Prodigy Eternal (book 2)

Chapter Thirty-Five

The search efforts for Mara continued throughout the night, but after several hours, the optimism of the crew waned substantially. They were forced to arrive at the sad, but inevitable, conclusion that their loyal friend and fearless leader had perished.

The crew was exhausted and decided to return back to shore before someone reported the boat stolen.

After a hard-fought battle to revive Milo with the little supplies they had, they managed to pull him through. He was now resting under a warm blanket connected to a small oxygen tank that was found onboard. Alex remained by his side, but was drifting off herself. They were both catching up on some much needed rest.

When they reached the shore, the jolt from the boat hitting the dock woke Alex up. It took a moment for her to realize where she was. The mood of the disheartened crew was telling. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but knew something was seriously wrong. No one was prepared to tell Alex that her mother had not survived the blast.

“Where’s Mara?” Alex asked.

The crew remained silent and bowed their heads in sorrow.

Aris elected himself to be the one to tell Alex the sad news since he knew her the best. “Alex… your mother…” he said, before pausing to find the right words. It was not much of a statement, but it was all he had the courage to muster.

“You didn’t find her?” Alex asked frantically.

Aris couldn’t bear to make eye contact. With his eyes staring at the floor, he just shook his head.

“What are we doing back at shore?” Alex asked. “We should be out there looking for her!”

“Alex, it’s nearly five in the morning. We’ve been searching for hours.”

“I don’t care,” Alex said, raising her voice. “If my mum had given up on me a year ago when I was stranded on that island, I’d be dead. And if she hadn’t come for me tonight—”

Before finishing her sentence, her emotions took over. Her chin quivered and she began to cry.

“Alex, I assure you the loss is weighing heavily on all of us,” Curik said, “but there’s nothing more we can do.”

Even if Mara had survived the blast and somehow managed to stay afloat in the frigid waters, she had been shot and was bleeding badly. Her chances of survival were slim.

“It’s entirely possible our mourning is premature,” Glitch said. “We don’t know exactly what happened to Mara, but several of us believe she made it off the boat.”

“I was the last one off,” one of the crew members said, “and I saw Mara jump in the water.”

“And then what?” Alex snapped, almost in an accusatory manner.

“Then there was a giant explosion, complete chaos, a sinking ship… there was a lot going on and I lost my visual on her.”

“We’re thinking that another boat may have picked her up,” Aris said in an attempt to console her.

It was indeed a plausible scenario, but Alex didn’t even acknowledge the sentiment. She was too torn up inside, blaming herself for having brought Mara into this whole situation. It was as if everything she touched had crumbled, and she could not rely on her mind to solve this problem.

The crew desperately needed sleep and had yet to fully grasp the gravity of the situation. While most of them would have been perfectly content with sleeping on a park bench, Alex offered to put the whole team up in a hotel. Over two dozen people checked into the Tokyo Grand — one of the city’s most luxurious hotels — just as the sun was about to rise.

Alex had a single room for herself, but decided she didn’t want to sleep alone. The tragedy she had just gone through was a reminder of how precious every moment was. Lying face to face in the king-sized bed, she didn’t want to waste another second to tell Milo how she truly felt about him.

“I almost lost you tonight,” Alex said.

“You saved my life, thank you.”

“Milo, you’ve always been there for me…” she said softly, absorbed in his eyes. “That’s part of the reason I fell in love with you.”

Milo let the words linger in the air before responding. With that simple statement, his whole world changed. His eyes remained locked on hers, intensifying the situation, even though a part of him thought he was dreaming. When he realized it was all too real, his heart filled with an indescribable joy. Before he let the moment completely pass, he replied, “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear those words.”

The two locked lips, sharing a passionate kiss. It was the first time they could recall feeling absolutely complete, even if it was in the wake of tragedy. But for a brief moment, they felt utterly happy, existing blissfully in each other’s embrace.

“I know the timing of this is bad given everything that’s going on, but somehow it’s fitting,” Milo said, taking time to gather his thoughts. “I’ve had the biggest crush on you since the moment I laid eyes on you. You have been the one, Alex. You inspire me and bring joy to my life just by being who you are. I am so deeply in love with you that the thought of not being with you is unbearable. I am the luckiest guy in the world.”

“And I’m the luckiest girl.”