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Chapter 4: A Grumpy Roommate

"We're supposed to fight that thing?" Ro demanded.

Amryn smiled with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Something that destroys worlds, huh? This will be more fun than the time I dropped the jam pastry on Jane Braghston."

Gina simply waited with Quill to see what Vienn would say.

"We understand that this is a difficult thing to ask of people so young in age. But from what we've seen from our observations of you as we searched the country for children, you seem the fittest to fulfill the program with the honor and discipline of true Lia'unn youth. You are the last hope for your world, the children we found most suitable. If you back out, that is your choice. But you must forever live with the doubts that I am sure will plague you throughout all of your days as you turn away from the innocents who need you. Not for the good of your life, but for the good of the earth."

"Mr. Vienn," Gina said uncertainly, "what exactly can your technology do for us?"

The other piped in.

"Why were we chosen?"

"How are we going to defeat this Fu'nas beast?"

Vienn held up his hands.

"All in good time," he assured. "For now, simply rest. Some of you have traveled long distances to be here for this, and now you must regain your strength for the time ahead of you. We have precisely two months from this date until the creature awakens from the force-induced coma. Perhaps less, as we have not factored in all of the strength of the creature's brain."

"Two months to get ready for a massive attack on the Earth," Quill whispered to himself, "Two months."

"Why would you wait until this soon to tell us this!" Ro burst in. "'Oh, we selected you to save the world...'," she mocked, waving her hands around, "Oh yeah, and we only have two months to do it." Apparently, the only tone that Ro was capable of using was decidedly grumpy and extremely loud. Did she understand the meaning of controlling your tongue? Evidently not.

"It has taken us this long to get the machinery working. We have tried to everything we could to have it work on us in the proper way, but it simply will not accept someone of our age. You have chosen to stay here and at least give the program a shot for us. Stay."

Ro rolled her eyes and tossed her long reddish-brown hair over her shoulder.

"Fine." She conceded with a silent grimace, deliberately looking strained at keeping what she wanted to say in.

"Good. Now, Zu'lio will show the girls to their chambers and the boys can follow me."

Gina zoned out after Zu'lio began to talk about the history of the building they were in, and how it had come to be that they had gotten ahold of it. The information was supposedly important, but she was so caught up in her inner world, that the outer one simply faded away.

So, two months, huh? That is a small chunk of time considering that we have to learn how to work technology from another world, learn about this monstrous demon creature that hunts entire worlds, and work together as a team. I take it back. It's not doable.

No matter what happens, Gina, you alone have control over your own actions. You must choose whether to work hard to save the earth. The others may not be as willing. But I have made my choice. If it falls to me, I will do what I must.

She tuned back in just in time to hear an extremely long-winded explanation of the structural composition of the typical mansion compared to the Woodside manor, and then, finally, they reached their destination and Zu'lio made the announcement that he would, 'Leave them to their sleeping quarters.'"