Inhuman

Chapter 12

I pace around the room, everyone's eyes follow me as I pace. I can’t believe Keanu did that, his instructions were simple to wait to be the distraction. I hold the letter from her crinkled in my hand. “She knows” I say quietly and Sallow stands up from his chair. He looks at me and I say again. “She knows” Sallow’s eyes widen because he knows what I’m talking about. “We are going to continue with this plan because it’s all we have” I say still pacing Arya follows me around her delicate hand on my back trying to calm me down.
Catayla stands her palms press against the table and she looks at me. I can tell she is stressed, “I’m sorry Axel, but that is not your call to make” She says, she is scared and this is what she does. She hides her fears in anger. I don’t bother arguing with her though, she is right it’s not my call all I do is go on camera and try to make alliances. “We are going to make a new plan” Catayla looks around the room nodding her head to everyone, they all want to disagree, but they don’t, knowing this is the best option. “We are only going to change one thing though '' We all look at Catalya confused why even change anything at all then, I tilt my head like a confused puppy. “The location” She says and now I get it, the location for a battle is the most important part. If the other side doesn’t know where we are going then they will be completely unprepared. “We are going to her mansion” She says we all look at her as she walks around the large metal rectangular shaped table. “It’s the perfect place,” She says, stepping up to the white board. Sallow puts his hand on his chin thinking, she rolls her eyes at all of us like it’s common sense. “everyone will be there, Governors, other world leaders and more senators than just Keanu”. She says drawing circles and putting names on them looks like a chart from a football game. 
Nash interrupts her. “But the leader of China will be there, do you really want to lose that alliance for the whole country?” Nash asks and Cataya just shrugs her shoulders. “They are providing part of the cure for the virus” This gets Catayla’s attention. The marker on the white board makes a squeak as she spins around. It’s the Alfa virus actually. That is what the generation where the virus let out, “If we kill him we will lose our cure” Catayla looks at him and I just realized how tired she looks, her eyes are sunk in and slightly red, from lack of sleep. 
Catayla swallows and clears her throat, “You mean to tell me that they have already made a cure”, I turn around to not Catalya talking, but Sallow, his eyes dash to Cataylafor a split second, but then they go back to the group of us. “When can the cure be used?” He asks and Catayla shakes his head at him, careful for no other to see her, but I do and Catayla knows this. “What I mean to say is can we use this on people who have already turned?” He says walking away from Catayla and sitting back down Catalya sits down at the other end of the table away from Sallow. 
I nod my head at them, “Yes, they do have a cure but it hasn’t been so successful” I say my eyes scan Catayla suspicion bubbling inside me, did she get bit why was she so happy to know there is a cure. Catayla shifts in her chair and is now staring me down, I unlock my eye contact from her and focus back on the group. “It is unsuccessful because you need the DNA from another person who shares the same DNA” I say and everyone looks at me, and I know what they are thinking. “Oxitec has not yet figured out how to put that DNA inside a liquid without it being full DNA, like spit or blood” I explain to everyone and they all look at me Catayla looks at me with desperation in her eye’s Sallow just sits back in his chair, and that tell me it’s not Catayla because Sallow would have the same desperation in his eyes. “You can’t use Direct DNA” I summarize this. 
Catayla looks at me the hope dwindling in her eyes, “So say one had the same DNA, with just one difference then would you be able to” I shake my head and she falls back in her chair, I notice a necklace that she didn’t have before around her neck, it was Keanu’s rosary, she was twirling the necklace around in her fingers, I knew she was thinking about her twin, no doubt he is in danger. Yana is ruthless if something doesn’t go her way she will hurt or even kill that person, but Keanu created a protective barrier around himself. 
Arya changes the subject and for that I am very grateful. “This battle is going to happen when?” She asks, she knows when, but she needs to change the subject. She has a green bandanna resting in her red curly hair and paint on her face, “the thirteenth correct” She states and we all nod our heads. “By any chance would we be able to have this battle before the leader of China comes?” She says and we all look at her, even Catayla was listening ideally. “We could have this attack perhaps the twenty seventh” she says, that is tomorrow and tomorrow is not far away at all, my stomach twist and Arya looks around at everyone, the gold paint the color of a sunset shines in one of the lights above that was barely lite, just creating a dim of light in the captain corners. 
