Blue Flower (VegasPete)

Chapter 1

"Pete, where's your soul mark?"

Pete was 10 years old when his friend threw him the question. They had just gotten out of the pool, ready to rinse the dirty water off their skin, but his friend's eyes caught something unusual about him.

Pete's eyes flickered at the question. It wasn't that he tried to hide it well, he just figured most people wouldn't notice it because they usually focused on his face, not his body. He turned to his friend slowly and narrowed his eyes. There was only curiosity on his friend's face, not the look of disgust he had feared.

Soul mark. A mark that appeared at birth as a sign of one's soulmate. Usually, the mark was on a person's hand or foot, an area that was easily visible with naked eyes. Like the mark on his friend, the crescent moon tattoo is clearly visible on his left foot. But unlike his friend, Pete was born differently.

"Pete?" his friend tilted his head, urging him to answer the question.

Pete forced a smile, his eyes barely moved, "I don't have one."

His friend blinked, his mouth wide opened as he exclaimed, "You're a neutral?!?"

"Shhh!!" Pete immediately hissed. His friend quickly covered his mouth in panic, but it was too late. Almost everyone around them heard it and all turned to Pete-no-stared at him. The judging eyes soon turned into a loud silence, no one said a word but for some reason Pete felt like he could hear their thoughts.

He just sighed then tried to ignore surrounding him by busying himself as his hand moved even faster to pack his bag. He had to get out soon.

"Ah... I'm sorry, Pete..." his friend whispered faintly, finally realizing his mistake.

Pete didn't need to see his friend's face to know how guilty he felt. He wasn't really mad at him, but he was in a bad mood at the time. In the end, he only gave him friend a quick bitter smile before walked away.

Unfortunately, that was the last time his friend spoke to him.

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"I know we have considered a new location in several meetings and I also know the board has chosen to acquire an established plant to minimize losses, but I still think building a new plant is more appropriate for us."

Pete paid close attention to the man who was speaking, addressing the other meeting members. The man looked focused and serious as he explained the material displayed on the screen. Pete sat up straight just a few meters away from the man. In his hand, he held tightly his iPad like his life depended on it.

"Have you considered the cost? The cost of building a new factory is almost 3 times as much!" a woman commented. From the tone of her voice, she seemed impatient.

The man quickly moved the slide showing the cost calculation, "It does cost more but we can take benefit from government regulations that provide tax breaks for new industries."

"Show us the simulation." The woman demanded.

The man nodded and glanced at Pete. Pete took the signal and immediately synced his iPad to the projector. In less than a minute, Pete had the data the man needed on the screen. The man then went on to explain his decision and answer a few hesitant questions from the board members.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly. Pete had been up all night preparing materials for this important meeting and he was relieved that his efforts seemed to be paying off. Until someone asked a difficult question.

"Are you willing to take full responsibility for the failure of this project?"

The man did not answer right away. This question was clearly not an easy one to answer. If he said yes and the project failed, he would have to resign from his position. But if he said no, his answer showed that he had doubts about his own decision.