The apartment was large, spacious, filled with natural light, well-furnished—beautiful and modern. The kind of modern that would have been considered cutting-edge in 2020. Nowadays, though, modernity wasn't much of a concern anymore; security was the priority. Danger was always so close that people no longer cared about trends—they chose what resonated with them instead, which, as Alia liked to insist, was a good thing. Of course, there were always exceptions. Some were still obsessed with trends, but that had diminished. Fast fashion no longer existed, for example. The kind of fashion that moved at a speed destructive to the environment was gone—well, industries no longer existed.
Each of them had their own bedroom, all of which were suites, meaning everyone had a private bathroom. Without hesitation, that was the first thing they did—head straight to the bathrooms. No one liked the feeling of going hours without one. Not that they didn't use the diapers when necessary, but they tried to avoid it as much as possible—it wouldn't be good for them.
Alia stepped into the shower. They had been keeping up a decent travel pace, and since they hadn't stopped at the last refuge for long, she would have plenty of time to do everything she wanted at a relaxed pace. She liked being in the shower, even knowing she couldn't stay too long—for the sake of the environment. But it was a place where she felt she could think clearly. She loved how her thoughts flowed effortlessly there, allowing her to see all the variables.
They had dinner together but went straight to bed afterward, completely exhausted from the journey. At least the next day promised some tasks, but it would be a much calmer one.
***
Alia woke up with a thousand and one thoughts racing through her mind—so many things to do. The most important tasks were at the forefront, such as informing the people about what had happened, explaining the situation to the refuge, and starting Tyler's training. From the moment she opened her eyes that morning, she kept remembering even more things to do, to the point that she felt compelled to grab a piece of paper and start writing them down, creating a long to-do list:
Explain the situation to the people here;Report what happened at the other refuge;Ask the search team or confirm if they had been sent;Start training Tyler;Before training Tyler, hand over the employment contract;Assess the situation around this refuge;Continue the research I was prevented from doing at the other refuge;Teach Tyler full sign language so he can understand Helena without her having to write;Acquire more equipment for future travels;Conduct tests using the new research information;See if anyone in this refuge is studying the tree-men phenomenon;If so, read their research and compare it with the new findings...
She paused for a moment, realizing how much there was to do. But the main priorities were training Tyler and speaking with the people here. Still, Tyler was almost at the top of the list—after all, she might not be the most sociable person, but that didn't mean she wanted to see someone die, especially a member of her own team.
"There's so much to do... we might have to stay longer than I thought," she muttered to herself, looking at her list. She was sitting on her bed, writing everything down.
Like Helena, she enjoyed using paper. The act of writing had always been a pleasure for her. Typing felt so devoid of romance, so robotic—even though she was always forced to type everything out later. But she still enjoyed handwriting—the feeling of the pen or mechanical pencil gliding across the paper, the sound of writing, the scent of the pages. Even knowing all of this, she couldn't deny that handwriting was impractical. It smudged easily, had no backup if lost... Though, if they lived in the old days, typing would have been even better since she could simply save everything to the cloud. Nowadays, that wasn't as easy as it could have been.
Alia finally got out of bed, knowing that even though she was safe and could take things easier, one fact wouldn't leave her in peace: the day would be long and full of tasks. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force her body to accept that the day had begun, then let out a deep sigh.
She headed to the kitchen for breakfast—it was the best thing she could do at that moment. Eating was one of the simple pleasures she was grateful for every day. Even though she didn't want to think about anything, she still brought her list and a pen, just in case something else came to mind.
When she reached the kitchen, she saw that only Helena was up. Alia had told everyone the night before, "Sleep as long as you want, there's no set wake-up time tomorrow." She wouldn't have gotten up herself if not for the whirlwind of thoughts that had pulled her out of sleep.
"Good morning, Barbie," she greeted with a small smile.
Helena smiled back and signed:
"Good morning. Did you fall out of bed?"
"Something like that," Alia chuckled, and both of them laughed. But the truth was, it was almost eleven in the morning—not early at all, actually quite late compared to their usual wake-up times or the hours people typically got up for work.
Alia sat down and prepared her breakfast—orange juice and buttered toast. She had toasted the bread on a pan just enough for the butter to melt, making it the most wonderful thing she could imagine eating at that moment. As she ate, Helena glanced at the list Alia had written upon waking up, frowning at the sheer number of tasks. Most of them were for Alia herself, but training Tyler was something the whole team would be involved in, even though Alia would have to oversee some aspects.
Helena sighed, running her index finger over the ellipses at the end of the list. It meant Alia was still thinking about everything she needed to do, and Helena was sure it wasn't finished yet. To help, she tried to think of anything else that might be missing, but her mind wasn't cooperating.
