The story so far:
---- Aija is a Volunteer at the Pristine School at Innermost. She works along with Zuri and Ze, who are her friends. Aija witnesses a strange event one night – light emanating from Rez's body. The kidnapper is after her soul, next, but he leaves her alive and goes away. Another man finds her, he wants to take her somewhere else - Aija though wary of him agrees. Aija learns of the existence of the aliens – the Ytai. Also, about the R'ies and H'eon, Harvesting and Àvo from Etrie. Etrie tells her that the man, who Harvested Rez (Thieron), will now go after her. He tells her that the spy/kidnapper's name is Luka. Etrie asks her to work along with him. Aija agrees to work along with Etrie on Harvest Stopping Missions.
---- Aija invites Zuri on a Harvest Stopping Mission. Zuri agrees to go and leaves her hometown earlier than intended. Zuri is picked up by Kuna, Etrie's partner. He tells that Etrie will erase her memories. Kuna and Zuri reach the place and meet up with Aija, Etrie, and Maya. The Harvesters come and attack them. One Ytai attacks her. The Harvest Stopping Mission is a success. Zuri is overwhelmed by the entire experience. Etrie agrees to let Zuri continue accompanying them on the missions, much to the chagrin of Kuna and Maya. Nala is waiting for Zuri at her Apartment. When Zuri asks her to answer her questions she refuses. Zuri fights with Nala and asks her to leave.
---- Gale work is getting to Goldstar. Iyler too seems to be distancing herself from him. He leaves after a disagreement with her about his secret identity.
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****17.2 - Goldstar****
Goldstar hardly slept through the night, and by the time he did and woke up, it was afternoon. He stretched the sleep out of himself and freshened up.
Something was going on with Iyler. There was a time when she would always go with him to the South Land, even if it meant her schedule would be busier when she returned. He understood he shouldn't burden her with more work and that she could come if she wanted to, but never had she outright refused him. She would always make it a point to go with him even if he hadn't asked her to go with him; the willingness had come on her own. Only recently had she been avoiding it on her own, and that's why he'd been asking her to go with him to see what she would say.
Was he missing something? Or did she really have a tighter schedule now?
There was a loud knock on the door.
"Open the door," he commanded the central system.
The door unlocked with a click, and Tailyn entered, waving his hand at Goldstar and questioned, "Are you alright?"
Goldstar nodded, slightly taken aback by the question from the kid. The door closed behind him.
"I didn't see you around this morning," he said, looking around Goldstar's room.
"I just woke," Goldstar said as he combed his cropped black hair.
"Are you unwell?" Tailyn was concerned as he looked once over Goldstar to make sure he looked fine.
It made Goldstar smile. "No, just scanty sleep."
"Worried about the trip South? How bad was the run-in with the Savages?"
Everyone in the Gale had heard of their experience in the Open. Tailyn had fussed over him so much; Goldstar had to tell him to stay away from him for a while as his concern was becoming overwhelming, even though it had been endearing in the beginning.
"Not really. Did you have lunch yet?"
"Nope, I came to see if you were okay."
"Come on, then, I'm hungry."
***
Goldstar looked around the Hall; Iyler wasn't around. He sat at a table, Tailyn to his left and Himari and Leigh to his right. The two girls had been waiting for Tailyn to fetch him for lunch.
"How long will you be gone to the South this time?" Leigh asked as she settled down next to Himari.
"Four days. My leaves are running out. I must attend classes and save my leaves for important days."
"What is it that you are studying?" Himari asked, taking a bite of her apple.
"It's a secret." he grinned, dipping the bread into the bowl of piping hot soup.
"What even is your real name? There are no records matching your photo – yes, I checked several years ago, and recently too." Leigh said.
Goldstar chuckled. "I'm a mystery."
"You look tired."
Goldstar looked up, his smile fading as his eyes landed on the tall man. Vincent. He was standing opposite them, a tray in his hands. And, he had spoken directly to Goldstar.
"Please join us," Leigh told him after a few quiet moments in which Goldstar didn't respond.
"Thank you," he said, his voice a baritone.
Vincent's deep voice always made Goldstar feel something. What it was he didn't understand - but the feeling crept up his chest to his face.
