After the hours-long meeting, Olivia felt exhausted. She walked down the dimly lit corridor to her quarters, allowing Carl to proceed because she noticed his interest in getting to know the team members. She waited long enough for everyone else to leave, hoping to avoid the long questions that often came with meeting new faces. Still, she spotted a guy walking down the corridor at the far end, hearing the footsteps of two people behind her.
The white walls glistened in the dim light, and everything was quiet except for the echoing footfalls. Not many people usually came here; it was a restricted-quarters area in the security sector, accessible only to a few high-ranking officials. The expedition team was sent here to stay until they left the day after tomorrow.
The quiet environment led her thoughts back to the expedition. The details from the meeting began to creep into her mind. She recalled how Chancellor Bostic presented the data from drones, discussing the failed expeditions and the vehicles lost while trying to explore what they called the "devil's spot." He had clarified that this had nothing to do with the nonsense people used to call the "Bermuda Triangle." Instead, he explained that while the island lay within that infamous area, it was a media-made mystery.
He detailed how this new location might be linked to the Bermuda mystery but was primarily shaped by events around the nuclear war in the 2050s. Olivia let out a breath, realizing the weight of the impulsive decision she had made. She hadn't just thrown away her life; she had risked Carl's life as well. Getting revenge on her mother was one thing, but this? She had allowed her emotions to get the best of her again. With another long exhale, she tried to steady herself.
"Olivia!" A familiar female voice called out, followed by the quick footsteps of two people. Olivia didn't turn around but slowed her pace. Soon, Tara reached her with a tired smile.
"Hey," Olivia greeted, her voice weary but welcoming. If she had to meet someone now other than Carl, it would be Tara, her old friend. However, she noticed another new face next to Tara—a girl with olive skin standing beside her.
"So you signed up! Can't believe Madame Elsa allowed you," Tara said curiously.
"She can't stop me; I'm eighteen," Olivia replied softly.
"Yeah, but she's your mom," Tara pointed out.
"Chancellor Mom. Yeah, but you know how I feel about her," Olivia said dismissively.
"Right, I guess you wanted revenge on her, but Livvy," Tara said, stopping Olivia by grabbing her hand. "That mission is suicide; you shouldn't have done this." Concern etched Tara's features as Olivia sighed.
"Yeah, I was too impulsive. You know, after Dad died, I just... sometimes I act without thinking," Olivia admitted, regret creeping into her voice. Tara studied her for a moment before lowering her voice.
"Maybe you can use the therapist's report to resign? I know it's not strong enough to say you have a, um, problem, but you still stand a chance," Tara whispered. Olivia shook her head.
"No, I risked my boyfriend's life too. I can't leave him; he signed up because of me." Tara exhaled softly.
"Bad luck," she replied, then shifted to a more cheerful tone. "Elsa told me about your cute boyfriend. What was his name? Um, Call?"
"Carl. Carl Collins," Olivia corrected, smiling.
"Uh-huh. So you met him in the hydrology sector? How long has it been now? Four years?" Tara asked curiously. Olivia felt her cheeks warm but didn't mind her old friend's interest.
Stolen story; please report.
"Yeah, I met him in the first month in hydrology. A good guy—probably my only friend there. His parents were outsiders. They died when he was about fifteen. Then he took the entry exam. He loves nature, trees, the sea—he's a curious one and so kind," Olivia explained.
"Handsome," Tara teased, and Olivia smirked awkwardly.
"I heard he helped you a lot to get over your dad's accident," Tara said.
"Yeah, a lot. Literally, he's my therapist," Olivia replied, smiling. Then she shifted topics.
"So, are you enjoying doing more surgeries?"
"Yeah! I specialise in cardiology; I love it. You did one surgery in training before leaving, remember?" Tara questioned.
"Ah yeah," Olivia smiled, recalling her memories. She still loved the medical sector more than anything, despite her stubbornness to avoid her mom. Deep down, she regretted leaving her incomplete surgical training to join the hydrology sector.
"You were always at the top," Tara replied, smiling.
"Which is why I had no friends, only you at the time," Olivia said, glancing at the floor.
"Yeah! Those were good times, before your dad's death," Tara said, getting lost in thought.
"Are you still blaming your mom for not crossing the medical restrictions to save his life? I mean, it's not fair. She was shocked by his death too," Tara asked softly, searching Olivia's face for clues.
"Well, for one, she was the chancellor. If she really wanted to, she had ways to find the medicines to save him. But what angers me the most is how she abandoned me," Olivia replied calmly as if it were the easiest question ever. But Tara knew it was one of the most painful topics for Olivia and regretted bringing it up.
"I don't understand, Livvy. She’s good to me, and she's always helped me. But she worries about you," Tara said, her brow furrowed.
"Interesting," Olivia replied, her tone indifferent.
"By the way, why did you volunteer?" Olivia asked curiously. Tara let out a long breath and stared down before answering.
"I... um, I did something stupid, and I had to fix it," she said, meeting Olivia's gaze.
"Remember Marcus?" Tara asked, her voice heavy.
"Why wouldn't I? Your old friend? The one who hated me for being Elsa's daughter after his parents were executed? You literally grew up with him after your mom... went missing. His family took you in when you were just seven. I remember it all," Olivia said thoughtfully.
"Yeah, same Marcus," Tara replied.
"What about him?" Olivia asked, intrigued.
"Well, he... um, he proposed to me," Tara said, blushing. Olivia's face lit up with a smirk.
"I always thought it might happen!" But Tara ignored her.
"And I rejected him," she said coldly. Olivia stared at Tara, surprised.
"You rejected him? Why?" Olivia asked, her voice strained.
"Because I never felt that way for him; we were like siblings," Tara struggled to explain.
"But you technically stayed only two years before you moved into a dorm in the medical sector," Olivia pointed out.
"Yeah, but I met him often before he started astronaut training. We were really close friends; I knew everything about him," Tara replied.
"Isn't that a good thing? What’s the problem?" Olivia asked, her brows furrowed.
"I don’t feel anything for him, so I said I'm looking for a saviour, not a pathetic friend," Tara said, regretting her words. Olivia couldn’t help but chuckle.
"That’s a pretty harsh way to reject a guy," Olivia said, still smiling.
"Not funny," Tara said, annoyed.
"Sorry," Olivia said, barely suppressing her smile.
"He took it seriously and signed up for the mission. He thought a hero medal would fix things. Idiot," Tara said, her fists clenching.
"Ouch, that’s messy. Didn’t you talk to him?" Olivia asked.
"Talk?" Tara said, her voice laced with irony. "He doesn’t even listen! I tried to explain that a hero medal wasn’t going to make me feel for him. I would’ve slapped him in the face if we continued that conversation, so I had no choice but to sign up. Your mom was so worried about it; she says now Isaac is her only hope," Tara said, exhaling deeply.
"So that blond guy was him, Marcus. I wondered why he looked familiar," Olivia said more to herself. Tara gave another long sigh.
“Guess we all have messed up a bit,” a new voice chimed in from behind. Olivia turned to meet the dark, round eyes of the olive-skinned girl.
“Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean to eavesdrop; I just heard…” she struggled to explain, but Olivia smiled gently.
"That's fine! So now we can skip my awkward introduction part," Olivia said warmly.
“Oh, I completely forgot to introduce her. This is Curie Clarke,” Tara said, gesturing to Olivia.
“Curie Clarke! The famous space girl?” Olivia exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. Curie smiled and nodded, her cheeks turning red.
What do you think of the book?
