Hearing Mark instruct Bernard to follow me, I increased my speed, quickly sliding into a nearby foreign room. Once inside, I found that it was, in fact, a laboratory. Not a collection of laboratories, but just one single room dedicated to one single laboratory, probably for one single scientist.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAfxUnpnrh0C
It was well kept and organised; white counters stretched out against every wall, biurets and whatnot on one side, and compounds and elements on the other. Every inch of the lab boasted state of the art technology; nanotechnology here, some energy-efficient water purifiers there.
516Please respect copyright.PENANA7bNrYGHA5w
But what interested me the most was a small vial that sat alone on one of the counters, right against the wall as if whoever put it there was completely cautious enough to protect it from breaking at all costs. It was about the size of my index finger, almost fully made of glass, except for its golden lid and tiny square plate (also golden) in which the name of the contents of the vial was skilfully engraved into. I knelt down, observing every detail of it with pure appreciation.
516Please respect copyright.PENANA8KNSfCKkkd
"What–" a voice hissed – and momentarily stopped when I screamed, ducking down, "are you doing?" it finshed.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAnwtJ5A6E3s
The voice belonged to a female, no doubt. It was rough, but not quite as rough as it was snappy and demanding, as if each word after the initial "what" was arrowed out her mouth by some invisible assistance of a bow.
516Please respect copyright.PENANALvHZZjmuzL
I rose, slowly from my half-crouched position, just about identifying the constricted pupils of her dark eyes. She looked about my age. Her eyebrows were drawn towards each other, illustrating a frown, and her glare just missed being homicidal. Although bizarre for a short moment, I would have thought it was Gemma herself, had it not been for the microscopic raven hair, which was razored so short that it stood only about half a centimeter off her scalp. She looked the opposite of Gemma.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAKXXYIOElNf
I placed a hand on my chest. "Don't do that!"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAUd69Pk2vSA
She didn't miss a beat before replying, "how about you don't invade other people's private laboratories? There are chemicals in here that could burn right through your eyes and into your brain, you know?" It sounded more like a threat than a caution – especially with her finger prodding my shoulder like that and her chin titled high, dominance written all over the posture.
516Please respect copyright.PENANA8jeuQOcThF
In a weird way, I admired her attitude; she was the first person in any of the two Reynolds buildings who didn't approach me as if I were a bomb ready to explode at any given moment.
516Please respect copyright.PENANA5Zw50cT7vV
"You're right. I shouldn't be in here," I admitted. One small step for man,—
516Please respect copyright.PENANALBZpQ0ckio
"And judging by the way you were ogling that copper ii benzoate dehydrate," she went on, "it doesn't seem like you know the last thing about quantum chemistry, so I'd be careful where I put my foot, the next time."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAcpXxijlgzK
I had actually memorised the entire syllabus on quantum chemistry when I first entered the wonderful and thrilling world of teenhood. That, and quantum physics. Nonetheless, I apologised, smiling, "I'm sorry," —one giant leap for mankind, "but it wasn't the copper ii benzoate dehydrate I was interested in – the vial it's inside looks very pretty."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAZwFRIkqI7S
She let out one of those one-breath laughs. "The vial?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAfP4zHf0l3S
I nodded.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAwQyS1KpOK9
"If it accounts for anything, it is from the Reynolds' alchemy unit. Limited edition. They stopped making them a few years back, when the smart and talented Miss Gemma Reynolds realised that gold was a limited resource."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAWoCOx9aOlp
"That's too bad," I was still smiling, although I didn't know why. Maybe it was because of the way she referred to Gemma in such a sardonic manner, which I didn't think was possible of any Reynolds' employees, seeing as they seemed to worship the girl – or perhaps, this girl was just being herself.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAhIjdjANLsz
"What's so funny?" she inquired.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAHKYImYXEFv
"Nothing." I wiped the stupid smile off my face. "You're just..."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAhKiP1vOLce
"I'm just what?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAmofNLEnXW9
Confident? Fearless? A role model to all feminists out there?
