Across A Bottomless Abyss

Chapter 1

"I really don't like this subject, Lia. Why do I even need to study history?"

I heard Kassandra, one of my friends. I chuckled upon hearing her sentiments about our next class. Everytime we're about to have a discussion about history, she's ranting. She never really loved the subject.

"Don't rant. You're always asleep anyway," I answered.

She gave me a dagger look but I just shrugged. It's true anyway. When we reached the classroom, I immediately got my drawing book. I smiled lightly when I realized that I've occupied almost all the pages already.

I'm fond of drawing things that I'm dreaming or imagining. I really don't know why I love drawing. It's just that I have so many things to imagine and I just love how to think about fantasies.

"I can't believe that you almost reached the last page of your drawing book. You're helpless, and what's this?" she hysterically asked me as she waved my book upwards.

"Are you insane? Earth is the only planet where life exists! Please stop imagining too much, okay?" she worriedly said and gave my book back.

"That's why I'm trying to put life in Neptune!. Far from earth. That means, far from crimes, plastic people and unfair judgement of justice. I want to experience the thrill." I rolled my eyes and scanned my book again.

"Why don't you just migrate in Neptune?" she sarcastically said.

"I wish," I said and scanned my book languidly.

MK rifle, pisto, ice,and power.

"Gosh! You're too imaginative," she said.

I laughed and opened another blank page. This time, I tried to draw a person. Perfect jawline, blond hair, red eyes to represent fire, and fair skin. In short, someone near to perfection.

I drew a pistol in his hand. Somehow, I find him attractive and hard to resist. If only everything in this page could be real.

I'm tired of living with this kind of system. More killings and justice can't win.

"Life is really unfair always," Kassandra suddenly mumbled.

"Life is not always unfair, Kas. It can be fair also at some times. It's actually the people's fault why this life is hard to handle."

She just looked at me and rolled her eyes. After a minute, our teacher in history entered the room and started her class with a sudden quiz.

Kassandra was probably stressed because of that. However, she still managed to finish the test in time. A monster, smart girl.

"My driver is here, Lia. Take care when you go home. See you tomorrow," Kassandra said and bid goodbye.

I waved my hand, gesturing to her. I still have my practice until 8 PM. I'm a member of the shooting team in our school. Basically, I just want to join and learn how to shoot. However, the world probably hates me for giving me no talent for the thing that I really want. I'm always accurate about anything else except for aiming the bullseye.

"We've practiced too many times but still, you can't aim for your target. How can you join the next competition?" our coach asked.

I pouted and put back the gun on its box. I sighed heavily and tried to think of a way on how to finally be a good shooter.

How I wish I'll be a good sniper in my next life.

It was already 8:30 PM when my driver arrived. I immediately walked towards my room and took a shower when we reached the house. I'm quite tired today. After taking a bath, I decided to wear my night dress. I blow dried my hair and decided to go to the kitchen for dinner.

I saw Daddy sternly reading something in a newspaper he's currently holding. My mom was also quite busy with her phone. Maybe talking about business again. Dad is a Lawyer while my Mom is a famous designer. That's the only thing that they can be proud of.

Their money and wealth.

"How's school?" Dad suddenly asked me without removing his gaze to the newspaper.

"Good. Nothing's new," I answered.

"Dinner's ready. Go back to your room after that and study," mom added without even looking at me.

"Okay," I coldy said.

I just hate to brag more things about myself. They always dictate me on what to do. I need to be perfect just to please them and reach their expectations.

I'm smart not because I'm studious. It's because I have to give myself a standard so that they won't talk or say bad things about me. I'm an achiever because they wanted me to be like that.

I need to pretend as someone I'm not, just to obey their ideals in life. I was forced to be someone foreign to me, because that's the only way to prove myself.

I quietly finished my dinner and went back to my room. Just like what my mom said, I need to study. I sighed heavily and got my books.

I'm already in the middle of studying hard when I felt something in my head. I tried to massage it. I knew that it's not just a simple migraine. It feels like burning my whole sanity.

It felt so foreign and my mind suddenly went blank.

I'm fighting the pain but I suddenly lose my consciousness. The next thing I knew was......

NEPTUGROUND (-battlefield in Neptune-)

"This is Amalia Desi Abrantes, sniper of team Alpha under the command of Captain Archemial Xipher Astronoum. Code black, alert! A huge meteor rock and an advanced airplane are fast approaching," I announced as I positioned my gun towards the back of the approaching dangerous meteor rock.

"Code red from team Sierra. Our sniper got shot. Requesting for another backup. This is Lieutenant Matthew Larcaine Gastrolenon."

I heard Matthew's announcement using our earpiece.

"Sniper of team Alpha #001, proceed to the position of the injured sniper. 1500 meters away from the current location, left side. Find a good spot. Support them."

My heart pounded when I heard Captain's stern voice. Literally, I stopped moving as if his voice is somehow equivalent to a sudden bomb which I can't evade.

"#001!Move now!" he angrily shouted.

That's the cue for me to return to my senses. I tightened my grip to my MK 13 rifle and moved faster. My tie suddenly escaped my long hair and that made me move slower than before 'cause it's blocking my vision.

"What a mess!" I hissed as I tried to shake my head a little, preventing my hair to cover my sight.

The weight of this rifle is too much to handle. I'm not a runner, my gosh!. Why do I need to run like this?. My only task for this mission is to shoot everyone from afar who's going against our planet.

When I successfully put my hair behind my ears, I ran as fast as I could. I can hear a very crisp sound with cadence--gunshots.

A normal person will think that it's just a simple firework. I can't possibly deny that our way of living is not normal. The sounds of the dangerous gunshots here can be mistaken as simple fireworks.

I was about to position myself behind a huge rock when I heard a sudden splash of lightning. My heart skipped a beat when I saw a raging volt of thunder approaching our Captain. He's just a meter away from me so I can clearly see him facing death.

I searched for the person who caused the sudden intrusion. I found him standing on a rock while raising both of his hands. He roughly moved his hands upward and that made the thunder more scarier.

This man is not one of us. He's another predator aiming for its prey and sadly, we're one of his prey.

I tried to focus on him and controlled his hands. I almost flinched when I felt his strong mentality. My eyes were itchy, it's slightly burning. When I felt his power weakened, I returned my gaze to our Captain, still not aware of what's happening on his back and busy throwing some fire on his opponents using his pistol.

"Ouch!" I exclaimed.

My eyes felt hot. That man was not really easy to deal with. Despite the excruciating pain, I managed to paralyzed his body for the meantime.

"This is #001, sniper of team Alpha, giving a warning to Captain Astronoum. Someone from your back is aiming for you," I said, trying to fight the urge in shouting because of the pain.

"#001, focus on your mission. Don't mind those villains behind me!. This is an order!" he strictly said.

I chose not to mind what he ordered me to do. Well, I'm known for being disobedient. I smirked when the man found me in my place.

I finally positioned my rifle to aim for his head. My energy boosted up again when I felt the energy of this gun.

"That's it baby, give me more energy," I smirked once more.

I aimed for his head and in just a snap, I found him lying on the cold surface of this mountain covered with ice. I probably need a week of rest after this battle. I rolled my eyes and shot another villain.

"Headshot," I muttered.

"Stubborn," Captain said.

I chuckled and focused on shooting those villains. As I continued to hear the vast chaos caused by the gunshots, I smiled and looked above the sky. The darkness is slowly vanishing. Finally, light will come into our way.

This is our world. Full of not-so-normal people with extraordinary abilities. Mine is ice together with my rifle.

This is planet Neptune, and everyday, there's always war and discomfort.