Children of Krina

Chapter Five

Sang's POV

The view was extraordinary. I clung to Victor's hand as we watched our approach to Krina, nervous and curious at the same time. This is where Victor and I had been born, where we should have lived as we grew from birth. I had all this knowledge of Krina and the Krinar, but nothing to reference it with personally. I had been able to make mental connections to some of the data once I returned to my people, but not enough.

My people, it was enough to turn my emotions into turmoil. I had grown up with all these facts of an alien race that I was a born to. While it fueled my childhood fantasies, it had never really sunk in. I have always known I was different; It was hard not to when you scraped your knees and it healed right before your eyes. When you start reading a book, that has over five hundred pages and you finish it in five minutes, recalling every word of it perfectly. Not to forget that you were only five at the time and should not have been able to understand the big words you just read.

The house on Sunnyvale Court is the only one that I have lived in that had neighbors close by, my parents and I preferred seclusion. My mother had been a musical genius; she could play almost any instrument she attempted. She was famous for the songs she wrote, mainly sonatas. She loved to imitate the sounds of nature with her music. She would play a few notes on the piano, my father and I would name the bird she was copying. The mournful cry of a Morning Dove, the laughter of a Loon as it flew across the lake, the victorious cry of the Falcon as it captured its prey.

By seclusion, I meant that we preferred to be deep in the countryside; living amongst nature and all her glory. My father had been an environmentalist while taking wildlife photos on the side. He worked for the United Nations, it had been his job to research and view the perceived harmful effects to the planet and give his expert opinion on it; not that they listened to him when it was something they did not want to hear. He was a Natural Scientist: meaning the science, such as biology, chemistry, or physics, that deals with the objects, phenomena, or laws of nature and the physical world.

Mother and I had traveled with him, exploring the areas they sent him to observe. Just as he and I traveled with mother for her concerts. When they both had to go in different directions, I went with whichever parent that could keep me with them. It was not that they did not trust me; they traveled to different states and countries, and refused to leave me home alone. I enjoyed my solo trips with them, it gave me special memories I could hold close. My father taught me photography, about native animals, birds, and plants indigenous to the area we were investigating. My mother taught me music, how to play without hurting anyone's ears and to appreciate all forms. She taught me to cook, to listen to the inner meaning driving when others spoke and to treat all with kindness. Yes, I may have gained life on a distant planet, but to them I was their child. They loved me.

I forced myself away from reliving my memories and directed my attention on Krina. We must be entering the atmosphere; I could see red flames coating the ships outer walls. I raised my hand without thought and went to touch the wall; Victor caught my hand before I could make contact. "I don't think we should do that."

"I wasn't thinking," I admitted.

"Where have you been?" He sounded concerned. "You have been quiet all morning, as if you aren't here with me."

Luke's POV

"I have been advised that we should all live here," Uncle informed us. "The food shortages are only going to get worse, people are losing their jobs, and it was made clear that they were certain that there would be riots starting in the big cities soon. As you know, there has been a mad dash to all the food stores and most of their shelves are empty. While some of you went to the regular stores, the rest of us went to the warehouses, Sam's Club and Costco. I tripled my normal order for the diner, only closing it once I received delivery." He began to pace as he continued to speak, gesturing with his hands. "If we join together, combine our food and work as a team; we can survive long enough to raise some crops and for everything to settle down."

"Where there is rioting, looting is sure to follow." Erica murmured in dismay. "They won't stay in the big cities; it will spread like wild fire. They will attack anyone who they think has food and some will attack for the fun of it. The hungry ones will be vicious and desperate. They are starving and some will have children to feed, they won't hesitate to kill if it means their child gets to live another day."

"The boys, we do not know how to cook," Charlie Korba spoke. "We will learn to farm the earth and grow food for all of our bellies."

"Gabe, will Pam be willing to stay?" I asked, he had been staying at one of our houses a lot lately, never talking much and that was unusual for him.

"Pam lit out when the Krinars landed." He bowed his head, unwilling to look at us. "She took every dime we had, including my secret savings for my scooter. She fell in lust with the male aliens; and is determined to seduce one. She figures they will support her if she pleases them. She said she was tired of supporting someone else's burden that she was done with letting me hold her back."

I was at his side in an instant and wrapped my arms around him. "It's her loss, man. You were the best thing that ever happened to her; you worked your ass off to keep a roof over her head even as a kid. You don't need her; you got family right here that know your value." Soon the seven other boys surrounded him, all taking turns hugging him and assuring him they were not sending him away for anything in the world.

"Mr. Taylor, if you wouldn't mind, please tell me who your adviser is?" Mr. Blackbourne fussed with his tie. Luke knew he did not like this suggestion; he had already told them that they would be staying at Victor's family estate with the Security Guards helping to protect them. It was why he was pushing them to find Victor. They had attempted, but the estate was in lock down and they could not get in.

"I'm sorry Owen, but I can't identify my informant, it could cause them trouble if word got out." Uncle's tone was firm. I watched as the corner of Mr. Blackbourne's eyes twitch at Uncle calling him by his first name. He was going to have to lighten up if we were all going to live here. Uncle owned the property and he was the one who had it all worked out for us to survive this crisis. We would need to pull together, no in fighting. "We have several mature fruit and nut trees we need to get planted right away," uncle started listing what needed to be completed. "Theo, I understand that you used to work in an olive grove in Greece, you will be in charge of deciding where we will be planting them." He tossed him a book to look through. "Owen, Sean, you head to your homes and collect as much as you can, but stick together. Don't forget to bring some of your old clothes; I'm sure you will prefer to wear them while we plant the gardens." He continued until everyone had a job to do, and sent us off as he and Theo headed off to inspect the new trees.

I approved of Uncle's plan; it made more sense to me than hiding out at Victor's house. Yes, Victor's family had the money to make sure we had plenty of food and a secure place to ride out the coming turmoil, but we should learn to survive on our own. While we were his brothers by choice, we were not and never would be his parents' children. We all had our own parent or guardian figure, it was their duty to support us not Vic's place. Uncle sat us down one day and explained it to North and me that while the Academy encouraged a team to share, it did not mean that one member were to support the rest and that if it did, the one supporting everyone would be the head of the so-called family. That by expecting Victor to pay for everything we were giving him the message that his only worth to us was his money; much to Gabe's dismay, Uncle was the one buying our clothes or he paid Vic back. Uncle had sat Vic down and explained that is was his duty as our guardian to feed and clothe us, which he would feel he failed us if our friend bought our clothes in his place.

I know that some of my brothers were wondering if that was the reason why he left us, but I didn't think it was. While he had been acting strange the past few months, it became worse when the Krinar invaded Earth. Vic had talked to Doc a couple times about having trouble breathing; Doc had claimed it was a panic attack from all the pressure he received from his parents. Now I am thinking it might have been something else, but it was too late now. I did think he knew something we did not and we had a part in his leaving, but not in the way, the others thought. I was certain it had something to do with the aliens, but not in a bad way. I did not believe the Krinar was here to hurt us and I wanted to learn more about them, but most people would let panic and fear guide them and we had to wait until they settled down and things returned to normal.

,s