516Please respect copyright.PENANABfRxSb4CIu
"You're—"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAlVV3cggmfe
She gasped suddenly, her eyes widening and immediately narrowing, all within a fraction of a second. "You're her!"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAAUp9WcAQmL
On a normal basis, I liked the usual "oh my lizards! You're 202!" that people reflexively gave off. Others took a safe step back, which was also satisfying. But, this girl's reaction, I loved. And what made it better was what she said, next.
516Please respect copyright.PENANA6XztR5zOOh
"You're the chick Gemma's been obsessed with!" She sounded accusatory, the pressure on the finger that met my shoulder increasing with every word.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAbqXQerm6R7
"Gemma, you say?" I leaned forward, all interested.
516Please respect copyright.PENANA9aW6eoynbP
"Yeah. She can't stand you," she stated it so simply, so respectably honestly.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAL80faQ98qs
I scoffed. "Then, tell her to sit."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAntmbVn2hEF
A muscle twitched a little at her mouth, causing a corner of her lips to arch up. Strangely, the tiny shift seemed to light up her whole face. "I'll be out of my job if I so much as ordered her to take an extra breath. I've got a mouth to feed at home, so I'll leave the commanding to you."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAcvPccFaNIs
I tilted my head. "You've got a child?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAdMv49YSF9I
"Reproduction; one of the seven life processes."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAF9Z1AQ3Oar
"But... you look so young."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAXbp6WRdOQN
"Ever heard of teenage pregnancy? What boring society do you live?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAFrKJgH8tnX
"Well, Director rarely ever let me leave the gates of the Front without authorisation, if that explains anything."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAPhOI7fgniO
"The Front!" Her eyes glistened. "That name is thrown around at least twice every hour in this place!"
516Please respect copyright.PENANA2GPhhPfJd4
"Same thing happens with Reynolds Corporation over there."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAFnovU2Jylj
"Really?" She was now wearing the same smirk I had on.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAQouor3IAb6
"Uh-huh."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAdIYtjmGgqR
We lapsed into silence for a few seconds. I took in her unmissable almost-bald head for a second time. It seemed to take all the customary attention that hair, in general, gets, and concentrated it all into her facial features instead. The result made them look even more beautiful.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAER0gM8YqXP
"What's your name?" I asked.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAf6QuEO5U1n
"Arya. With a 'y'."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAZNBp2NTDAv
"Nice name. I'm Emerald."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAAYKzNJFrPT
"Is it? I can't be sure, I've only seem your face and name on the front page of a newspaper fourteen times, in the past two weeks."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAGZjFmlzAiV
"Wow. That's precise," I deliberately focused on the wrong part, just to see how far I could tick her off.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAZaQ6pXzeho
"If you're trying to annoy me," she responded, reading my thoughts, "it's working."
516Please respect copyright.PENANA6S8kTDblJU
"Annoying people is second nature to me," I replied, proud of this useless quality.
516Please respect copyright.PENANA2nW2uyXntJ
"How charming," she stated flatly. "I took the hint when you came in here without permission."
516Please respect copyright.PENANALS5kqBlhbU
I shrugged. "I get curious."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAFju7ulLOrH
She smiled a proper smile now. "Me too."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAJMiE2I5Fab
"So how come you had a child so early?" Again, it was curiosity provoking that question. As soon as it left my mouth, I expected a scowl from her or an even rudely phrased "mind your own business" comment. But instead, her face lit up, as if she felt genuinely enthusiastic when on the topic of her child.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAiPnAFOUd07
"Well, I don't know if I've mentioned this but I am quite the prodigy when it comes to quantum chemistry,"
516Please respect copyright.PENANADLkTZTpsnH
You have.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAJNCJoJkhbQ
"So, it was no surprise when I'd gotten into Harvard three years prior to standard college applicants. Guess who else got into Harvard three years prior?" She asked with a knowing smirk.
