"Iris!"
"Huh?" Iris blinked, slowly returning her sight towards the source of the voice. There is no longer her best friend, instead Carl's face greeted her as they stood in front of her, frowning.
"Have you done daydreaming?"
"What? Oh, yes. Sorry. I'll try to pay attention."
Carl raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced before shaking their head. "Well, if you say so."
"Where's Adam?" Iris asked while searching for the seasick guy.
"He's already out. Look at him snoring after fighting with his seasickness. Honestly, this is my first time meeting with a weak-hearted man like this guy." Carl jokes.
Both of them looked at Adam, who's sleeping soundly on the seat. Sometimes he would frown, must be having a nightmare. Poor guy...
"He may be like that but who knows, he might be stronger than what you think." Iris replied, staring back at Carl.
"I doubt that very much. It took us three hours just to drag him into the yacht this afternoon. He's practically dead weight by the time we reached here. He barely ate anything at all."
"He has been eating the soup that I prepared, though."
"And what is that supposed to prove?"
"My best friend has always told me about Adam. He really trusted that guy as his close friend, besides me. It's not wrong to put a bit of your faith in him, Carl. "
Carl sighed before looking back at Iris. "Fine... just promise me that you won't do anything rash like this again. I thought we were going to use the flight but who would have thought that your parents were already preparing a yacht just for the three of us. Aren't they gonna get suspicious if you suddenly disappear like that?"
She chuckled. "Don't worry Carl, my father always flies outside the country since he's busy with his meetings all around the world. He barely went home, maybe like twice or thrice in a month."
"Damn! How about your mother?"
"Mother was the very first person who encouraged me to go searching for my best friend. She's the only one who knows about this so you don't need to worry." A smile flashed on her lips when she remembered her mother winking with both her hands making a thumb up sign.
'Go find him before your father comes back. Call mother once you've arrived there and not to forget, mother will always get your back, sweetheart!'
"What a glamorous life you had! But don't you feel lonely and bored since there's only you and your mother?"
Iris shrugged. "Not really. Although my mother is sometimes busy with events, she never left me alone. She was even willing to take me out shopping even though she was clearly tired after being busy all day. She's my lovely mother, and also my best friend."
"Now we're getting into that topic, I'm sure the friend you're talking about is the one who's missing right? Why were you so eager to search for him that you even went out to look for him?"
Iris bit her lower lip in hesitation before answering, "I can't really explain it. I could say because I care for him as my childhood friend. But at the same time, I was so worried for him. He doesn't have anyone else in this world and seeing him all alone, being insecure, anxious and scared of everything is breaking my heart. I just want him to live a good life so he could forget about the pain he suffered. I thought I would succeed but…"
Carl stared at her in silence for several minutes before turning their head. "Nah, I don't think he's alone anymore. Because he already has someone who cares for him. Isn't he lucky to have a close friend like you?"
Iris chuckled softly. "Awh! You're making me blush, Carl."
"What the- Never mind."
"Actually, there's something I want to ask." Suddenly Iris changed, her tone sounded serious.
Carl gulped. "What?"
"What are your pronouns? He or she?"
"Huh?" Carl blinked. "Why so suddenly?"
"I can see that you have a fit body but your face looks feminine."
"I'm non-binary. Just use they or them."
Iris raised her eyebrows. "Alright, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for telling me."
A silence stretched out between them. Both of them seemed to be lost in thoughts, wondering about what might happen next. They stayed that way for quite a long time until Iris broke the silence first by asking a question again.
"Carl, about this teacher of yours. What type of person are they?"
The question caught them off guard. Carl's brows furrowed. "He's not really a teacher. Everyone mostly called him Doctor."
"Okay then. What kind of Doctor is he?"
"I mean, he's not technically a Doctor either."
"Wait." Iris holds her head. Carl's answer confused her. "He's not a teacher nor a doctor, then which is it?"
"Let me explain first. He's not a teacher who teaches students and he's not a doctor treating the patients. But rather, he's a professor who builds something."
"Build what?" Iris asked with curiosity.
"Well... Well~ looks like we've arrived. I'm gonna go wake Adam up. Wake up, sleepyhead! Rise and shine!" Carl yelled loudly to wake Adam up.
Meanwhile Iris turned her head, her violet eyes widened at the sight. From afar, she could clearly see a large white building stood imposingly high, seeming to be built entirely out of league. She could not help but gape at it. This is the most beautiful building that she has ever seen in her whole lifetime.
"What is this place?"
"Both of you..." Carl standing in between both of them, proudly smiling with pride on their face. "...Welcome to the Dynasty Premise."
<<21>>
As soon as the trio entered the establishment, the first thing that came to Iris' mind was how huge it really is. The interior was also quite spacious, with a lot of seats lining the walls around the hall, creating an out of the world ambiance. It was as if they just stepped into some sort of Sci-Fi movie, where everything was filled with technologies and wonders that the modern age had to offer.
