Project X
All Rights Reserved
© 2015 Luna Black
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Warning: There is a lot of information in this chapter, read it carefully and if it still doesn't make sense, ask me. Re-read if need be, please, because some of you ask me questions that I answered in the story and get into arguments with me because you didn't read carefully.
The smell of cooked chicken filled the kitchen, making Alexa's stomach growl in complain. She lifted the pot's lid to check the rice and picked up a little grain to squeeze it between her fingers. It was soft indicating that the rice was done and she let out a sigh of relief.
She was starving and she didn't know that cooking criollo food was going to take her so long. When Luis, her mother's boyfriend, cooked Latino food for them, he always seemed to take less than an hour, but when she was doing it, she thought a millennia had gone by.
After tasting the rice to make sure it had enough salt, she turned the stove off and checked the chicken in the oven. The tasty scent of the chicken smacked into her, making her groan in hunger and she closed the door, hoping that Xander wouldn't take more than a couple of minutes to arrive.
Alexa walked towards the fridge and pulled out the litre of soda and cups to place on the table. Just as she turned back around to grab ice cubes, Xander opened the door and breathed in deeply.
"What are you making?" He closed his eyes, the scent making his mouth water in delight.
She grinned at him, leaning against the counter as he walked towards her and said, "Hispanic food."
"You are Hispanic?"
"Nah," she shook her head, "my mom's boyfriend is, though and he always cooked for us and I fell in love with the food."
He nodded, taking another whiff. "It smells delicious. What is it called?"
"Arroz con gandules y pollo," She spoke slowly, trying not to twist her tongue and make a fool out of herself.
Xander chuckled at her and said, "Your Spanish is terrible."
She rolled her eyes, pushing him towards the sink to wash his hands and said, "I never said I spoke Spanish! I took it for four years in high school and just learned how to say my name."
He shook his head, looking down at his hands as he rinsed the soap off them and said, "Learning a second language is a bit complex. That is why it is best to start teaching kids at a young age. In my planet, we start teaching them in the womb."
Alexa narrowed her eyes, taking out a piece of chicken to place on his plate and handed it to him. "It's just the United States. All the other countries start teaching them at an earlier age."
"Are you saying that we should have chosen another country to mate with?" He smirked.
"No," she blurted out quickly, feeling her cheeks turn a dark colour and stuttered, "I-I mean...I just...I'm American, okay? You wouldn't have met me if you had gone somewhere else."
Xander kissed her temple as he took out the chair for her to sit and walked around the table to his seat. "We offered to mate with the other countries, but the United Nations opposed it. Since the island is closer to North America, the UN placed the American President in "charge" of us. Essentially, if we ever were to start a war with the humans, the United States would have to send most of their men, not the other nations."
She nodded, taking a sip of her soda before she grabbed her fork and said, "So, there are only American women here?"
"As in citizens?" He raised his eyebrows at her. "All the women we have present are citizens of the United States, but they have different ethnicities. There are Asians present, African-Americans, Latinos, Indians, and of course Caucasians."
"What about the rest of the people? Like Russians, Australians, etc. like I know that you only have American citizens, but what if they were American citizens and also from Russia?"
Xander waited until he swallowed before answering. "The President of the United States advised us to stay away from American citizens that were on vacation, if that is what you mean. The women that were chosen were living in the country for a fair amount of time; none of the women taken were here for holidays or vacations."
"Oh," she mumbled, eating silently for a couple of minutes before she said, "do all the people in your planet look the same? Like you said that your galaxy has a couple of planets and whatnot. Do those people look different? Like here Africans look different than Asians and whatever."
He placed his eating utensils on the plate neatly and dabbed a napkin against his lips. "There are eight different planets in our galaxy. There is Xrion, Nandrix, Anyla, Krete, Entyo, Faixa, Griod, and Onyx. We are from Xrion," he pushed his plate to the side and unlocked the computer system from the table. A hologram of the galaxy quickly appeared and he pointed to a planet with rings surrounding it.
"It looks like Saturn," she mused, placing her empty plate beside her and grabbed her cup of Sprite.
"Unlike Saturn," he cleared his throat, "there is life and the rings are not made up of rocks, dust and ice particles. The rings were built as stationary places for the warriors. I lived in one of them with my parents. Each warrior must live in them for at least a year before being sent to the ground for another year and they continue the cycle."