516Please respect copyright.PENANABg9pkkSPIp
How could I forget? It was all they ever blabbered on about at the Front, for a whole week without end.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAXBwWo8iYYV
"You had a child with Gemma?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAye1ypqNFkW
"No. I attended Harvard with her. There, I was introduced to the fabulous wonderland of college parties."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAANieIB0xZG
"And that's when contraception was ignored, and ta-da a child is born! I finished. It was the typical story of accidental pregnancy. Easy.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAOYqaDtgAmP
"No."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAGA3McecTsG
"Oh."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAwltp8ZdxkT
"Gemma and I got really close, thanks to those exciting strings of parties, and half way through the course, she to talk to her father about getting me a job at Reynolds. Amazing pay cheque. It was irresistible. You should have seen those digits—"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAPlXdNV3lkC
"Are you promoting Gemma's wealth?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAK2OSGOxkqc
"Right. What was I saying? Oh yeah! And then I met Noah, and bam! Now I have a daughter."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAVp6fbnUqR3
Not that I've ever been to school but from what I've heard, you know when teachers explain the most important part of the lesson real fast? That was what just happened. I shifted on the spot. "Um, I think I just missed something. Slowly, now. Who's Noah?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAYOKqsTEYQO
"Oh, he's my boyfriend. He works here too."
516Please respect copyright.PENANA5TKXt2GA1G
I liked the way she simply stated things, as if reading facts out of flash cards. If there was anyone I'd trust to tell the truth, it would have been her. I smiled at this. "What's your daughter's name?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAx6hXtpjVwn
"Arya the Second," she replied with a straight face.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAoIyKydCSdb
I gave her a blank stare.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAX2hbvthJpc
"Put that face away. I'm just messing with you."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAgeQOPZeUP2
"What is it, then?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAI6PMtGZqGq
She ran a hand over her head. "It's—swear you won't laugh?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAgs7XS5J6uj
"I would never," I promised. "Besides, I get called by a medical drug's name, so who am I to judge?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAeqCHzNpNU2
"Alright then," she took a breath. "It's... Fluorine."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAlAfAixdvwN
There was silence.
516Please respect copyright.PENANA0q1DoAQHCc
My laugh broke that silence.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAt8vm7TO73h
"You said you wouldn't laugh!" she yelled.
516Please respect copyright.PENANABxnlgaM8PL
I laughed harder. "Oh my god!" I wheezed, tears brimming over my lower eyelids. "Fluorine! Like the element?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAZMm9Z7pEM7
"Shut up! It was his idea! The name was supposed to be poetic. Fluorine is one of the most reactive metals, consisting the highest attraction of—stop laughing!" She shoved me.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAQz6k9Q39ZN
"Hey! Dangerous chemicals behind me! I can't believe you! What did the poor child ever do to you? Do you know how much bullying little Fluorie's going to encounter? I mean, not that I've ever been to school myself," I explained, "but I've heard horrible things."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAJiEmHzBDtu
"You've never been to school?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANATM95gqToxv
"No."
516Please respect copyright.PENANArmxNazKZXq
"Explains a lot."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAHf6XJ61DKA
"Hey! You're mean!"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAhPSSTUczrK
"And you're childish. When I saw the broadcast of you at the launch evening, I don't know, you just seemed so serious, so solemn," she made a face. "But you're the opposite! You looked so boring on that camera."
516Please respect copyright.PENANA7ad4qKexf3
"I wasn't boring. I was bored."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAkwUuDB2tOd
"Yeah... you honestly looked like you were about to pass out in the first minute of Director's speech."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAFspd9gFlQw
That deceitful lying traitor.
516Please respect copyright.PENANACFmlIyDCDx
"Between you and me, I chugged down two litres of energy drink before that evening began."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAQEa976EGZX
"And even that barely kept you awake."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAxGIwkuqNZP
"I fell asleep just before he called me up."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAds9UB3YYrL
"No way!"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAapeQLAl1qX
"Yes way! Amanda lost her mind."
