The Fittest

Chapter One -- Bea Bellamie

22:16 AWST • Broome, Western Australia • 6/18/18

-Bea Bellamie-

Mia hated the museum. She claimed that there was nothing to do, nothing to see—which was a complete lie in Bea's opinion—, and that the whole place smelled of cheap disinfectant and old people. The old people smell was actually hard to ignore, but Bea didn't mind it; it reminded her of their grandma in the States. Mia, however, couldn't stand it. The museum was the last place she wanted to be tonight.

Vea only came so she could hide in the supply closet with her newest boyfriend. She'd paid Bea to guard the locked door. Bea was pretty sure his name was Zay. Pretty sure. Her sister moved from guy to guy so quickly, it was hard to keep track anymore.

Liam though, he was a different story. He loved the Broome Historical Museum almost as much as Bea did. Almost.

She stared at him now as they stood in front of the updated Pearling exhibit. At his wide eyes, little shards of cobalt crystals hidden behind his floppy scarlet hair. At his hands that brushed his hair out of his face and pointed to the artifacts. At his chapped lips that moved a mile a minute as he read the little placards next to each relic. Bea smiled. She'd never seen a seven-year-old so enthralled by the history of Broome's pearl industry, or any type of history for that matter. She ruffled his already messy hair. He stopped talking just long enough to yawn; he usually never stayed up this late but tonight was a special night.

Their dad had bought the museum a few years back when the original owner decided to pack his bags and head to the Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave. It had been a risky investment for the family. Their dad, one who usually took days to make decisions, bought the place on a whim, shocking everyone. The museum had brought in pretty decent profits the first couple years they'd had it; it was one of Broome's best tourist hotspots, believe it or not. Their dad wanted to shake things up a bit though, so he hired an interior designer and closed the museum for extensive renovations. After five months of tearing the place apart and building it up again, the Broome Historical Museum was open to the public for twenty-four hours straight, something it'd never done before. Free admission too, another first.

Bea and Liam had been there since 7:00 that morning; their mom wouldn't let them come any earlier. Vea and Mia showed up just over an hour ago, and only made an appearance because their mom told them they'd be grounded if they didn't.

Bea wished her sisters could be more like her, but at least she had Liam.

"Bee! Did you know that Australians used to make buttons out of pearl shells? Did you?" Liam beamed, his grin brighter than the white gem of the sea.

Bea nodded and laughed. She'd memorized pretty much every placard in the museum.

"Hey, let's go look at that diving suit!" Liam pointed to a metal suit in the next room over and tugged on Bea's shirt sleeve.

Bea looked at the door to the supply closet, her sister's cash heavy in her pocket. "Um," she stalled as she looked around the museum. There was a flash of red in her peripheral and she turned, her hand latching onto the arm of the girl who was trying to sneak behind her. "Why don't you show Mia the suit?" she suggested, shoving her other sister towards Liam. "I'm gonna tidy up this display case up real quick."

"Wait, what?" Mia looked up from her phone and turned back around to face Bea. Her bright red hair was falling out of its ponytail, hanging limply down the back of her neck. Her freckles were bright against her pale skin. Her phone vibrated and she glanced at the lit screen, her ivory cheeks slowly turned pink.

Liam groaned and let his arms slink down to his sides. "Mia thinks all this stuff is stupid. You know that."

"Did you need me for something or..." Mia asked, her thumbs typing away furiously.