ChapterFourteen: First Day as a GH569-er in a High School

A week later. October 2155

It's another week later. The first wave of transplants from Earth have begun to settle into their new cities. Previously the Six City-States weren't exactly empty, but they weren't overcrowded either. Now the cities are over capacity. So the Prime Minister had to order the Cities to enlarge their territories by ten times. That meant that the Forest Natives are to be pushed back even further into the forests.

In the meantime, Hannah was getting her new uniform on. The school systems in the Six City-States required British-style traditional uniforms, which included pleaded, plaid skirts and blazers for girls. For the boys, khakis and blazers. All of the blazers had some type of crest sewed onto them. This was something Hannah was not used to. She was used to wear whatever she wanted. This was due to a shortage of clothes. Now she has to wear a uniform that made her look she was about to attend an elite school when all she's going to is a public school. Then she had to put on a brand-new pair of black, sun-reflective leggings. The school dress code required no hosiery, but there was an exemption made for the Normals. Because they used to live underground on Earth, their eyes and skin were too sensitive for sunlight. So now the female students had to wear these specialized leggings to school to protect their legs.

Hannah looked at her reflection. She wore her brand-new, thin-framed sun-goggles provided by her parents. The Normals had no choice but to wear these goggles. She had just gotten her brand-new, Gen-Mod-approved cosmetics, but she couldn't wear any eye makeup. Who would see her artwork on her eyelids when they're being covered by dark, tinted lenses? She sighed, and grabbed her brand-new pink-colored backpack, and walked out the door.

She walked up to her brand-new, very modern car. She barely got a chance to drive it. She wanted to so badly, though, but now wasn't the time to test drive a car she never drove before. Instead, she walked to her new school, which was nearby.

As soon as she arrived, she saw James in his new uniform and his new sun-goggles. Hannah squealed, and ran up to him. She gave a warm hug. James chuckled, "Ready to start our life at..." He looked at the holographic sign in front of the school, and then added, "...Bastille Academy?"

Hannah chuckled, "I know. This city name fits the description of Paris back on Earth. There's even the Eiffel District."

James smiled at her. As soon as they went inside the school, they saw how crowded it was with students, both Gen-Mods and Normals. They soon separated to go to their classes. Hannah entered her first class.

At the same time, Cassie, also in her uniform, entered Bastille Academy. Ever since she arrived on GH569, she had to quickly adapt to the healthy levels of oxygen. She wasn't used to fresh, clean air. Her kind back on Earth tolerated the radiation-filled air, but it didn't mean they liked it. Some of them were even content to breathing in nuclear air, and looking at the grayish skies. For Cassie, she was tired of it all. Now that she's finally on a planet that resembled how Earth used to be, she had to wear a mask for a few days. The high levels of oxygen were making her dizzy. This would've been unheard of for Gen-Mods. They were immune. They never had any diseases. They were healthy 24/7.

After a few days, Cassie was able to function without the mask. She walked into her new school. She tugged onto her Mate-Away wristband. She could feel something tugging at her heart. She guessed that maybe her mate was at the school. She walked into her classroom, and instantly she ripped off her wristband underneath her spiked bangles. She felt something pulling her towards something. She looked around the classroom, which was half empty at the moment.

Then she saw a boy burying his head into a physical book. She saw he was wearing his new sun-goggles, meaning he was from Earth and was an Undergrounder. She smiled for several reasons. She never saw an actual book that one can hold their hands before. She heard her Founding Parents (the first generation of Gen-Mods) talk about them with fondness. Also she could feel this Undergrounder was her mate.

She walked up to him, and sat a desk next to him. She greeted warmly, "Hello."

The boy looked at her direction. Cassie was shocked by his appearance, but she did her best to hide it. She saw a large purple and black bruise all over his jaw and his mouth. Suddenly, she felt a strong need to protect him at all costs.

The boy, on the other hand, was confused by her looking at his face. He asked in a heavy German accent, "Is everything okay?

Cassie snapped out of her trance, and replied, "Uh, yeah, I'm fine. Are you okay?"
"Ja, I'm fine."

They both stared at each other in silence for one hot minute, then the boy cleared his throat, and said, "I'm Damon. You, beautiful?"
Cassie blushed at his compliment. She replied as her eyes darkened to a pitch black, "I'm Cassie."

She then began to check him out. He was quite handsome, despite wearing a uniform that covered his body. She noticed he had white bandages on the tips of his fingers. She decided not to mention this, and asked, "So...how much do you know about the Gen-Mods?"

Damon smiled nervously, "A lot. Why?"

"Well, I want to mark you. You're my mate."

This surprised Damon, though it was hard to tell with his sun-goggles on. He nodded quickly to this statement. Cassie grinned, and she marked him on the crook of his neck with loving care and gentleness. It took her a minute, but soon she was done. The mark she gave him had her initials on his neck like it was a tattoo. Above her initials it had the logo of the Genetic Birth and Adoption Agency, the intergalactic company that creates Gen-Mod babies, convert Normals into Gen-Mods, and is a one-stop for medical care for Gen-Mods in general. Her ancestors were created by the Agency, as it was always called, hence why the Agency's logo was above her initials.

Damon asked as he bit his lip nervously, "So, coffee date after school?"

Cassie replied as she hugged him, "I would love to."

Damon smiled with his mouth closed once again. He hugged her back.

It was now lunch time. Damon got his tray filled with fresh lunch. He looked around the cafeteria for a place to sit, but it was overfilled with students in his year, which was Year 11. He tried to push through the large crowds of students without dropping his food, but he couldn't as he was stuck at the end of the lunch line. He just stood there, trying to eat his chicken strips and a boiled potato.

As he stood there, he saw a Gen-Mod boy standing right in front of him, staring at him. Damon gulped nervously, and asked, "Yes?"

The boy laughed warmly, "Dude, chill! I'm not going to do anything to you! I just want to say congrats on getting a mate here in this school!"

Damon raised an eyebrow, even though the Gen-Mod boy couldn't see through the goggles. The boy said, "Sorry, the name is Liam. Welcome to hellhole on, well, on the surface world!"

Damon said awkwardly, "Uh, thanks, I guess."

"Say, there's a basketball tryout afternoon. The coach wants some Normals on the team for a change. Interested?"

Damon's eyes widen when he heard this offer. First he got claimed by a Gen-Mod girl, and now he's offered to try-out for the school's basketball team? He grinned, showing missing gaps in his teeth where his human canines would be. He said excitedly, "Of course! At what time?"

Liam raised an eyebrow when he saw Damon's strange grin, but shook his head as he answered, "The tryouts are at 4pm. Make sure you're there."

Damon continued grinning as Liam walked away. As for Liam, he tried to deduce what was with Damon's slightly empty grin and his badly bruised jaw. Yet, he was hit with a brick wall in his mind. The only thing he got was a feeling that was gnawing at him in his stomach. Something was up, and there was no way to find out except to wait things out.