Alyssa smiled. Well, that was unexpected.
The others watching the event on the display screen celebrated.
‘Ali did it!’ Janice said.
‘We won,’ Eikichi said.
The exam was over.
Alyssa and the remaining members took the flag posts, planted them at their base, and exited their exam arena. They were congratulated by Janice and Eikichi.
‘Thanks for the match,’ Miss Olivera said, smiling. ‘It was quite something between you guys, especially the fight between Arthur against Yannick. That was great.’
The group discussed the exam with each giving their opinion on the test, while the other groups had their turn. When everyone was done, the students returned their weapons and were taken back to the academy.
Before they left, Miss Olivera asked them to act like the exam was difficult to psych out the students who hadn’t completed it yet.
‘Ah, now I know why all the students looked the way they did when they came,’ Eikichi said.
When the students arrived back at the academy, they exited the ship once they were parked inside the armoury and acted the part Miss Olivera wanted them to play.
Alyssa departed from the ship and spotted Arthur. She suspected he was bothered by the result of the exam, as he still didn’t remove his helmet. She strode toward him.
Arthur stopped walking. He exhaled.
‘Arthur,’ she said.
‘Alyssa...’ he said.
‘I just wanted to say, thanks for a good match. Even though you lost, you’re still a victor in my eyes. Had this been a one-on-one combat battle, I would have lost. I have no doubt about that.’ She extended her hand.
Arthur appeared surprised. ‘I appreciate the compliment, Alyssa. I guess this makes us even.’ He shook her hand.
He left to regroup with his team.
‘That’s right, Arthur, you better walk!’ Janice admonished, as she approached Alyssa.
Arthur smiled in bewilderment, then resumed walking away.
‘So, what was that about?’
‘Acknowledgement,’ Alyssa said.
‘On whose part?’
‘Mine.’
‘Okay...’ she said, sounding confused. She looked back at the group. ‘So, what do you we do now?’
‘We celebrate,’ Eikichi said.
‘No point in doing that,’ Ali said. ‘since our marks won’t be released, at least, for another two weeks.’
Eikichi sighed. ‘Oh man.’ He stood upright again. ‘Well, you won the match for us, Ali. Good job.’
‘Thanks.’
Alyssa and group walked away from the armoury. She listened to her members converse with one another before realising Ali was with them. She looked back and saw him still standing as he looked around the place.
‘Ali,’ she said, walking back to him.
‘Alyssa,’ he said.
‘You alright?’
‘I’m…’ He went quiet. ‘Ever since what happened with my family, I’ve been questioning myself on whether I’m being selfish by doing this, whether it’s worth it.’
‘Is it?’
‘I don’t know… my love for my family is profound. There’s nothing other than my desire to do good here that is on par with it. But now…’ He sighed.
‘I don’t believe I’m in a position to say anything to you as I haven’t experienced this. But… I believe if you want to maintain your relationship with your family, do something about it. Don’t let them do this.’
‘There’s not much I can do, Alyssa. Look at where I am. I’m on another planet. I can’t just drop everything I’m doing here and go visit them.’
‘I know but keep calling them. Keep messaging them. Send them gifts. Do whatever it takes to let them know that you will not allow them to do this. Keep that connection going, even if you’re not receiving anything back. It ceases to be alive the moment you stop.’
‘They won’t respond to me. At some point I’m going to have to accept the reality of the situation. I say this because I’m not the first person to be disowned.’
She stood closer to him. ‘You never know, Ali. You were loved before this happened, which was a very long time. I may not know what that was like, but I believe that love you were given still exists. They may not acknowledge you, or admit their love in public, but in their private moments, I believe they think about you because they’re parents.’
Ali appeared to be considering her words. He nodded.
Alyssa embraced him, doing her best to provide comfort in his moment of need. ‘Everything will be fine.’
Afterward, Alyssa was in her room, sitting on her bed while she read over recent articles regarding the culprit and how they are still at large, with many questioning the actions of them. What do they want? What is their goal? Why are they attacking
She worried over the possibility of an attack happening at the academy and the consequences it could have if there was one.
This person must be stopped before that can ever happen.
She put aside her tablet and approached the window, staring at the white-bluish sun setting below the horizon. She knew she had to brace herself for the future, as it was filled with uncertainty and concern.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
Wanderers in the Dark Page 19