A week has passed since the big sister incident.
I remember arriving back in Taran with only Chantel by my side and not the other soldiers who have joined us. It was as if they never came to the island in the first place because their bodies just... disappeared.
A lot of families were devasted but they soon moved on from it because of Chantel's speech during that day. She said some points that I bet lifted everyone's spirits. As of now, the people of Taran are back to their productive selves, I don't know how exactly Chantel did it but she just proved to everyone, and me, how great she is as their leader.
I continued to stay inside my mother's room because I still need to learn a lot from her past. Chantel never missed visiting me every day to tell me some fragments of their story, but it's not yet enough for me.
So, this day I decided to compare notes with Chantel. We started talking about the old Earth and how she used to live in it with her family, and I got to be honest that we really don't differ much from them.
They do the things we usually do, which makes me wonder why the council and our instructors want to show us that these people are bad, that they will only bring nothing but chaos.
"My family tried their best in helping to heal the old Earth, but there were people who went wild and did anything they want to do because of that news everyone heard from their radios and television. I was only little when that started but all the sounds of sirens and enraged shouts remained intact in my brain."
My eyes lowered in sorrow after hearing all the things that happened before. "My past...I can't even remember anything, it's like a void, and no matter how deeper I dig, I always end up finding nothing."
"I always stood by what the council has taught us, that our kind came from a different generation, a nicer and pure generation. I tried asking my father about our past but he always dismissed it by telling me things that the council doesn't like curious people asking around about our past."
Chantel held both my hands. "Do you know why they called you royal blood?"
I shook my head no.
"Your mother has told me a lot of things about your kind, including your DNA being engineered to be immune to diseases. She said that they do it to all the children of your kind so that they will be different, from us. That's why the people here are calling royal blood because your body is built differently from all of us."
What she said sent a shiver to my bones. That explains why the clinic is always vacant...
"But...isn't that illegal? or unethical at least?" I know that Chantel knows the answer to my question but she hesitates. I gave her a look that unbelievably made her talk, I thought it only works with my fellow rookies.
"Do you ever wonder why your section only contains a small number of families?"
I curled my eyebrows in confusion and shook my head. I have always known the council decided to separate us from the other families because we are the hunters in training and it would require us a quite big space for the training ground.
"You don't know? The reason why all of you have been separated from the rest is that the other families won't agree with the idea of experimenting with their newborns. The families who have agreed are all settled in one section, that includes yours."
Does that mean that the other rookies didn't choose to be a hunter, but instead they were made to be one?
I was still in shock from all the information I was receiving that I forgot to even blink. Chantel gave me a reassuring smile while all I felt was rage and anger towards the Council. They have lied to us all this time, and I don't like people who lie.
"Wait, where are you going?" Chantel quickly grasped my wrist which made me turn around with a frown.
"Look, this is all too much. I need some air." I breathed out and Chantel quietly nodded, letting me go.
I ran to the door and made my way outside with my head looking above the skies. The rage I was was quickly clouded by fear and nervousness. There was an aircraft similar to what we usually rode flying in the sky.
I slowly walked backward as I watched it stop. It turned around and a hatch was opened.
"Shit."
They were going to bomb Taran.
"CHANTEL! THEY FOUND US!" I came running back inside the room. I searched for Chantel but she was nowhere to be found.
"Chantel?"
The shrilling noise outside enveloped the entire Taran, sending me to my knees to cover my ears. I stayed on the ground, unable to move. My eyes were closed as a thousand scenarios came rushing to my head, and then there was a countdown for the bomb to drop.
A loud noise shook the ground and burst the walls of my mother's room. Debris fell from above my head and the pillars are no longer strong enough to hold the foundation of the room, and yet I still couldn't move. I hugged myself in a sleep-like position hoping that this would end. A tear escaped my eyes as I lay on the ground.
The ringing from my ears started to fade away, and that is when I heard a footstep approaching me.
"Insolent child, I should have thrown you here along with your pathetic mother."