Our Species

Chapter 5.

Out of the darkness appeared a pale face. I was lying on my back it seemed, and it wasn't comfortable, the pale face was a few centimetres from mine. It was male, and it had jet black eyes and small white lips pressed into a thin line. He had frown lines under his eyes, on his forehead and cheeks. I knew who it was, and was just about to scream for help when a huge cold hand clapped over my mouth and nose. I struggled and writhed, trying to break the hand's grip, but it clenched over tighter. I struggled harder, pressing my own hand against the face, but it went straight through and I felt nothing but air. I was losing oxygen. I attempted to conjure flames from my palm and shove it in the face. No effect. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Branch and the other recruits we had found surrounding the small black room we were in. They had white hands over their mouth and nose too. My struggling weakened and the corners of my vision began to go fuzzy and dark. 'This is it.' I thought to myself as the darkness spread further and further into my vision. I stopped struggling entirely and went limp. Black.

**************

'You look awful Lib,' Branch murmured to me, while buttering some toast.

'Thanks,' I answered unenthusiastically. 'Just a sleepless night...'

Judith had returned very late last night, furious at the fact she had found nothing to eat.

'You can't suffice with animals?' Ryan asked quietly from the corner of the living room.

'Of course I can't! What do you think I am? A vegetarian?!' Judith snapped back. I sighed and went upstairs to check on Steven; he hadn't stirred all night after we told him it would be best if he rested in the spare room, and I thought I would start interrogating him about his life first. I knocked timidly before opening the door.

'Steven?' I whispered, peering my head round the door. He was sitting on the end of the bed with his legs crossed, tying lots of knots in his shoelaces at speeds I'd never seen before.

'Hi, Lib,' he said looking up.

'You seem re-energised then.'

'I am, thank you for letting me rest.'

I walked over to the bed and sat down carefully on the edge. Steven shuffled round to face me.

'I over-heard at the door that you had a sister?' I asked.

'I do, she's called Madeleine,' he replied.

'Does she have any abnormalities like us?'

'She does, she can influence any greenery, like trees and roots and flowers and stuff, kind of like a limited Mother Nature. She's younger than me though, she's 15, and she's extremely shy and a hater of violence. Hence she didn't want to come, I didn't want to leave her behind, yet I really wanted to come help you out when I heard the news that our own kind were planning to rebel against the humans,' he explained.

'Oh, we could try and go back and convince her then, she sounds like she could be useful.'

'Ohhh good luck with that, she can get very ... ermm ... defensive?'

'I'm sure we'll manage,' I laughed. 'I'll let you get ready, have a shower if you want.'

'I will do! Thanks!'

I smiled at him as I got up and left the room. That was another person added to the list of people to convince. A 15 year old shouldn't be too hard to persuade either. But something told me it would be trickier than it seemed.