Catayla things for a second, then looks to Sallow and he nods his head at her. “I think it would work.” She says, resting her hands on her stomach. I could tell she was nervous. She does that whenever she is nervous, it’s to get rid of the sweat on her hands. “Tomorrow is the day” She says standing up and now it was her turn to pace around the room, Nash turns on the T.V and Keanu was being interviewed. 
This is the first time I’ve seen the Interviewer’s face, he has black hair and chestnut brown eyes, Keanu was smiling in the camera, I know it’s a fake smile. Catayla’s eyes fall on Keanu and she shakes her head. He was wearing all white only he had a red rose in his pocket. I know the rose was more than just a rose for the rebels, it was blood, it was Yana’s message without talking. So Keanu, tell us how it feels to be so young and to be rushed into a position like this” The interviewer asks.
Keanu was sitting in a royal blue chair, Catayla was biting her nails, “Well I can tell you that I like the attention I’m getting” Keanu says giving a wink to the audience, Kyaleesi looks at the T.V her eyes look at him I know she is wish he was here now. The girls in the crowd screech his name, he really was good at being a charmer. 
The interviewer looks at him and starts laughing Keanu laughs along with him, Catayla was on the brink of tears. “Do you miss anyone” The interviewer says trying to get any type of dirt on him, but Keanu is smarter than that. Now Kyaleesi’s eyes were filled with tears, the two people he probably misses the most are watching him on the T.V. 
Keanu looks in the camera then his eyes dash back to the interviewer, he has to lie to protect himself, but I know Keanu doesn’t want to lie because he wants us to know that he misses us Catayla was holding the rosary and Kyaleesi is shaking her head at the screen. “Well there’s this one person” He says and Catayla sits in a chair, he just lost all protection he had against Yana. “But um you see technically I am single, but mentally I belong to someone else” The girls in the crowd sigh and that puts relife back on my chest. 
The Interviewer looks at Keanu, his eyebrow arched and intrigued as to why Keanu would say that, “And why is that?” The interviewer asks with hungry eyes craving for information and something about Keanu that no one wants to know. 
I shake my head, don’t be stupid Keanu. I think to myself, “Well it’s because” Keanu thinks for a second not knowing what to say because he knows he messed up. My heart thumps in my chest, Keanu is the greatest friend I have beside Catayla, he’s really more like a brother to me. “Now why would I tell you my personal life?” He asks in a mocking type tone but he adds a smile so it doesn’t seem like he’s being insulting, “I’m sure my life is way too boring” He says and that makes the audience throw controversy up to the stage. He’s making sure that his time is up before he says anything else. 
The interviewer nods his head from side to side, “well you certainly dress a lot more boring” He says and the audience laughs in agreement, that interviewer will be dead by morning and the clothing in Oxitec will change by morning as well, “It looks like our time with this funny guy is up” the crowd boycotts and I see the interviewer whisper instructions into Keanu’s ears, and now I see that interviewer won’t die because he created a bubble around him like Keanu did. Keanu stands up from the chair and waves to crowd with one last smile before exiting the glittering stage filled with lights and cameras. 
Kya backs away shaking her head.”We need to get him out of there, we need to cancel the mission” She says her black hair was tied in a ponytail so she could use her hair as an escape her green eyes are filled with tears as she reaches for the door handle, I take her hand and move her away from the door. “You don’t understand, I know she is evil” Kya says and we all look at her for an explanation . How does she know her? Everyone knows her but the way she said that was like she knows her more than any of us. “She is, was my step sister” She says correcting herself, “If nothing goes her way she will kill that person, that prevented anything from going her way” Kya sits down in the chair looking at the wall, with a face of haterade, “She is cruel, manipulative and the devil” She says still looking at the wall, “The only thing good about her is she’s easy read” Kya says, then a switch of some kind goes off in her brain. “She’s easy to read” She says standing up and going for the door,she opens it and rushes to her room we all follow her and she takes a book down from the shelf, “She’s insane” I hear her mumble under her breath as she flips through the pages in her book. “She is trying to make a monarchy.” She says and we all look at her confused. “Did any of you pay attention in school?” She asks and Sallow rubs the back of his neck. 
