The Network ( Book One of the Grounders Series )

2

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The Hearth in the center of the Artery would be lit by now. It's only a few seconds before the door open.

I briefly ponder running toward to far end of the Artery and living with the Unified People in the Artery, but I decide that I would hate it there. Even though I hate it among the harshness of my own clan, those people would be too sensitive for me. I just don't belong anywhere.

I walk briskly back to my chambers, hoping Mother isn't up yet. She usually wakes up after the door opens because she works in a different clan during the day.

I walk into my bedchamber and pull open the Book of Creation. I usually read the first bit every morning.

War raged among the villages, all wanting more land and more power. The Vonicans, who'd ruled over the entire continent for years, suddenly disappeared from the face of the Earth. Shortly after their disappearance ancient Roman religion set in and the wars only continued, creating what is now known as Italy in the old Vonicans territory. No one knows where the Vonicans, or their leader, Alvus Constantine disappeared to.

I close the book. After that small section, I usually give up because my attention is lost.

The Vonicans are what the Aboveground called us before we disappeared. Over the years we've given ourselves the name Grounders, and the history of Vonica's disappearance was lost entirely to Above-grounders records. We were basically wiped of the face of the earth.

My great, great, great, great, great (you get the point) grandfather was Alvus Constantine, the ruler of the Vonicans when they were Vonicans. Before the Great Wars began and the Vonicans sealed them selves underground, Alvus Constantine ruled over a flourishing empire the controlled nearly all of Eurasia, and large part of North America and Africa. No other religion existed back then except for the ideal that Constantine was divine. He ruled over everything, believed to be watching all of his people.

Until the First Rebellion began in North America. The people know as Viyakans wanted to be self-governed. The war spread all throughout the world. Finally Constantine was tried of it. He brought six thousand of his most loyal Vonicans to the tunnels with him and created a a species called the dinosaur to wipe out his warring people.

It was said that one day the Grounders would return to Earth to rebuild itself. That hasn't happened yet obviously and I don't think it will in my lifetime.

Mother isn't awake yet so when I'm done mulling over history, the only school topic that captures my attention in the slightest, I grab my school bag and leave early.

I wander around the main tunnel of my clan chamber, people are wandering the corridors now, getting on with their business. Some cast me revolting glances as I walk past them. I return the glare, hoping I have ten times as much venom packed into my features as they do. I am sick of them thinking I'm an easy target. One boy who flinched at me when I glared back and for some reason that made me smile. It refreshing to have control, even if it's merely a thimbleful of it.

The door leading into the Artery is open, gaping to the darkness outside. Some people carry around lamps, and other walk around without assistance. Over the millions and millions of years the Grounders have lived in the darkness, echolocation has been branded into our genes, but some of us just can't get ahold of it. I'm lucky that I'm able to use, even if I do have to mentally turn it on.

The Artery is a massive tunnel. Everyone else can compare it to things like trees and the sun, all I can tell you is that every single one of the three million Grounders can fit easily into the tunnel with much breathing room. My friend Cicada once told me that the tunnel stretches as high as the Nile River was wide. I have no idea what she meant by that, but I assume it's very wide.