516Please respect copyright.PENANA8akN7lBPjC
"Manager, right?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAuiT5Tkop2Z
I nodded. "And part-time Emerald-sitter."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAJyCWuYLwot
"Cool."
516Please respect copyright.PENANA5Yhr71GYvR
"Not cool. The woman doesn't let me utter a minor swear word without scolding me."
516Please respect copyright.PENANA0XdWRwAH7G
"Well, by the looks of those pictures, you seemed to love her." Ah, the press pictures.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAu6ouWaCzcL
"I never said I don't love her," I muttered.
516Please respect copyright.PENANA2GyLaAI1NV
"Is this the part where the audience "aww"s?" She clasped her hands holding it to her chest, acting out her words. It caused heat to rise to my face.
516Please respect copyright.PENANABh6WI7GYYP
"Shut up." I swatted her.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAAuutRUzu8L
"But, do you know what I'm wondering?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAum2kel4e5D
"What?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAfGhG6fxIXq
"Why did the director guy call you up, and then proceeded to continue talking for a good half an hour before actually introducing the poor girl he forced to get up on stage?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAYUWwsW9Mrz
I gasped. "I. Know. Right?!" It was like Arya's actual soul was attached to mine. "For a smart guy, that traitorous man has no logic."
516Please respect copyright.PENANA1rjCSPjYaO
"Traitorous because he forced you to get up on stage even though you clearly didn't want to, or traitorous because he lied to you and then tried to kill you for it?"
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I blinked.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAuD0LHpkyvS
Well, this conversation escalated quickly.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAI1HM4JEWbD
"You know?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAMYl97ZLYPy
"Everyone here knows!"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAViXi1hgQJ2
"They do?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAWseQDCNquL
She sighed, as if giving up on me. "Are you actually dense?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANA9bY8ih35nT
"You're doing it again."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAyXKg6PEEBp
"Doing what?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAhb3HQLTJjf
"Being mean," I huffed like a child.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAJzjf5kLx2w
"I'm sorry, but I would have thought you knew."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAuwKSj9Ojg8
"How would I know?" I mocked.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAFbsDin8FzW
"How do you think Gemma created the cure for 202 without the employees at Reynolds knowing? Who do you think manufactures it?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAXDGYJHRaB7
I scratched my ear. Alright, I was dense. But... "But, the whole reason why Director wanted me dead is so that nobody else found out about his grand failure!"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAX6m71Cdyzb
"Your point being?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAZYlqp6m0sz
"My point being, Director feared anyone –Reynolds Inc, included – discovering the truth so much, he was prepared to kill me for it – because he knew that all it would take was one good bribery and one good news story for it to be all over the media. So my question is, if everyone here knows the truth, how comes it hasn't gotten out to the media yet?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAIlrDvrnWvx
Arya tilted her head. "You know what the Anti-202 Squad is, right?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAqslaxxFrcD
"Yes. They were embracing themselves for attack when I first got here."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAhBrJf5mLKY
"Right. Well, Gemma has an even stronger squad to ensure nothing – and may I repeat, nothing – she wants to be kept confidential, leaks out. It's called the media-foxfire."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAi77u4hbOjD
I cocked my head. "Hold on. Gemma fears the media more than she fears me?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAGp97psBe5N
"I guess."
516Please respect copyright.PENANADG2TWW34cJ
I shrugged. "Likewise," I paused. "Wait, so Gemma doesn't want anyone to find out about 202?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAYtafNDtX7t
"Nope."
516Please respect copyright.PENANARR103Ooq7a
I was baffled. "W-w-well, why not?" I thought she'd leap at the chance to expose the Front.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAXZiHtChbSn
"I don't know."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAVMBcXehSWl
"You don't?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANACCJw2cbv8d
"She's planning something big. That part, she's kept hidden, even from her employees."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAjIP9k5p99T
My eyes glittered.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAH3tokZ51OX
"I need her cure," I told Arya.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAoEXt7sGSnw
"I know. She won't give it to you."
