Genesis

Chapter 25

Hey everyone, I'm updating early this week so there will not be a chapter on Sunday. As promised, this is a longer chapter so I hope you guys like it!

:D

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"Ouch!" I yelp as a pin pokes me in the back. 

"Oops, so sorry Mr. Alio," chirps Meriya, the perky young woman who is outfitting me. 

I'm not very happy about having to wear these clothes, but I guess it's all part of the job I signed up for. Starting tomorrow, I'll be an official outer-dome exploration apprentice. Hopefully through this job I'll be able to see my mother. 

"All right, you're ready to go!" says Meriya. 

I stiffly nod in her direction, not wanting to hurt her feelings by anything that comes out of my mouth. I climb off the chair I'm standing on and swiftly walk out of the room. Meriya has been a little bit slow with the fitting and my apprentice debriefing starts in only a few minutes. I hurry down the stark white hallways of the exploration department, not wanting to be late. 

I skid into my mentor's office just in time. My mentor, as I have been told, is a man named Ximon though I am to call him Doctor. He is in his late 30s which is young for a mentor. I sit down in the chair next to his desk and wait. An awkward silence ensues because he is so engrossed in whatever he's doing on his computer. 

"Dang it!" he yells suddenly, causing me to jump. 

He leaps out of his chair and starts pacing around frantically. I glance over at his screen which reads "Kill streak lost." Ximon still hasn't seemed to notice I am here yet. 

"Hello, Doctor," I say tentatively. 

"Again with the 'doctor' thing. Just call me Ximon, doctor makes me feel old," he says, looking at me for the first time. 

"Okay, uh, Ximon," I say, not sure what to make of him. 

Ximon finally stops pacing and sits back down in his chair. He turns it to face me and folds his hands across his lap. 

"So, Kaze is it? Alright well let's get down to business, starting with some questions about yourself. First off, why are you here?" he says. 

"I liked being a mechanic but I've always wanted to follow in my mother's footsteps and become a successful scientist like she is. So, this year I decided to just go for it and see how being a scientist turned out," I say, hoping that Ximon doesn't know my mother or her story. 

"I see," says Ximon, his eyes piercing through me. "Why now? Why not when you were younger?"

"I feared that no one would take me seriously if I applied at a younger age," I say. 

Ximon's eyes soften and I know I've hit pretty close to home by saying this. 

"That is true, the younger you are, the more difficult being a scientist is. I have just a few more questions. These ones are more so about you personally. What's your family like?" he says. 

"Well," I say carefully, "I have an older brother and that's about it. When I was two my dad died of a heart attack and then my mom died a year later when she didn't make it back into the dome on time." Ximon nods slowly. 

"You're sure your parents are dead?" he asks. 

The question takes me aback and I twist my face into what I think is a confused and somewhat hurt expression. 

"Y-yeah," I say, "I mean, I think I would know if they were alive." 

I regret the words as soon as I say them. Ximon squints at me and I fight the urge to flee. 

"Okay, you're free to go for today," says Ximon. "Here's your entry pass. Just swipe it under the sensors to let yourself in tomorrow. Be back here in my office by six in the morning, sharp."

"Yes, sir," I say. 

"It's Ximon," he reminds me. I nod and smile before walking toward the door. 

"Oh, and Kaze," says Ximon. I turn to look at him again. 

"I'm sorry about your parents," he says. 

"Thank you," I say. 

I walk out the door and close it behind me, taking care to not slam it. Once I am sure Ximon has gone back to playing his game on his computer I slump against the wall and put my head in my hands wondering what in the world I've gotten myself into.