Split

Alexa

It was fun to fly, but I was concerned to see Lee tense up as we approached the water entry point. A red buoy marked this site; we began to store the wings and activate the masks, we were plummeting towards the point, and as we entered, I heard Lee shouting fin.

I got nervous, but before I could react, Lee was already above me, protecting me. I panicked, seeing him get in the line of fire for me. But I was able to calm down because Anjil touched us and spoke.

— Calm down; it's a killer whale.

Lee's eyes were out of orbit, and he was squeezing me hard, so hard that I couldn't breathe. I pushed him, and that's when he reacted; he realized he had entered a state of panic.

— I'm sorry. — Lee said to me and then began to swim—. Thank you, guys; everything is fine.

He replied when Dael asked if everything was okay. Anjil came over and motioned to me if I was okay, to which I nodded. She smiled and took my hand to bring us closer to the whale; at first, I was a little tense; however, when she reached out for me to pet her, I relaxed. The girl from Africa was communicating with her; it was beautiful, and we both latched onto the dorsal fin. Quickly, she pulled us closer to shore, we passed the boys, and I noticed that Lee was worried.

The whales in captivity were like those of ancient land, but a little more evolved in size and other characteristics. Although, even so, they did not surpass the ones outside. Which, I believe, had to get bigger to survive and to be able to give a proper herd fight to the new shark of the era. Unfortunately, the dolphins did not suffer the same fate, leaving only those that we humans bred in captivity. Many beautiful species disappeared, remaining to rescue only a few. Fertile land was scarce for humans and animals, and even less safe.

When we arrived at the shore, we had to report to a station that was there where they were waiting for us, and some had already arrived earlier. They returned us to the center, giving us two hours of rest to wash up, eat lunch and prepare for the next classes. I was tired, but I had to go on; Lee did not look for me at any time.

At the end of the classes, I went looking for Kim to talk about what happened and to help Lee, and this went wrong. He appeared in my room like a beast.

— Who gave you the right to look for my uncle?

— I was worried; I saw you in a bad way.

— Don't meddle where you have no business; you don't know anything about me, so don't interfere anymore.

That bothered me, but I took a breath and spoke calmly.

— I understood; you are right; it won't happen again. Now, if you have nothing more to say, please leave. I need to do homework, good night.

His face softened, and he pursed his lips.

— Sorry, Alexa, I….

I smiled; however, it never reached my eyes.

— It's okay, please; I need to do things.

He left, and the tears were flowing when the door closed, and I couldn't stop them. How could he ask me not to interfere in his life if he was the second person, I loved the most? Not to say the first, since it is a different way to love. So, I understood this was the problem, love; when you love as we did, in a situation of danger, our brain only thinks of the loved one.

I was not considering the survival of the group. Maybe Dael and Anjil had the key to this, but we didn't, so I told myself I had to train my brain that night. Separate feelings from the sense of survival, I had to comply without excuses this time.

I started to do my homework and fell asleep, and the sound of the communicator woke me up. It was Lee, and I was dying to hear his voice, but I couldn't; I had to learn to control myself. The next day, I woke up a little swollen; it was just a school day; luckily, none of them fell together.

The day went by, and I checked my communicator, which was full of calls at night. Then, finally, there was a knock on my door, I knew who it could be, so I didn't open it. But he didn't give up, so this time I answered; I opened the door and put on a zero feelings face. I knew I had to end this, even if it destroyed me.

— Lee, please don't call me anymore, don't touch my door unless it's for study or training.

— You are finishing.

— That's right, we are toxic to each other; we don't know how to behave in stressful or dangerous situations. So if we're going to do this, we can't afford to put each other at risk.

There was a long silence.

— You're right; I'm sorry I spoke to you that way the other time. — He smiled wistfully—. You have taught me a lesson, and I won't insist anymore; we can't be together. Well, Ale, I want you to know that I love you with my life, but it's better to say goodbye.

I nodded and watched him leave; closing that door, I collapsed and did not stop crying. The first few days, it was hard to see him, but as time passed, it became more tolerable, and we started to become friends.

After six months of training, we got to know each other so well that we only had to look at one another; words were superfluous. Then, after a year, The group went from four to just three.

In practice, there were still many things missing, but we were progressing and showing what we were good at.

Dael: flight, technology, and location in the air.

Anjil: Water exercises.

Lee: On land with searching and tracking.

Alexa: High ground, climbing, and woods.