Project E X O
written by FAWNFELLOW.
. . . Artemisia was sixteen. A teenager. 45 years in space, and still, she wouldn’t have aged a day . . . Six teenagers, who have lived deep in outer space for the majority of their life, are sent to Earth to research the humans' daily lifestyle, posing as high school exchange students. When they dig deeper into what they got themselves into, they're shocked to find things that they wouldn't have ever thought to be true and uncover secrets that change their whole world as they know it.
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
1
Reads
538
–I; the sunshine
Chapter 1
The day Artemisia Miller, Aracely Lim, Oliver and Olivia Parke, Timber Price, and Ivan Jones were selected started off very peculiar. For one thing, the sun was peaking through the clouds, and it was spilling through curtains and flowing inside rooms of people that lived in the Shelter, the place in which they lived in.
Now, the sight of the sun was very, very rare in places such as the Shelter. The Shelter itself was only illuminated, barely, by nearby stars that felt generous enough to share its light with a community of immigrants from earth. Since the Shelter’s location was somewhere to the far left side of the sun, so the big ball of light’s rays couldn’t reach them.
Unless this happened. If such an occasion occurred it would be labeled as “the Illuminare”, an event that happened once in fifty years. So, naturally, the loyal governors and persons of higher ranks of the Shelter already knew this meant something. Maybe it was the fact that Project E X O’s participants were already picked. They knew it had something to do with that, but . . . What?
-
On the other side of the Shelter, there was a group of four teenagers. Originally, there would have been six -- but two of them were elsewhere using high-tech transportation to get themselves to school.
Artemisia Miller was one of the four. She tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear, feeling a bit squeamish for no apparent reason. She tapped her foot, gripping her blue Spanchese textbook impatiently. As the sun kissed her cheeks and the tips of her nose, a gust of wind nearly knocked her down from her feet.
Then, Oliver Parke, the older sibling of the two, rushed over with a cheeky smile on his face. Ahh, Artemisia thought, Oliver isn’t in a grumpy mood today. The world is at peace yet again. He swept his platinum blond hair to the side with an expression of genuine pleasure. He hated rain, as he had told his friends one too many times before -- his persistence irked Artemisia and the lot of them, for it was truly annoying.
“Artemisia!” he said happily, clapping his hands together in delight. “Oh, it’s not raining today!” He grinned. “Rather, it is very sunny today. Aren’t you glad?” He smiled, practically trembling with glee.
Since the presence of the sun was limited, the Shelter was in the constant reign of precipitation. They grew used to it, but some of them -- particularly Oliver and Ivan, though -- disliked it. Others -- specifically Aracely and Olivia -- loved it. And, still, the rest -- which in this case, are Artemisia and Timber -- didn’t care whether or not it was raining. As long as they were happy, it was fine.
“Yes, it’s nice to have a change once in a while,” Artemisia agreed with a gentle smile. “Although, it is still rather peppery if you get what I mean.” She shivered as the brisk breeze whipped around her. Oliver nodded solemnly, tightening the scarf around his neck. He jammed his hands into his coat’s pockets, glancing around.
Artemisia tilted her head to the side. “I take it Olivia’s still tugging on her new combat boots?” she predicted with a grin. Oliver chuckled and nodded.
“Yes, she was tying her shoelaces as I walked past,” Oliver recalled the memory vividly. “Takes a long time for her to do that, you know?” He sighed, and a trail of mist followed his breath, quickly evaporating. He grinned.
The two of them were best friends. Although they grew distant at one point without intertwining once more, they still liked talking to each other. It brought them immense comfort. It sometimes got awkward, especially when silence got in between them… But, at least they got each other.
Aracely Lim bounded towards them. “Hey!” she said ecstatically, hooking her arms around Oliver’s neck for support. She was always this energetic -- sometimes it drained them all, but they still liked her, even through the ups and downs. Aracely replaced Oliver as Artemisia’s best friend, but without much notice. Oliver and Aracely were still friendly with each other, although they weren’t as intimate as they were with Artemisia. “Top of the morning to the pair of you!” Aracely said with a cute beam.
“Ditto,” Oliver said, smirking. He sighed. “Olivia’s going to get us late again. The little nincompoop,” he chuckled jokingly. Aracely and Artemisia didn’t comment. Oliver’s constant teasing of Olivia never got to them -- it used to, but they got used to it, and it affected them less and less each day. “OI! OLIVIA! GET YOUR REAR OVER HERE!”
Olivia looked up from re-tying her combat boots. “COMING!” she called back to her persistent brother. She scrambled to her feet, and nearly tripped as she ran over - her boots were still rather wet from the week before. Ah, well. She would have to make do. She could manage, she knew. When she came, she started hacking up a storm.
Ah, the troubles of being an asthmatic.
Oliver jumped back in surprise. Although he had grown up with her, he still wasn’t familiar with her asthma. Then, with an invisible and unseen toss of his eyes, he asked her, “Did you bring your inhaler? Please tell me you brought your inhaler.”