"That's cool," she mumbled, taking a slow sip of her drink.
"This," he pointed to the planet next to Xrion, "is Nandrix. The Nandrians do not look like us. Their eyes are slightly slanted on the sides and they are usually shorter than us by inches. They usually have lighter coloured hair and pale-like complexions."
She grimaced. "That doesn't sound...attractive."
He chuckled, clicking on the planet and three folders popped up. He clicked on the middle one and then scrolled past some symbols. "This is what they look like." A profile of a Nandrian woman showed up and she narrowed her eyes.
"Of course, she's freaking gorgeous."
Xander laughed and nodded, returning to the screen with the other planets. "This is Onyx. Your people would consider them barbaric; they have tan-like complexions with dark hair and bright green eyes. This is what and Onixian looks like."
The picture of a man with sharp teeth and a brooding glare showed up and she widened her eyes. "He looks...intimidating, but still good looking." Alexa lowered her voice, even though he could still hear her, "You still look better than him."
He flashed her a grin and said, "This is Anyla. Their people have light complexions with very light green coloured hair or white blonde. Their eyes are pitch black and they have no iris, this is because they are the furthest from the yellow star."
"It's called the sun," she giggled.
He narrowed his eyes. "That is what my people call it. Nonetheless, the sun appears for only ten hours, making it very hard for their crops to grow. For this the Anylians are very good at creating light; their powers excel with it for they need it to survive."
After showing her a picture of what a woman would look like, she turned to Xander and said, "They look like vampires."
He frowned, not knowing what she meant, but continued explaining the remaining planets. "Krete is this planet here," he pointed to the one closest to the sun, "their complexion is very dark, but their eyes are the lightest blue we have ever seen. The Kretians' hair colour is usually brown or black and they are about as tall as us. Since they are the closest to the sun, they excel in the gift of water for they need it to survive."
"Here is Faixa. They are the shortest out of all the planets, but to you it would be average height. My mother was Faixaian, which is why I am slightly shorter than most Xrionians." Alexa snorted, but didn't comment on it. "They have light skin and brown eyes. They excel in the gift of fire. Lastly," he cleared his throat and pointed to the seventh planet, "this is Entyo. The Entians look like a mix out of all the seven planets. They are the most diverse, I believe. You could easily compare them to your people, but they excel in the gift of controlling natural metals."
"It's kind of like the Airbenders movie! They "bend" the four elements according to the nation they come from."
"I am not sure what that is," he chuckled, "but our people have adapted those gifts in order to survive. It is kind of like a gene given to us in order to adapt to our environments and subsist."
Alexa nodded and slowly frowned, "Wait, you only told me about seven. What about the other one...the Griod?"
His expression soured and he sighed, before reopening the hologram of the planets. He pointed to the one furthest from Xrion and said, "This is Griod. They are the people we are at war with. The Griods look pale with dark eyes and light hair, almost identical to the Anylians."
He pulled up a picture of a man and she widened her eyes. Even through the picture, she could feel intimidated by his glare. "They cover themselves with tattoos to differentiate themselves from the Anylians. Unlike us, they tattoo every inch of their body and are more brutal than you can imagine."
"Oh, believe me," she muttered, "I can imagine."
After a couple of minutes of silence, Xander closed the hologram and Alexa cleared her throat. "Why are the Xrionians and the Griods at war?"
Xander took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. "That is a very long story."
She glanced at the clock and then back at him, grinning cheekily. "I have time."
He chuckled at her excited grin and nodded. "Around fifty years ago there was a Queen named Clarida. She was in control of Xrion and she was known to have visions. She foresaw a great famine and horrid sicknesses that would destroy our planet if we did not prepare. She collected the food and kept it save so that we would be able to survive the famine. Then, she had a vision that it would move out to the other planets. She requested a meeting with the leaders of the other planets and told them of what would happen. They began to overwork their people and took the resources for the upper classes; they were going to save only those who were worthy of being saved. Meaning, that only those who were wealthy would survive."
"Oh my gosh," Alexa gasped, covering her mouth in disbelief. Then again, humans were known for similar stories.