516Please respect copyright.PENANArwB6u6R45Y
"You think I don't know that?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAVA2QQUDyg7
"Well, I'm just saving you the time and energy." She shrugged.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAu0Yr7vYoF4
"There's really no way she'd give it to me, huh?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAXaQjdOb00F
"Like I said, she's planning something big. She'll look at you like an obstacle in her way."
516Please respect copyright.PENANA5spIZysTio
"Then, I guess I'd have to fight it off her, then."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAM4EI1ZvAvv
"Ooh, I'd pay good money to see that."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAFIJRV6WHzk
"It wouldn't be long. Probably about a second or two to snap her neck, perpendicular to her shoulder."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAeCTxXk5uPc
Arya took a step back.
516Please respect copyright.PENANA9kyDzp4R2H
"I'm joking."
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I think.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAP7u37cohXc
"Is it true? What they say about the – well it sounds like a childish way to refer to it but, – the powers?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAScRSAjnPIV
"The superpowers." I winked.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAFmhlVoMFMb
"They say you can bend steel under your fingers."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAV2vPL3A6eE
"Huh. Never really tried it. I can shatter things telepathically, though."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAqYk5CT7D8l
"That. Is. Awesome! I read about it in article 7.1. in Robert Reynold's study of The Fabrication of 202."
516Please respect copyright.PENANA4N06KBNEjy
"The man was a pedophile, as well as a killer," I replied looking around. "You haven't got a scrap piece of steel by any chance, have you?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAhjBwRDlwQs
"That third drawer labelled Transitions." She pointed in its direction.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAs2k9TfZzHC
Once I opened it, I noticed immediately how the drawer resembled the Tardis from Doctor Who. Small on the outside, big on the inside. There were rows upon rows of sample-like pieces of metals. Although separated and neatly categorized, there was no telling which type of metal was which. One had to simply be well educated enough to look at a scrap piece of metal and go "ah, this must be zinc."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAJfQTPqTnqT
I picked out the steel piece. It was about the size of a small pencil.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAhkZvadGL49
"I hear you're incredibly smart too, despite what I said earlier," Arya said, with both elbows resting on the counter, now.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAnc3bIz2jiz
I turned the steel over in my knuckles, as if it were a drumstick and walked back over to her. "When I want to be."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAbVmQaFBEDB
Which is never.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAs2DtT65Iaf
I looked up. "You seem to be hearing a lot. But the question is, who's saying these things?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANA3l5ElKBQP6
She shrugged. "Sentences just get thrown around in here. I pick up on them."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAtldF4gWW8m
Interesting.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAYoAdvbS0jJ
"Do they talk about my potential death?" I winced a little, awaiting her answer.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAAzpmZUvxQq
Her face dropped a little. "You don't want the answer to that."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAhVV9VwqOHO
I gave sad smile for reasons I didn't know. I didn't care about what these people thought of me. But, this was more than reputation. It was death. My actual death. My potential death. These people were celebrating it even though I had never done anything to them. It was a laugh behind my back, even though they were the ones who wronged me, and my parents, and the whole of the Front. It was like they were talking about my upcoming birthday, except it was the opposite. It felt weird. Maddening.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAhsfThACOcI
The steel bent into a 'U' shape under my hand.
