Genesis : Knights of Salvation Series
Chapter 21: Stories of the Past

The next morning I woke up earlier than Clare and no matter how much I wanted to get up and get moving my body just wouldn’t listen to me. I know yesterday was the easiest leg of our journey from here there’s no real plan or idea of what we will find out there. Greta’s voice just echoes through my head. ’They signed up for a chance to live outside the walls. I know she is right, they did deserve to know but is that just my guilty conscious talking or the right thing to do?

This isn’t just my life at the risk, it’s theirs. Would they fight harder with the knowledge they are protecting the cure or would they throw me to the forsaken seeing me as a freak of nature? I am a freak of nature after all. I’m completely human anymore am I? Or am I a hybrid between those monsters and those inside the wall. I’m mutated, on a genetic level. The question is, am I more a monster than a human?

I turn my head when I hear Clare shuffle slightly in her sleep. The sun has quite risen yet and no one’s up. It’s a peaceful moment in a world of havoc, or at least that’s what my uncle use to say. Finally, I push my body to move throwing off my blanket and throwing on my boots. I don’t put my outer uniform shirt on allowing me to breathe with the lightweight fabric of my uniform undershirt. I slip out the door and head down the stairs pulling my hair into another easy bun. I’m not too sure what I’m looking for but all I want to do is to preoccupy my mind with today’s perils. I make my way into the kitchen grab a red apple from a bowl on the counter and bite into it.

For an hour I wander around the house looking at odd pictures of Greta as a child or a little girl hanging in the hallways. I’m standing in the living room watching out the window as men and woman hustle about trying to get started on their busy day. To be honest I’ve never really experienced a hard-working day in my life. I grew up on a large plot of land, everything I need was served to me on a silver platter. That all stopped when I was attacked, after that I spent most day’s being a lab rat for a mad woman who wanted to prick me with needles rather than find a cure for me.

When I turned 16 I started to experience side effects, they started small with dizziness and a bloody nose once or twice but as my body dealt with the ever-mutating genes it was beginning to grow weak. That’s when the director of medicine examined me and realized that to stop the mutating cells in my body I need the primordial virus to make it stop. From then on it was plan after plan of finding both alive and dead forsaken to try and retrieve the original virus. Then a year ago they finally decided to go for the long shot, ground zero. For most of my life, I was being poked and prodded or pampered hand and foot.

Even when I know they all probably wish they could have my status, I would give it up if it meant I could have a regular life. At times it’s all I think about to get me through the day. I imagine what it would be like to live in a small cabin in the mountains away from every single living being.

“Aspen, I see you’re up,” Orion says startling me from my thoughts. I turn to see Orion standing next to the couch completely suited up as he tosses his backpack onto the couch. Unlike the others, Orion’s uniform doesn’t make him look buff and terrifying but smaller and even thinner. The only thing to make someone think twice about attacking him is his eyes. They always sit squinting at someone or something calculating. His mind is his weapon and he uses it well.

" Yes, I woke up earlier,” I say giving my usual faked smile. I mastered it before I even could speak, like most women of my status. S~ᴇaʀᴄh the ꜰindNʘvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“I’m surprised your up already,” I say moving to sit in the wooden carved rocking chair.

“Why would you say that?” He questions sitting on the armrest of the couch. I just shrug taking in his slightly ruffled longer hair.

“I would think the team is exhausted from yesterday.” simply say not wanting to be honest that he looked more exhausted than me, and I’m exhausted. I’m sure I have small bag’s under my eyes from my lack of sleep. Orion takes in a heavy breath and I can’t help my curiosity.

“Orion, May I ask you a question?” I ask. Orion look’s over me.

“You just did.” He says casually. No matter how smart he is he has a very sarcastic side sometimes. At times I enjoy but at others, I’d rather hit him.

“May I ask you another more specific question then?” I say squinting back as a small corner of his mouth corks up. I think it’s the first time even a little bit of a smile has graced his face the whole time I’ve known him.

“Go on.” He says sliding on the couch next to his backpack. I can’t help but get a little excited. Orion and I never talk really. I’m pretty sure he hates me.

