Keeper : 16

The truck stopped moving nearly three hours later. The guard stood from his seat across from me and unlocked the doors. When they opened, bright afternoon light flooded inside. I squinted against it, blinking quickly to adjust.

"Up." The guard ordered, pointing his rifle towards me. I stood on stiff, tired legs, and carefully walked past him. Another guard was waiting for me just outside. She grabbed my upper arm and pulled me roughly from the truck. I could barely make out her features through all the gear she wore. Only her green eyes peeked through her goggles, helmet, and respirator.

Now that my eyes had adjusted, I could see everyone was wearing respirators. Bulky tanks were strapped to their backs, hoses led up to their masks, and every inch of skin was covered. The guard pulled me forward and let go, her rifle tip touching my back.

"Walk forward." She ordered. The backside of the gray warehouse was in front of me, and a concrete ramp led up into wide open doors. More guards stood at either side and watched me. I tentatively began moving.

I passed through the open doors and the guards swung them closed behind me. They creaked heavily and boomed shut, locking in place. I was in a small hallway now, another door at the very end. The female guard spun me around with a hand on my shoulder. She quickly began unstrapping the straight jacket. Again, I was shocked that I couldn't pick up on any of her thoughts or any of the other guards here. Were they trained for that?

She never spoke, only shoved and moved me around as she worked. It was a relief to be able to freely move, but now I felt oddly exposed. The tip of her gun reappeared in my back, cold and hard. She pushed me towards the door at the end of the hallway. It was made of solid metal and had a small window at eye level. As we approached, it swung open.

An open room was on the other side. Concrete floors, steel walls, and a steel roof with numerous metal supporting beams. I blinked in surprise as I spotted a small group of people all standing around a small room built on stilts, a ramp leading up to it. It was in the middle of the room and had a small balcony. A woman with shoulder length red hair stood there with her hands clasped behind her back as she scanned the small crowd. Her black eyes flicked up and I watched her meet the gaze of every guard posted around the perimeter of the room. They were standing on catwalks along the walls and spanning the room, some directly overhead.

My guard pushed me forward but did not follow. I swallowed hard and kept my eyes on the guards on the catwalks. Some watched me, but most were watching the crowd and woman. I stopped at the very edge of the crowd, keeping my head down.

"Welcome hybrids." The woman spoke. Her voice carried far in the empty space. "My name is Clara Craven, and I am the coordinator of the Venom Trade."

I stood with my hands at my sides, my eyes downcast. Everyone in this crowd was under the age of 15. Both boys and girls, most with tails, but few had wings. I lifted my head ever so slightly and looked up at the coordinator. She had moved forward a few steps and gripped the railing with both hands as she leaned out.

"The Venom Trade isn't as scary as you've been told. We're here making a difference in the world. Our work is vital for the medical industry and safety of Polis, and it is thanks to you that it is possible!" She scanned the crowd, though no one was watching her. "All 37 of you will fit in beautifully here. Now, please line up single file, starting from the ramp, and we'll get everyone sorted."

Everyone began shuffling at once. A line began right where she had ordered and began trailing back. I found myself almost at the very end. The coordinator left the balcony and walked down the ramp to the first person, two guards flanking her.

Right away, two groups were obvious. People who had venom, and those who didn't. The two groups stood on opposite ends of the warehouse and waited for the others to be organized. The girl in front of me was next. She was 7 years old and nearly a foot shorter than me. She held her long, green tail in her hands as she stared at the floor. The coordinator stepped up to her and snapped her fingers loudly, making the girl flinch and look up.

"Rose Enton." The woman said as she slowly looked the girl up and down. She held a clipboard in her hands, one hand moving down it and checking her name off. "Your number is B4." She gestured towards the group forming to the left. The girl quickly walked away.

"Newton Arson." The coordinator said slowly as I stepped forward. "You were part of the group of unregistered hybrids in the safe house in Akrisoulis, am I right?"

"They're my siblings." I said but failed to keep the fear out of my voice. The coordinator paused.

"Siblings?"

"Lizzy and Thomas."

"That's unfortunate. Both are in group B." She shook her head and I gulped. "Your number is A5."

"Why can't I be in their group?" I asked but she ignored me, checking my name off her clipboard. One of the guards pointed to the right side of the warehouse.

"But-"

"Move aside!" The guard yelled and raised his gun. I quickly moved towards the group. About 20 kids were already here. Panic made my heart ricochet against my ribs. If I was in group A, and both Thomas and Lizzy were in group B, I might not ever get to see them again. What did either group do?

