One

Everyone is wandering here and there as they have busy schedules.

The lobby was filled with students who were preparing for the upcoming project. Some have the desire to achieve whereas some just want their degree to be completed.

“What to choose?” Some haven’t even taken decisions regarding their project.

“Where to go?” Some haven’t decided a place to explore for their project.

But one girl sat idle, curling her brown wavy hair with the tip of her pen, her focus was solely on the paper she was going through, her cat eyes fixed on the wolf jumping in the air, her composure was cool as a cucumber.

“Wonderful!” Her plump lips parted with amazement as admiring the size of the wolf and its fur.

She even started to wonder does this place really exist.  Or did someone photo shopped it to make it famous?

Professor Hahn won’t lie to her, will he?

Her teammates are nowhere to see as they have gone to the library to search the place she was willing to go.

“Mia!” A girl whined.

“Yeah! Cara. Just come to the matter. Don’t waste my time.” She said still looking at the paper.

Her yellow mint orbs didn’t blink for once.

Mia Rose has great taste and passion for photography who wanted to achieve something in the field. She is very talented and passionate about going straight to anything she likes and capturing it in an interesting and innovative way.

She is ambitious to capture many strange and innovative creations on her camera. One day Mia came to meet him as usual and got wonderful news mixed with a surprise, that sure changed her life in an unexpected way.

A Professor brought a new twist to her life which was leading an extraordinary life.Yes, he is her college professor Mr. Hahn who is a doctorate in photography. He is the one who teaches and guides her in this field.

When she conducted seminar, having to gather additional information, she called the professor and asked for his help. The professor showed her many wonderful photographs that caught the eye of the onlookers.

One of the photographs shown by the professor caught Mia’s eyes and her mind. She took that only one particular photograph which had drawn her cat eyes and her mind among everything.

She stared and enjoyed it for a while.

Looking at it, she wonders if such a place really exists.

“Where is it?”

“When did you capture?”

“How beautiful it is?”

“Is it real?”

With all these questions, she started to question the professor about the photo taken.

The professor took the photo from her, looked at it, and said, "Is this it?" and showed her some more photos.

Mia was even more surprised to see it. The professor started to tell her about the place sensing her interest in it.

She became even more curious to hear it. After hearing all this, she looked at the professor and smiled with interest then told him, “I would like to visit this place and take photos.” Her eyes were burning with the desire to go.

Immediately the professor said: “No, Mia. That is the most dangerous place I had visited ever.” She pouted her lips to let him give her more details about the place, she is not here to inquire about the menaces the place has.

“Going there and taking pictures are not an easy task. It is an area surrounded by snow, where normal life cannot be possible. People living there do not trust other races. Their standard of living is very different. We cannot cope with that situation. So you should change your mind and choose a different place to take photos.” He said in his stern voice.  

Despite the professor's repeated warnings, being an adamant girl, she did not back down from her desire to go there.

“I cannot send you there, knowing the danger there.” He slumped his shoulders and looked at her softly.

“You are brilliant enough to achieve more in this industry. I don’t want to lose you, Mia. I am aging up and my heart will not bear the---” Shaking his head he walked out of his classroom unable to utter another word.

Mia returns to the class from the professor’s cabin with her head bowed down with regret on her face, that her wish did not come true.

She was quiet in her seat throughout the entire class as if she had lost something she loved. Many professors noticed her saddened face and inquired about the issues from her friends.

Mia’s friends saw her upset and asked her, "What happened to you?"

“Why are you so upset?” They just wanted to know what is bothering her even though they guessed it already.

“Nothing. It’s just I was wondering what place to choose.” She chewed her inner cheeks to refrain herself from crying aloud.

“Just tell us. Please!” Cara, her best friend pouted her lips, along with her friend’s several times of asking she told them what happened.

One or two of her friends made fun of her saying this is why you are so sad. Some of them comforted Mia and said: “We will try, everything will be ok.”

Her best friend went to her side in a soft voice and asked if that place was so beautiful.

Mia said: “Yes, if we ever get a chance to go there, we will be able to take pictures in a very beautiful way that no one has ever taken before. Even though I know that is a rare opportunity for me to achieve my ideal, I am very sad because I will not be able to go there.”

After hearing this, her friends said, “When we hear what you are saying, we too feel like visiting that place.”

In slightly increased up hope Mia replied, “I think the professor told me that it was not to let me go there because I was going there alone. Maybe if we ask for permission to go there as a group, there is a chance.” Her eyes blinked with hope.  

“First we have to form a group with people who are interested and willing to come there with us, then we can go to the professor and get permission.” Her friends said in unison.

Immediately with a happy smile on her face, Mia said: “it's a good idea!” and hugged her friends and kissed them on the cheeks. Little did they know how much danger lies behind this happiness of them.

Together they convinced Professor Hahn and promised him to stand by her side.

Professor Hahn recalled his old days as how he was adamant to achieve something in his life as in Mia’s age and with a smile playing on his lips, he decided to help her find her dream.

That’s how the team started to investigate the place and the uttermost shock hit them like cold water.

They need to cross the ocean to land on the place. Actually, it’s not any ordinary place like they thought, it is an island where dangerous species are alive.

Very rare information is provided on the internet about the island and whether dangerous or not she is not going to back away.

“You still wanted to go there?” She asked in the most concerned tone.

“Yeahhh.” Mia gave her a cool reply.

“But they announced storm alert!” She tapped her feet on the floor like a child.

“So?” She looked up to meet her eyes.

“I am going, the boat has arrived already. If I miss this opportunity I have to wait for one more month.” She shook her head in distaste.

The next day—

She alone made the trip to Vienna as her friends backed away when the professor asked the team to back off knowing the storm alert.

"It is my dream, not theirs." Very adamant, she climbed inside the awaiting boat and her trip was smooth as silk.

There are no storms.

“Thank you!” She waved them goodbye before making her way inside the island even after a man in the boat warned her not to go further.

“No one returned from there! You, little girl, don’t go!” the stranger shouted from the boat but she made her ears deaf.

As she was walking around the forest she heard the howling sound of the wind along with the scariest voice of the bird crying aloud.

She then spotted a pair of green eyes watching over her before she let out a scream but her sound was muffled when a hand was wrapped around her mouth.