"You like it?" Carl asked, noticing how amazed Iris actually looked. Adam on the other side, also had the same reaction.
Iris let out a sigh. "It's amazing."
There were a few other people inside as well, some wearing suits while others wore lab coats. Most of them seemed to be doing their jobs diligently. At least it seems to be a normal work environment, unlike what she imagined where they would communicate with robots and all.
"I should introduce you two to the teacher. After all, both of you are the guests." Carl suggested.
"Right." Both nodded.
They walked further inside, passing by many of the workers who gave them a smile as greetings before walking past the doors, entering inside an elevator. Once they arrived, right beside a big glass window that showed a beautiful view of the ocean and various buildings, a middle-aged man with monocle glasses on his left eye awaited their arrival in front of a huge black double door.
"Teacher! I'm back!" Carl waved one hand with excitement.
The man immediately gave out a friendly smile.
"Hello Carl! You came earlier than expected." He spoke with a pleasant sounding voice.
Then he turned to look at the other two. "Ah... these must be the friends you talked about. You may call me Doctor Odd, pleased to meet you two."
He extended one of his hands for a handshake to which Adam immediately followed his actions.
"Nice to finally meet you too, Doctor Odd. I'm Adam."
"Iris." She simply uttered out, giving him a smile.
Doctor Odd did not show any sign of disapproval. Instead, he gave her another friendly smile. "Very well. Everyone seems tired so I've already prepared a VIP room for our special guests. Come with me."
Doctor Odd began walking ahead. Iris and Adam exchanged a brief glance before following behind the professor. He pushed the double door and opened it for the three of them and gestured for them to come in. As they walked, the room was decorated with expensive furniture and the view outside through the windows looked like heaven. Even Iris and Adam could not help but gasp when they got inside.
"Wow." Iris muttered.
Carl nodded in agreement.
"I hope this room will satisfy you. There are four bedrooms on both sides, so you may choose where you want to stay. If you find any problem regarding the furnishings, please do inform me." Doctor Odd explained.
Adam smiles gratefully. "Thank you for taking the time to prepare such a nice accommodation for us, Doctor Odd."
"My pleasure. Tomorrow morning, I would like to bring you two to take a small trip around our building. In the meantime, we could discuss the favor that you wish to ask over lunch if you wish."
"That sounds wonderful. Thank you, Doctor Odd." Iris said politely.
"Well then, have a good rest. Carl, you can also stay here if you want to."
Carl shrugged. "I don't mind."
"Alright, take care of our guests. Good night."
"Good night, Doctor."
<<21>>
As promised, Doctor Odd brought the three of them out early. Both of the guests watch as Carl and the Doctor conversing away happily together, laughing at each other's funny jokes. They literally act like a close family.
Adam whispered to Iris on his side. "He seems like a nice guy."
Iris smiled. "Well, he is. A little old fashioned, perhaps, but still nice. He even offered to accompany us even though he might be busy today. No wonder Carl spoke highly of him. Doctor is a very responsible and caring person, just like how he looks."
"Yeah..." Adam agreed quietly before following their lead as they proceeded into an elevator and started heading towards the highest floor. As soon as the doors opened, they found themselves facing a wide hallway filled with see-through rooms with lots of windows, giving them a breathtaking view of the sea below.
There are people busily working their respective fields, each of them looking so focused and passionate. Some of them even greeted Adam and Iris with a nod while some of them seemed to be shocked when they saw Doctor Odd accompanying them.
Iris gazed out at the vast expanse of the ocean under them in awe. Everything around her seemed to be completely out of the world. There was no longer any trace of the bustling city that surrounded the place or the distant lights of cars driving along the highways. It felt as if she was standing amongst a magical dreamland, watching every scene unfold beneath her feet.
"...What's this place?" Adam asked in shock.
Doctor Odd chuckled. "This is where everyone comes to work. There are many different departments including research, medical, finance, business, education, entertainment and anything else you could think of."
Iris' gaze drifted back to Doctor Odd. "I thought this place only for scientific research?"
The Professor shook his head. "Not at all. Dynasty Premise is more than meets the eye. For those who are interested in science, they may find many interesting things here. But other than that, this building also has basic necessities. All of us are still humans after all."
"...By living in such luxuries?" Adam chimed in.
Doctor Odd chuckled again. "Yes. We live in such luxury due to our position. Our main goal in living our lives is to maintain this premise. That means we must work hard, never complaining and putting aside our own wishes and needs to accomplish our goals."
"By building something?"
Iris' questions seemed to catch Doctor Odd off guard. However, he quickly recovers himself from his initial surprise.
"Yes. The Final Project Dynasty."