Not Human

Chapter 4 -Tension

Jax had commented on Zane and he didn't take it too well.

"Shut up you dumb-ass!" Zane threw a punch that didn't hit. Blade had intervened, catching his fist before it could land on Jax.

"Fighting this early in the day? Save it for training. Don't forget we are on the same team." Blade says, in a deadly calm voice.

"Sorry, sir, won't happen again." Jax lowered his head and eyes.

"Better not." He adds. "We will be going out soon. So, do whatever you need before we go. Finish eating breakfast if you haven't and use the restroom. There won't be any, where I'm taking you." He smiles evilly, then turns and stops at the doorway. "Oh, and Jax bring your guns."

"What happened?" Cherry looks at Andy, she shrugs.

"I think Zane tried punching Jax," Lily said.

"Oh, yeah, they don't seem too fond of each other," Cherry stares at Jax who is packing guns, and ammo. "I mean, though, have you seen Jax? How could you not like him?" She blushed.

"Well, he's friendly enough. I don't know him though." Angelica's eyes linger on Zane. He's gazing out the window, lost in thought. He's thinking how could Jax ruin such a beautiful morning with his big mouth. He hates him. The past tries to protrude his mind but he shuts it out. No time for these thoughts.

"Lily, will you come to see me in my office?" Blade smiles. Everyone turns an eye at Lily curiously. What could they all be thinking of? Lily's nerves show on her awkward smile and sweaty palms tucked away in her jean shorts.

"No problem, sir." She moves a string of hair out of her eyes and finishes her coffee, setting the mug down on the coffee table in the large living room. Everyone was seated down in it, just hanging around. But Jax left to retrieve the other guns stashed away in someplace else.

"I wonder why Blade wants to see Lily in his 'office alone.'" Andy makes sure to put a quotation on the part about being alone in his office. Nixon walks into the living room. He looks groggy, and his hair is in a disarray.  He is holding a cup of coffee in one hand the other holds a heavy boring looking textbook. He plops down on a cushion by Andy who is munching on chips she found in the kitchen.

"I wonder too," Cherry says looking at a hand mirror she pulled out of the pink purse she carries around everywhere with her.

"Where have you been, smartypants?"Andy looks over her shoulder at Nixon.

"I had a long night. Don't tend to sleep well in other people's homes. I prefer mine." He says, glumly, gulping down more coffee.

"That sucks. I slept like a log."

"Good for you."

"So, what is that boring ole book, college work?"

"No, just studying for fun." He smiled for the first time.

"For fun. What the-" Andy was at a loss for words. She hated studying. She wasn't a straight-A student, however, she still got Bs to pass her grades and get through high school, and now she is studying for college. But studying for fun wasn't something she'd do. "You're a weird one, alright." She finally said.

"I'm not weird." He looked up from his textbook. "You are the weird one."

"Yeah, and why is that?''

"Er, you just are. Aren't we all?" He smiled nervously.

"That's pretty true. But why are you getting all red again?" She laughed hard, bumping his shoulder, setting her chips down.

...

~In the office~

"Er, so what is it you wanted, Blade?" Lily asked, standing at the corner of his desk. Then moved her eyes around the room. It had a lot of space. There were fancy paintings, chairs by the walls, bookshelves, huge file cabinets, papers neatly stacked on his desk, with many folders, pens, and other expensive-looking supplies.

Blade was sneaking glances up at Lily. She had her eyes absorbing her surroundings, she looked focused. He thought she looked smart, and he knew she'd make a good partner in the apocalypse. If that was what this was coming to. He didn't tell everyone the details. He just simplified the problem. But he didn't even know that much about the aliens. All he knew was they had to risk it. Training, preparing for something they didn't fully understand. But what were their other options?

Lily noticed Blade rummaging through his desk tossing things out. He caught her stare and she pretended she was staring at a painting of a woman who was half fish. Then he suddenly got up and was holding something in his hand.

"Hold this for me." He held out a handgun to her surprise. "Do you know how to use this?" He asked.

"No." She took it from his hand, moving it around in her palm, it was solid. Not as heavy as she thought it'd be.

"It's a Glock 17, 9 mm gun. Very easy to use. Doesn't weigh much. You should be able to use it. It holds 17 rounds - "

"Wait, you gave me a loaded gun?" Her eyes grew wide.

