I stepped into commons, cruising through the tables as I searched for Ria. She sat with other warriors and Elliot, drinking coffee while they played some card game.

"You're cheating!" She accused Traxx. "You can't win every single time!"

"Can't I just be lucky?" He said, his face annoyed.

"Elliot." Ria growled at him. I saw Elliot slightly lifting his hand towards Traxx and aces started to rain from Traxx's sleeve.

"Really, Traxx? Couldn't you come up with something original this time?" Ria rolled her eyes at him.

"You two are ridiculous." I said, sitting next to the quiet Daniel. He wasn't playing with them, instead, he was intently gazing at his laptop.

"What are you up to?" I said, leaning in to see the screen.

"Just checking up the activities of the employees. I am trying to find anything suspicious. We still have to catch the traitor." He told me, intently gazing at the screen.

I turned around the table, spotting Liam sitting not far away. There is no way I could vocalize my suspicions out loud.

I swatted Daniel's fingers away from the keyboard, writing what was on my mind.

I think there is something wrong with Liam. Check him up.

He turned to me with his eyes narrowed, thinking hard. "Why?" He asked with hush voice, looking at me.

Turning back to the laptop, I wrote: Didn't you hear how worried he was about Maximillian staying here, not joining us on the mission? Maximillian knew something was off about him, remember?

He nodded "I remember." He said quietly.

The day I fought Kellan, I saw him smiling when I injured his friend. Like he was happy about it.

"I will definitely check him first. I need to talk to Maximillian." He said, shutting his laptop. "Thank you for your warning." Smiling at me, he stood up.

"Can I join you?" I said, ready to follow him.

"No, I need to speak to him in private, but I will tell you as soon as we find something." He promised.

I nodded reluctantly, but he was already walking away.

Eventually I turned back to the table, seeing Ria staring at me with troubled expression on her face.

"Ria, what is wrong?" I asked her, covering her hand with mine.

"I need to warn you about something. Promise you won't be mad at me?" She anxiously bit her lip.

"I promise. Just say it already, you are making me nervous."

She looked around, making sure no one was listening "I know that you and Yannik became friends of sorts. But I know how you look at him and-" She stopped, looking up to check if I was going to snap at her. When I didn't she continued "-And I know you feel something for him. Which is beyond me, I seriously cannot understand you." She laughed nervously, fidgeting with her sleeve. "But..."

"Ria, just tell me." I stared at her face, an uneasy feeling growing in my stomach.

"Do you remember when I told you about the Aerukhan girl who works here?"

I nodded, feeling something twisting in me.

"Well, Illiana returned from her visit last week, about the same time you guys left in Baar. And they seem, well, close." She grimaced, nodding in a direction somewhere behind me.

"What do you mean close?" I said with strangled voice. I slowly turned, a crushing feeling overflowing me. I saw Yannik and Illiana sitting next to each other in such manner, they were almost touching. Their heads were close together as they were conversing. She laughed out loud as he said something to her, his eyes sparkling.

"Well, they are always together, ever since she got here." She looked at me with worry in her eyes.

I looked back at them. Yannik was leaning in, pointing at something on his laptop and she was nodding, her eyes bright while she watched him speak.

She had a skin of lavender, so beautifully smooth it looked more like a silk. Her marks were so bright they seemed almost white. Instead of short spikes like Yannik had on his head, hers were longer, reaching to the nape of her neck.

"Good. I am glad he found someone." I shrugged, plastering an indifferent expression on my face.

"Don't give me this crap Korina. Do you actually think I would believe you don't care?" She glared at me, shaking her head. "Just say what you really feel."

"No, I mean it! She is perfect for him." I gestured at them.

"Just because they are of the same race?" Her expression was doubtful.

"No, she is kind and good you've said so yourself. And they obviously have the same interests." I sighed. "Besides, he sees me as a friend, nothing more."

"And how do you know that?" She lifted her eyebrows.

"Every time we touched he moved away. The last time I've checked, if you're attracted to someone it doesn't work like that." I told her grimly.

"So what do you intend to do?"

"Nothing. We are friends aren't we?" I said dejectedly, wailing in my self-pity.

She shook her head "Yannik the heartbreaker." She giggled "This sounds absolutely ridiculous. I don't know what is about us that we always pick the wrong person." Her eyes landed on Sam.

"It would be better to learn to love someone else." She told me with a faraway look on her face.

"Yes, it would." I quietly added.

"I don't want to see Samantha hurt, but you and Daniel would be good together." She looked back at me.

