Prodigies Are Made

>13<

I heard the normal idle chatter from my family to Aaron's, "Harvard? That's great." Though they didn't really seem surprised. Of course he would get into the best medical college in the world. It was expected. 

As soon as I stepped in the doorway, my parents called me, "Xavier! How was school?"

I nodded, "Good."

She smiled, turning back to the Jacksons, "Xavier is taking 5 music classes as well..."

I tuned out of their conversation. Whenever they were in the same room with another Project Re-Gen family, there was always some sort of contest to see who's kid was the best. I thought it was probably because there was sixteen of them. More people equals less connection.  We all vowed that we wouldn't be like that when we were older. 

My current focus should be on the situation in question, though.

Aaron and I made eye contact. I was the one who called him out for his detachment. This meeting was a result of that, I am certain. However, I was eager to get information. I needed answers. All of us did.

Not long after I sat next to my parents, the doorbell rang. The elders didn't pay any attention but I craned my neck to see who it was. Aaron's gaze was also directed toward the entrance of the room. 

He seemed as nervous as the rest of us, which was really unsettling, since he knew more than any of us.

The Weavers came into view and the sight of Christy sent a wave of relief over me. Though the underlying tension didn't completely go away, it helped.

She made eye contact with me, and I her. 

She strode across the room, sitting beside me before her parents could take her place. For that, I was so grateful.

Her parents sat next to her, starting up chit-chat with the other parents. Aaron, Christy and I were all looking at each other, though, wondering what thoughts were going through each of our heads.

Slowly, the others began trickling in. Jack's family first, followed by Bridget's, then Jenna's. Sammi's family entered with Brody's, which was expected since they live in the same area.

Meanwhile, we were just giving looks to each other. That was all we could do at the moment.

After everyone had a chance to settle in, Aaron's father cleared his throat, causing everyone to quiet down almost immediately, "I'm sorry I interrupted your conversations, but I believe it's time to address the matter at hand."

I could see some of the parents shift uncomfortably throughout the room. The kids, however, subtly leaned forward. 

This mystery was finally being discussed.

"I apologized that we have not told you sooner, children, as we have been shielding you from the... realities of this world. Aaron has come into light about this thing and convinced us that you all should be informed."

This time it was Aaron who fiddled with his fingers. I felt a twinge of guilt after hearing him say that, but it was drowned out by curiosity. Aaron's father was skating around the subject.

"Well, you see..." He hesitated, trying to find the right words.

In that time, I felt delicate fingers coil around my own. It didn't take me long to realize that they were Christy's. She held my hand so that they were almost behind our backs and definitely out of view. I sneaked a glance at her, but her eyes were trained on Aaron's father. So, I just gave her hand a squeeze. She did the same.

"Outside of this neighborhood, there are people who don't feel as strongly for Project Re-Gen as we do." He finished.

"They despise it." It was Sammi's father who spoke up, "People have dedicated their lives to stopping it."

There were people who wanted to see us fail? 

The thought was so shocking and foreign that I couldn't think of anything except that. The thing that pulled my out of my shock was Christy's nails digging into my hand. I squeezed her hand back, causing her to blink, before looking at me. The expression on her face was nothing like I've seen before. There was shock, mixed with panic, mixed with fear.

Scanning the room, I saw that this reflected on everyone else's face too, and probably my own as well. My gaze met Aaron's and there was a sad understanding in his eyes, telling me that he had felt the same way when he first heard about this.

"You are perfectly safe in this neighborhood," My father quickly said.

"There's surveillance and security surrounding you 24/7." Brody's mother explained.

It still didn't shake the uneasiness from the room.

"The purpose of telling you this is to show you how sheltered you've been. As I explained earlier, there are a lot of things that you don't know about the world. People have been rejecting the idea of Project Re- Gen, and Tomorrow Inc. in general, ever since it came into existence."

In other words, it was nothing new.

"As you grow older, you will begin to experience this more, especially when you leave this town. You should pay no attention to these small-minded people," Christy's father said.

"There might be small rebellions that pop up. We have crushed them quickly. We're in the middle of doing so right now, which is why you have been... limited, recently."

That sentence from Aaron's father put everything in a new light. They were protecting us against some sort of rebellion? No, it wasn't just any rebellion, it was a rebellion against us. 

I felt my hand tighten around Christy's again. And again, I was grateful that she was seated next to me.

"Do you all understand the responsibility you have, being a part of Project Re-Gen?" Aaron's father asked.

I felt myself numbly nod, feeling Christy do the same next to me. The others were probably doing that as well.

Satisfied, Aaron's father nodded, "That is all. The children are dismissed."

We all got up, Christy suddenly dropping my hand in the process. To my surprise, Aaron got up as well, following us out of the room.

The first minute we spent in my kitchen was just us staring at each other.

The silence was broken by Bridget. 

"So... rebellions, huh?"