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I fiddled with the cap of my water bottle as I looked around the room. It might have been called an auditorium, but it was transformed into a rather larger conference room. The room was brightly lit yet the vibe was ominous. Four-seating tables scattered across the room in perfect alignment with a large stage propped up at the front of the room. Our family had our own table as we consisted of four people and we were placed right in the center of the hall. My mother lightly tapped her slender fingers on the wooden table, her anxiousness growing by every second. Seated at the adjacent table were Hayden and his parents, Hayley and Hunter Livingston. Erik sat on the table behind Hayden's with his aunt, Yanina Nikolayevich, as he bored his eyes into the table. Erik's parents passed away protecting my father during his assassination.

The Lothalt doors opened wide and Mr. Chalke Halp and my uncle, Winston Richards walked in. It had been a long time since I had seen Uncle Winston. His dirty brown hair had strands of white now and slight wrinkles formed around his eyes. However, the playfulness still sparked in his bright blue eyes. He threw a wink at me as soon as our eyes met. A small smile etched on my face.

Following them, a group of Eybosnian leaders I had seen on the telly, and Eybosnian soldiers. And at the far back were our great 'buddies'. Except for Zerakh. I wondered if he was okay and was shocked to find sympathy for him in my heart. My eyes glided towards the silvery figure and my breath hitched. How could someone look so poised and dignified with a scowl?

Just then, he looked at me and raised a brow with a smirk.

Blush formed across my cheeks. I immediately looked away. Why was I blushing? What's wrong with me? I shifted in my seat before looking up. I noticed Hayden had cocked his head slightly and stared at me. I smiled at him but it took him a second longer to smile back. He averted his eyes and began talking to his father.

That was odd.

"How have you all been?" Mr. Halp asked, settling down in his chair. Uncle Winston sat down beside him and then all the other leaders. "I'm guessing you know why you've all been called here."

Uncle Winston stood up and walked towards the podium with the mic, replacing Mr. Halp. "I'll cut to the chase. It hasn't been long since you guys began attending this school. The members of the Peace Treaty and myself thought this Assimilation Project would be a great way of integrating our worlds and cultures. It's been years since we, humans, arrived to this great planet and the people of Eybosnia were kind enough to give us space in their home. We have gone through quite a lot of tribulations since we've arrived. However, we persevered. We really hoped and truly believed that this project would work and help the people of Eybosnia and the rest of Odrone to see us in a new light. But the situation is getting calamitous by the second. And from the reports I've received from the headmaster as well as the school president, none of you have been safe ever since you've come here. So, the members of the committee, the headmaster, and the student council, have decided that we would hold off the Assimilation Project until further notice. You will be going back home tomorrow."

The news left me dumbfounded and puzzled. This was what I was hoping for ever since I came to this godforsaken place. Even Erik had pointed that out to me. Although, I wasn't happy about it. I had finally gotten a shred of a clue to find out the murderer and the people who were connected to it. I had a name. I had a location. I couldn't leave.

Not now.

"Will that be a good idea?" I asked loudly, to everyone's surprise.

I was surprised, myself. If it were any other time, I would be the first one out the door, waving at everyone hasta la vista. But this wasn't the case. This time I had a goal. I had to find out who killed my father. Who attacked the chapel and the lodge? Because if they weren't stopped now, they would attack again.

This time it could be at the Earth's Center.

As long as we were bait to them, people back at the compound were safe. Although, the people gathered here wouldn't understand that. How would they? They didn't know who I was or what my motives were. And even if they did, why would they put their lives on the line for me or my family. But this Project was important for me to find out the person behind this. Or the nefarious organization who were hell bent on removing us from society.

Uncle Winston raised a brow. "I thought you would be the first one hauling yourself out of the door."

I pursed my lips. I can't even refute his claim.

"That would've been my ideal reaction, for sure. However, after spending some quality time with our Eybosnian classmates, I've realized why this was important," I tried to be as genuine as possible. But it seemed like everyone caught on to my bullshit, except for Mr. Halp, who looked delighted. I could feel Shade and Hyrad's flabbergast radiating towards me. As did others.

"What I mean is, if we halt the project now, the people who did 'this' will get what they've wanted, am I right?" I asked.

Uncle Winston stared at me with a blank look. "It's not safe for you or the others to stay in the city at the moment. Probably when things get a bit quiet, we could try this again."

"And what if it doesn't? What if it gets worse?" Avery questioned all of a sudden. I was taken aback. She sat at the table behind us with her dads, Harvey and Jude Dawson. "I know what happened was horrible. I can't sleep at night, the memories replaying over and over again. But would it change anything? Would those protestors outside our compound and the school and across the city stop protesting against us? They've tried attacking us even before we came to this school. And frankly, I don't think they're going to stop with this attack either."

"Avery is right," Tomas spoke. "What guarantee do we have that they wouldn't do this again? At least when we are outside, in the city, we are protected at all times with the Eybosnian soldiers. What happened at the church was an unfortunate event that no one could have predicted. However, going forth, we can help better prepare ourselves."

What was going on here? Why were Avery and Tomas speaking against going back? I knew why I was, but why were they?

"Tomas, you can't be serious." Meryam looked perplexed and a bit angry. "It wasn't just an 'unfortunate event'. We were attacked! Someone tried to 'kill' us. Why are you trying to stay here? I want to go back. Just like the others. I'm sure." The last part was a bit mumbled.

Now, that was a logical reaction. My eyes flitted towards Avery and Tomas. Tomas exhaled heavily while Avery stared at me dead on.

"Nyla, what do you think?" she asked.

What did I think?

I knew I wanted to stay. That was the only way I could find out about my father's killer.

"I think Meryam is right. People are trying to hurt us and they will do a lot worse in the future. I don't think staying here would be a good idea," Daxton replied in my stead. "However, what Avery and Tomas pointed out was also true. We can go back and pretend that this never happened. But the purpose of this project was that our future wouldn't be in jeopardy any longer. For our survival and our future, this project needs to work. Going back now, we'll just be playing into their games. I think we should stay and recalibrate our ideas.

Everyone fell into a silence when Erik choked out a laugh. "Daxton, you're so stupid. So are the rest of you."

"Erik!" Uncle Winston warned.

"We're playing into their games? What a joke. Going back is the most ideal option for us. Because either way we are sitting ducks. At least, if we're back at Earth's Center we'll be back home. With our families. Just because you lost yours doesn't mean we should all give up ours," Erik sneered.

"Erik, that's enough." Uncle Winston hollered.

My eyes widened in shock. He knew. He knew who our father was. I looked at Daxton who glared at Erik with his jaw clenched. A nerve protruding from his forehead. However, I could see the confusion shimmering on his face.

Chaos broke out as people began whispering amongst themselves. Uncle Winston and Mr. Halp tried their best to silence the room but failed until a man, the size of a whale and weird geometric lines etched across his face, stood in front of the stage and screamed at everyone to keep quiet. His heavy baritone voice boomed like a bomb.

"Why don't we take a vote?" he suggested. "Let's all get together after a short break."

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