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, Part 5
January 12th, 2180
”Pineapples?”
”No.”
Lily let out a frustrated grunt.
”Strawberries!”
”You’re not supposed to guess”, Joel said. ”Read my thoughts.”
”But I caaaaaaan’t”, Lily whined. ”There’s nothing. It’s not like with throwing things. A rock I can pick up with my thoughts, it’s solid, I can see it, it’s real. But what you think is not. I will never be able to do these stupid, stupid things you want from me.”
”Don’t give up so fast.” Joel reached over the desk they were sitting at and brushed a strand of hair out of Lily’s face. ”Telekinesis also took a while for you to learn.” She looked at him, eyebrows raised.
*”I was throwing tennis balls at you when I was five. That was eight years ago! I haven’t learned anything new since then!”’
”But you’ve improved”, Joel pointed out. ”It’s no longer tennis balls. You’re causing landslides without a second thought, and I know you thought nobody was watching you, but I saw you lift up the transport pod the other day.” Lily blushed and looked to the ground.
”I was curious about how heavy it is”, she mumbled.
And, how heavy was it?”
”It gave me a small headache for an hour.” Lily’s mouth twitched, and Joel knew that she was secretly proud of moving that giant chunk of metal. He hadn’t lied, the progress she had made over the past few years was impressive, even if she hadn’t developed any of the other predicted abilities. Then again, she was just 13. Maybe more abilities would come with puberty? Hormones were an extreme influence on any organism.
”Let’s end your mental training for today”, Joel said and stood up from his chair. ”Want to join me in the sparring ring?”
”Will Finja be there?” Lily’s eyes lit up. Finja had been training her in hand-to-hand combat for three years now, and the girl loved it. She seemed to have chosen Finja as her mother figure, much to Joel’s dismay. A short affair between him and the woman only five years ago had led to an ugly breakup and frosty interaction since. But Lily loved Finja, and Finja loved her, so Joel swallowed his pride and pain each time the three met. For Lily’s sake.
”Maybe, why don’t we check? If not, you can try to defeat me.”
”I’m going to kick your ass!” Lily squealed.
”No telekinesis!” Joel reminded her, with a smile.
”It’s not my fault if you trip over nothing”, Lily countered.
Joking and chatting, they walked through the settlement, towards the training center. Nobody paid them much attention, the members of the society of the enlightened had become used to the sight of Lily over the past 13 years. Not even the fact that she was the chosen one seemed to invoke any kind of curiosity, not anymore. Joel preferred it this way, it had been hard on the girl for a long time.
”Joel!” Finja’s voice pierced through the air, causing Joel to flinch. The panic in her voice sped up his heart rate.
”Finja?” He looked around, trying to find her. She was running at him, seemingly coming from … the landing field? ”What is wrong? Why are you …”
”Bring Lily inside. Bring Lily inside!”
”Joel?” Lily whispered. She had moved closer to Joel and grabbed his hand. ”What is going on?”
”I’m not sure, but maybe we should do what …”
There was another person walking behind Finja. An armored person. A woman. A woman he knew.
Tif.
And she was looking directly at Lily.
”Fuck”, Joel muttered, turned around and began pulling Lily back towards the houses. They needed to get inside before Tif could get a good look at Lily.
After the legion of the Venezuelan democracy had forcefully introduced themselves eight years ago, a deal between them and the society of the enlightened had been struck. A delegation had been sent from the South pole to America and had since helped create a plan to topple the British Federation and thus get rid of the Aliens. Talks had been going well, but nobody from the outside had been allowed to return to the South pole, mainly to protect the chosen one from being discovered.
Apparently, this was, for whatever reason, not the case anymore.
”Fuck, fuck, fuck”, Joel kept saying to himself, while pulling Lily with him through the snow. The sound of heavy boots running through the snow started to catch up with him. A hand landed on his shoulder, grabbed him and brought him to an abrupt halt.
”Why are you running from me, Joel?”, Tif asked, while digging her fingers in Joel’s shoulder. ”Isn’t it polite to greet an old friend?”
”I’d hardly call you a friend after knowing you for just a short time”, Joel replied, moving in front of Lily. The girl had lowered her head, so that her long her fell over her face, concealing most of the alien features she had inherited from her father.
”Oh Joel, you hurt me!” Tif laughed. ”But really, what are you and Finja so concerned about? I am just here on a quick errand, but you two react like I came to steal and eat your child. This is your daughter, yes? Hey there!” The soldier stepped around Joel and squatted down, to be at about the same height as Lily. ”What’s your name?”
Joel could feel Lily’s grip tighten.
She’s the one who thinks I’m a monster.
Joel blinked. Lily hadn’t said anything. Not out loud. But he had still heard her voice. Did she ….
Lily? He tried to think loudly. How does one think loudly? Joel could feel the girl flinch in surprise.
Joel? Did you … are those your thoughts? Are we talking?
I guess we are.
Get me away from her, Lily begged in his head. She’s the one who thinks hybrids are abominations. I don’t want to see her. I don’t want her to …
”Let me see that pretty face”, Tif said, reached out and freed Lily’s face from the concealing hair. ”What on earth? You’re hiding a fucking hybrid? This is unacceptable! I will …”
A fist-sized rock hit her in the back of her unprotected head, hard enough to make her pass out and fall over. Lily pressed herself against Joel.
”I had to stop her”, she said, out loud this time. ”She was thinking evil things about hurting me.”
”Shhhh”, Joel said, wrapping his arms around her and pulling Lily close. ”She won’t hurt you. I will take care of that.”
His eyes met Freja’s, who had just now finally arrived to. She gave him a quick nod, and then proceeded to drag Tif away.