Thomas, I'm in group A. What does that mean?

The small group was moving now. They hurried forward as several guards behind us began pushing us towards a metal door in the warehouse wall. Stepping through, I recognized the long line of cages on the right hand side of the long hallway. Each was empty and had a barred door connected to a chain hoist. 20 of these cages were open and a man in front was moving kids into each of them. As I neared, the man became more clear. He wore blue scrubs underneath a white coat, had black rimmed glasses, and a five o'clock shadow. He pointed to an open cage and I quickly stepped inside, the chain hoist releasing, and the barred door slamming down to lock shut.

"Everyone listen up!" The man's voice boomed and I jumped. "My name is James R. Son. I am your director, and you will report in and out to me every day." He slowly walked down the hallway and looked into every cage.

Some of these cages had already been occupied when we got here. The two on either side of me contained a boy and a girl, both older than me. They sat quietly on their beds and looked over all the newcomers.

"As hybrids carrying venom, you are the backbone of this industry." The man continued. He turned on his heel and began walking back the other direction of the hallway. "Every morning at 5 am sharp, your venom will be harvested. At 7 am, you will begin your search for a Wraith. Every team must bring back a Wraith before 7 pm if they want to eat. If you fail to meet this requirement, I hope hunger will motivate you to do better the next day. At 8 pm, venom will be harvested once again."

"Hey, kid, what's your name?" The boy on my left whispered. I blinked and looked away from the director. The boy was Asian, had thick black hair, black wings, and a long black tail. He wore ripped, tan cargo pants, and a navy blue t-shirt.

"Newt." I whispered back. My eyes fell on the director again. He was still talking.

"Your team is composed of the 4 individuals around you. Each team has a Keeper."

"I'm Minho." The boy said quietly.

"Those of you who have never been to Xylem, stick close to your Keeper. They will help you learn the ropes. Those of you who just arrived, stand by to receive your tail locks." The director had stopped at the end of the hallway next to the door we had all come in through. Without another word, he stepped through, and was gone. Immediately, the hallway burst into voices and hushed whispers.

"Newt, I'm the Keeper of our team." The boy said in his normal speaking voice. I ignored him and slowly moved to the back of my cage. It was outside and a light breeze blew through the checkered bars. The concrete floor under me was thick and worn with age. "Then there's Gally, Brenda, and Alby."

"What are you talking about?" I glared over at him. He looked to be around 12 years old.

"Every team needs to bring in a Wraith every day."

"How the hell do 5 kids bring down a wraith every day?" I looked behind me to see the girl watching me. She had olive skin, brown eyes, and short brown hair. She stood with her arms folded over her chest. She was probably this boy's age too, maybe even a year older. Stained jeans and a black long sleeve shirt.

"We don't kill it, just bring it to the holding station. Group B draws them out, distracts them, then we come in." Minho sat down on his bed. My mouth went dry. That's what group B did? They were the bait?

"My little sister is in group B, she can't do that." I was beginning to panic. I paced around the small cage, but I couldn't go very far. It was barely 6 feet wide and 10 feet long.

"Chill out, greenie." Another boy's voice said. It was further away than Minho's or Brenda's. "She'll be fine. Group B has the easier job." I stopped to stare at the boy in the cage next to Minho's. He was black and had a buzzcut. His name was Alby.

"Why do they want our venom?" I glared at him.

"Medicinal purposes mainly. But there's also an underground industry that uses it too." Alby sat on his own bed nonchalant, as if all of this was perfectly normal. I just shook my head. That just gave me more questions than answers.

Thomas? Lizzy?

"Don't fight them when they put on the tail lock, it's easier that way." Brenda said gently. My eyes flicked to her white tail. A metal, cylindrical device covered the entire forked end. "They use it to collect your venom, but it comes off while we hunt."

"Don't talk to me." I snapped and sat down in the corner of the cage, pressing my back to the metal bars. I drew my knees up to my chest and hugged them. It was all too much. Too much was happening.

Minho sighed and lay down on his bed but Brenda sat down in the corner of her cage closest to me.

I know it's scary. Her voice drifted into my mind. I closed my eyes and turned my head away from her. But we're a team, you can lean on us. Hybrids look out for one another.

I want to go home. I blinked back tears as they threatened to come, burning the back of my eyes.

This is your home now, Newt.