child grew more intelligent by the day, and he felt like she had already surpassed a typical 5-year-old. He hoped that it was only a feeling.
”Throwing things past me won’t change my opinion about letting you out, on the contrary. You’ve just proven that you’re not ready to meet our guests.” The mischievous smile that had started forming on Lily’s face was wiped away. @suesa
”You’re mean”, she declared and threw herself on her bed, facing the wall. For a moment, Joel considered saying something to her, to apologize. But it would have been pointless. With a bad feeling, he turned around, left and locked the room, and then headed outside.
”Hey, mystery man!” A voice called out the moment he set foot on the snowy ground. ”You’re the only person that always seems to mysteriously vanish. I haven’t been able to hold one meaningful conversation with you all week.”
Joel turned towards the voice, just to see the leader of the legion, Tif. Short form for Tiffany. Looking at her, he understood why she had chosen to shorten her name. She didn’t look like a Tiffany, not feminine enough. Tif was an intimidating woman, with obvious muscles from her hard training, and a posture that conveyed absolute confidence.
Hadn’t it been for her never-ending curiosity, Joel would have liked her.
”I’m a busy person”, he said, avoiding her burning gaze.
”Busy with what?” She asked. ”I never see you at the training grounds, not at the kitchen, and at none of the meetings. What other important jobs are there? Especially jobs that require this level of secrecy?”
”What do you mean, ‘this level of secrecy’?”
”No matter who I ask, nobody will give me an answer about what you do”, Tiffany explained. ”What do you do?”
”Sorry, top secret”, Joel replied, suppressing a grin. Tif rolled her eyes.
”You people are impossible. I thought we’re supposed to be allies.”
”You can’t expect us to trust you with everything after just a week”, Joel pointed out.
”Why not?” Tif asked. ”Revealing ourselves to you was an ultimate act of trust on our side. Why not reciprocate?”
”Because you have had decades preparing for this moment, and we didn’t”, Joel said flatly and started to walk away. Tif followed. He stopped. ”Are you going to stalk me all day now?”
”Maybe. I don’t exactly have anything better do to.”
”Really? I can’t believe that. Don’t you have soldiers to instruct? Things to plan?”
Tif shook her head.
”Your people are putting together a delegation to meet our leaders. We’re leaving tomorrow, so there isn’t much for me to do. Except for solving the mystery of Joel, of course.”
She’s worse than Lily, Joel thought to himself. Or was she maybe Lily’s future?
”Can I do anything for you to leave me alone?”
Tif opened her mouth.
”Something that doesn’t involve me telling you what exactly my responsibilities are?” He interrupted her before she could even get a sound out. Her pouting reminded him even more of Lily.
For a few moments, she seemed to think.
”Have you ever been to the outside world?” She asked. ”Or were you always stuck in this ice desert?”
”I’ve been to England”, Joel said, and clenched his right fist as memories flooded back. ”Only for a few months.”
”What was it like?” Tif asked.
”Noisy. Hectic. I didn’t particularly enjoy it and was glad to return home.”
”What did you do?”
”Classified.” Joel smirked. Tif rolled her eyes.
”Okay, tell me something you did there that is not classified. I’ve never been to this part of the world. Only ever heard stories about the alien collaborators. The alien fuckers.” The last words were spat out with hatred, which prompted Joel to raise an eyebrow.
”Alien fuckers?”
”Isn’t that were those disgusting hybrids come from? Some mentally twisted humans fucking one of those genocidal aliens?”
”The hybrids are genetically engineered”, Joel explained. ”Nobody has sex with aliens.”
”That’s not what I heard. I heard there are a bunch of people just waiting to get down with one of those things.”
”How would that even work?” Joel asked. ”I mean, anatomically?”
”I don’t give a fuck”, Tif said. ”It’s disgusting that those abominations even exist. They’re even worse than aliens themselves and should be purged at all cost.”
The discussion seemed to have upset Tif enough to lose interest in Joel, and she walked away, leaving deep boot prints in the snow. Joel shook his head when he heard a small noise behind him. He turned around, and his eyes met Lily’s. She child’s eyes were widened in shock.
”Lily, you’re supposed to stay inside your room”, Joel said and walked towards her, but then stopped when he saw tears running down her cheeks.
”Am I a hybrid?” She asked, her voice breaking. Joel froze. ”I know I’m different from the other kids. I look weird. I have powers. Am I one of the hybrids the woman was talking about? Is that why I need to stay inside? Because the woman would kill me? Am I a monster?”
”Lily, you shouldn’t …”
”AM I?!”
Joel didn’t know what to say, and his hesitation seemed to confirm Lily’s fear. With a howl, she turned away from him and ran back to her room.
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How sad that Lilly has been so small have to go through that situation! I hope that does not make her an evil being.
This story is getting more interesting every time.
Poor Lily.
And yes apsu!
See, everyone is a bad guy!
Is Lily a bad guy?
If not yet, she'll grow to be one. Especially when people around her think she's a monster.
Who knows what she's ultimately destined to do? Kill all aliens.. and humans?
Third option, herself?