Before The Fall

Chapter 1

When he first got the ok, he thought the little trip would only be fun. There was no way his harmless sophomore class field trip had the chance to ruin everything his people worked for. But of course, like the dwindling luck of the Loric, he had to run into another one of his kind near the shopping square that the John Hancock Center stood. Out of the seven billion people in the world, he had to find one of six other people he was supposed to avoid at all costs.

Four didn't know the number of his latest suspicion. He couldn't remember the numbers of the other four to six year old aliens he shared an intergalactic voyage with and even if he could, it would be too dangerous. The Mogadorians could torture such information out of him or any of the other numbers for the slightest detail that could lead them straight away.

But, fuck, this Garde in front of him certainly seemed like a moron.

Luckily he was not directly in front of the blonde boy's nose but a couple yards back leaning outside on the wall of the large tourist office(condo?) like structure that was about a block from the Hancock center. Just minding his own business in broad daylight. The boy looked to be about his age, maybe a little older; Four had to stop himself from calling the boy good looking. He was definitely developing well. His physique wasn't the most striking about him but the beginnings of hard muscle was obvious under his sweaty tee shirt and in his calves. He had tan skin and incredibly dark hair that curled funny around the base of his ears with bangs starting to grow out in front of his eyes. The ugly haircut led Four to looking at his eyes in the first place. The other Garde's dark blue irises were the biggest giveaway to Number Four; no human had such that made so much noise with just their color alone, especially from this distance. He was holding hands with a human girl, talking and laughing about who knows what.

Not a care in the fucking world, even though Mogadorians could catch a glimpse and storm him at any moment. He now had not only his personal safety but this girl's to worry about as well.

Four wanted to say it was stupid, Henri would be furious watching this pair after all. This lone Garde was throwing everything away to act sweet and sick in the head in front of a human being. The sacrifices from Lorien now suddenly mean nothing, the thousands upon thousands who died to keep the ten alive are gone for a date. Even worse, now One and Two's deaths had joined the body count but it was too bad that mass genocide was only a stupid folk number thanks to this dick now.

But, he couldn't bring himself to commit to being angry. Four was not like Henri. As much as he hated to admit it, the war didn't have the effect on him like it did Henri. It was hard to hold lives on a beacon when one couldn't remember a single face or name that died for his sake, let alone any part of the actual war that wasn't repainted in his nightmares. He had nothing aside from waking up on day 39 of a journey inside a spaceship that was going to a strange planet.

From looking, Four found that he was just... curious. Curious how other Garde lived, what their lifestyles were like. Did the other Garde get taught the same things the same way? How about the sense of urgency? Their history? The hope that they would one day return home, like he had been?

But, something else nagged him.

The Garde had been standing, completely enthralled with a human girl.

What was that about?

Number Four didn't know what love felt like, he only knew of small crushes and the longing glances he gave to boys and girls alike from afar. Henri was good at teaching him the rules. He could make friends, he could go out with friends so long as the group was larger than three people but he was advised(not necessarily prohibited) away from girls. He didn't elaborate on romance, probably because Henri wanted his first true relationship to be with a nice Loric girl.