Olivia scowled at her brother bitterly. “Yes, I did. I’m not that forgetful of a teenaged girl,” she scoffed, crossing her arms and pouting. “You’re so mean!” she spat, and Oliver just looked at her in surprise. “What EVER! Let’s just go. We’ll be late.”
Artemisia shifted awkwardly and stole a sideways glance at Aracely who was impatiently twirling her pastel pink hair. Arguments like these were common, but that didn’t mean they were comfortable with it. Still, seeing these two beloved teenagers fighting made Artemisia feel queasy…
“Oh, stuff it, you guys!” Aracely groaned, tying her jacket to her waist despite the cold. “Let’s just go. I’m sick of y’all bickering all the time.” She gave Oliver a warning look -- it was obvious he wanted to retort sassily, but she wouldn’t have it. “Come on, we’ll be late!”
-
Back at the Mayor’s Quarters of the Government’s Palace, the mayor Nicholez Montez was reading the files given to him by Petra quickly. He scanned them hastily, so as to not waste precious time.
Petra was in a tight red dress, standing tall and as straight as she could, and biting her lip, checking her watch… She was always busying herself with something, so as to not be a distraction or a hassle for Nicholez, who she was working for.
“It seems as though the parents we assigned to the Selected Six are hiding the secrets well,” Nicholez grunted gruffly and sat back once he was done reading, interlacing his fingers together and thinking. “I take it that the Selected Six have no idea about their ancestry? And their family history?”
Petra tugged at her collar. “No, sir,” she said shakily. “Quite the contrary, sir. The parents we assigned have been good at covering up their ancestry, sir. Quite some creativity they got there, too, sir,” she added with a trembling laugh. “Traced back to some of the Originals’ in-laws, tweaked their names up, you know--!”
“Enough blubber-blabber, Petra!” Nicholez roared and slammed the papers onto his table. “Give me a record of what the parents said about the ancestry, Petra. I expect it by tomorrow! Also, please tell Georgia Southen that I expect them to be informed by 1:45 PM with full explanation and detail, and a paragraph of how she explained it.” He straightened in his chair and glanced at Petra expectantly.
“NOW!”
-
By the time they ran to school, classes had already started. Timber Price and Ivan Jones waited behind a nearby tree. “You guys took so darn long, you know,” Timber informed them sourly once they caught sight of him. “You’re gonna get us into trouble.” He sighed. “Whatever. I think Mrs. Southen is waiting for us or something.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if she is,” Olivia put in, crossing her arms over her chest. “We better not test her. Let’s go in. I can see her over there, around the corner I think.” She waved them over, and together they walked inside the school. As expected, Mrs. Georgia Southen was waiting.
She smiled sickly as they approached.
“Wonderful!” she said scathingly. “You six are just who I need.”
Now, the sight of the sun was very, very rare in places such as the Shelter. The Shelter itself was only illuminated, barely, by nearby stars that felt generous enough to share its light with a community of immigrants from earth. Since the Shelter’s location was somewhere to the far left side of the sun, so the big ball of light’s rays couldn’t reach them.
Unless this happened. If such an occasion occurred it would be labeled as “the Illuminare”, an event that happened once in fifty years. So, naturally, the loyal governors and persons of higher ranks of the Shelter already knew this meant something. Maybe it was the fact that Project E X O’s participants were already picked. They knew it had something to do with that, but . . . What?
-
On the other side of the Shelter, there was a group of four teenagers. Originally, there would have been six -- but two of them were elsewhere using high-tech transportation to get themselves to school.
Artemisia Miller was one of the four. She tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear, feeling a bit squeamish for no apparent reason. She tapped her foot, gripping her blue Spanchese textbook impatiently. As the sun kissed her cheeks and the tips of her nose, a gust of wind nearly knocked her down from her feet.
Then, Oliver Parke, the older sibling of the two, rushed over with a cheeky smile on his face. Ahh, Artemisia thought, Oliver isn’t in a grumpy mood today. The world is at peace yet again. He swept his platinum blond hair to the side with an expression of genuine pleasure. He hated rain, as he had told his friends one too many times before -- his persistence irked Artemisia and the lot of them, for it was truly annoying.
“Artemisia!” he said happily, clapping his hands together in delight. “Oh, it’s not raining today!” He grinned. “Rather, it is very sunny today. Aren’t you glad?” He smiled, practically trembling with glee.
Since the presence of the sun was limited, the Shelter was in the constant reign of precipitation. They grew used to it, but some of them -- particularly Oliver and Ivan, though -- disliked it. Others -- specifically Aracely and Olivia -- loved it. And, still, the rest -- which in this case, are Artemisia and Timber -- didn’t care whether or not it was raining. As long as they were happy, it was fine.
