It seemed odd to me, though I wasn't sure why, that Adrian owned a car.
He had appeared out of nowhere last night, so I wasn't expecting him to lead me to an old, green jeep. He looked out of place inside it as he started the engine, and I couldn't help but laugh. Maybe I was delirious. He turned to look at me, confused, but I just shook my head. He pulled out of the tight parking space, and drove down the street that would take me away from my apartment for who knows how long.
I stared back at it, not particularly sad, but a bit unnerved. I had no idea where I was heading, and I barely knew this man. As if on cue, he glanced over at me. He seemed to be thinking hard. I stared back, unsure of what to say. He eventually sighed and looked back at the road. "Are you afraid?" He asked, his voice steady.
I thought about this for a moment. "I'm nervous."
"But are you afraid?"
"No."
He nodded, seeming to accept this. He concentrated on the road, and I decided to ask some questions of my own while we had the down time.
"So can you explain what's going on?" I leaned in towards him so that he could hear me over the wind.
"You already know," He shrugged.
I narrowed my eyes. "I mean in depth. What are 'The ten', and why are they so important?"
"We," He corrected. He didn't reply for a while. I waited, impatiently. After a few minutes, right as I was about to ask again, he began.
"We aren't like normal people Copelyn, we're different. We're a bit higher on the scale, to put it simply. You see, there's only one other person who's above us that has more abilities than we could imagine. He, or she, is called the Pariah. Us ten, we are directly under them."
"I didn't know there was a ranking," I muttered. "Why is that?"
"We've been chosen," He answered, slowly. "There is a new Pariah chosen every generation, after the previous one dies. Only they know which ten of us out of the billions of people on earth is of the Ten."
"A new Pariah every generation?" I asked, for clarification. "And a new group of ten?"
He nodded once.
"Who picks the Pariah?" I tilted my head, curious. "Who picks us?"
Adrian shrugged. "Nobody knows. Not even the Pariah himself."
"Why are we so important?" I prodded. "What do we do that's so special? Besides have creepy abilities."
"The only reason we exist in the first place is to protect those who aren't like us. The Pariah and the Ten have been around, well, nearly forever. How else do you think the Earth hasn't fallen into complete and utter chaos?" He almost smiled.
I sort of understood. I rested my back against the seat of the car and fell silent, thinking. My head was racing around and around, and my stomach turned. This was too overwhelming. Too much. I felt sick, yet I couldn't help but continue to ask and think about it.
"Why are we doing this? What's wrong?" I looked over at him. He didn't seem to understand what I was asking. I pursed my lips. "Why are we doing this? What's the purpose of me going to meet the others?"
"We all need to be together," He explained, staring carefully at the road. "Usually, there's no need for us to be together. We can do our jobs separately, saving people I mean. But something is very wrong here.
There are others outside of the Ten with abilities similar to ours. They are not nearly as powerful, but they aren't average humans either. Something has been killing them. Whatever is doing this is said to be looking to kill us, too. We can't fight it alone."
"Does anybody have any idea what it is? Or who?" My voice was suddenly higher and I began to get very nervous. I had never been in a fight before, not even in high school. There's no way I would be able to defend myself against someone trying to kill me.
"Not yet. But many of these people have died trying to protect us. We have to keep each other safe, or there will be no one left to keep the humans safe."
"What about the Pariah?" I sputtered. "Can he not fight this thing without us? Isn't he the 'Almighty?'"
"He is," Adrian agreed, sounding sure. "But he is still only one person. He's not a God."
I frowned, my heart fluttering painfully in my chest. I could feel sweat starting to bead on my skin. "I can't do this, Adrian. I can't go. I- I can't fight, I'm only eighteen."
I guess he had heard the panic in my voice, because he slowed the car to a stop and turned to me. "You can," He stated. "You aren't just a human girl." He hesiated, and then began again. "You're very powerful. Don't sell yourself short."
"I can't fight," I breathed. I could feel my eyes welling up with tears. "I'm so afraid. I can't fight. I can't protect myself or anyone else. I was given the wrong role here, don't you see that?"
He frowned, his brows pulling together. "You are destined for greatness. I promise you that. You are strong, or you wouldn't have been chosen in the first place."
I stared at the ground, holding my head. It throbbed painfully alongside my heart. When I didn't look up at him, he grabbed my face lightly and pulled my head up to meet his gaze. His words were slow, steady. "We are of the Ten, Copelyn Manson. Whether you like it or not, that's who you are. It's who we are. Nothing is going to hurt you, okay? You haven't even scratched the surface of your abilities. Do you understand?"
I nodded, sniffling. I was suddenly humiliated, crying like that. I pulled away from him and wiped my cheeks with the back of my sleeve. After a few minutes of silence, he started driving again.
I reached over and turned on the radio. It was an unfamiliar catchy song with a lot of repetitive lyrics, but Adrian didn't complain. I wanted to just relax and not think about anything, so I rested my head on the back of the seat and closed my eyes, feeling the sun press against my lids. Though I had slept soundly last night, I still felt tired and drained. Adrian had said I might feel this way for a couple of days. My body was still getting used to being a living thing again.
"You can go ahead and take a nap," He suggested, slipping on his sunglasses from the visor. "We still have about half an hour before we reach the others. And you could use some rest. The more you sleep, the faster you regain your energy."
I nodded, moving my hair out of my face. Sleep. I could do that.
And so I did.