516Please respect copyright.PENANA4BSS3YbOIO
Arya smiled at it, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "You know, I'm really beginning to wish I hadn't met you. Because if what happens, happens," she deliberately failed to mention the words. "I don't think I'd be as stony about it, as I once thought I'd be."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAu0DhpbI7TA
I wish we never met, because before I knew you, I wouldn't have cared whether you lived or died. But now, I just might, was basically what she was saying.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAIoiVApnMP8
"Hey!" She now had a happy smile on. "If you know when you're going die, aren't you a bit like Jesus?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAFfx8Z6pzdB
I laughed at the absurdity of her sentence. "I'm not Jesus!"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAqHEmHq3EK8
"You're like him. You know when you're going to die, and you make subtle references to your death like it's no big deal. Besides you're kind to the world, as Jesus once was."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAgIG9HZbzs3
"I am many things, Arya," many, many things. "But, I'm not God."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAsMOH7KuKiK
"Of course, not. But you're a giver. You give your all."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAuJ0QEm7Rkh
"I'm selfish," I argued. "Yeah, I give my all to get the cure from Gemma. But I do it, because I need it."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAMPhUzkKmwz
"Is that the only reason you do it?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAdNB7Aqp2x0
"Yes."
516Please respect copyright.PENANA0Ivjtx4pRB
"So you've never once thought about doing it for all the people who were promised a cure for cancer?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAtreDlq4qEs
I remained silent.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAVqj2WXapmy
"Well?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANA3Ucl4kqLTT
I sighed. "I have."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAsJtnriNXvk
"You have. See? You're not selfish. Wanna know why?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAMyC6IFLnE2
"Go ahead."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAMhhbVwQ0Y7
"Because you have time! Death isn't going to come to you until you are at least twenty years old, and how long is it till your birthday?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAKr8wSaZhq6
"Half a year."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAkPKK3RscLS
"Half a goddamn year! That means you have at least 6 months until things start to get serious. You didn't have to travel a quarter of the way across the world to get the cure. But, you did. Why? Because you're selfish and wanted Gemma's cure all to yourself? No. It was because the rest of the world doesn't have 6 months," she stopped momentarily like people do just to make sure everything they just said actually goes into the other person's brain. "I have known about you for years. But I've only known you personally for—" she looked at her watch. "Twenty-five minutes, and I can say this: Yes, you are many things, Emerald. But, selfish is not one of them."
516Please respect copyright.PENANABqFEfZtDTg
You will meet some people, very rarely, perhaps only once or twice if you're lucky, for they are very sparsely distributed around the world. And when you encounter them, you sort of just click – in a weird way maybe, or in a straightforward way possibly, but ultimately you will click just like the pen that drew this picturesque outline of a friendship for you.
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I had known Arya for not even a day, and she was already one of those people.
516Please respect copyright.PENANA65okgL3Z5X
"Nineteen years, I've been alive. Nineteen, " I iterated. "And, I only meet you now?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAAMUU4FH7Kh
She flicked some imaginary hair back. "I'm irresistible, aren't I?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAndMZuQ3Wwk
I cracked a smile. "Did you really mean what you said?"
516Please respect copyright.PENANAn2ylGaDuS4
"Hell yeah. That speech you gave here in LA at that protest? Well, we all watched it in the cafeteria. About twelve people welled up. I'm pretty sure Gemma fired all twelve of them."
516Please respect copyright.PENANAHH9aQRbi0E
"Did they really?" A proper smile returned to my face.
516Please respect copyright.PENANAMEfpoupjHw
"Yes! Gosh, after what you said, I'd bet my master's degree that every guy in that audience fell in love with you," she answered with iron certainty.
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My heart pounded when she said that. It shouldn't have, but it did.
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***
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Author's note:
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Eesh, chapter titled was a little deceiving. I'd choose Arya over Everest anyday. Joke. I think.
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What do you think of Arya?
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I know there are many minor characters like Bernard, Brian, all those staffs, and even Heather, but Arya's actually a pretty important character, which is why I dedicated a whole chapter for her (p.s I think she's pretty cool). Fear not, there's more Arya in the next chapter.
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Thank you for reading! Please comment and feedback if you liked it. And vote too if you want idm ;)
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P.s. This chapter's called "Are we Soulmates Yet?" because it's the 21st chapter and Everest is 21. Okay, I lied again, it was just a coincidence.
-Ruth
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