"What do you mean?" asks Alix. Her eyebrows raise, and involuntary habit of hers.
"What I mean is that you ten have supreme superhuman talents that aren't replicable by anything we can pour into any other human body. You are very special children." Blondie says. Her smile looks completely fake, like it was plasttered on her face.
"Yeah, I feel soo special," says Lili. I smirk. Here comes her famous fiery temper. "I'm locked up to a chair, had to just watch a boring, ten minute video about stuff I already knew, don't know when or if I'm going to get out of this place, and also, I'm pretty damn hungry."
Blondie just smiles her fake smile. She's had to have Botox. Or some other form of plastic surgery. There is no way her face is that tight naturally. It's a bit creepy to look at. I shake myself out of my reverie when she starts to talk again.
"We brought you here to find out more about you. We have you restrained because we thought that you'd be, well, a bit...unhelpful with the situation."
"That's the understatment of the year," Liam mumbles.
"And what do you plan on.... doing with us?" I ask her.
"Well," she says, turning her attention to me, "the government has taken some notice of you lately in the past few months." she says. "And they think that you children are something spectacular. After a few tests here, we are going to send you to a different government facility, where you will be prepped for your mission."
"Our mission?" asks Lili. Her hands are clenched around the arms of her chair.
Blondie smiles a sugar-sweet smile at Lili that makes my blood run cold. "Yes dear, your mission. Given our recent...tensions wiht certain countries, we think that we can use you ten for certain functions to help your country in any way possible, when needed."
"No way in hell am I going to do that," I say. "Listen, lady, if you think that you can drag us out here to be your slaves, then you thought differently. I'm not being sent to some random Middle East country and being shot at just so you fancy people here can clap each other on the back. I can't be bossed around. I'm not some weak little girl who does whatever her kidnappers want."
"Oh, Xenia," she says. She has a hard glint in her eyes when she looks at me. "You really have no choice in the matter. We have already confirmed and paid your parents--"
"What?" says Alix. "Our parents sold us to the government?"
"Of course," says Blondie. "None of you would be here if they hadn't. They knew your mission was more important than staying at home like normal kids. We paid them well, and you might be able to see them occasionally if you all are on your best behavior,"
Shock. Betrayal. Anger. Some of the emotions that swirl through my head. My parents sold me out to the government. Nothing is making sense anymore. My parents, who I thought loved me more than they loved themselves sold em and my little sister to the government. I would expect this of Court's mom, sure, but my parents?
I turn back to look at Alix, who has tears in her eyes. She nods. She must have heard me. I look at Court, who is suddenly very interested in the white tile on the ground. Lili doesn't show any emotion, but I know how she must feel inside. Liam, Ruby and Lucy all have tears in their eyes, too.
"Now that we are all on the same page," Blondie interrupts my thoughts, "I will take you to your rooms. There are two beds in each room, and you are lucky enough to choose who you want to share it with, so decide your pairings now," she smiles again, and writes something down on the clipboard in her hands.
All of us are silent. We don't want to choose our room pairings. We just want to go home.
"Katelyn and Colton," Court says. I nod. He doesn't want to choose either one of them over the other, so he put them together.