Vincent was – had been – a Researcher at the Institute and had been working the night the blast had occurred. In fact, he knew something was off, and it was he who saved Thomas Ersco, the son of the Director of the Research Institute. Vincent had brought Thomas Ersco to the Core after escaping.
Vincent had seen two 'Specialist Secures' entering the Institute and heading towards their Lab. He had followed them more out of curiosity than anything else and had seen them setting up a bomb at the Lab. It was where Vincent worked with Thomas. He had heard them talk about a target set to come into the Lab in a while, and Vincent had immediately known it was Thomas Ersco.
Vincent had quickly run to the break room where his colleagues had been, warned them, and had gone to get Thomas from his cubicle. They had escaped just in time and had been extremely close to the blast. Thomas seemed shaken up, and Vincent hadn't known where to take him, so he had brought the Director's son to the Gale. Goldstar had just missed Thomas Ersco since he had been in the South Land, and he hadn't gotten back in time – thanks to the Savages and Creatures attacking them again in the Open, it had made him terribly late.
Vincent was convinced that the Leadership had set up the blast. Vincent and Thomas' team had come very close to a cure for the Green Plague. And, Vincent also admitted that he had come across some 'weird' (Vincent's words) documents regarding the Leadership.
"I hear you are going to the South Land," Vincent spoke, his voice commanding attention from all of them. Everyone turned to Goldstar to hear his response.
Goldstar nodded in response, not knowing where the conversation was headed; all eyes were on him.
"Can I accompany you?"
Everyone looked at Vincent, even Tailyn, who had been busy eating during the previous conversation.
"You can't just go to the South Land." Himari broke the silence.
"I know," Vincent confessed. "I've been in the Gale for a while now. But, if Goldstar said he needed me, I could get the required permission."
"And why would Goldstar need you?" Tailyn asked the disbelief in his voice, hiding a hint of accusation. "Do you know how dangerous it is getting there? Goldstar got hurt by the Savages last time, and he still has scars from the attack. You won't survive in the Open, unlike Goldstar. You still want to go?"
Vincent shrugged.
Goldstar looked at Vincent. He stood out at Pristine One – he would, at most Cities. He was from Pristine Seven, where people weren't mixed ethnically like everywhere else. It was where one would find people with their original earthen heritages intact.
Vincent was pale, and Gold wasn't sure if he was this pale naturally or because Vincent spent most of his time indoors in Labs. But, it must be the former considering his Caucasian heritage from the Old World. It reminded him of the Zayr – they were all pale too. Goldstar had seen people from Pristine Six and Seven before, but they hardly lived out of their own Cities.
Pristine Six and Seven were whole different Cities where people weren't mixed by the Leadership when they were married. It resulted in old-world humans to still exist. It obviously made Vincent's paleness standout amongst the rest of the people around where even the fairest person was no match to his paleness.
It didn't seem to bother either Vincent or the others. He had an Earthy vibe to him with his stunning sandy brown hair and emerald green eyes. Not to mention that deep voice of his.
"I don't need you," Goldstar stated firmly. "And one cannot go to the South without a valid reason."
Not that it had stopped him from taking Iyler with him several times. It's just that he needed Vincent to stay away from him. Premier Red would agree to almost anything he asked for – which meant he could actually take this tall, green-eyed man if he wished to.
He didn't wish to.
Tailyn smiled proudly at him as did Himari.
"Alright," Vincent said unfazed, his eyes unwaveringly on Goldstar. "Good luck."
Goldstar nodded and put his attention on his food. "I need to check on things before my trip," he announced, getting up.
"Finish eating." Himari urged.
"I'm not hungry anymore," he mumbled, picking up his tray.
"You didn't even have breakfast!" Tailyn called out as he left and deposited the tray of uneaten food at the disposal, feeling guilty of wasting so much food.
He felt strange. He didn't like Vincent's piercing gaze on him. It was almost like Vincent Taylor Ainsworth could see through him into his soul; he knew one other person who had that piercing gaze – that all-knowing, all finding gaze. Such people were rare and genuine.
Goldstar didn't like the feeling he suffered from when Vincent was with them.
But, he might have to work with him sometime in the future; Vincent had useful information on the Leadership.
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