Armageddon

Part 11

Tia drummed her fingers against the bookshelf she leaned on, an irritated expression across her face. Her little brother sat in the chair next to her, his knees pulled up to his chin, while President Ramsay and the Second lady argued in the center of the study. Michael sat on the far end of the room by an open window. He seemed ready to escape with every move Tia made; his gaze avoided her the entire time.

"This is absurd!" The Second Lady spoke loudly, her face flushed and angry. "Some people show up from nowhere and we're to just invite them into our home and offer up our daughter?! We don't even know these people, what they've done, who they are! How are we supposed to trust them?" She stalked over to Tia and pointed at her fiercely, her burning gaze matching the Presidents. "How do you know they haven't already done something to her?! What if she's been tricked?!"

The President groaned, combing his thick fingers through this thinning hair. His golden eyes seemed burnt out. Tia quickly jumped to defend her honor. "I'm still me! They haven't done anything to me, they just want to show you-."

"Silence child, your father and I are talking." The Second Lady growled, her voice nothing but venom. She slid her grey gaze over her as if she was looking at something disgusting and dirty. "You're to be examined; we need to know you're still a virgin for the ceremony."

"Nadia!" Tia gasped, her face darkening. "I'm not your child! Don't you dare treat me-" The Second Lady, Nadia, slapped her across the face. The impact stung but seemed weak compared to normal. Tia quickly shot her a look.

Michael cried out in fear, huddling further away. "No Milady, she's not Human anymore. Don't anger her, don't make him come." He clawed at his face, his gaze growing further and further away. President Ramsay regarded him before calmly waving to his wife.

"Step away from Tiana, my dear. Let's be reasonable." He gently took his wife's hand and led her back into the middle of the room. He turned and let her take a good look at Michael. "Do you see this boy? He's a mess. He's to lead our people. We can't continue with what we had planned, and we can't host another tournament."

She frowned, watching the blonde male shake, his fearful gaze darting back to Tia every few seconds. "It's true, he can't even be in the same room with her." Nadia sighed and looked back at the younger female. "We don't know anything about these people - what if it's a truth we can't face? You've heard the stories from Michael," she looked up into her husband's bold face. He rubbed her arms.

"This is for the best. We will send our children into the Dark Continent as planned, but now we can sleep soundly knowing we aren't sending them to their death."

"But honey, you saw his eyes. That man's not Human." Her uncertain gaze fell back on Tia, something even darker lingered there.

"Ah, so what?" Tia snapped. She launched herself off the bookshelf with enough force that it snapped under her weight. Michael screamed and jumped back. Both parents jerked away from her, watching her wildly. She shook her head, her hair dancing back and forth. "Do you realize we've been locked away in this little valley all these years for our safety?! Do you even realize how amazing it is that this opportunity has presented itself to us? Our civilization is dying, humanity is burning out. We've been the cause of our demise since the very beginning.

"Now we're being given a second chance to reenter the world, a world we no longer know. There is so much life out there I cannot even begin to describe to you. Their species, the 'Fae', is brand new. They've only been around for a few thousand years. Do you want to evolve, to change? Do you want to take your first steps and officially become a part of this world? Or do you want to remain in this little corner - a corner that the whole world laughs at?"