Project Integrate Series Boxed Set

by Campbell, Jamie

  “What’s going on?” I mumbled.

  “We’ve been summoned, we have to go. Get up and dressed, we’ll meet you downstairs.” She didn’t wait for me to reply, just left quickly and closed the door behind her. A summons was the last thing I needed in the middle of the night.

  CHAPTER 7

  Instantly, all I could feel was guilt. Perhaps we were being summoned because they knew I wanted to tell Lola? Did they somehow know I was planning on breaking the rules? Could they read my mind? Have they been able to know what I was thinking for the last seventeen years? I certainly hoped not. All those times when I was smiling on the outside, sometimes I was thinking the worst things on the inside.

  I quickly dressed in jeans and a check top before rushing downstairs. I was so nauseous with worry I could barely think straight. We had never been summoned to the Department, aside from our regular meetings, and certainly not in the middle of the night. Our meetings were always scheduled well in advance, we were given notice and time to prepare. Never did we find ourselves rushing out and leaving our beds just to attend a summons.

  We were rushed to the meeting by my security police. They insisted on driving as my parents weren’t told of the location. All we knew was that we weren’t headed for the Department. They were concerned about safety so only security were told of the exact location. It did nothing to appease my anxiety.

  The car barreled through the night, going down so many country roads I quickly lost track of where we were. Even in daylight I doubted whether I would have been able to keep up. All I knew was that we had left Portview and then driven for another hour before we reached our destination.

  Our driver pulled up amongst a legion of other cars. So it wasn’t only us that were summoned. Judging from the number of people heading for the building, everyone in the project was required to attend. I wondered if it were only our district called in or were similar meetings being held right around the country? It would take something serious to cause that.

  “This is scary, right?” I asked my parents, needing to hear their reassurance more than anything else. Very little scared them so if they were fearful then something big had to be going on.

  “I’m sure they’re just taking precautions,” Dad replied, placing his hand on my shoulder in comfort. I wanted to believe him so much.

  As we approached the building, I realized it was an airplane hangar. A small podium with a microphone and stand were set up at one end with nothing but empty space in front of it. So they were organized enough to get a mike but not chairs. That seemed so typical of the Department that it was almost laughable.

  I saw Rob standing with a group of other Special Agents near the front. They were talking amongst themselves and didn’t look happy. Even in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere, they still managed to suit up for the occasion. I tried to get his attention but couldn’t, he was too involved with the conversation.

  We stood with our security police, not wanting to lose them in the crowd. There had to be over two hundred people, many of them just teenagers like myself. The telltale triangle on their wrists, forgotten in the haste to get there, betrayed what they were.

  They were standing in little groups with their parents, no doubt just as confused and worried as I was. Our entire future could be changed by the people holding this meeting. In the next few minutes, I might not even have a future. I might never be allowed to go home. I might be taken from my parents. I might never see my friends again. Everything could change and I would have no say whatsoever over it.

  Finally, one of the Special Agents broke away from the group to stand at the podium. I had seen him before and knew his name to be Fitzpatrick. I didn’t know if that was his first or last name, it was all I had to know him by.

  “Thank you for coming,” he began. “I’m sorry to have to call you out of your homes at this hour but it was vital we act immediately for your own security.”

  So our security was in danger, what was new? It seemed like it had been that way for my entire life. There were always people out there who didn’t agree with our existence. Just because a few had decided to attack now, it didn’t change that fact.

  “As you all know, Project Integrate has been running for seventeen years now. It was always intended to be a twenty-five year project to integrate children from the planet of Trucon into the human race. The best way for humans to accept what they deem as aliens into our society is to do it without them realizing it. At the twenty-five year mark we were going to release documents that showed how they had already integrated into the community with everyone knowing and loving the people of Trucon already.”

  I didn’t like the way he was headed. He was talking past tense, like it was going to happen but now it wasn’t going to happen that way. I felt so nauseous I could barely maintain my composure. I both wished and dreaded for him to tell us our fate.

  “However, with the recent spate of attacks, I fear twenty-five years was too long to keep the project a secret. There are organizations out there that wish to harm everyone from Trucon and completely destroy the project.” He paused for some dramatic effect, like it wasn’t dramatic enough. “Therefore we are bringing forward the date. In three months we will end the project and make your presence known to the world. In this time, it is vital you all remain safe while still maintaining your role in the community.”

  As soon as the words left Fitzpatrick’s mouth, murmurs started amongst the crowd. Some people clearly weren’t happy with the announcement. Three months wasn’t a long time, especially for the younger family members of the project. I had seventeen years to get ready for the public knowing who I really was, but some of these kids were just too young to be ready for that kind of attention. Nobody ever expected it to be easy but we did expect to be old enough to cope with it all.

  My mind instantly went to everyone at my school. When they found out I was an alien, what would they do? I knew not all of them would like it but how would they treat me? How would Lola see me then? Would she hate me because I wasn’t human? Lochie popped into my head. I tried to push him away but I couldn’t help but wonder what his reaction would be. Perhaps I would get my wish and he would never talk to me ever again.

