Superior

Superior:

Daliah stepped out into the hot sun, they had three more weeks left of school before break. Everyone in the school was excited--well most of them anyway. She wasn't exactly excited for it, there was another word she'd use to describe the feeling she felt: Dread.

The word 'segregation' was disallowed years ago. Daliah had been only four at the time, she was seventeen now. The idea of humanoid species had only been a theory just thirty years ago. She had asked her grandmother many times about what it was like when they first arrived, but she didn't seem to remember. It was quite possible she simply didn't want to remember, when the others arrived it wasn't exactly on peaceful terms for either species. It would be against the law to talk about it anyway. Even so she couldn't help but wonder what else was out there. If aliens were real, what else could be?

The segregation laws had been put in place only thirteen years ago, it had happened right after the united states council and the council of Galife had met to discuss what the conditions of the Galife people stay here. After that they were forced to stay apart.

She had never gotten close enough to one of them to speak, but she still wondered what it would be like. Daliah looked for minute differences, they looked like humans but in school she had learned that they were nothing like humans. Humans were peaceful people, they had given up war and had focused on making the world a better place. Not to mention the Galife had come from a far away place with unknown motives; It was scary to think about. Daliah was almost tempted to put them far from her thoughts... almost. But there was a nagging persistence which wouldn't let her stop thinking of them. In the original negotiation the two species nearly agreed in complete segregation, however the Galife people refused, and the Human race decided it would mean less space for them. And so it was mutually agreed they would live under strict governmental control, freedom for safety.

Her teacher Mrs. Godfrey always said that humans were superior. Daliah wasn't sure how she knew, she took weeks to grade papers and had chosen to teach the boring subject of assimilation with the Galife people. They learned the Galife's "barbaric" customs. The way she talked about them you would've thought they would grind up children and serve them for Christmas dinner. Daliah felt slightly bad about that, but it was against the law to feel that way.

To be sympathetic towards our planetary guests was an offense which could leave you without a home or education. No one wanted a sympathizer to the Galife people in any of their schools. It was an unspoken rule, the Galife people would never stand for libel of such sort.

The Galife people stayed on their reservations, humans had them separated. They used the left side of the street, they were only allowed in certain parts of town and in certain towns. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary. They didn't look anymore different from any other human. They wore different close, as  was law. The laws controlled everything. They would've made it suffocating if they weren't to keep them safe. They were for everyone's protection. Daliah couldn't really want to disobey them could she? It wouldn't be safe. The laws, they created order in a world which would otherwise fall apart into chaos. She wanted to be safe and the laws made it so.

"Miss Malgrid," Godfrey said all levity in her voice had long ago dissipated into a snarl. "Miss Malgrid, as fascinating as whatever is out that window I think you will find what we are learning here is far more important." She gave me a meaningful look, the only meaning behind it was that if she didn't start paying attention she would fail the class.

"Yes Mrs. Godfrey," Daliah said feeling her face turn red. She hadn't meant to daydream, it just happened.

"Very well," Godfrey said in her usual nasal tone, "As I was saying..."