Bab 13: "Falling!"

Meanwhile, the three girls proceeded to the East Wing building. The interior was just like the main building, full of white walls and bright lights. They reached the room with an embossed metal plate with the number 407. Upon entering the white sliding door, a pair of bunk pod beds designed like those in capsule hotels are seen.

"Wow!" Lovely widened her eyes in amazement. "So cool!"

The size of the room was enough for the three of them. At the back of the bunk, pod beds are the comfort room and the laundry room.

"There are four beds, but we're only three. Where do you want to sleep?" Lia curiously asked.

"I want to be at the top of the bed," Lovely answered. She placed her things near the bed on her left. "How about you gals?"

"I'll be at the bottom bed of yours, Lovely," Gem said while moving her things towards their chosen bed. "The other bed is all yours, Lia."

"Alright, thank you," said Lia as she moved her things towards the bed on the right.

The three decided that after taking turns in the shower, they would sleep early.

The next day, they woke up at six in the morning. From that day on, they decided that their routine would be, taking a bath, reviewing mutants' data on the tablets lent to them, eating breakfast at the cafeteria, and then going to their work.

Lovely and Gem had brought their extra sets of clothing and towels with them since they might be needing them when their mutants want to accompany them in their pool, while Lia just brought an extra shirt.

In the 4th basement, Lia stood at the front of the sliding door with the metal plate that displayed B4-L13. She was a little bit nervous, and to calm herself down, she took a deep breath.

"I can do this…" Lia assured herself. Because of the absence of Sanya, Lia's nervousness had been bugging her since she woke up. She knew she couldn't rely on Sanya about everything as she was a busy, young scientist.

When she placed her official I.D. to be scanned by the contraption, the door automatically opened. Following the facility's protocol, she changed into indoor shoes after the door had closed.

She took little steps towards the center of the room, wondering where Aesop would be. Lia looked up to the wall shelf-like lofts.

"Mr. Aesop!? Where are you?!" Lia shouted at the top of her lungs, hoping to be heard. She didn't know how Aesop would like to be called, so she chose to be formal. "I'm here already! Have you eaten breakfast!?"

She walked towards different directions while looking up, searching for a good angle to see him. Finally, Lia saw Aesop's wings at the 2nd loft. She then exclaimed, "Do you want to eat something?! I'll cook, okay?!"

She didn't know if the mutant had heard her. She could view his upper brown feathered wings, but there was no response from him.

"I'll cook for you, then!" Lia said. She walked towards the kitchen which was located on the left side. It had a large fridge, the tabletops were marbled and there was a hood over the stove. She looked at Aesop's tablet and saw what food she had to cook. They were mostly meat dishes, and she noticed that there was no rice, even if it was the staple food in their country.

She scrolled down the menu to choose a recipe to cook. "Why is there no bacon here?" Lia thought. "It's my specialty..."

Lia couldn't decide on what to cook. It was nearly 9 in the morning and she thought that perhaps Aesop couldn't move an inch because he was too hungry.

"I should ask him at least, but I don't think I can handle the steep stairs going to him…" Lia thought. As she went deep into her thoughts, she grew more and more worried about him. "What if he dies or something… I really should climb those freaking stairs!"

Bringing Aesop's tablet, she hurriedly went to the stairs. These were well mounted onto the white walls of the room, and it was designed for just one person only, perhaps the caretaker who would clean the lofts.

Lia walked up towards the loft where Aesop was lying. While she was climbing up the stairs, she was thinking about his brothers, that they needed her salary for their college and everyday needs. Her new job was unusual, but high-paying, so she had to do whatever it takes to fulfill her job. From time to time, she gets tired and stops her tracks to breathe deep.

When she reached the 12th-meter loft, she was dumbfounded with what she saw.

Aesop was there, sleeping while sitting on the floor and resting his head on a big bean bag. He had no top clothes on but he was wearing black yoga pants.

Lia stared at his breathtaking beauty. She leaned in closer to him and examined his features. She found his messy, jet black layered hair sexy, and it made her heart skip a beat. His defined jawline and his muscular arms made Lia stare at him.

If she was to be given a nickname based on her personality, she should be called Curious Lia. Curiosity had always been her best friend, and it made her different from other women of her age. She was so curious about the mutant, that she found herself touching his wings.

Feeling uncomfortable about it, Aesop suddenly woke up and flapped his wings to avoid Lia's hand. Lia went out of balance and twisted her right foot, and as soon as she knew it, she was already falling midair.