The Unaffected

➠1.1

---PART 1---

CAPTIVITY

the next morning I wake after a fitful sleep to footsteps. My inner danger radar goes on the alert, and I sit straight up. The others are asleep. This probably happens every day to them.

The door opens and green six-fingered hand pushes something in. It resembles food. I look at it, careful not to touch it just in case. It smells like bread. Freshly baked bread. My stomach growls, reminding me I have not eaten in a day.

But I don't eat. It could be poison. Who knows what these aliens would do?

"Food?" Ella asks suddenly, sitting up. Her blond hair is mussed.

I shrug. She moves over, and opens the package. "Yes, it is food. Don't worry, it's safe. It's bread."

She pulls off a bit and hands it to me. "Here." I take a hesitant bite. It's pretty good, actually.

"I assume they're trying to make us trust them. Apparently we have special powers. I guess, since we survived, but..."

I nod. "I need to get out of this place," I say.

"Good luck with that," Ella says bitterly.

I sigh, and stand up, looking around the room. It hasn't changed since yesterday, still with the odd red light, the bare walls. The eerily smooth floor, with the two boys sleeping on it.

I look at the door. Maybe there's a way to deactivate it.

"Ella," I ask, walking back to her and sitting down. "Who guards us?"

"The aliens. And an army of humans who've joined them. Some support their cause. I don't know why they want to take over earth, but some humans believe it is a good reason."

I frown. "Did any of the Unaffected join them?"

"Not yet, as far as I know. But I don't know much; the aliens only reveal their secrets to the ones allied with them... or the ones they're just about to kill." Her face darkens. "Tom's been here the longest, and when he came there was one more Unaffected. A boy. But they killed him. I don't know much about him; Tom won't speak of him, you see. And I got here after he perished."

"Oh. That's sad," I say. I know that sounds like I don't care, but there's nothing else to say. I take a tiny bit more of the bread.

Tom sits up. "Food?" he asks.

Ella nods.

He moves over and grabs some. "Great." He turns to me. "You're lucky you came yesterday. We only get fed every other day. And only once a day then."

I frown in puzzlement. "So much for trying to make us trust them."

"It's to insure that we're weak enough not to escape," Ella explains.

"Like we could escape even if we were on a healthy diet and exercised at a gym everyday," I say sarcastically.

Ella laughs softly. "You frown too much. You'll get wrinkles."

I begin to scowl, and then stop myself, laughing. Then I look at John. He's still asleep. "Should we wake him up?" I ask.

"No, let him sleep. There's nothing else to do here," she says.

✶✶

later, we're playing a game called Animal, Vegetable, Mineral. Well, John, Ella, and I are. Tom is sitting alone, staring into space. I wonder what's wrong with him.

"Animal, vegetable, mineral?" John asks me. "Um, mineral," I say. He groans. "That's the hardest!"

"Oh, good!" I say.