We all look at him and he gives a small smile. “Now it’s my turn to be a geek isn’t it” he says stepping up and Kya hands the book to him, “A monarchy is a rule in which one person rules until they die, then their children take over” Sallow say matter of factly, “What I had to pay attention otherwise I would've had to give up sports”. He says defensively and we all laugh at him, of course Sallow  would do that he is obsessed with sports, if Sallow was in school he would be the football player that all the girls swooned over making him one of the most popular kids in school. “A monarchy, or in this case a tyranny” He says looking at Kya and she nods her head and urges him to continue,he was reading a definition from a large old brown betten book with a red spine. “A tyranny is when one person takes over the government” He looks up from the book. “She would have control over everything, the economy, the government and the people” He says listing off everything on his fingers, his right hand still stiff and broken from his past. “Yana would be the most powerful human in the country” Sallow says his eyes darken with fear and I realize for the first time how tired he looks, I’m sure we all look tired and it is normal for us but for Sallow to look tired it’s not normal at least for what I think. 
I step up looking at the book, the pages are worn and are almost like tissue paper, but it’s the best we have. “So she will either make our lives a living hell or change it for the better” I say and everyone nods we all no the answer and it’s not the latter. Yana will stop at nothing to get the picture of what she wants. Catyala stands in the corner with her arms crossed over her chest, she was thinking. I try to imagine people if life was different and if we were in school. Of course none of us would be in school even now being twenty-five and twenty-seven, but it still helps, Catayla would be the tough woman that no one would mess with because they know she won’t back down from a fight. Kya would be the kind, considerate woman that would try and help everyone out, Keanu would be the class clown that everyone would be friends with, I would be one of those friends, I would also be in track. I smile at the thought of running around a track for miles, kicking up the sand and dirt as I run. I would be popular, but I would have only a few close friends. The school would have many windows and the sun would shine through as I would listen to a history teacher drone on about something,  and when I would get home I would have piles of homework that I would put off till the last minute. Catayla of course would tisk at this and help me with my homework, Sallow would follow Catayla to my house and Keanu would already be there we would just hangout, maybe through highschool parties when our parents would leave for business trips. 
I snap back to reality and hear Catayla talking. “So when we fight tomorrow, and save Keanu we need to be ready for any possible outcome” She says and she looks at everyone that was in tha room. Her eyes dash from Juniper, Nash, Nova, Mateo, Kya, me, and lastly Sallow. “We need to except the fact that some of us may not make it out alive and some of us will” Her eyes find me and her voice becomes shaky, “This fight won’t determine everything, but it will either give us head start or a rocky finish” She says, she could have added a swear word like she usually does, but she didn’t, however her voice was stern and low. Every person was looking at her with a look of seriousness then they look around at everyone in the room, “We need to stop her at all costs” Catayla says and everyone nods their heads only Nash looks upset and I know why, it’s because somewhere in that twisted brian, Yana is a good person that bad think have happened to and those bad things twisted her and made her into who she is.
Everyone leaves the room and I pull Nash to the side, in Highschool he would be that one person who would join the wrestling team, there’s a reason I would be in track it’s because I’m smaller and have less muscle, but Nash is built like a ox with wide shoulders and and muscles clearly visible through his shirt, “You know there is no getting her back” I say and even though he looks intimidating which he is his eyes weigh heavy with sadness and he has to close them, for they are to heavy, he pushes me out of the way and I feel like a fly being shooed away. I stand back and let him pass me, he storms off letting the steel stair clatter as he walks. I walk in the other direction, I walk into Catayla’s room. Sallow was there too, they were talking about something, but stopped when I walked in. I had a question for them that needed answered, “What did that plan say?” I ask them.
