The Urbem (Completed)

Chapter Thirty-Two: Happy Birthday?

(Nephele)

It was safe to say my initial threat had worked, for the next day I received a letter of apology and a timetable with scheduled training hours, clothes fitting sessions, medical care appointments, and social meetings. Everyone was very respectful; the newspaper headlines were very supportive of my return and the sisters always seemed happy to be around me. Whether this was a product of fear or falseness it didn't matter, as long as it kept working. 

Three weeks had passed since I first arrived here and, despite the luxuries and modern technology, living behind Uxor walls no longer felt right to me, it felt forced and controlled. My home was back out there in the trees and often, in my spare hours, I would find myself climbing to the top of the condominium, sitting on the roof just staring out into the green horizon. I was hoping today would be like any other normal day, despite the significance it held... Today was my birthday and I was turning twenty-two. Brilliant. As long as no one knew about it, everything would run smoothly. 

'Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Nephele... Happy birthday to you!'  I groaned, pulling my white vest top over my head. '

Please don't remind me, Imara... August third is always an awful day once past the ripe age of eighteen.' 

'Oh, stop being so melodramatic,' he laughed. 'You're still a cub to me. Besides, the sun's out; that has to be a good sign for something.' 

'I never liked the sun much, I sulked. 'Just make sure you keep my ageing self a secret or you'll have hell to pay when I get out, da?' 

'Too late, everyone already knows its your birthday. I let it slip.' 

'Imaraaa...' I whined. 'Why do you do this to me?' I could feel his grin as he spoke.

'Because I wuv you.' 

                                                                          ~*~*~*~*~*~

Later that day I found myself really sweating as I trained under the boiling sun. I'll be honest; the training was one of the only things I enjoyed about Uxor. Fitness was compulsory for all Uxor subjects from the age of about six until the age of sixteen; the training would get progressively tougher as the years went on and if the career path chosen for you was warrior, you would have an extra three hours of training everyday. 

As an Insurgo, it helped to be fit, but with the Animus and their acute senses, it really didn't matter if you weren't on the top of your game. It was occurring to me now how little training they actually did out there. I grinned; as I was second-in-command, I'd have to push the matter with Lyra when I got out. I finished the track circuit for the seventh time and jogged to a stop, taking deep and slow breaths. 

"Nephele!" someone called. I looked over my shoulder to see the one Uxor warrior that I was actually on first-name basis with. Her name was Mya and she was a well known-fighter amongst the American Uxors... Or so i'm told. Her man followed obediently behind her but I didn't look at him; I had reminded myself when I first got here to just imagine that they were, in fact, not there at all. 

"Da, Mya?" I asked, wondering why she would interrupt her own training to converse with me. 

"Happy birthday!" she grinned, nudging my shoulder and ignoring how angry my facial expression had become. I sighed. 

"Who told you?" Still smiling, she tapped her nose twice.

"I have my ways of finding these things out."