Of Monsters and Humanity: The Genesis

Chapter 42 - Terra

Twenty-four days before....

The first night was expectedly the worst.

I was on edge all day and night. People--unfamiliar people carrying automatic weapons and mysterious cargo--continued to come and go from my house as they pleased. Military trucks came and left down my driveway, and slowly but surely, my home started to feel less and less like my home. It just felt like another place. It was work, and I was an intern, and this was my job. I tried to talk to some soldiers or SWAT officers but they continuously blew me off or ignored me. They gave blunt answers to my questions and would never answer anything personal. I felt trapped in my own home.

Xander stayed in his room mostly, accompanied by at least ten military operatives at all times. I would sit in the kitchen and watch the people walk through my house, and sometimes peek over to his open bedroom door. He was mostly lying on the bed and looking at the ceiling, staring at his drawing, or looking through the clothes that were left for him. He was quiet, kept to himself, and was totally unlike his normal self. I kind of expected him to be this way: reserved and calm. He seemed somber, and I felt that way, too. Something within me felt rested as I saw him walk around his room and look at everything. He looked at peace.

At some point in the night, my head started to feel woozy and my cheeks started to flare up. The house was starting to calm, and Agent Byligan left for the final time that night.

"There will be operatives in your room. Nothing should happen.... He seems sensible tonight."

"Thank you, agent. I'll be sure to see you in the morning."

"And that you will. Thank you for your hospitality, Terra."

Hospitality isn't quite the word I would put for running around panicking while people I didn't know walk in and out of my house with weaponry, but I suppose it had some sort of charm to it.

As I sat on a bar stool at the counter, I laid my head on the cool wood and closed my eyes, facing the garage door. Finally, it was shut for the night, and the dirt was settled in my house. My body started to relax, feeling the adrenaline slow in my veins. I thought of my grandparents, and how lucky I am that they are all the way across the country, knowing nothing of Xander or superhumans or military supplies or Dr. Balcom.

"That looks horribly uncomfortable."

I awake with a start, blinking in the amber light. My body aches, and half of my face is wet from the pool of spit on the counter. That's disgusting.

"Oh, crap. I fell asleep," I yawned, arching my back and hearing satisfying cracks.

Daylight shines through the windows in the kitchen, hitting everything in a beautiful veil of pure sunlight. I smiled and wiped the spit from my face, feeling content with my eyes closed and the world shut out.

"You slept here all night?" he asked.

I nodded.

"And you're okay with that?"

I nodded again.

"Your bed looked pretty comfortable."

"Countertops can be comfortable."

He chuckled. "Mhmm. I'm sure."

Finally, I decide to open my eyes. Xander is standing on the other end of the counter wearing the same clothes as yesterday, his back turned to me as he looks at the family photographs hanging on the wall. His body dwarfs everything around him, and he stands as this big black entity in my kitchen. It doesn't sit uncomfortably with me, but it was all so new.