Chapter 23
TWENTY-THREE
W e arrive at the P'davi complex half an hour later. The journey down the mountain is smooth, and I'm amazed to see how similar the environment is to that of my world. There is a dense forest at the base of the mountain, and the complex is nestled right in the middle of it. It almost looks like a military center. There's a metal fence surrounding the entire area. Inside, there are rows of buildings painted in a nondescript gray. They are all the same height—some five or six floors.
The closer we get, the more I'm surprised at how well guarded the complex is. There's barbed wire around the metal fence, with armed guards stationed at every watch tower. We head for the gate of the complex, which, as we get closer, I realize must be quite a few meters in height.
I stare up at the intricate design engraved on the gate. It represents a circle cut in two. The bisecting line flares into a triangle at both ends of the circle, with vines entwining the line and flowers slowly blooming, one development phase at a time.
One of the guards comes up to us, requesting to see our key, which I hold up for him to see. Nodding at us, he gives his colleague the signal to open the gates.
There's a loud sound as the gate creeps open, the bottom dragging onto the ground. When there's an opening wide enough for us to pass, it suddenly stops.
We go through and the first thing that greets us is a large courtyard—the area where the next trial will be announced. There are already people around, all of them with their own teams—none larger than five. In fact, there's no one around that's on their own, and as they turn their attention toward us, I can see the interest and curiosity radiating from them. We are competing for the same prize, after all. They're probably sizing us up for any potential weaknesses.
As we get to the accommodation, we see more and more people, and I realize that plenty of teams have made it past the first trial. But what worries me more than anything is the fact that they all look to have some ability of sorts. Especially as some make a point of displaying their powers as they glare at us.
"Don't mind them," Thea whispers by my side. "They're just trying to show off."
I give her a strained smile, nodding. I know they're just trying to intimidate us, but for me, it's working. I don't have any special abilities, and now I don't even have the advantage of being in my own world. My team is the only thing keeping me afloat, and as much as it pains me to admit it, it's the reality. Yet I'm not about to give up. I'll do whatever it takes to prove myself useful so they don't think I'm a burden.
A member of staff intercepts us and, seeing the number of our suite, he leads us to a building in the back, telling us that our accommodation is on the first floor at the end of the corridor.
The inside of the building is eerily similar to one in my world, except I don't think it's made out of concrete. Curious, I touch the walls, marveling at the spongy but firm material. They seem to have hard metals, but other than that, the rest of the materials seem different.
I don't get to dwell much on it as we arrive at our suite. Opening the door, we all step inside, surprised to see it's a small apartment with a rudimentary kitchen, a bathroom, and two bedrooms. It's sparsely furnished, but it should be enough for our stay here. If anything, it's quite extravagant considering we're not all crammed in one room.
"This is not bad," I comment as I look around. "Thea and I can take one room and Cer and Ze the other."
Thea nods, dropping her shopping bags to the floor—I'd almost forgotten she insisted on bringing everything with her.
"I know you guys didn't get much sleep on the plane. Maybe you can rest a little?" I offer with a smile.
Ze grunts, and he's gone before I can even blink, the door closing behind him.
"You two will be all right?" Cer inquires, his gaze drifting to his sister.
"I'm exhausted," Thea sighs. "I'll see you later, big bro." She winks at him as she heads into our room.
I give him an awkward wave before I follow after Thea.
There are two beds in the room, with two nightstands in between. There are clean, white sheets on each bed, a pillow, and a blanket. On the opposite wall, there's a double door wardrobe, the design incredibly similar to what one would find in my world. Most things so far have been very familiar, except they seem to be designed on a more basic level, without any advanced technology.
The moment the door to our room closes, Thea discards her clothes, changing into a light cotton dress she bought from the duty-free. As she gets in bed, she only lets out a loud yawn before her eyes close and she's deep asleep.
That was... fast?
Since the weather is pretty warm, I decide to change into the purple dress Thea got for me. It's a pretty sundress with a fitted bodice and a flared skirt. Too bad that I don't have any pretty shoes to pair it with since I only brought a pair of comfortable sneakers with me. Hopefully, that will be enough, or at least there will be some shops in this world to get some new stuff.
As soon as that thought arises, it dawns on me that I know nothing about this world. I have no idea what the geography is like, if there are countries and governments and what currencies and languages they use. What species are its inhabitants? I am absolutely clueless. But because my toxic trait is that I'm too curious for my own good, I can't let this slide.