Sallow bits his lip not wanting to say anything. Then he steps forward. “The mosquitoes that they are keeping in the hospital locked away” He says looking at Catayla who looks at him and nods her head telling him to continue. “Well Yana wants to bring them into the city,” He says, scratching the back of his neck. He is the most nervous I’ve ever seen him. That is geniside, I think to myself. If she wants to rule over people then why is she trying to kill them, no she isn’t trying to kill everyone just the weak that’s who the virus hits the weak, she wants a world of young people, she wants an army. I sat down well, nearly collapsed in a chair behind me. If we don’t win this battle then more people will die, more than before, There are easier ways to have an army Yana. I think to myself, Sallow pinches the bridge of his nose and starts walking around the room. His eyebrows flur in anger and he looks at Catayla and I, for a split second before his eyes change he says. “Run” Then his eyes changed from their usual golden brown to completely black. We stay in one spot not moving both of us are not leaving him here, “I told you two to run” Sallow growls holding onto the wall and trying not to attack us, I stand up from the chair and shake my head, I don’t say anything however I just watch him. The worst part is the fact that we can’t help him, Oxitec used to do experiments on people to make super soldiers I remember because I was the lead scientist in this. I thought it was a good thing as did most, it was a way to defeat the Crimson Heads. What Oxitec did however to make these super soldiers was something only monsters dream up. Oxitec took the DNA from different animals particularly predators and would have prisoners of war take this pill so the DNA would enter the bloodstream. I back away slowly to the door with Catayla’s hand in mine, right now we are not in the same room as Sallow we are in the same room as a tiger ready to kill anyone that comes in his way, Catayla doesn’t move and won’t let me move either. Sallow starts circling us like a predator does when they are about to strike, I tuge on Catayla’s hand telling her that we need to get out of here. Sallow comes back to us for a split second when he sees Catayla’s eyes filled with fear, Catayla relaxes and that is my chance, Sallow goes away and I open the door and pull Catayla out of the room. Catayla tried to open the door but I was holding her with both of my arms, she tried to squirm out of my grasp, but it was no use. 
I lean down by her ear and she was determined to help Sallow to get him out of whatever daze he is in, Catayla was one of the test subjects too. She was stronger than Sallow, but Sallow sacrificed himself for her; she would have been the last one and Sallow would have been safe. “That’s not Lucas and you know it” I whisper to her and she stops squirming, after what I did to him and what I almost did to her none of them deserve to forgive me , but they do. She starts to cry, shaking in my arms, through the window we see Sallow pacing the room waiting for us to come back in. Catayla walks up to the window and places a hand on the glass, Sallow walks up to the window and slams his fist on the glass making Catayla jump, but she stays there. Sallow keeps punching the glass until his knuckles bleed. He was trying to crack the glass, and he would have to if the glass wasn’t bullet proof. Eventually Sallow falls to the floor his eyes change back to the warm gold brown, but not before he closes his eyes. Catayla rushes to the room and opens the door. I walk in slowly still skeptical if he changes back now Catayla would be dead. I grab her hand but she rips her hand out of mine, She kneels down next to Sallow. 
She wasn’t afraid of him, but I was terrified. Catayla looks at Sallow’s hands that were covered in blood and his skin was cut open on his palms from making fists. “Axel, get me cotton wraps and warm water with a towel please” She says and suddenly I feel like I’m back at Oxitec taking care of the wounded, I hate that I was with them. I go to the bathroom and find a first aid kit, I then run the warm water and soak the washcloth in the water. When I walk back out Catayla was running her fingers through Sallow's red hair, Catayla smiles at me and takes the washcloth cleaning his hands up. “Hey you” Catyla says and Sallow smiles
Then that smile turns to concern and worry. “Did I hurt anyone?” He asks as Catayla wraps the Cotton cloth around his hands he flinches for a second. 
I smile and laugh, “Just the window” I say and Sallow laughs then he looks at Catayla whose back was turned, thank you Sallow mouths and I nod my head at him then Catayla comes back with a fresh wash cloth for the other hand. 
Sallow moves his hand. “Ouch that hurt” He says and Catayla rolls her eyes. 
She just grabs his hand gently. “I haven’t even done anything yet” She says patting his knuckles. “Maybe you shouldn’t have been punching the glass” She says tisking him.
Sallow just smiles at her, “That definitely wasn't me that was” He thinks for a second. “Easton” Sallow says. 
Catayla laughs at this. “You named it,” She asks, shaking her head. 
