When Alma enters the room she sees four women waiting for them inside. The women sit on a big semi-circular table, three of them look in Alma's direction with a calm face while the last one with black hair looks at her with scrutiny like she wants nothing more than killing Alma on the spot.
"How are you Amaris?" a woman with brown hair asked.
"I'm fine big sister Adie," Amaris answered calmly.
"Can we go directly to the issue? We don't have time for this," the black-haired woman grumbled.
"Be patient Deen, we never get a case like this before," Adie eased Deen.
"So, Amaris. I believe you already know that the girl you helped was from the Visa family. Why did you still help her then?" a woman with bright red hair asked.
"I don't have a reason. I just feel like doing it, big sister Raven," Amaris explained.
"What did I told you? They don't have any reason, they're just a rebel!" Deen shouted.
"Let's ask the girl first. What's your name young girl?" a woman with indigo hair asked Alma.
"My name is Alma, Miss…."
"Just call me Amy, Alma. Can you tell us how did you end up as an experiment subject?"
"My uncle joined the research laboratory because he wants to avenge her daughter who got killed by Noctacian. He then found that from many samples, my family has a high resistance to blood assimilation. They took my parents away, then my brother. After that they took me. My friend helped me to get out from there and left me in the forest."
"Don't you think it's suspicious that your friend helped you to get out but left you in the forest like that in critical condition?" Adie asked.
"Yeah, I don't know why he did that. But maybe, he knows that somehow you guys can save me."
"Hah! And where did he get this belief huh? We're your enemy," Deen scoffed.
"Maybe he knows that not all of you are bad," Alma said in a small voice.
"Amaris, to be honest, I am disappointed you did that without consulting us. But then someone told me that you're not like other Visa's family. He told me to imagine if I hate a mosquito so much and one day I become a mosquito, will I still hate them? He's kind of crossing the line but he's right. So I think to give you a chance," Raven stated.
"A chance?" Alma asked.
"We will see if you can prove yourself and become part of us. We will give you a mission, don't worry it will only be a small mission," Raven explained.
"Can we trust her easily like that? We don't even know if she has enough skill for that," Deen interjected.
"Let's give her a chance," Amy said.
"I agree," Adie added.
"Fine then, don't say I didn't warn you," Deen muttered still looking pissed.
"I won't let you down," Alma promised.
***
It's been three days since Alma meets the leader and the council. These three days are harder than any days Alma had in Visa's family before. Alma had to train like her life depends on it. She trains to differentiate each smell, detecting a danger, fighting, defending, even scouting, and placing traps. Alma thought her training in the Visa family already hard, turn out she's a frog inside the well.
Alma can't say if the training experiment is fun or not because even though it made her control and skills better she trained alongside other Noctacian, which doesn't bother to conceal their suspicion and distrust to Alma. Some go as far as mocked Alma, which Alma can understand but still find annoying.
She also finally found how to make her eyes back to normal or not completely normal since her eyes have changed color into green permanently, but it's better than the red-eye. There are so many new things that keep shocking Alma in her new life. She remembers getting shocked when she accidentally sees two couples doing it outside.
Alma shakes her head, trying to erase the distracting image from her mind.
"Are you ready?" Amaris asked.
Alma has been staying together with her all this time because she doesn't know anyone else besides her and she doesn't know where to stay.
"As ready as I can," Alma answered after wearing her bag. Inside the bag is the document that Alma has to deliver.
Like what the leader said, it's a simple mission. She just has to deliver the document in her bag to Lunar city. But somehow Alma can feel something will happen in her gut.
"Good luck, you will need that," Amaris smiled mysteriously.
"What do you mean by that?" By now Alma already learns that if Amaris smiled that's mean something going to happen.
"Go find it yourself, it'll be no fun if I told you," her smile deepened, showed the dimples in her cheeks.
"Fine, I'll be going then. See you again, Amaris."
"See you," Amaris waved cheerfully.
***
Alma runs between the trees in the forest, her eyes observing everything around her. She still can't believe that she has run for two hours without feeling tired. She doesn't even get dizzy from the speed, everything she passed moves at a slow speed.
'I guess not everything in the movie is a lie' she thought.
She's been running non-stop since she departs, now she's almost half the way to her destination. She will go faster if only she doesn't need to hide from vehicles that passed on the way occasionally.
Not long after, she finally reached the middle point. Alma stops and rests her body for a while. Her eyes still scanning the parameter alertly, she can't help but be cautious because she feels something bad will happen in this mission.
She prepares to set off once again, but suddenly an attack comes from behind her. Alma rapidly dodges the attack by jumping forward.
"What do we have here? A Kumaika, eh?" a man with dark hair stands in front of Alma. From his scent, Alma knows that he's Noctacian.
"What do you want? I come here for a mission, move!"
"Not so patient are you?" the man attacks her once again. He swings his claws to Alma's body swiftly which Alma dodges once again.
"I told you I'm on a mission, move!" Alma yelled.
"If you want me to move then fight me, or you will have to die here, Kumaika," the man declared before he attacks Alma consecutively.
"Damn!"