"So," he cleared his throat, "when Queen Clarida realised that the neighbouring planets were falling apart because of the bad leadership, she sent troops in. We did not enter by force. We offered them our resources if they simply pledge allegiance to us. Essentially, we did not take over them; we offered them our services in exchange for their citizenship. All the planets agreed, except the furthest; the Griods. Their people believed that we entered their planet to kill and abuse our power. We were just trying to help them survive the famine. A bloody war broke out. Millions of innocent people lost their lives, including my parents; all because of a misunderstanding."
"I'm sorry," she whispered, placing her hand over his.
Xander smiled at her, taking her hand in his and pressed a soft kiss to it. "What have I told you about apologising?"
She rolled her eyes and said, "I know, I know. I'm just saying! So," she cleared her throat, "do all the planets have "gifts"? Because you just told me the gifts of some of them."
"All the planets excel in a certain gift. The Xrionians for example, excel in controlling teleportation."
"That doesn't sound like the best..." she muttered.
He chuckled, shrugging one arm and said, "The warriors excel in all of them. Each person has a gift, but only the warriors have all the gifts. They are crucial for battle."
Alexa stood up, taking his plate, but he grabbed it and took hers. She rolled her eyes as they walked to the sink and he began washing the plates. When he was done with one, she'd dry it and place it in the cupboard. "So, are all of them born with the gifts? Or...?"
"The gifts are in genetics, therefore if a non-warrior wants to be in the military, he would get tested genetically and if he has the potential to control them, the genes are infused into theirs so they can have the different gifts."
She dried the plate he gave her and waited for the forks. "That sounds really complex...but cool."
"Our technology allows us to do very complex things," he muttered, scrubbing the grease off the pan she had made the meat in.
"Ours lets us watch free pȯrn and leaks nudes," she blurted out. He turned to her with wide eyes, making her snort and laugh at his expression. "I'm just kidding! Why watch pȯrn when you can get your freak on with your – I'm just going to shut up now."
Xander shook his head, chuckling quietly and said, "You truly are something else, Alexa."
"I'm going to take that as a compliment," she flashed him a grin, "So, what happened at your urgent meeting?"
He handed her the clean pan and dried the sink. "It was not really urgent. Trent just likes making a big deal out of small things. One of the men from his squadron got into an argument with a woman and Trent blew up. He began screaming about how we should keep the human women in leashes. General Jenks reiterated with the idea of clubs."
"Oooh," she mumbled, "what kind of clubs? And tell that idiot that we are not dogs to be put on leashes."
"Whatever clubs the women create; one of my men suggested training the women like we would train our women, but we do not know if any of the women would be interested."
"I would be!" She widened her eyes in surprise, "It sounds awesome. I mean, we'd get to spend time together and I'd get to learn about your culture."
Xander nodded, laughing at her excited tone of voice and said, "I guess you would. I will let General Jenks know tomorrow morning. Would you like to watch a film whilst we wait for our food to settle?"
She nodded, wiping her hands on the towel until they were dry and walked towards the couch. "Can you get a blanket? It's kind of chilly."
After returning from his room with the wool blanket, Xander stood next to the couch awkwardly, watching as she searched through the channels for a movie. Once Titanic came up, she let out an incoherent squeal and pushed him down on the couch.
"We're watching this."
"What is it?"
"A movie."
He rolled his eyes. "About?"
"It's my favourite movie! I don't care how many times I watch it; I still love it as much as the first time and young Leonardo DiCaprio is one piece of sexiness."
He raised his eyebrows at her, shaking his head quietly and said, "Typical."
"What? It's a good movie! It's really long, though, so you'll probably fall asleep. Don't fall asleep," she glared at him as she sat down right in front of him. "Lean down so I can cuddle with you."
"Cuddle?" He frowned.
Alexa sighed, pushing him around on the couch until his head was on the armrest and his feet hanging off the couch. She leaned down against him, facing the TV and shuddered at the sudden warmth that overtook her body. "This is nice."
He nodded, astounded at the proximity of their bodies. He wasn't so used to having her so close. It was mesmerizing him. She smelt of lemons and the light scent of food stuck to her clothes. Nonetheless, she smelled nicely; he liked it. It felt natural to have her in his arms in such an intimate position.
"Xander?" She whispered, turning her head to look at him.
He looked down at her, smiling and said, "Yes?"
"You didn't give me a hello-kiss today," she grinned deviously at him, turning her body in his arms to face him.
He placed his hands on her waist, trying to fight off the smile that was growing on his lips and said, "There is a kiss for that too?"