"But I don't like him. What a vicious circle." I laughed bitterly.

"Well, our life is a travesty." She nudged me, smiling.

*

Since it was Saturday I didn't have much to do. Ria was hanging with Traxx and Sanna helped Elliot in the med bay.

I grabbed my drawing pad, content that I finally had some time to sketch again and put it in my backpack. I've decided to go outside for a bit, to check out how far I can hike, with the fence surrounding the structure. I put on my new hiking boots since I didn't really know where the path would lead me.

When I stepped out of the elevator into the commons, there were people still sitting around, clearly bored with the lack of hectic daily activities. I cursed myself inwardly when I had to go around where Yannik was sitting. I knew that ignoring him would be rude and pointless, so I simply smiled and greeted him.

"Hello, Korina." He smiled kindly, looking at me "Where are you headed?" His brows drew together as he saw my backpack.

"To explore, I haven't really been outside since I came here. I am going for a hike, maybe I will sketch for a bit if I find a suitable place to sit." I told him, my eyes flickering from him to Illiana.

"How rude of me." He said as he realized he hadn't introduced me yet "This is Illiana. Illiana, this is Korina."

"Oh, right! The Soul Cerberus! I am so honored to meet you!" Her eyes were so friendly and enthusiastic it was hard to dislike her.

"Likewise." I said, smiling warmly. "Sanna told me about you."

"Do you like it here?" She asked me politely, smiling at me and Yannik.

"I do. People here were really nice to me when I got here and now, well I consider them my friends."

"Welcome to the family then!" She beamed "Although a little big and crazy sometimes."

I laughed "You got that right, but they are absolutely awesome."

"If you need any help or just to hang out, don't hesitate to call me, all right? You can find me in the science sector."

She was a sweetheart, and I could see why he liked her. She really was a woman's version of Elliot. "You are very kind, thank you." I smiled and turned back to Yannik "I will see you around." I said, nodding at him.

I felt relief sweeping over me as I stepped away from their table. I continued my way out of the building, walking as fast as I could. I passed the bars and nightclubs, curiously leaning in to see what everything looked like, gawking at how huge the commons really were.

As I finally reached the main doors, I stepped outside, marveling at the beautiful view before me. There was an asphalt road, leading out of the estate, surrounded by dense canopies of the mixed forest. I walked on the side of the road admiring the beauty of the evergreen trees with moss covered trunks. Seeing a forest path, leading deeper into the woods, I decided to check it out.

Leaves and beechnuts crunched beneath my boots as I walked. Ground was still muddy with all the rain we had in the past days. Today the sun was high up in the sky, its sunrays illuminating wet leaves, raindrops sparkling like little diamonds.

I stopped at the swamp, overgrown with fern and aquatic plants. There was a bridge made out of oak, build over the water, leading to the other side. Its surface was wet and slippery and the fence was overgrown with and honey mushrooms. I noticed that autumn has already colored the leaves as some of them fell on the ground or floated on the water.

I always loved nature, and I could easily have spent my free time wandering through the woods, exploring them endlessly.

As I was about to step on the bridge, I heard cracking noises and I cursed myself for not being more careful. I could've heard the stranger's approach from more than a mile away, but I was so wrapped up in my daydreaming that I haven't noticed someone following me in time.

I knew that our defense system should hold the strangers out, but one can never be certain, especially when we had a traitor running amongst us.

I crouched behind a thick oak trunk, waiting for them to approach. I had to somehow surprise the bastard and jump him from behind. As I heard the person walking by my hiding place, I moved with lightning speed.

I jumped on him and we both tumbled to the ground. Locking my knees around his waist, I grabbed his wrists plastering them above his head.

As I was about to bare my teeth, I closed my mouth tight, watching the stranger in horror.

"Yannik?" I said, breathing deeply "What are you doing here?"

"Well." He cleared his throat, suppressing the laughter. "A walk sounded nice."

"You scared the hell out of me!" I shook his wrists.

"I apologize, it wasn't my intention. I didn't mean to sneak up on you like that." He said from under me, shaking with laughter.

I was still unused to see his smile so I automatically leaned lower, closer to him. But his smile was suddenly gone, replaced by shock and disbelief. His bright green eyes grew wider with a wondering look on his face.

What was I doing? Was I really such a masochist?

"There is something on your face." I smiled, flicking an imaginary dirt away from his forehead.

"Oh!" His smile returned, his body visibly relaxing.

I stared at him for a minute, feeling embarrassed by my slip.