While Thea and the guys are resting, I can go explore and maybe ask some questions around. I don't want to bother any of them with my mundane curiosity, given that they're all likely exhausted. Thea hasn't slept since we left New York. The same goes for Ze and Cer, but they put in additional effort as they carried us for hours up a mountain. I'd say they truly deserve a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.
There were staff scattered throughout the complex, including the guards. I'm sure that someone will be able to give me more information. Maybe I can even find a way to get us some food since I have no doubt they'll be starving when they wake up.
As I exit our bedroom, I wonder if I should tell the guys that I'm going to be out for a bit. I don't want them to worry about me if they don't find me. Stopping by their door, I raise my fist to knock, but I stop myself at the last minute. I place my ear against the doorframe, listening for any sounds.
It's completely silent inside, a sign that they've gone to sleep just as Thea had done.
With a sigh, I take a step back. There are a few bags scattered on the floor—the only luggage we'd brought with us. I do a quick inventory, noticing that not only do we not have any food, but we're also out of water.
A smile surfaces on my face as I imagine them waking up to hot food and fresh cold water. Maybe I'll even get a thank you from Z—though I'm not getting my hopes up.
Leaving the apartment, I take a moment to orient myself outside. All the buildings look the same, and I assume they're all used to house the contestants. I walk slowly, looking right and left as I absorb as much information as I can.
To my right, there's a team comprised of three people. None of them seem human. In fact, one of the men on the team is juggling small flames on his fingers. My eyes widen in shock. No matter how strong my team is, I haven't seen either Cer or Ze have any such abilities. Thea confessed herself that she's not very good at anything except her charm—and sharp claws. A tremor of fear runs down my back.
They've been my first introduction to people with powers, and I've been so in awe with what I've seen of them that I immediately thought them unstoppable. But that's only because I didn't know better. I haven't met anyone else with such powers. But now...
Despite my efforts to keep a low profile, they notice me staring at them. A smirk appears on the man's face, and with a flick of his fingers, he sends a few balls of flames toward me. I jump back just in time to see the fire go out on the ground in front of me.
I walk faster, keeping my gaze to the ground. Yet no matter how much I try to ignore my surroundings, I'm aware of others displaying their abilities. There's a girl wielding shards of ice, while another can morph water molecules. Some guys a distance away are having a sword duel, practically flying in the air.
As I pass by them, I feel their curious gazes on me, but I also hear hushed whispers.
Human.
Somehow, they know I'm the weakest link.
Spotting a staff member a distance away, I decide to inquire about food and water.
"There's a canteen on the other side of the complex. It's the only building with a red door. You will need your room card to get supplies," she mentions.
"Thank you," I murmur with a smile. Searching for the building with the red door, my mind replays our conversation as I wonder how we were able to understand each other. Although her language sounded foreign, it was also familiar at the same time and I could somehow understand it.
Maybe it's just a side effect of being in this world? I'll have to question Thea more about it.
After a few failed attempts and even more run-ins with other teams who glare at me snidely, I'm not any closer to finding the building. On the other hand, I'm starting to realize that humans aren't very popular with this crowd.
God, it's almost as if I had the word tattooed on my forehead. Otherwise, how else would everyone know that I'm human?
Shaking my head, I ignore all the sharp glares and snide remarks as I walk farther to the back. It's only after what feels like forever that I come across the red door. Smiling to myself, I go inside the building. There's a lady at the counter, looking bored out of her mind as she rests her head on the table.
"Excuse me." I clear my throat when she doesn't acknowledge my presence.
She lifts her head, raising her brows in question.
"I'm here for food and water?" I force a smile.
"Room number?"
I show her the key and the small tag that says fifty-six. She nods and points me to the left.
"You can grab food and water from there. There's a limit of four items per person per journey," she adds in a robotic tone.
I blink.
"So I'll have to come back if I need more?"
She nods, her attention half drifting away.
Well, there goes my idea of surprising everyone with a meal. But since I'm already here, I decide to go inside and grab at least something.
As I step inside, I'm surprised to see rows and rows of food and drinks. It's almost like a buffet, with a lot of options that you can fill your plate with. Whenever an item runs low, a staff member comes in to add more, making the entire experience very fast and efficient. There are a few other people around, but there's no designated space to eat inside. You can only come in, grab your food, and go.
Grabbing a plate and a fork, I peek around, curious to see what type of food they'd have in this world.