She climbed towards him, placing her hands on either side of him and her knees besides his waist. "Babe, there's a kiss for everything."
Xander chuckled, cradling her cheek in his hand and kissed her softly. She breathed out slowly, relaxing against him until he was supporting all her weight and she closed her eyes. Her fingers entwined themselves in his thick dark hair, eliciting a grunt from his lips and she gasped softly.
The vibration that rumbled in his chest from the grunt echoed throughout her body, making her feel giddy with excitement. He swiped his tongue over her bottom lip, giving it a light nibble and she moaned, pressing herself closer to him.
Every curvature and line of muscle was pressed against her stomach. His battle scars were pressed against her breasts and his hands were placed lightly on her lower back. Her shirt slid up a bit and his fingers tickled her skin softly, making her arch her back and kiss her roughly.
He turned them around, pressing her back against the couch and she gasped loudly as his fingers grabbed the curvature of her ass and pressed her closer to him. As soon as her mouth opened, Xander slid his tongue against hers, making her shudder at the sensual sensation.
Alexa whimpered, allowing her hands to roam over his broad shoulders and pulled him as close as she could. The slight desperation behind her touches was transmitting towards him, making him want to sate all her needs.
Their touch was caring, it was rough, but spoke more than a thousand words could. She wanted to feel his hands all over her in the least sexual way possible. She just wanted to feel wanted and cared for. Just being in his arms could make her feel that way, but it wasn't enough for her.
She wanted his companionship.
After a couple of minutes, she slowly pulled away. Her eyes were still closed and her lips felt tingly. A small smile grew on her lips and Xander grinned at her content expression. "I think we can watch Titanic now."
He pulled the blanket over them, turning his body so she was in front of him and pressed his back against the back of the couch. Alexa took his arm and pulled it over his waist, entwining their fingers together before she played the movie.
Through the movie, Xander mostly paid attention to her. She'd squeal excitedly whenever "Jack" spoke and mutter the lines under her breath. She had watched the movie thousands of times, but her reactions to it said otherwise.
He tightened his arms around her gently, liking the warmth that emanated from her soft skin and pressed a soft kiss to her hair. She didn't notice; her mind was too focused on the love that Leonardo DiCaprio portrayed for Kate Winslet.
Her eyes began to water as Rose jumped out of the boat to run back to Jack and she pouted her lips, trying not to let the tears stream down her face. She knew it would happen, yet she still cried like if it had been the first time she'd seen the movie.
"Are you alright?" Xander asked, rubbing his thumb against her fingers gently.
Alexa nodded, sniffling and he widened his eyes in confusion when she turned around and began sobbing against his chest. "There was enough space for both! If not they could've taken turns or heck, he could've found another one for himself!"
"Alexa," he chuckled, "it is a movie."
"Don't say that!" She hiccupped, smacking his shoulder playfully, "I don't care if it's just a movie. It still messes with my feelings. But there was enough space, right?"
"Yes."
"You would get another board, right? You wouldn't just leave me...?"
"Well," he chuckled, "I could easily teleport us to safety..."
She narrowed her eyes, sniffling and wiped her tears away. "I meant if you were human. You wouldn't just die and leave me alone, right?"
His smile faded and his eyes turned serious, but there was a soft glow in them. "Alexa, death is inevitable."
"Well, thanks," she snorted, "that makes me feel oh-so much better." She squirmed in his arms to leave before Rose swam for the whistle, but Xander tightened his arms around her waist and his legs locked around hers.
"You did not allow me to finish," he sighed, "death is inevitable. We cannot fight it for we are not immortal. But I will always try my best to avoid that path."
"You're a warrior," she mumbled, turning around to face him and buried her face in his chest, "you can't really avoid that. You're actually getting in the way."
Xander tucked back a piece of blonde hair that was sticking out and said, "That is true, but it is also true that I always try to return from battle. I will not leave you as long as it is in my power to stay by your side."
She was quiet for a couple of seconds before whispering, "Didn't they teach you not to make promises you can't keep?"
"It was not a promise," he smiled, entwining their fingers together again before he pressed a caring kiss to her knuckles; "it was my oath to you."
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#TheWomenAreStillInEarth #WhyAreSomeOfYou #SayingTheyWent #ToAnotherPlanet #RereadWhatIWrote #BeforeFightingWithMe #ImTheAuthor #IThinkIKnowWhatIWrote