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Chapter 1 Betrayal

Ronald composed himself first. "Now that you've seen it, there's no point hiding it. Melissa has no family, and she's never been able to adjust to the northwestern region. You've always been independent. You'll be fine on your own."Melissa tugged on him, her eyes red. I did not cry, but I pointed at the chat history. "Who made the fake applications?""I printed them," Ronald admitted without hesitation."Who came up with the game of Take the Dare?"Her eyes darted away. Yves Quinton quickly shielded her. "We came up with it together. Don't just go after Melissa."I nodded and looked at Ronald. "Saying yes to my confession is part of the plan?"Ronald's throat bobbed. "You would never agree to a long-distance relationship. If I didn't say that, you'd never have signed the contract." He made it sound so matter-of-fact, and he didn't even sound guilty.Melissa's eyes went red, then she snatched Xavier Riverson's phone. "This is my fault. I'll apply to another university. I'll go t

Chapter 2 Unconcerned

I wanted to give them back all their stuff before I left. When we were twelve, Yves gave me his first basketball competition victory's medal. He wanted me to keep it safe for him.I went to the sports center holding the medal. He was on the ground, helping Melissa build her clothes stand. Mattresses, lamps, and boxes sat beside him."Put that lower." She gesticulated and drew a height level. "I can't reach it."He took it apart and put it together again. He saw me and asked, "What are you doing here?"I handed him the medal. "You can have it back."He was stunned. "It can stay with you. What are you doing giving it back to me?""I might not have the chance to give it back if I miss this one."He did not seem to notice what I meant. Instead, he casually tossed the medal into an already overflowing box. "Just in time. Melissa's room still needs a hook. You're strong. Come help out."I did not move. Melissa quickly said, "It's alright. She's going to the northwestern region. I bet

Chapter 3 Bullied

It was seven the next morning when I went back to school to collect my final file. Right after I went into the main building, someone behind me laughed."Look, that's one of the top scorers.""I heard she was going to stay in Imperia with Ronald. Then, all her friends applied for Queencity, while she was the only one heading to Westborder.""Sent? She wanted to cling to them but failed, so she scurried away."Some girls were blocking the stairs. The one in the lead was Melissa's new friend. Her gaze swept over me before landing on the camera around my neck."That's the stuff you won't lend Melissa?"I held her hand. "Let go.""What's with the attitude?" She raised her voice. "Melissa's right. You think you're a princess because you grew up with four childhood friends!"Her friend continued, "A shame they chose Melissa, but some people confessed despite that and got ditched after a day. What a joke."A crowd was forming. I looked at the other end of the corridor. Ronald and t

Chapter 4 Leaving

It was dawn, and the black car was waiting outside my house. My parents were still overseas, working on a project. They were sending me off through a video call. My mother's eyes were red. "Sure you don't need us to come home?""The base isn't allowing any family to come."My father was right beside her, holding his tears back. "Take care of yourself. Tell the professors if anyone pushes you around. Don't hold everything in."My eyes stung. At least there was someone out there who still hated to say goodbye to me. …Ronald and the others spent the whole night setting up the celebration for The Imperia Five at Melissa's house.The chat group blew up the whole night. Yves sent a photo of a wall filled with balloons. "You have the best aesthetics here, Helena. Help us out!"Xavier replied, "She's still sulking. Don't give her any quarter."Christian posted a cake for five people. "She'll calm down after she stays in the northwest for a couple of days. We'll livestream for her."

Chapter 5 Too Late

Once we reached the part of the journey that had to remain confidential, the professor held out his hand for my phone. "From now on, you're known by your project ID. Your previous identity, personal relationships, and communication records are temporarily suspended."I nodded. "Got it."The city was slowly turning into a barren wasteland outside. I leaned back in my seat. For the first time in years, I did not have to worry about someone messaging me and asking me to run an errand, edit something, or clean up another mess.It was quiet—way too quiet.At the same time, Melissa's celebration had begun back in Imperia. Yves stood on a ladder, hanging the last strip of lights. Xavier was in charge of the projector, while Christian cut the cake open. Ronald checked the time. It was five after seven, and I was not there yet. He texted me, "Where are you?"It did not go through. He was stunned, then he texted, "Don't you dare block me, Helena." That message did not go through either.

