Minerva X: Expanded Edition ✔️

Minerva X

I smirked at the guard as he dragged me by my elbow down the dark, musty hall.

"Glad that you'll finally be getting rid of me?" I teased, tossing my head to one side and carefully watching his facial expression.

"Hardly. You're the only psychopath in here that can hold up your end of a conversation."

"Ah, really, my dear prison sentry, have we gone back to these derogatory titles again? I would never have believed you still thought of me as just another psycho in this hellhole."

"Selena, it says on your file that you're mentally unstable," the guard reminded me.

"It's not like I killed anyone."

"Just because you didn't commit murder doesn't mean you're not crazy," he pointed out.

"Do you think I'm crazy, Adam?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at him.

"Maybe not, but you are a convicted criminal."

"That was a misunderstanding," I said dismissively.

"Really. Three charges of armed robbery and five of assault-not including all the crazies you've beat up in here. All misunderstandings?"

"I was framed for that first robbery charge, and nobody ever proved that the others were me," I told him airily as we turned a corner. Adam laughed in sheer disbelief.

"They knew it was you, even if they couldn't prove it. I can't believe you still seem so sane to me after all this time, even though I know you're a monster."

"Hey, I'm not a monster, honey," I informed him. "And... I think I'll take it from here."

"You'll wha-"

I swept his legs out from underneath him, tearing off the cuffs that kept my hands behind my back and snapping one circle around his wrist, the other on the railing next to him. He felt inside his pockets for the key frantically as I backed away, giggling quietly.

"Ah-ah-ah," I said mockingly, dangling the keyring between my fingers. "Don't hurt yourself."

"What--how did you--Selena!" Adam exclaimed, searching his pockets for the keys that were no longer there. I tossed the keyring across the hall. They slid across the floor, jingling as they hit the wall, far out of Adam's reach.

"Thanks for keeping me company these four years," I told him, stalking closer. "Maybe you'll think I'm really crazy for saying this, but you're the least boring person here. This prison was a bit more bearable with a conversationalist like you." I twirled a piece of dark hair around my finger before leaning in, striking like a viper, and pulling back from the kiss before he could grab me.

"I'm sure they'll let you know when I die," I told him as I started down the long corridor. He groaned, looking slightly dazed.

"See you on the other side, crazy girl." I smiled, my back turned to him. Honestly, I was glad that I'd met Adam. He'd kept me on my toes, helped me retain my intelligence and banter. And now, I guess I'd never see him again. Oh, well.

Some people said I was lucky, getting picked for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. A nothing girl with no family, no life, headed on a mission to a newly discovered planet with four other lucky, lucky people.

We weren't lucky.

It was a one-way trip, an experiment with expendable people who didn't contribute to society in any way. Or insane people who had volunteered to take a rocket ride to a death trap. Not insane like me, but really insane.

A cold-blooded killer. A hot-headed sociopath. A sweet, kind-hearted volunteer. A failed, suicidal mastermind. And me. The psychopath. We were the Minerva program, created to discover whether the new planet, Minerva X, was inhabitable.