  Fitzpatrick continued, waving his arms at the crowd to try to get them to quiet down. “I know this is a lot to take in, which is why we have decided on the three month window. We will do everything possible to support you during this time.”

  “What about their safety?” The question came from a man at the front. At his side clutched a girl that couldn’t have been more than eight years old. On his other side was the seventeen year old project member, she looked equally as scared.

  “We have assigned security police to every member. Rest assured, the members’ safety is our greatest concern. Without them this project cannot succeed. We made a promise to the people of Trucon to keep their children safe and we fully intend on keeping it.”

  “Is everyone going to be revealed? What about the families?” A woman asked. She had two little ones at her side, they gripped both her hands.

  “We must reveal everyone,” Fitzpatrick replied. “You have been entrusted with these children for a reason, I know you can handle the aftermath of the announcement. Look, I know this is far from ideal but we have to do something. The Department has discussed this extensively and we think the public is ready to accept you. We think it will be a good time to integrate. The world is a constantly evolving place and you will just be another part of that change.”

  I wanted to believe him but my gut feeling was that it wasn’t going to be as easy as he made it sound. I was an alien, there was no getting around it. As soon as people found out about it, they were going to be scared of me. Not because they thought I could hurt them, but because I was different. They wouldn’t see me as the Amery they knew, but some strange creature from space. That could lead to all sorts of trouble. I had hoped to graduate without incidence.

  I had to keep reminding myself
why I was in the project in the first place. It wasn’t just a fun experiment. The planet of Trucon was directly in the path of a massive asteroid. When the scientists first discovered it, the ball of destruction was estimated to hit in approximately thirty to forty years time. That left them scrambling to find a new home for all Trucon’s inhabitants.

  The leaders of Trucon reached out to the leaders of Earth, negotiating the commencement of Project Integrate. It was a long, drawn out process, but my planet needed it. Without another planet, all of its people would die in the collision. And Earth was the closest match to Trucon, other planets weren’t compatible. It was all or nothing by hanging its hopes on Earth.

  Fitzpatrick was bombarded with more questions than he knew what to do with. I switched off after a while, I didn’t want to hear any more. We had three months to do the same amount of work as eight years. By the time we were twenty-five, we were supposed to be married into the community. We were supposed to have given birth to at least one child and prove that we were normal like the humans. Our spouse would have known about who we were, we were supposed to make sure they knew about it before any marriage took place. The Department didn’t want to be responsible for any deception of that nature.

  By the time the meeting was wrapped up, I was exhausted. I was tired of the worry and seeing the concern on everyone’s faces. I wondered, for the first time in a long time, what my real birth parents would be thinking right now. Did they know the date was brought forward? After the project was released, they were supposed to wait for a period and then they could come down to visit. As soon as humans got accustomed to having aliens around, they could fly down without fear. I wondered if that was still the plan now.

  Not that my adoptive parents hadn’t been fantastic, they were more than I could have ever imagined. Never did I feel like I wasn’t their own, but a part of me still wondered about my real parents. They had sacrificed their daughter for the cause, would they still even care about me? All the thoughts were too much to bear.

  Rob found us when the crowd was starting to thin out. He had quite a few people to see but I was glad to see a friendly face. I had a lot of questions for him but they would have to wait. No doubt I would be seeing a lot more of him in the next three months. I guessed my annual meeting on Monday was now not necessary.

  “Are you okay with it all?” Rob asked me.

  “I don’t think I have a choice,” I joked, sounding more jovial than I actually felt. “But I guess I’m fine with it. I just have to keep doing what I’m doing, right?”

  “That’s basically it.”

  I could tell my parents were biting their tongue to stop themselves saying something. My mom eventually spoke first. “We need to remove Amery’s ankle monitor, it’s causing trouble when other students see it.”

  My fashion accessory was the least of my concerns, but it made me smile to think it had been playing on her mind. She really was my mother.

  “What kind of trouble?”

  “Lots of questions,” I explained. “I try to laugh them off but it doesn’t always work.”

  “You have permission to cut it off then,” Rob replied, much to my surprise. I thought he would have made a bigger deal out of it. “Just make sure security stays with her. I can’t have any of my charges going missing.”

  “Thank you,” Mom replied.

  We let Rob do the rounds so he could speak with his other aliens. We followed our security detail back to the car and waited for the long drive home. I closed my eyes and leant my head on the window. I was so tired, but I also didn’t want to answer my parent’s questions either. I knew we would have to talk about everything in depth and I didn’t have the energy to do that right then and there. It would have to wait until morning.

  CHAPTER 8

  It was nice wearing a dress to school. I somehow felt lighter without the ankle monitor. As it turned out, getting it off was as easy as just using scissors to cut at the plastic. So much for fancy technology.