Alia was still finishing her toast, and Helena was lost in thought, rubbing her forehead, when Tyler joined them, greeting them with a cheerful "Good morning." The two responded almost in unison.
"Everything okay?" he asked, noticing Helena's thoughtful expression.
"Yeah, I'm just trying to help her," Helena signed, pointing at Alia, "think of everything we need to do while we're here."
Since he didn't understand sign language, he turned to Alia for clarification. Luckily, she had been watching and translated for him.
"She said she's trying to help me think of everything we need to do while we're at this refuge."
"Oh, is there a lot?"
Both Alia and Helena nodded at the same time. Tyler then started preparing his own breakfast.
Only after everyone had woken up and Tyler had washed his dishes—Alia had already done hers—did Alia leave the table and head to her room. She soon returned with several papers in hand. Helena immediately knew what they were.
"Tyler, do you really want to be one of us?"
"I do!"
"Alright, then. If you're sure, here's the contract. Read it carefully and make sure you're certain before signing. Not that you can never leave after signing—you can leave at any time. But there are other things to consider."
"I understand. I'll read it carefully to be sure, but there's nothing that will change my mind."
Alia smiled and handed him the papers and a pen. He sat right there in the kitchen and began reading. Isaac decided to play video games, while Melanie went outside for a walk. Helena stayed with Tyler. Meanwhile, Alia grabbed her to-do list and figured that the sooner she started, the sooner she would finish.
***
The researcher went straight to the town hall. No one stopped her when she showed her identity card. In fact, it was a smooth process, a completely different feeling from the previous refuge. Everyone there respected her—it was clear in the way they treated her.
She arrived at the designated place to speak with the mayor. It didn't take even five minutes before the doors to the mayor's office were opened for her. The office was well-kept, everything neatly organized and minimally decorated, yet still carrying a touch of personality.
The mayor, as it turned out, was a woman who greeted her with a wide smile. She had curly hair, dark skin, and the striking features of an executive woman.
"Welcome! We were expecting you only a month from now, but we are always delighted by your visit, researcher."
"I truly appreciate how welcoming you always are. Being received so warmly is wonderful."
"As if anyone would dare disrespect you."
"It actually happened recently, if you'd like to know. But I imagine you're curious about why I arrived so early."
"Yes, I do want to know. I've heard some information, but it's not the same as hearing it directly from someone trustworthy—especially since you're bound to speak only the truth."
"I'll tell you everything."
And so, Alia began recounting everything that had happened from the moment they approached the previous refuge. The mayor occasionally commented, unable to resist making an early observation:
"I noticed the young man who accompanied you last time wasn't with your group, but I assumed he had simply left. After all, it's been years since you were last here. I did find it odd that he had left, though."
"It was a terrible loss, especially because Melanie and he were engaged."
"Engaged?! How could something like that happen?" Anyone who knew her beyond mere acquaintance would have realized she was genuinely horrified by the revelation.
Alia continued her account, explaining about the previous mayor. The current mayor wanted to use some rather harsh words, but she restrained herself—being a figure of high character and great importance, she refused to resort to insults. However, it became increasingly difficult for her to hold back, to the point where she had to stop commenting altogether. She knew that if she opened her mouth, the words would spill out exactly as they were forming in her mind. Near the end of the story, she had to bite her tongue just to keep herself in check. That proved to be her salvation.
"That was horrific," she finally said, only when she felt safe enough to speak again. A few seconds later, Alia finished recounting everything that had happened.
"It was. That's why we arrived so soon."
"Well, it certainly wasn't for nothing."
"No. But now that we've reached this point, I need to ask—can you send someone there?"
"The rescue team?"
"Yes."
"We sent the request yesterday. They left this morning. But after hearing what you just told me, I'll use our backup communication to warn them to be even more cautious than usual. They were already briefed by the man who opened the door for you yesterday, though. I assume you told him much of this story?"
"We did, just not in as much detail as I've shared with you now."
"I'm glad things are being resolved. I'd like to ask you to address the public about the situation tonight, during the evening hours when everyone is home. Despite our poor external communication, our internal network is excellent, and we'll broadcast a live transmission during our news hour."
"Perfect. What time exactly?"
"I'll have my team schedule it and send you all the details. The broadcast will take place here in my office."
"Great. I'll be waiting for the information, then."
"We'll let you know as soon as everything is arranged."
"Alright. I'll be going now to let you get back to your work and start handling other matters myself."
"See you later."
And with that, the two parted ways. Alia had other important tasks ahead of her, but there was no way she'd be able to finish everything in just one day.