Earth Is Mine

Chapter 4

I am practically thrown into the backseat of the large black vehicle. I squeeze into the back just as Joon and Remulus are forced inside as well. 

With his towering height, Remulus has to bend over uncomfortably to avoid the ceiling. He hunches over, his face an indecipherable dark mask. I can't tell what he is thinking only that he shut off the moment the officer wrapped the hand cuffs around his wrists. 

He has been silent ever since. 

My hands have been cuffed as well and I shift around trying to find a comfortable position. Who knows how long this journey would take.

The officers that took us in sit around us, they're gazes unmoving as they stare at us from head to toe. 

After struggling to convey a message in a language that they clearly do not understand I have given up and remain silent as well. 

I study each of their faces, humans who have lived on Earth their entire lives. Are they divided into categories like us, meant to serve only three purposes? Or do the humans here do as they please?

A tall, tanned officer with dark eyes like Joon's stares my way. His hair has started to grey by the sides and there are subtle wrinkles around his eyes. He looks to be around the same age as my father was. 

He shifts slightly under my scrutiny and I watch his hand move towards the gun strapped to his side. 

Does he think I'm the enemy? 

I swallow my discomfort and look away quickly. I stare out the dark windows of the van and my eyes widen with awe when I see the towering grey buildings that surround us. 

In a way it reminds me of the city centre in the North city of Pluto. There are brilliant neon lights that form colourful images, plastered on large screens that are scattered everywhere. The language is unfamiliar to me and I guess it to be Japanese like Joon said. 

We pass by vehicles of all shapes and sizes but they remain rooted to the roads by four wheels unlike the gliders that levitate on Pluto. 

I watch the sidewalks, all piled up with people of all colours and sizes. The variations here are tenfold of what we had in the slave quarters. 

I see tall dark skinned individuals walking in professional looking suits, they walk alongside fairer counterparts with silky straight dark hair and the same almond shaped eyes that most of the officers in this van have. And then there are those pale skinned people with striking blond hair that remind me of the Plutonians. 

However, most of the people here have coloured their hair the most unique colours; pink, grey, silver. I see a group of young humans, who look to be around my age. Some hold small sticks to their lips, puffing out smoke as they breathe. 

They carry backpacks and wear uniforms with short skirts. They laugh and talk to each other, not a care in the world for their surroundings. 

I have never seen humans look so carefree before. 

Something about them causes a stab of pain to pierce my gut and I turn away. I can't help but think that that could have been me if I hadn't been taken when I was seven. 

"Look there's a family," Joon murmurs. He is transfixed on the people by the sidewalk as well. 

In Pluto it is normal to see Plutonian families walking hand in hand in the city together but humans are not afforded the same luxury. 

My heart skips when I see an older man hold on to his daughter's hand while they cross the street. The mother does the same with her son and I am reminded of my family immediately.