"Of course not. I don't want it going off or me getting shot by accident." He chuckled. "Here I'll show you how to use it." He placed his hands over hers, pointing the gun down for a moment. "So, for safety measures, you always keep the gun low. Most importantly when it is loaded."

"Mmhm." Lily nodded as he continued giving her the gun lesson. She was shocked this is why he brought her in here. Maybe he was getting her ready for training. But her, no one else.

"Alright, you take the magazine out. It has a magazine release button you must press first." He slid a black piece out of the gun, it was where the bullets were stashed. "Then, you load it up. I won't do that right now. But after that, you shove it back in. Then you c**k the gun back,  find a target and squeeze the trigger."

"Oh, so it's that easy." She smirked.

"Yeah, but how good is your aim?" He returned the smirk. His hands still clasped over hers holding the gun. "Well, do you think you can handle a gun now?"

"I think so." She liked the warmth of his palms and the calluses on them. They were toughened up. She was kinda jealous. She wondered if he'd been trained to fight, to use a gun, and learn survival. Did his father teach him? They were rich after all, who knows what he could sign up for. Maybe he did take lessons. She wanted to become stronger like him.

"Yeah, you should be fine. I don't like the idea of using you as bait. So, I want you at least to be extra prepared, okay?" He looked concerned. So, that's why he brought her to his office. He was worried. The only plan they could come up with last night led to her being bait. She'd go to the mansion where the aliens attacked Blade and where she first met him too. It was a scary idea, but it was their only plan. They'd have to encounter the aliens again anyway. They need to kill them before the aliens kill them.

So, it's either kill or get killed.

...

"What do you suppose they're doing?" Andy asked Nixon who looked engrossed in his book.

"How am I  supposed to know?"

"What do y'all think?" She turns her attention to the others. Jax finally came back and sat by Cherry who had her legs up and was resting her head on his arm. Zane was by the windowsill away from everyone else. Angelica was on a sofa by herself staring into space.

"Maybe they're doing it, you know Blade has been single for quite a while." Jax laughs.

"Ew, don't say that!" Nixon scrunched his nose in disgust.

"How would you know that?" Andy said.

"Well, because I am his half brother after all." He shrugged like it was old news. But it wasn't.

"WHAT?" Cherry jumped. "Is that true? Why didn't you say anything or why didn't he?"

"I don't like talking about it. But since we will be stuck together for a while. Why not just get it out of the bag. Plus, it isn't anyone's business." He shrugged, moving her head back onto his shoulder.

"Wow, you boys are bringing the drama, damn. First, you and Zane now Blade? Let me guess Nixon is truly your step-sister or something?" Andy says, grinning at Nixon's expression of irritation.

"That almost made me laugh," Zane said, turning his attention away from the window.

"Oh, so you can talk, now aye?" Jax growled. "I thought you were scared too."

"Scared of what, a dumbo?"

"Yeah, you'd be saying that from the distance between you and me."

"Hey, you guys stop acting like five years olds, seriously," Cherry scolded.

"Yeah, I agree. Remember we are a team. We're not divided." Angelica frowned.

"Wow, so you can talk too, aye? I thought you and Zane were mute for a second."

"Shut up, Jax," Cherry said, glaring at him. She removed her head from his shoulder and scooted away from him.

He looked taken aback when she told him that. He wanted to hurt her. He knew he could. But not in front of everyone. No one tells him to shut up, ever. All the people that stood up to him ended up in a hospital or dead. It's good that she moved, it's like the trash moved by itself, he laughed.

It got quiet for a long minute. It was silent, no one spoke. Then, for what seemed an hour, Blade walked in greeting them all. "Hey, guys hope you didn't wait too long. Better have got your things done. We are training right now. It starts now."

"What is with this tension?" Lily walks in standing at Blade's shoulder. No one said anything. Andy smiled at Lily pointing at Jax mouthing something. Lily only got one word, 'half brother.' Huh? She wondered what she meant. She'd have to ask later.

Then, it hit her. The resemblance, brown eyes, same square jawline, defined cheekbones, dimples, but that was it. Blade's eyes were a darker shade, and his skin tone was slightly darker, more tanner less white like Jax's. So, that's why he was in some of those paintings. That explains it all. He was Blade's half-brother. How weird.