Aria slammed her door and jumped into bed, covering her face with her pillow.
'Always giving her attention, I was tired too, why are you giving all your attention to her.' Aria thought to herself.
'Ugh, you're my little brother, not hers.'
Aria always kept her insecurities and feelings hidden behind a mask but Jake was the only one she would show her true self to.
She did not know why she felt jealous of Lyra as she felt if she was more efficient with her tasks Jake would spend more time with her but that was not the case.
Ever since they came home Lyra had stuck with Jake making no space for her which is why she tried to keep herself occupied to ignore them.
Just then a thought appeared in Aria's head. She quickly woke up and went to take a shower.
Half an hour later Aria appeared from the bathroom, walking over to her closet to change.
Aria after doing her hair and makeup glanced at the full-body mirror to take a look at herself.
Her figure was a testament to natural grace and vitality, something she inherited from her ever-young mother. Thanks to her father and her job on the Celestial Mariner she stood at an enviable height and possessed a slender yet athletic physique.
Aria straightened her posture which exuded confidence and accentuated the graceful curve of her neck. Her shoulders were elegantly defined, which led down to a gently tapered waist that complimented her overall silhouette.
The bodycon dress that she purchased earlier did well to show off the gentle swell of her hips and toned legs which contributed to her figure that effortlessly blended sophistication with her youthful allure.
'Hmph, let's see how you keep your eye off me now.' Aria thought with a wry smile.
As much of a genius, as Aria was, when it came to Jake, for some odd reason her mind always left rationality behind.
Jake was watching TV with Lyra after she had woken up and Elizabeth had taken Iris to bed.
"Do you think we should take the DTG job or stick to GOE-N supply runs for now?" Jake spoke to Lyra, discussing their next trip.
Although Jake had the authority and the Atlas to make the decisions himself, he would still encourage Lyra and Aria to voice their opinions too.
The Atlas had taught Jake that other perspectives were also important as not everything would go as he planned. It was also good in testing and teaching the two to be better prepared in the future.
"As much as I like the safety and short trips of the GOE-N jobs, I feel it would be better for us to take the DTG offer, it pays well and we would be able to get more experience in longer routes." Lyra explained her answer.
'She got the gist of it quickly.'
(That's because she has a good leader and he has an even better teacher.) The Atlas spoke with a hint of pride.
'Uh huh, I thought we were a team Atlas. Since when did you get so prideful?' Jake spoke to the Atlas in a joking tone.
(I don't know what you're talking about.) The Atlas tried feigning innocence.
"I feel the same, let's ask Ar-" Jake stopped speaking as he turned towards Aria's bedroom door.
Jake was in awe as he looked at the young woman in front of him.
Aria seemed to have dressed up for an elite occasion. One which reminded Jake of when his mother would, whenever his father would have to attend a party back on Earth.
The light makeup on Aria's face accentuated her features to a high degree. Her face which was sculpted with graceful contours, and her features had a harmonious blend of both classic elegance and youthful vibrancy
Jake took a look at her Almond-shaped sapphire-blue eyes which were framed by long, feathery lashes, captivating Jake, who met her gaze.
Her refined eyebrows gracefully arched above, adding a touch of poise to her expressive countenance.
Her pert nose lent a delicate touch, and high cheekbones bestowed an air of regality something every Avalon was born with.
Her full, rosy lips, which had adorned a subtle, knowing smile, radiated warmth and intelligence.
Jake felt his heart thump, his mind first felt confusion, and then anxiety and worry permeated through his chest.
(Uh oh, did not expect this to happen so soon.)
Aria, who was always quick at reading faces noticed Jake's expression, a sly smile appearing on her face as she slowly walked towards the couch.
Jake was good at hiding his expressions and this crack in his mask had filled Aria with joy, knowing she had hit her mark.
"What were you guys talking about?" Aria asked innocently intentionally feigning innocence as to the question of why she had dressed up.
Jake who felt frozen for a second quickly recovered before answering his sister.
"Oh, we were talking about our next job, I wanted to ask both of you whether to take the GOE-N contract or the DTG contract." Jake answered his sister.
"Oh!" Aria smiled happily as she took a seat next to her brother before speaking.
"I think we should go with the DTG contract, although longer the terms are better and are of more value to us in the long run."
Aria had also come to the same conclusion as Jake and Lyra.
"What's up with you?" Aria looked towards Lyra who stared blankly at her, with a seemingly confused face.
"Uh um, nothing, I'm fine." Lyra quickly answered though her flustered face had told everything.
Aria smiled at Lyra before turning towards Jake "So we agreed we're taking the Dravaris Contract." She spoke, quickly changing the attention to Jake, not wanting to embarrass Lyra who was trying to recover.
"Yes, I will send the acceptance form later and we should receive the rest of the details tomorrow."
"Good, anyway Jake, how do I look?" Aria gave Jake a confident smile yet was anxious about how he would respond.
Jake took a few seconds to answer, each second giving Aria more and more anxiety.
"Gorgeous." Jake answered with a straight face before smiling.
Aria's anxiety shifted to relief as she blushed at his words.
"Oh my God! Elizabeth!" Grace shouted to Elizabeth who was busy in the kitchen.
"What is it, Grace?" Elizabeth shifted her attention to the living room.
Elizabeth was surprised when she saw her daughter all dressed up and quickly went to her.
"You look beautiful darling, why didn't you tell me you wanted to dress up?" Elizabeth spoke, excited to see her daughter dress up but a little sad she did not tell her.
"I'm sorry Mom, I just felt like it, I wanted to give it a try since I'm a lady too." Aria answered her mother.
"Aww, and what a beautiful lady you are, you are stunning Aria, if you ever want any help, tell Elizabeth or me, okay." Grace complimented Aria.
"Thank you, Aunt Grace, I will."
A few hours later, Jake had gone to bed. Just before Aria and Lyra had written their IS exams, Jake and his family had moved to a larger apartment in a better section of New Canberra.
Jake had his own room while Aria and Lyra shared the largest bedroom. Iris slept with Elizabeth and Grace had her room.
"Hah." Jake sighed as he lay on his back.
"Today was odd, to say the least." Jake spoke to the Atlas.
(Don't worry, it's just beginning, it's going to get a whole lot crazier soon.) The atlas spoke, it's words felt very ominous to Jake.
"Wha-what the hell does that mean?" Jake worriedly asked.
(Not yet, I will explain everything when I unlock the rest of your memories.)
"You realise, this doesn't give me a lot of confidence right?"
(All you have to do is trust me, Jake, I will never make a decision that will harm you or your family.)
"I trust you Atlas." Jake spoke softly before closing his eyes.
"Goodnight Atlas."
(Goodnight Jake.)
Sulla System:
(Unclaimed Territory between the GOE and the Astrillith Republic.)
A large debris field of Navy ships was seen as multiple probes flew around the wrecked ships scanning for survivors.
"Anything?" Admiral Briggins spoke to a soldier who was sitting in a chair controlling the probes.
"No survivors detected so far. Their weapons were targeting our engines and life support systems." The soldier spoke.
"Check the GNS Athena, it's a relatively new destroyer and the largest ship we sent in that battle group. There should be some survivors."
The admiral said as the young soldier sent the probes to a large destroyer, which looked relatively untouched, except for the large hole going through the middle of the vessel.
"What the hell are they using, it's like our shields are non-existent and they melted the armour like butter." Admiral Briggins stared at the screen as the probes explored the interior of the vessel.
"There! The soldier pointed for the admiral as he spotted a group of soldiers locked in a room.
"The airlock is the only thing keeping them safe." The soldier added.
"Bring them in." The admiral spoke firmly.