Chapter 6 Regret

Ronald led the others straight to the Imperia office of the research institute. The staff member asked, "Who are you to Helena?""I happen to be her boyfriend," he answered.The staff member checked my file. "You're not her emergency contact."Ronald froze. "She's just throwing a tantrum. Please tell me where she went.""Sorry, I'm not authorized to give that detail."Yves smacked the table. "We grew up together!"The staff member looked at him. "Then, you should've known she's joining the program today."The four fell silent. They had no idea at all. Even when they had searched my room from top to bottom, none of them had bothered to read the agreement properly. Xavier forced himself to stay calm. "We're not asking for the exact address, but can you hand some things to her?""I can't.""When can we contact her?""Depends on the project's state after the five years."Ronald stood for a long time. "She left without even asking us."The staff member frowned. "She's an adult

Chapter 7 Late Revenge

The next day, the school knew about my early admission. The principal themselves announced the news that I joined a national-level project as the state's top STEM scorer.Early admission was different from regular admissions. It was a selection, and I was the only person selected in the entire city. The girls who blocked my way the day before looked embarrassed.One even went to Ronald. "We were just kidding. We didn't think she'd actually leave. She's such a snowflake."Ronald looked at her. "Who toppled the bucket?"The girl's smile froze. "My hand slipped?""And the camera.""Same thing."He snatched her phone and tossed it into the fountain. The girl screamed, "Are you insane?""My hand slipped." She had a taste of her own medicine.He felt no satisfaction at all. Getting back at them for my sake felt like giving someone a band-aid for a wound that was totally healed. It was too late.Yves rummaged through the stuff in the sports center. The medal was buried under Melis

Chapter 8 Not Going Well

It was busier in the base than I expected. The first week I joined, I followed my mentor into the desert's test center. It was 104 degrees during the day and nearly zero at night. The winds carried grains of sand with them all the time.One of the seniors on my team handed me a face covering. "Having second thoughts?"I shook my head. "No.""Miss your family?"I thought about it for a moment. "My parents, yeah.""Anyone else?""None."She stopped asking. During the third month, the model I was in charge of ran successfully for the first time. It was three in the morning, but the whole team clapped thunderously. My mentor took out a can of soda half buried in the sands."Not much here.""It's champagne for adults."I took a sip. The carbonated part of the drink was already long gone, yet it was better than the champagne during that celebration for Melissa.…Six months later, my parents got in touch with me through the base's line. My mother cried so hard, her eyes were red.

Chapter 9 Just a Tourist

It was the fifth year, and the project was in its final stages. I was already 23 years old, and from the youngest intern on the team, I became the person in charge of a core module.Before the results were announced, the base allowed us a one-time communication with the outside world. I turned my phone on, and the messages bombarded me. Ronald sent me more than 2000 texts.The first one read, "Stop sulking already."The last one came the day before. "I won't dream of your forgiveness. I just want to know if you're alright."Every time Yves won, he would send me a photo. Xavier uploaded the recovered videos one by one. Christian edited a new documentary, and it was called Empty Spot. The cover was the unfilled hole before the tree.I went through them and deleted everything. Not out of hate, but because there was no point keeping them.The press release was slated to happen in Imperia. The base arranged rides to take us back. Five years had gone by, and once again I saw that t

Chapter 10 Helena

The day after the press release, my parents held a feast for me. They did not invite Ronald or the others. My mother hugged me for a long, long time. My father tried to cook, but after ruining three dishes in a row, they finally gave up and ordered takeaway.While we ate, my mother asked, "Are you coming back to Imperia?"I shook my head. "The second phase is still in the northwest.""Another five years?""Perhaps longer."My father froze midway through getting the food. In the end, he said, "Chase your dreams. We'll keep a light on for you."My eyes stung. "Got it."…Before I left, I went back to my place. The tree was still there, but the hole where the time capsule was had been filled. A new metal box sat on the surface, and a piece of paper sat on the lid. "To Helena Samson."I did not open it. Instead, I walked around it., and Ronald came out from behind the tree. He did not stop me. "Our apologies are inside that box. I know you don't want to see that, so you don't ha

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