Sallow just laughs, “It’s not that bad of a name I don’t think” He says and Catayla smiles, I feel like I’m in the middle of something that I shouldn’t be in. I walk back to my room ot believing that tomorrow is the battle, I wasn’t able to sleep like most nights, but this night was different, before I couldn’t sleep because of killing that little boy Crimson Head or not he was still a kid, but this time it as because I know one of my friends won’t make it at least one,and that is still far to many they are like my family and even if none of them die we might still loss the battle being unable to kill Yana and that in turn kills millions of others. Everyone of these thoughts run through my brain making me overwhelmed and unable to sleep. I play the news instead, but there was nothing on no speeches from Yana today, she must be just as worried as I am because she knows it’s either her or me that are going to die in the end of this, I just hope that if this battle is unsuccessful that the mosquitoes get into whatever bunker she is hiding in and thy kill her, if her own plan fales than she will for sure be dead. Maybe just maybe Keanu will kill her before we even have to go into battle, no Keanu’s orders were to spy on her and that was it then again when did Keanu ever follow orders. I hear a knock on my door, I open it to find Arya standing by the door. 
She smiles at me and the paint on her cheek is the color of a pink flower. It seems like every time I see her she is always painting something. “Do you mind if we talk” She says and she looks just as nervous as everyone else, but she isn’t trying to hide it. I nod my head and gesture for her to come in, “Can I draw you?” She says and I’m taken aback no one has ever asked me that before. I nod my head and she smiles at me and opens her sketchbook, I move my head not sure what to do and she puts her soft hand on my chin moving my head back to the side. “What do you think will happen tomorrow?” She asks and I move my head to talk to her but she moves my head back again.
I take a deep breath, “I don’t know” I say honestly and she nods her head, Arya moves my head to look at her, she looks at my eyes and I look at hers they are not as gold as her brothers, but they are still beautiful. She goes back to her sketchbook drawing my eyes. “I suppose we will just have to see,” I say to her calmly.”What do you think will happen?” I ask her.  
She looks up from her sketchbook and smiles at me then goes back to drawing, “I’m not a fortune teller Axel” She says drawing and when she finishes she shows me. “What do you think?” She says, holding up the book with graphite stained fingers. It really is a good drawing but that is not what I was looking at. I was looking at her face, for some reason something about her is beautiful. I don’t know if it’s her eyes, her smile or her personality, but it is something. “Axel.”
I shake my head. “It’s amazing” I say to her looking at the drawing, “Really, it’s really good”I say smiling at her. I don’t remember smiling though, but the drawing made me smile. “I don’t remember smiling,” I say giving the book back to Arya.
She laughs at me. “I draw every person with a smile, because smiles are the only thing that lights up a dark cave” She says smiling at me, that’s what it is, it’s her loving personality and the way she will light up a room with just one word. Her smile goes away and her face darkens, “I’m fighting this battle for my father” She says and I remember the news on the T.V. “Yana is cruel and my father was the only person to see that” She says and I nod my head even though I don’t agree with this more people can see that she is cruel, it’s just he was the only one brave enough to say something. “What was your family like?” she asks me. 
I look at her and give her a sad smile. “I don’t know, I was raised in an orphanage” I say to her and she looks away from me, “I never met my parents.” I say to her, “But I made my own family and that family is all of you” I say to her and she looks at me with her light pink lips growing into a smile. “And I think that’s better than any other family because I got to pick it” I say to her, her smile is really breathtaking of course I don’t say so because I can’t lose any more people. 
That’s when she kisses me lightly, “I’m sorry I really shouldn’t have done that” She says shyly a light blush spreads on her cheeks. “I’ll just go” She says, grabbing her pencil and sketchbook. I walk her out of the door but before she goes I give her a kiss. “Good night” She says and walks away with a smile on her face. I smile too as she walks away. I close the door to my room behind me. 
Sallow walks into my room, “So what did Arya want?” He asks curiously. 
I look at him and snap out of my daze. “To draw me” I say simply, wiping the smile off of my face, “She really does have a contagious smile” I say wiping the smile off of my face then I remember what we have to do tomorrow and I become nervous once again.
Sallow look at me examining my face, but then he just shrugged his shoulders. “Good night Axel” He says and walks out of the door,yeah I wish I would be able to sleep. I think to myself, I need to protect my family at all costs. I can’t lose them.