Olivia stared at Curie, her eyes wide with surprise.

  “Wow! So it’s you! The young genius!” Olivia said, smiling. Curie returned the smile shyly, nodding her head.

  “Well, it’s not as hard as the media makes it look,” Curie said, trying to shake off the awkwardness of the situation.

  “Of course it’s hard! Having two degrees and being the youngest astronaut ever? That’s definitely impressive! How many years did it take you?” Tara asked curiously.

  “Actually, ten years,” Curie replied as if it were nothing to be proud of. But Olivia noticed a proud smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

  “That’s cool! By the way, why did you join the expedition?” Olivia asked, intrigued.

  “Umm, I was just curious about the phenomena happening there. It’s interesting. But I wonder if it’s worth risking my life now—kind of... um, regret,” Curie replied, letting out a breath.

  “Probably, we all made the most idiotic decision ever by volunteering,” Olivia said, exhaling deeply.

  “I thought you might be mad at me. Tara, you know your friend Marcus is angry with me for no reason,” Curie said, steering the conversation in a new direction.

  “Nah, I’m not as idiotic as he is. He’s just jealous of your success,” Tara said, chuckling. Curie smiled shyly again.

  “Did Jupiter allow both his best students to volunteer? That’s surprising,” Olivia asked curiously.

  “He doesn’t care about us. Many more talented kids are loyal to him. He’s cruel, you know,” Curie said, glancing at Olivia with doubt.

  “The cruellest after Red Jake, the last security chancellor. All the chancellors are the same—ruthless and shameless,” Olivia continued. Curie nodded in agreement.

  “What do you think about the rest of the team?” Curie asked, shifting to a more interesting question.

  “I think I already know a few. You both know Marcus, and I guess we’ll get to meet Olivia’s boyfriend, Carl,” Tara said with a teasing smile, to which Olivia smirked approvingly.

  “And I know the young scientist from the chemical sector. She’s currently a part-time student in the IT sector. She works as a senior scientist in chemistry—Melvin Snow. She’s so talented that she immediately caught Madam Even’s attention. She also has special attention from Chancellor Bostic and Chancellor Johnson” Curie explained.

  “Sounds like an interesting person,” Olivia said curiously.

  “Mm, kind of. But she’s not friendly at all. She has no friends there and rarely talks to anyone, except for her soldier friends, mostly her brother’s friends. Do you remember that guy Chancellor Bostic was worried about?” Curie asked, lowering her voice a bit.

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  “Calvin Snow? Bell’s adopted son? I’ve heard he’s very famous,” Olivia replied.

  “Yeah, that’s Melvin’s brother. That’s why Chancellor Bostic cares for her,” Curie said as if sharing a secret.

  “In that case…” Tara chimed in, pointing her head forward. Olivia and Curie looked in the direction Tara pointed. They saw a tall guy walking down the corridor, far enough away not to hear them.

  “That’s Calvin. I was surprised to see him join the expedition. Chancellor Bostic adores that boy. I’ve met him a few times in the med bay—those soldiers get injured a lot during training, you know. He’s nicer to nurses and doctors than most of the cadets. No shameless jokes, teasing, or rude manners. Calvin was the youngest student in their sector in fifty years; he was fourteen when he entered cadet training. Military training is known to be extremely rigorous, with harsh punishments and strict rules. However, this boy was at the top of his class. He is now one of Chancellor Bostic’s two main private guards, with a high ranking. He’s also a trainee* with a silver honour medal. You know, according to the repeated history, chancellors’ private guards are often most likely to be the future chancellor. That’s why they’re called shadows,” Tara explained.

  “Thanks, walking Wikipedia,” Olivia joked, nudging Tara with her elbow.

  “He’s also famous among the ladies. You know, when high rankings come with good looks and a good personality. He’s known for breaking hearts,” Curie added.

  “Yeah, I’ve heard that too. He’s been with many doctors and nurses that I know, but the surprising thing is none of them speak badly of him. And the most interesting thing is...” Tara lowered her tone.

  “He has no interest in bedding any of them. A good kisser, though, they say,” Tara replied.

  “I’ve heard that too. He’s known to be the complete opposite of his adopted brother,” Curie added.

  “Yeah, that man never dates. He’s so good-looking but never dates—such a waste, some say, you know,” Tara lowered her voice again.

  “You heard the rumours about Bell never dating?” Tara whispered.

  “That... he’s not into women?” Curie asked quietly.

  “Yeah, some say those boys might have learned that from their dad, you know,” Tara whispered.

  “Nonsense!” Olivia smirked ironically, catching the others’ attention immediately.

  “Who says Bell isn’t into women? Mom told me that young Bell was a playboy. Then he fell in love with a girl, but that girl cheated on him and married Vice Chancellor Charles Smith. That disappointed Bell, and he never dated after that,” Olivia continued.

  “Wow, I’ve never heard of that, but it makes a lot of sense,” Tara added in surprise.

  “Yeah, it was decades ago; most people have forgotten it,” Olivia agreed.

  “Anyway, Bell was so worried about Calvin. Did you see the look on his face? I think the reason he joined was his sister. He cares about her safety a lot. Calvin, Maxwell, and their friends always look after Melvin; I’ve seen that a lot,” Curie added.

  “Bell’s got really handsome sons, don’t you think? That other guy called Maxwell is Bell’s dead friend’s son. But I’ve never heard any reasons why Bell adopted Calvin,” Tara said playfully, to which Olivia smirked teasingly.

  “He’s too talented, maybe that’s why. Besides, don’t you think Calvin has a lot of similarities to Bell? Both have brown eyes, brown hair, and the same height. Who knows what secrets those chancellors might have?” Curie said, shrugging.

  “They have similarities, but not too familiar, though. Brown-eyed and brown-haired people of the same height aren’t rare in Octagon Verenda; you can find thousands. But yeah, there is a possibility, like you said,” Tara added.

  “Am I the only one not interested in soldier boys?” Olivia asked teasingly. Both Tara and Curie chuckled.

  “Come on, they’re hot, aren’t they? Just look at that guy,” Tara teased, pointing to Calvin walking down the corridor at the far end.

  “I feel sorry for Marcus,” Olivia smirked mischievously, making Tara blush, which caused Curie to giggle.

  *A trainee is a person training to be a minister( in the security sector, ministers are called marshals). The candidates for the chancellor's vote were chosen from ministers and rarely from trainees(in cases like honour marks, hero medals, and exceptional talents).