Keepers are men and women who live in an area we DR's call the Advanced. There is no real name for the area in which the Keepers come from, as they rarely talk about it themselves. Any of our kind who try to get to the Advanced never come back. They either make it there and live...or don't. Keeper's raid homes, take what they want, and kill people all for the sake of keeping us " safe ".
The Keeper knocks again.
I stand, brush off my white sleeping gown, and quietly walk down the stairs. I don't want to have my mom answer the door, and Keepers freak Lizzy out. I slowly open the door...
He can't be too much older than me. He looks 15, about a year older than me. His blonde hair goes well with his blue eyes. The white uniform is the same as every Keeper: intimidating.
" Do you live here?" I snap out of my trace to answer the question. It's a very stupid one, as I am the one who answered the door.
" Yes, I do recall opening the door from the inside." I look into his eyes, trying to find his emotions. Are they trying to suppress a smile?
He shifts his weight. " May I come in? I would like something to eat."
Rule #6 about Keepers: they want something from you, don't say no. We learned that the hard way with Old Man Zeus. He didn't even have time to say goodbye to his grandchildren.
" Yes, of course." I open the door wider and step back; the young Keeper comes into my home and takes a seat at the only thing in the room: the old wooden dinning table. " Why so dark in here?" He asks, in a more gentle voice then before. Now that I think of it, he is the youngest Keeper I've ever seen and the only I've ever met.
" Your people don't supply us with much. We only have three lights in the whole house, and they are in the bedrooms. Please keep your voice down, my mother and sister are trying to sleep." I add the last bit quite dryly. It's not like I want him in my house anyways.
" Hm, that's right. My people. Where's your father? Strange to have a girl like you in a house without a man." He smirked mockingly. " My father died in an explosion 8 years ago, and for your information there is a man who lives with us. My brother works in the Outer Banks."
A look of sadness came over his face, almost as if he regretted smirking. " I'm sorry about your father. What do you have to eat?" Man he liked food. I sighed, got out a bowl, and filled it with leftover stew. I set it in front of him with a spoon and a cup of water. He ate it all within minutes, not even looking up at me as I took the seat across from him.
When he finally finished, he leaned back on the chair and looked at me. " What?" I said. " Nothing. I'm just looking at you." He replied. I don't want some Keeper looking at me! I got up and cleared away his dishes and rinsed them out. I sat back down to seem polite, and asked what he was doing here. I told him that I had never seen such a young Keeper in our District.
" Well," he started, " I don't know if you've noticed, but many of your population has been..reduced. A plague is spreading." I sat there. A plague. A widespread disease that can wipe out the population. I had nothing to say.
The Keeper stood up and pushed his chair in. He hesitated a moment before saying, " I'm not quite sure if I caught your name..." My name? This guy's ridiculous! But I know not to lie to a Keeper. " Alex. And yours?" He answers my return almost instantly. " Kyle. Maybe I'll see you around town, Alex. Thanks for the food." He smiled a warm smile, weird for a Keeper, and walked out the door, closing it behind him.
That's when Lizzie ran downstairs.