“Why did you join the Military? I mean you’re obviously a genius, you could be working for the director of medicine or even be the director?” I asked furrowing my brow. It’s a question I had from the first day we met. Orion wasn’t physically fit like the others and yet he is second in command. Orion look at the window thinking for a moment, like always he calculates exactly what he says.

" I was born to two A-status doctors, I saw them help people with scrapes and bumps but never those in need in the outer wall. I’m not a doctor but I’m smarter than most of them, I thought I’d give the lower class some help.” He says. I watch his eyes as he doesn’t move them from the window, I can see he’s not lying. I knew he was from the inner wall, but I never saw him as someone who would spit in the way of our government to aid those with lower statuses. I already respected Orion for his brains but at that moment I respected him for being a man with a heart.

“I think that is a smart decision,” I say truthfully. Orion’s eyes move to mine looking for any signs of sarcasm or if I’m teasing him but I’m not. Not many people care for others these days.

“Of course it is, I’m a genius.” He retorts confidently but I can see that small hint of a smile on his face as he jokes.

“Also brave,” I say half-heartedly pointing out the truth. He quirked an eyebrow a bit taken back by my words.

“Brave?” Unlike all the other times he doesn’t really think about his word’s this time but speaks out. He looks a bit flabbergasted as if he doesn’t understand the word.

“Yes, brave.” I shrug confused why he is so taken aback by it.

“How?” He inquires. Suddenly he seems less like an older man but younger as if his shield making him look terrifying was down.

" Well, your second in command of a team heading to ground zero in hopes of a 5% chance we can find a cure. If that’s not bravery then I’m not what is.” I speak honestly. Orion look’s back at the window pondering my words. He looks like he is about to say something when I hear Clare at the stairs far more put together than she was asleep.

“There you are Aspen, come you need your vitamins.” She says slightly tossing her head to the side to go upstairs. I just nod giving Orion a second glance as I go by. He doesn’t seem to notice me leave as he stares out the window. I sure hope I didn’t break him.

When we reach our room she does her usual step finding the small translucent green pill and I swallow it down quickly. I grab my stuff and make up my bed, the two of us leaving the room as we left it. I follow Clare down the stairs the rest of the team already sitting about quietly waiting. Greta catches sight of me as she lean’s against the wall next to the window tapping her cane on the ground half-mindedly.

“Ahh, There’s our wild child Aspen.” My cheeks grow a bit red as she references how as a child I was more of a wild free spirit. I just smile and brush off the embarrassment, giving her a simple smile.

“Hello, Greta,” I say sitting on the couch’s armrest next to Foxglove.

“How are you feeling today? Well rested?” She asks kindly.

“Alway’s.” I sweetly retort back. Harrison catches me off guard as he comes from the kitchen munching on an apple speaking far too loud for the early morning.

“Wait! Can we go back to the wild child part? Was Aspen a rebel?” He laughs out enthusiastically. I rub my face with my hand wishing we could move on.

“Oh yes! She would disobey her father and uncle! I remember one time she snuck out at the age of eight-!” She tries to tell the story and I try my best to stop it.

“Please not this one, Greta?” I say loathingly. But she just brushes me off with her fanning hand and continues.

“Anyway, she somehow got to the train and made it all the way to her aunt’s house who lived in the outer wall before a servant noticed the child was gone! Her aunt found her that morning eating cherries in her kitchen at six in the morning!” She laughs out enthusiastically and I bury my face in my hands. Most of the group busts up laughing at my reckless behavior.

“What did her father and the general do?” Talon asks excitedly.

Greta laugh’s out heavily, remembering my consequence. “Oh, well the general could barely say a word he was laughing so hard but her father, I’ll just say that from that moment on she was watched every second of the day by one of her father’s security guards.” She laughs out shaking her head. For like five minutes the team just laugh at my stupid decision.

“I have to say I’m impressed with your stealth skills Aspen!” Foxglove says patting me on the back. I was pretty good at sneaking about back then, but a few years after that I couldn’t go to the bathroom without three guards escorting me.

“I’m surprised the general wasn’t angry?" Orion says skeptically, even though he had a smile from the story. I give a quick nod as a knowing smile that’s my face

“Why should he? He was the one who taught me.” I chuckle.

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