and briefly recall all the
moments I had with Grant in the simulation room—my first training
session, my first simulation, the first time I beat him. I know that it has
only been a couple of months, but it all seems so distant. As guilty as it
feels, I want to go back to when it was just me in the
compound, before I even knew about Ev. Things were simpler and I had no
responsibilities.
My thoughts turn to Ev. She too must wish she
could go back from time to time, especially now that the other Genesys are
around.
I convince my legs that they need to walk me to
the elevator and they oblige. On the ride up I try to snap out of my funk and
ready myself to finally meet everyone.
As I weave my way through the hallways I hear
the sound of laughter rise from one of the classrooms. I head for the room and
stand in the doorway. Ev is the first one to notice me.
“Atom, come in.” She waves me over. The rest of
the Genesys go quiet. I can feel their eyes following me as I step next to Ev.
“I think it’s time you met everyone.”
One by one they step towards me and extend their
hands. Cal, whom I had already met, jumps in first.
“So I’m Cal. Nice to meet you again.” His
enthusiasm can be contagious. I like him.
Titan steps up next. His blond hair seems closer
to white than yellow and his handshake is firm. “Titan.”
“Hey,” I say dismissively.
Next, the dark skinned girl who fought with him
steps forward. “I’m K.”
“Pleasure to meet you.” I shake her hand.
The first two guys who Ev and I took down step
up but I barely catch their names because I see that Fe is next. I believe the
redhead called himself Sil and the dark skinned guy said he was Ox.
I can feel my hands get sweaty as Fe walks up to
me and I hope more than anything that neither she nor Ev can tell how nervous I
am.
“Hi, I’m Fe.” Her voice is so light and soothing
that I instantly find comfort. “Are you okay?”
This catches me off guard and I realize that I
must have been staring. I look down to see her hand held out and I quickly
shake it. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Cal smiling and I know the awkward moment was seen by everyone . As hard as I try to
fight it, my cheeks get flushed with embarrassment. I can feel Ev’s eyes
burning holes into the back of my head.
Picking up on the tension, the next two jump
towards me. They are the two who chased Ev into the white abyss. This is the
first time that I have gotten a good look at them. They both have dark hair and
mocha colored skin.
The girl grabs me and pulls me in for a hug. “My
name is Hydro, oh great leader.”
I feel weird being called that and hugged, but a
smile still sneaks onto my face. Before I know what’s happening, the guy puts
his arms around both of us. “Where will you lead us, your majesty?”
They both pull away and begin to laugh. Their
laughter lightens the mood of the room and, soon after, everyone has joined in.
I decide right then that I like both of them. Hydro and—
“I’m Al by the way,” he says as he grabs my hand
and shakes it violently.
A sound by the door grabs our attention and we
see Brianna enter the room. The last two girls step forward to get their names
in before they miss their chance.
“Mag,” says the redhead.
“I’m Sodi,” adds the black haired girl.
“It’s nice to finally meet all of you.” I wish I
had more to add but I’m not sure what I would say.
Luckily Brianna speaks, stopping any threat of
silence. “All of you take a seat.”
We each take a seat in the beanbags that are
arranged in a circle in the middle of the room. I’m careful to make sure that I
take a seat away from Fe and next to Ev, a plan that I soon realize backfires
because Fe is sitting directly across from me, forcing me to look at her.
“Today you will be learning about animals and
plants. Specifically, which ones are edible and how to prepare them. So pay close attention, this could save your life.”
Brianna turns on the
moments I had with Grant in the simulation room—my first training
session, my first simulation, the first time I beat him. I know that it has
only been a couple of months, but it all seems so distant. As guilty as it
feels, I want to go back to when it was just me in the
compound, before I even knew about Ev. Things were simpler and I had no
responsibilities.
My thoughts turn to Ev. She too must wish she
could go back from time to time, especially now that the other Genesys are
around.
I convince my legs that they need to walk me to
the elevator and they oblige. On the ride up I try to snap out of my funk and
ready myself to finally meet everyone.
As I weave my way through the hallways I hear
the sound of laughter rise from one of the classrooms. I head for the room and
stand in the doorway. Ev is the first one to notice me.
“Atom, come in.” She waves me over. The rest of
the Genesys go quiet. I can feel their eyes following me as I step next to Ev.
“I think it’s time you met everyone.”
One by one they step towards me and extend their
hands. Cal, whom I had already met, jumps in first.
“So I’m Cal. Nice to meet you again.” His
enthusiasm can be contagious. I like him.
Titan steps up next. His blond hair seems closer
to white than yellow and his handshake is firm. “Titan.”
“Hey,” I say dismissively.
Next, the dark skinned girl who fought with him
steps forward. “I’m K.”
“Pleasure to meet you.” I shake her hand.
The first two guys who Ev and I took down step
up but I barely catch their names because I see that Fe is next. I believe the
redhead called himself Sil and the dark skinned guy said he was Ox.
I can feel my hands get sweaty as Fe walks up to
me and I hope more than anything that neither she nor Ev can tell how nervous I
am.
“Hi, I’m Fe.” Her voice is so light and soothing
that I instantly find comfort. “Are you okay?”
This catches me off guard and I realize that I
must have been staring. I look down to see her hand held out and I quickly
shake it. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Cal smiling and I know the awkward moment was seen by everyone . As hard as I try to
fight it, my cheeks get flushed with embarrassment. I can feel Ev’s eyes
burning holes into the back of my head.
Picking up on the tension, the next two jump
towards me. They are the two who chased Ev into the white abyss. This is the
first time that I have gotten a good look at them. They both have dark hair and
mocha colored skin.
The girl grabs me and pulls me in for a hug. “My
name is Hydro, oh great leader.”
I feel weird being called that and hugged, but a
smile still sneaks onto my face. Before I know what’s happening, the guy puts
his arms around both of us. “Where will you lead us, your majesty?”
They both pull away and begin to laugh. Their
laughter lightens the mood of the room and, soon after, everyone has joined in.
I decide right then that I like both of them. Hydro and—
“I’m Al by the way,” he says as he grabs my hand
and shakes it violently.
A sound by the door grabs our attention and we
see Brianna enter the room. The last two girls step forward to get their names
in before they miss their chance.
“Mag,” says the redhead.
“I’m Sodi,” adds the black haired girl.
“It’s nice to finally meet all of you.” I wish I
had more to add but I’m not sure what I would say.
Luckily Brianna speaks, stopping any threat of
silence. “All of you take a seat.”
We each take a seat in the beanbags that are
arranged in a circle in the middle of the room. I’m careful to make sure that I
take a seat away from Fe and next to Ev, a plan that I soon realize backfires
because Fe is sitting directly across from me, forcing me to look at her.
“Today you will be learning about animals and
plants. Specifically, which ones are edible and how to prepare them. So pay close attention, this could save your life.”
Brianna turns on the
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