The Chosen

Chapter 10

Xavier and I sat in the car in silence, I watched out the window as we sped out of town. To my surprise, we left the inside walls of the rich and important and they passed through the outside walls as well, entering into the human world. This was my first time outside the Terrestrial city since I had been chosen by Zariah. It looked the same but somehow felt different. I found myself noticing things I never noticed before, like the smoke in the air was nothing like the clear fresh air in the Terrestrial city and It was so cold out here unlike the warmth inside the walls. People walked along the roads moving out of the way for the town car. Cars around here were sparse and some of the children looked on as if they had never seen one before. They probably hadn't.

I turned to Xavier "how come we left the city?" I asked him trying to not seem too nosy.

He turned to me with a big smile on his face "well you see the Lab is out of town, for security reasons" he replied nodding along with his words.

The streets we drove on gradually got narrower and the dwellings beside the road got fewer. as I looked out the window I saw fewer people walking along the street than before. I had never been this far out of town and was surprised to see it was not like where I grew up at all. The houses were closer together and smaller and the few people we did see looked older and more tired than the people I grew up with.

Xavier sat beside me and as I turned away from the window I realised he had been watching with. "What are you thinking about" he asked looking over me, I tried to think of the words that could put all my thoughts into a sentence but I couldn't quite grasp the ones I needed. "Its different" I murmered fidgiting in my seat. As I spoke the car turned a sharp corner onto a narrow dirt road. Xavier must have sensed my confusion, "don't worry we are nearly there" he said with a small smile. His eyes glinted as he smiled warmly, washing away any doubt I had about what I was doing or where we were going.

After about ten minutes of driving on the dirt road we passed through a heavily guarded chain link fence, it was like nothing I had ever seen before. All the fences in the main city where big stone things but this looked older and more serious. Passing through the road changed to shiny black tar-seal and we sped across it smoothly. In the distance I could see a large white building with hardly any windows. It looked clean and commanding standing all alone out there surrounded only by flat planes of grass as far as you could see.

Xavier smiled as we approached turning and grinning at me "this is the compound Fae, it is my favourite place on earth" he said excitedly.

What did he mean compound, I knew when the Terrestrials first came to earth they set themselves up in compound like buildings before taking over but I thought they where all destroyed in the war and the city built in there place.

"I thought they where all destroyed" I said to Xavier, wanting him to explain more.

He sighed, "well you see, they where all destroyed. Except this one" he said, his face serious

I looked up the building was closer now and seriously huge. These Terrestrial compounds had the most high tech security for the time and it showed. The walls glistened with a protection canopy that could stop even the strongest of weapons breaking through.
"Why did they keep this one" I asked Xavier.

He motioned at the grand building as he spoke "well this was the best of the best, and my grandfather decided that we should keep it incase you humans revolted and the royals needed a safe place to stay" he said before continuing to look out the window.

A human revolt, I had never even thought about it. I suppose we wouldn't dare. The Terrestrials are way to powerful and it is not like we have it bad. Life continues much the same as it did before just with some rather different tweaks. If the Terrestrials were worried of a revolt then maybe it was possible, they wouldn't have kept this compound unless it was needed right? I turned away from the view of the ever nearing building and looked at Xavier. His face was tight lipped and sullen as he watched out the window, when he noticed me watching his face brightened and he smiled knowingly at me.

"Since it is very unlikely that we will revolt why do you feel the need to keep this place?" I ask confused with all the new things I was learning today.

Xavier's smile faded "this place is a place of not only security, where we train our guards but it is also where my lab is, which is very important and highly classified information. As far as most of the city know this place does not exist anymore. We even let some humans train to be guards" he looked broodingly at me "you must not tell anyone what you see or hear here Fae, it could compromise everything. I wouldnt expect a human to understand but please try to" he said with a distracted look on his face.

This Xavier was different to the Xavier who took me out to breakfast and sent me seeds. He seemed more sullen and less smiley and cheerful than he was. I supposed it was the fact that he was working right now. But I don't understand  why he keeps referring to humans in such a demeaning way. I thought he was better than the Terrestrials that looked down on us as their servants and inferiors.

I fidgeted in my seat checking out the window to see how close we where now, I could see the sheer scale of the compound clearly now and trust me It was huge. I turned back to Xavier, the human thing itching at me. "Why do you keep referring to me like I am just some human, we are nearly the same as you lot. Not a bunch of animals you herd around" I said strongly.

Xavier had been moving about looking for something in his bag but he froze as I spoke. He looked up at me with an unreadable expression "of course" he murmured "I am sorry, you are of course not just a human" he paused gathering his thoughts before looking up at me and smiling "you are an amazing girl, who is so smart and even speaks Amari. You are a girl so nice even the hardest soldier would want to be your friend, you are a girl with such incredible DNA you could save an entire race" he took my hand in his firm grip "you are extraordinary human Fae, and don't let any say you are not. Including me" he drew back as we pulled up in front of the compound.

I was shocked at hus words, no one had ever complimented me like that before and I liked it. He was smiling absently now but seemed to focus again as the driver opened his door. Stepping out into the crisp air I could hear nothing. The compound was silent. It was weird.

I followed Xavier curiously as he strode up the steps and into the massive building.