"Korina?" He said, his eyes sparkling.

"Yes?"

"Do you have an intention to sit on top of me the whole afternoon or we can go hiking now?" He smiled widely. The one thing that I was even more unused to than his smile was my body's reaction to him. I felt flames of heat licking my insides, fueling my already barely restrained need for him.

"Right! I am so sorry!" I felt a traitorous blush creeping up my cheeks. I regretfully stood up offering him my hand. As our fingers connected, goosebumps rose on my skin, but he let go of me the second he was up on his feet.

"It is so beautiful here." I sighed, leaning on the wooden fence of the bridge. I admired the nature before me, pretending that his evident rejection and dislike of our physical contact haven't upset me.

"Come with me. There is a hill nearby, it's only a twenty-minute-long hike." He was turned to me, but he was slowly walking backward.

"All right. Lead the way." I beamed, walking faster to catch up to him.

We walked at a quick pace, pushing the thick vegetation out of our way. Birds were singing above us, tirelessly flying from tree to tree. I followed Yannik close by as the path became steeper, the sunlight illuminating us as the sky became more visible now.

"Have you had a chance to hike back in the Central?" I asked him after a moment of silence.

"Not exactly, the land was mostly barren there. But this-" He lifted his hands "-Reminds me of home. It's easier to breathe here."

"How long have you been the head of IT in Italy?"

"Twenty years. Before that, I was a warrior, but that was only about five years." He smiled and looked back at me over his shoulder.

"Really?" I watched him curiously "How come you've changed your mind?"

"My true passion was working in the IT sector." He shrugged "But since I was trained on Aeruk, I could also use my skills as a warrior. Soon they've discovered I was great with technology and since then, I am working as an IT expert."

I nodded, mostly to myself since he was walking before me and couldn't see me "You said you were trained on Aeruk, do you have a different kind of martial arts there?"

"Yes, we don't use weapons as you do, so the strategy is the most important thing in a fight." He explained to me.

"Can you show me sometime?"

"If you'd like, of course." He laughed. "Must I be worried though?" He looked at me, lifting his eyebrow.

"About what? That I would kick your ass?" I said, grinning.

"I don't know. Now I still hold the secret technique how to neutralize you. But after that..."

"You cannot neutralize me! But you could try though!" I challenged him.

"Are you doubting my skill, Korina?" He stopped and turned, intently gazing into my eyes.

"Are you free Monday afternoon?" I asked him, my heart thundering in my ribcage.

"I will make time." He nodded.

"What a good friend must I be." I teased him "We will spar together on Monday. And then I shall see how mad your skills really are." I punched him gently. "Don't worry I will go easy on you."

"Really?" His eyes widened as he laughed "Now you are pushing your luck."

I laughed but then gasped in astonishment. I haven't even noticed that we made it to the top. "This is the most beautiful view I've ever seen." I said, turning around in awe. The dense trees were gone, and we were out in the open. The breathtaking misty white peaks of the mountains were so close, it seemed like if I reach out my hand to them I could touch them.

"Thank you for bringing me here." I said quietly. "This is simply magical."

"You are very welcome. I came here a few times after my arrival, mostly to think and clear my head."

"I was the part of the reason you had to leave. I am sorry, you probably hate me for dropping a career you've built for yourself in Italy."

He turned to me, stepping closer "I couldn't be gladder. I left nothing behind Korina. Besides, now I have friends here. Who would have thought it would be so fun?" He crossed his arms, his eyes gleaming.

"Yes, you're becoming quite popular." I said ironically.

"Are you mocking me Korina?" He was standing close, and I felt once again a deep yearning building inside of me. I wanted to wrap my arms around his neck and press him close to my body.

But I did none of those things. I only continued to torment myself, thinking about him in this way. I had to get him out of my head because quite honestly, he was making me crazy. But only the thought of it made my lungs tighten with sorrow.

"What is the matter?" His mouth was pressed together with worry "Have I said something to distress you?"

"No!" I shook my head "You haven't done anything wrong, quite the opposite." I smiled, trying to force away the negative feelings stirring deep inside of me.

"Why do you look so saddened then?" He stepped even closer, staring down at my face.

"I am not, I promise." I lied, turning away from him as I couldn't stand the closeness of our bodies.

I wanted to say so many things to him right there on this beautiful hill, feeling like the chance was slipping through my fingers like a desert sand. But I couldn't make my mouth move, I couldn't speak. It wasn't me who he liked, I was only his friend. But she, she was allowed to touch him in a manner I never would.