  I agreed to keep it in my bag as a security precaution. Chances were, if I got kidnapped I would probably have my bag with me. So long as I did, I would still be able to be monitored quickly. It was a compromise I had reached with my parents over a very long conversation about the next three months.

  The Department’s announcement had changed everything but yet nothing at all. I still had to go to school and continue with my efforts to make sure everyone liked me. My parents would remain my parents and we would continue to be a family even after the announcement. The only real difference was that it felt like I had a dark cloud hanging over me now. The three months would fly by and overshadow everything I did. I couldn’t think of any decision without considering the announcement.

  I stood at my locker, changing my books before getting some lunch. I was making the switch when I felt someone standing beside me. I could see their shoes, and as my eye line travelled upwards, I knew who it was without having to see their face.

  “What do you want?” I asked Lochie, being in no mood to play his games. Not with barely any sleep the night before.

  “What happened to your monitor?” Lochie didn’t exactly start with any pleasantries. How did he seriously expect me to confess everything when he couldn’t even start with a simple how are you? I hadn’t seen him since he was at my house on Sunday and I had been avoiding him. Perhaps it was a good thing.

  “What monitor?”

  “Don’t do that again.”

  “Do what?” I asked innocently. Apparently my pledge to be nice to people really couldn’t extend to Lochie. In three months when the secret was out, perhaps he would be the first one to raise a pitchfork and come after me.

  “Okay, so we’re going to play that game again,” Lochie continued. “Fine, Amery, say whatever you want. But I know what was on your ankle and I’m watching you.”

  “Because you like stalking girls, right?” My mind flashed back to him holding my ankle again, touching it, caressing it. Ugh, I wished so much to be able to remove that memory from my mind. I didn’t want to keep reliving it. I wanted very much to be able to not feel his hand on my leg again.

  “I don’t need to stalk girls, they just flock to me.” He held out his arms like he was a magnet, just waiting for the girls to stick to his chest. I could only roll my eyes and slam my locker closed.

  I made a point of looking around for all the imaginary girls only he could see. “And all these girls, they’re where?”

  “They seem to be as invisible as your ankle monitor.”

  “At least one actually existed at some point in time.” I threw the words at him and turned before he could formulate a comeback. I walked away from Lochie, feeling his eyes on my back the entire time. I grinned, knowing that round had gone to me.

  I grabbed a sandwich from the cafeteria and decided to eat in the auditorium. Lola was practicing with her new band and I didn’t want to eat alone. At least hiding in the rows of seats meant no-one could witness my solidarity.

  True to my mission, I was friendly with most of the students at my school. I could have joined any number of people in the cafeteria but then I would have to be nice and pleasant to them. I wasn’t in the mood that day, I wasn’t sure I could be perfectly charming like I was supposed to be. I couldn’t risk putting anyone off, not with the new deadline, so eating alone was the best option for me.

  I waved to Lola when she spotted me. She looked at ease and happy with her band, the Hooded Roses. I hated the band name but it was probably the best of a bad lot they had gone through. They probably thought it was ironic or something.

  They went through a few songs and actually sounded much better than I expected. Lola was an amazing singer, but I knew that already. She lifted the band up to decent instead of amateur, I was proud of her.

  I finished with my sandwich and started playing with the inbuilt games on my phone. It helped to pass the time and did slightly improve my mood. A nap wouldn’t have gone astray either but the seats were far too hard to be a
ble to lie down comfortably. I ruled it out after some serious consideration.

  When someone sat down in the row behind me, my nerves were on their last end. If Lochie was still stalking me, I was going to hit him. Literally, I swear I would have turned around and just clocked him one. I would gladly take the punishment for it.

  “Go away. I’m done with being stalked,” I said, trying to focus on my game.

  “I didn’t know I was stalking you, my bad.” The male voice didn’t belong to Lochie. I froze in surprise. I was supposed to be making more friends, not enemies. I quickly turned around.

  “Sorry, I thought you were someone else,” I apologized. It was Havi Brook, one of the guys in my grade. We took History and Math together but I hadn’t really had much to do with him otherwise.

  “I’m glad I’m not that particular someone else.” Havi grinned, teasing me. “I wouldn’t like to be in your bad books.”

  I laughed, trying to pretend like it wasn’t a big deal that I had just embarrassed myself by going crook at a stranger. “It’s a pretty small book, I don’t think you’d make it in there.”

  He nodded and I turned around, feeling like I might have fixed my mistake. Before I knew it, however, he was leaning on the back of the chair next to mine.

  “They’re good, right?” He asked, nodding towards the stage.

  “Yeah, Lola is a crazy good singer,” I replied politely, being extra nice this time.

  He remained leaning on the chair. I continued to watch the band as they practiced, feeling awkward with Havi so close. It wasn’t like I could just go back to my game and ignore him. We sat in silence for what seemed like the longest time before he spoke again.

  “Do you like movies?” He asked me. My mind spun with all the possibilities that could be behind his question.

  “Yeah, I guess so.”