The Mysterious World

Chapter 14: Strangers? Friends? Lovers?

Selene's POV

The storm of emotions had finally subsided, leaving me drained and hollow. The tears had dried up, but the ache in my heart stayed. I felt like a part of me had been torn away. The realization hit me that something precious had slipped away before it even had a chance to begin. The speed at which everything had unfolded was so fast. The what-ifs and maybes swirled in my mind, a bittersweet reminder of the love that might have been. I hope I won't regret the choice that I made.

I used the stairs instead of the elevator, because for now, it's a place where I could lose myself in thought and delay facing the reality that awaited me on the floor. Maybe Gabe was still on our floor, busy preparing to move his things to the penthouse. A new chapter in his life that doesn't include me is on the way.

As I stepped down the stairs, my mind numb and my heart heavy with sadness, I lost track of time as I was not paying attention to my wrist or to the flickering of the steels that were mounted to the walls here at the stairway. But I think it's almost 5 in the morning now. My body felt drained, my emotions raw and exhausted. The thought of collapsing into a bed and sleeping for an entire day was all I wanted now, a desperate attempt to escape the pain and uncertainty that lay ahead.

The prospect of avoiding Gabe now that he was moving to the penthouse brought a mix of relief and sadness. We had managed to steer clear of each other while living on the same floor for weeks; it wouldn't be hard to maintain that distance now that he'd be living elsewhere in the building.

The distance would likely make things easier for both of us, allowing us to navigate our emotions and move forward. Yet, the thought of not seeing him regularly, of not being able to catch a glimpse of him or share a moment, was awful. I knew it was necessary, but it still felt like a loss.

Mystery Number 15: The skyscraper

Only the bases in this world have 105 or more floors. It stood out from the surrounding buildings, which had a much smaller range of floors. It will only consist of 100 floors max and 2 floors minimum. Whatever the total count of the base's floor, the highest or the penthouse will be automatically owned by the leader. Then, 12 floors under his will be for the members. 5 people per floor.

According to world rules, the maximum member a clan should have is only 60. The rules governing the number of members and the allocation of people to floors seemed to be in place to maintain balance and order. If the clan exceeds the member count, they will have to send those people to the nearest clan with available spaces. This was to ensure that the clan didn't become too large to manage, while also promoting connections and cooperation between different groups.

Our base is a 115-floor building. And my floor is at 108. Starting as a Para, we get to stay in our partner's space. Upon becoming an official member, we will now own our personal space. The location will be on the same floor as our partner's space. But if there's no available space on that floor or 5 members are already occupying it, then the highest available floor will be given. That is from our clan's own rules because we have requirements here. Not a world rule. In other clans, without specific requirements, anyone can have a personal space even if they are still Paras.

As I reached my floor, I saw Bill emerge from his space. It will only be us on this floor now. His eyes were fixed on me with a concerned expression.

"Didn't you sleep after the party? I didn't notice you coming back here." He asked.

His question caught me off guard. I hadn't expected him to notice my arrival, let alone ask me about it. I didn't want to explain anything, so I just nodded. He passed right by me, then suddenly turned his head.

"Oh, right! Cat was looking for you. She was here five minutes ago," He added.

"If you see her again. Can you please tell her I'm sleeping this day off?" I asked.

"Okay." He replied, then proceeded his way to wait for the elevator to ascend to our floor.

I entered my space and grabbed some clothes and a towel to shower first before getting to bed. As I got out, I couldn't stop my eyes from peeking into Gabriel's space. His things are still there. Damnit. He will still come here.

I was on my way to the comfort room when I heard the elevator open on this floor. Bill entered, and someone got out. There he was, Gabriel. He didn't even bother to look at me, and he just walked right past me.

I guess this is it now. I felt a slight pain in my chest. But I was surprised by what happened next.

"Selene, can you help move my things later?' Gabriel asked.

I turned to him right away.

"Me?" I asked.

"Is there any other Selene here?" He said and slightly chuckled.

"Oh, okay. What time? I'm planning to sleep all day." I answered.

"Maybe later in the afternoon. I will just knock on your door later." He replied.

"Okay." That's all I can say, and I rushed my way to the comfort room.

I got it all wrong. My emotions are well mixed right now. Is this what he is choosing? To be casual, like in the old days. That could be a better way to handle things between us.

After cleaning myself, I was shocked when Cat was standing just outside the comfort room door.

"Why the heck are you standing there!?" I asked.

"Did I scare you? Am I that ugly?" She jokingly asked me as well.

"Yes, you scared me, and no, you are not ugly! I was just startled 'cuz I was not expecting you." I explained.

"Okay, I'll cut to the chase. What happened between you and Gabriel? First, when you two were all alone there on the rooftop yesterday, and second, when he snatched you in the elevator?"

I sighed deeply.

"To give you a summary of everything. Nothing happened. He is the leader now. We're just friends. Nothing more, nothing less." I said with a clear sadness in my tone.

"I can feel something much deeper than that, Selene. Every time he looked at you, it was the very same way my Rick looked at me. And you looked at him the same way. I know that the situation both of you are in was difficult." She noticed.

"I just want to sleep it all away, Cat. But I can assure you. There is nothing between us. Okay?" I told her.

"Okay. I'm just worried for both of you. The consequences of breaking that world rule are heartbreaking. But I trust you. I take your word for it. If nothing, then nothing it is. And if you need someone to talk to, I'm here for you." She said with comfort in her voice.

"Thanks, Cat."

"Okay. See you later. I'll be helping here too, to clean the space that Gabe will leave."

She made her way to the elevator, and I entered my space to sleep peacefully.

It was Rick who woke me up later that afternoon. We managed to help Gabe transfer some of his things to the penthouse and clean the new vacant space on my floor.

I'm back to being confused about Gabriel and me. Earlier, he acted like he was fine when he asked me for help. But now, he was so distant. He never talked to me once, not even a single word. It was like he was another person. He just made everything feel heavier. Or did he just act this way for others not to suspect that we do have feelings for each other? Whatever his reasons were, I felt sad about it.

Today was also the scheduled arrival of the goods from the 85th floor. All of us helped to move it to the penthouse. I was in charge of tallying everything. It has been my job for a couple of months now.

Here in the penthouse is where the leader of the clan sleeps. The entrance to the storage was connected directly to the leader's room. So you have to pass through his room before you can reach the door to the storage.

Back when it was still MG. I usually do my job from early morning to noon. In that way, I won't disturb his rest. But today, I lost track of time. Again.