There's something that looks oddly like rice, and I put a spoonful of it on my plate. Next, there are some oddly shaped vegetables that are more colorful than any I've seen in my world. More options of grain-like foods that look familiar but strange at the same time. I get a spoonful of each on my plate so I can try all of them. When I get to the meat, there are five rows of different types. There's no name to suggest what animal the meat could be from, and though it looks thoroughly cooked and quite appetizing, I can't risk it—not after seeing what happened to Thea and Ze. Even the other foods are a risk, but I'm starving, so I'll have to pray I won't get sick from it.
After I fill my plate with food, I get to the dessert station and see some dark squares that look like chocolate, along with some weird-looking fruits. Since I won't be able to carry two plates with me, I scoot the food to the side and add a couple of those squares, my mouth already watering at the thought of eating something sweet.
Last in line is the drink station. There are five jugs placed one next to another and wooden cups next to them. I sniff each jug, deciding to go with the one without scent. I pour a little into the cup at first, take a sip, and nod to myself. Water. Okay, that's good, now I can get more.
When I'm finally done, I leave, intent on going to the back where I saw some empty tables.
It seems that although there are no seats to eat inside, everyone is having their meal outside. I take a seat at the farthest table, not wanting to draw even more attention to myself.
Once I'm comfortable, I hesitantly start tasting the food. To my surprise, everything tastes fantastic—not too different from the food in my world. As I get to the dessert, I'm surprised to see that the dark squares taste just like chocolate, but this is much sweeter and buttery.
"Oh my God." I release a soft moan as I close my eyes. This is just fabulous. I don't think I've ever eaten better chocolate in my life. Now I know for sure what I'm going to be stocking up on from the cafeteria—and hey, it's a good source of energy, and I'll likely be needing a lot of that in the future.
I'm soon finished and I can't resist the urge to go in again to get a few more pieces of chocolate. I take a fistful of chocolate and make my way out, going toward a pretty garden I noticed at the edge of the complex. Despite its restricted area, there seems to be everything one might need here.
Finding a small nook next to some yellow flowers, I take a seat on the grass. The many plants and flowers offer me an advantage as I'm not as easily noticeable. This way, I won't need to withstand all the odd glances coming my way from the other teams.
I bite into a chocolate square, and despite it being utterly delicious, a sigh escapes my lips as I wish my Nikki were here to enjoy this too.
"You'd like this," I whisper, taking another bite. "I bet I could make you the best cake with it. It would be so creamy and sweet..."
My voice trails off as I realize how silly I am, talking by myself to an imaginary version of my husband—and it's not even his ghost.
I release a weary breath as I bring my knees to my chest, hugging myself. For the last few weeks, I've managed to keep myself together and focus on one goal at a time. Yet there are brief moments when my confidence falters and grief swallows me whole.
"It's fine," I tell myself in a low, pained voice. Shivers erupt all over the surface of my skin, coldness penetrating my bones despite the warmth outside. "I'll be fine. I'll win..."
Yet the truth is that I'm not fine. I'm the furthest away from fine. I've just done a damn good job of burying everything so deep within myself that at some point I've managed to convince myself that maybe I could be fine.
All along, I've been living a lie.
And this one bite of chocolate was enough to remind me of everything I lost. Of those stolen moments together where not even my deepest fears could get to me because I had him.
I press my lips together as tears stab at the back of my eyes.
"I need to be strong," I whisper as I swallow against the sudden wave of grief that strikes me in the breast. I allow myself a few moments to wallow in my pain before I put myself together. The only way I can win this is if I keep a level head.
I breathe in and out, closing my eyes and trying to get a modicum of control over myself. All my life, this is what I've been best at—compartmentalizing. When things got too hard, I focused on the bright side—on the future that was yet to come. Only that way could I withstand the pain and the suffering. Because I knew better times were ahead. I may have been hopeless at times, but I've always been an optimist by nature, so I harnessed that hopelessness and simply dropped the less .
If I could turn dearth into abundance, then I could prevail. So I focus on that.
Imagining all my grief, I focus on it until it turns into a tangible ball of energy. I wrap my hands around it and aim to change its meaning. Just like hope was born out of desperation, so is determination born out of grief.
My heart rate slows down as the last tendrils of heartache recede.
I slowly open my eyes, a gasp escaping me as I startle back.
A shimmery black shadow looms over me, the contour of a body clearer than it's ever been. And just as I'm about to fall on my back, a hand reaches out to stop me.
A hand that can... touch me.
"Nikki?" I croak as he pulls me back up. He's on his knees in front of me.
"Luce." His voice echoes, barely audible and distorted.