“Yes, it’s nice to have a change once in a while,” Artemisia agreed with a gentle smile. “Although, it is still rather peppery if you get what I mean.” She shivered as the brisk breeze whipped around her. Oliver nodded solemnly, tightening the scarf around his neck. He jammed his hands into his coat’s pockets, glancing around.
Artemisia tilted her head to the side. “I take it Olivia’s still tugging on her new combat boots?” she predicted with a grin. Oliver chuckled and nodded.
“Yes, she was tying her shoelaces as I walked past,” Oliver recalled the memory vividly. “Takes a long time for her to do that, you know?” He sighed, and a trail of mist followed his breath, quickly evaporating. He grinned.
The two of them were best friends. Although they grew distant at one point without intertwining once more, they still liked talking to each other. It brought them immense comfort. It sometimes got awkward, especially when silence got in between them… But, at least they got each other.
Aracely Lim bounded towards them. “Hey!” she said ecstatically, hooking her arms around Oliver’s neck for support. She was always this energetic -- sometimes it drained them all, but they still liked her, even through the ups and downs. Aracely replaced Oliver as Artemisia’s best friend, but without much notice. Oliver and Aracely were still friendly with each other, although they weren’t as intimate as they were with Artemisia. “Top of the morning to the pair of you!” Aracely said with a cute beam.
“Ditto,” Oliver said, smirking. He sighed. “Olivia’s going to get us late again. The little nincompoop,” he chuckled jokingly. Aracely and Artemisia didn’t comment. Oliver’s constant teasing of Olivia never got to them -- it used to, but they got used to it, and it affected them less and less each day. “OI! OLIVIA! GET YOUR REAR OVER HERE!”
Olivia looked up from re-tying her combat boots. “COMING!” she called back to her persistent brother. She scrambled to her feet, and nearly tripped as she ran over - her boots were still rather wet from the week before. Ah, well. She would have to make do. She could manage, she knew. When she came, she started hacking up a storm.
Ah, the troubles of being an asthmatic.
Oliver jumped back in surprise. Although he had grown up with her, he still wasn’t familiar with her asthma. Then, with an invisible and unseen toss of his eyes, he asked her, “Did you bring your inhaler? Please tell me you brought your inhaler.”
Olivia scowled at her brother bitterly. “Yes, I did. I’m not that forgetful of a teenaged girl,” she scoffed, crossing her arms and pouting. “You’re so mean!” she spat, and Oliver just looked at her in surprise. “What EVER! Let’s just go. We’ll be late.”
Artemisia shifted awkwardly and stole a sideways glance at Aracely who was impatiently twirling her pastel pink hair. Arguments like these were common, but that didn’t mean they were comfortable with it. Still, seeing these two beloved teenagers fighting made Artemisia feel queasy…
“Oh, stuff it, you guys!” Aracely groaned, tying her jacket to her waist despite the cold. “Let’s just go. I’m sick of y’all bickering all the time.” She gave Oliver a warning look -- it was obvious he wanted to retort sassily, but she wouldn’t have it. “Come on, we’ll be late!”
-
Back at the Mayor’s Quarters of the Government’s Palace, the mayor Nicholez Montez was reading the files given to him by Petra quickly. He scanned them hastily, so as to not waste precious time.
Petra was in a tight red dress, standing tall and as straight as she could, and biting her lip, checking her watch… She was always busying herself with something, so as to not be a distraction or a hassle for Nicholez, who she was working for.
“It seems as though the parents we assigned to the Selected Six are hiding the secrets well,” Nicholez grunted gruffly and sat back once he was done reading, interlacing his fingers together and thinking. “I take it that the Selected Six have no idea about their ancestry? And their family history?”
Petra tugged at her collar. “No, sir,” she said shakily. “Quite the contrary, sir. The parents we assigned have been good at covering up their ancestry, sir. Quite some creativity they got there, too, sir,” she added with a trembling laugh. “Traced back to some of the Originals’ in-laws, tweaked their names up, you know--!”
“Enough blubber-blabber, Petra!” Nicholez roared and slammed the papers onto his table. “Give me a record of what the parents said about the ancestry, Petra. I expect it by tomorrow! Also, please tell Georgia Southen that I expect them to be informed by 1:45 PM with full explanation and detail, and a paragraph of how she explained it.” He straightened in his chair and glanced at Petra expectantly.
“NOW!”
-
By the time they ran to school, classes had already started. Timber Price and Ivan Jones waited behind a nearby tree. “You guys took so darn long, you know,” Timber informed them sourly once they caught sight of him. “You’re gonna get us into trouble.” He sighed. “Whatever. I think Mrs. Southen is waiting for us or something.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if she is,” Olivia put in, crossing her arms over her chest. “We better not test her. Let’s go in. I can see her over there, around the corner I think.” She waved them over, and together they walked inside the school. As expected, Mrs. Georgia Southen was waiting.
She smiled sickly as they approached.
“Wonderful!” she said scathingly. “You six are just who I need.”
