SPILLED WATER OVER HER CHILDHOOD DREAMS

Click! Click! Click!..... Click! Click! Click!...

The rhythming clicking of the pen pierced through the silence as Vivian paced at the entrance of the Zodiac Space Research Organization. After every round, she would glance at the device strapped to her wrist.

Vivian was dressed in body-hugging pants and a full-sleeved sweater made up of a unique material called Jermakayun, which was embedded with nano temperature sensors that maintained the temperature of the body at the optimum level.

Such clothes cost an arm and a leg and were only used by astronauts who traveled outside the solar system.

“Will you stop it already! That noise giving me a migraine.” A blonde girl of medium height said approaching her.

“What took you so long, Ruza!?” Vivian exclaimed as she turned around so quickly that she almost bumped into Ruza.

“I don’t have a habit of reaching the venue hours before the scheduled meeting like you,” Ruza said, gripping Vivian’s arms to calm her down.

She scrutinized Vivian from top to bottom and said, shaking her head, “Gosh! Isn’t that a Jermakayun costume? How the hell did you manage to get that?”

“Oh, that! I persuaded Mr. Lawerence into lending it to me.” She replied, giving her a wide smile.

“Huh! Poor Mr. Lawrence…. I pity him…”

“I didn’t pester him that much…” Vivian said indignantly.

“You didn’t?” Ruza asked, raising her eyebrow. She knew Vivian very well. They were childhood BFF’s. She was very hard-headed. She could gruel and pester persistently once she made up her mind.

“Yeah…maybe a little,” Vivian confessed, smiling sheepishly.

She looked at the IAD (Information Analysing Device) reflexively.

“Ahhh!” Vivian squealed in delight, doing a double fist pump.

“What happened?” Ruza asked, startled at her sudden reaction.

“It is time for the meeting.”

“Oh! I thought you got a message that you are selected for the mission.” Ruza said, shaking her head. Then, she bent down to tie the shoelace that had come off.

But, before she could tie it properly, Vivian dragged her along.

“Vivi, al least let me tie my shoelace.” She protested.

“Arrgh! That is why I hate such shoes. Why don’t you get something like mine?” She said, pointing to her custom-made Tsanr boots. They were made of the most rigid know material to man.

They were a bit uncomfortable but were very durable. Getting used to the boots was a part of her preparation for space travel.

“I don’t have the habit of throwing my money around in preparation for something that might…”

Vivian shut her mouth with her hand before she could complete her sentence.

“Don’t you dare jinx my space mission even before it has started!” She said, glaring at Ruza.

“Sorry…sorry…sorry… I will pray that I get selected.” Ruza said, winking at her.

“Ruza Goler! You are soooo mean.” Vivian said, gritting out each word.

She grabbed her by the throat and raised her hand to punch Ruza.

“Hey…don’t…First listen to what I have to say.”

“Spit it out!” Vivian said with her hands still raised.

“I want to be selected so that I can stop you from crashing the spaceship.”

Vivian squinted at Ruza before releasing her.

“Vivi, On a serious note. I hope only one of us gets selected. I can’t imagine going on a trip with you.”

Vivian was listening to her with rapt attention, expecting that she would say something important. By the time she realized what Ruza had meant, Ruza had sprinted towards the meeting room.

Vivian chased her but couldn’t catch her. She straightened her clothes and ran her hand through her hair before entering the room.

The room was empty except for Ruza, who had sensibly chosen a seat opposite the CCTV camera.

Vivan’s legs shook slightly as she walked towards Ruza and sat beside her. She tapped her foot nonstop and kept tapping the table.

Ruza placed her hand on Vivian’s shoulder and said sincerely, “No one else has worked as hard as you. You deserve to be selected.”

Vivian nodded her head and pursed her lips. This was her childhood dream. She always dreamt of going deep into space. She wanted to unravel the mysteries of the vast universe.

Soon the others filed into the room. There were about twenty of them. They had all trained hard to get selected for this sponsored mission.

Today was the fateful day when their supervisor would announce the names of the two people who would go and explore ‘The Lycan World.’

A tall and handsome man sauntered into the room and stood at the head of the table. Everyone stood up and greeted him.

He was the one who had guided and counseled them over the past one year. His eyes shone with pride as he swept his eyes around the room.

Each of them was exceptionally talented, but two names shone amidst them like pearls among beads; Vivian and Ruza.

Vivian was very enthusiastic and hardworking, but he had seen a rebellious streak in her. Obedience was essential for such crucial missions to be successful.

He had to choose a male and a female. So, it was an easy choice for him. He would select Ruza, who was not only hardworking and efficient but also calm and composed.

There was only one strong candidate among the males; Eric had an excellent knowledge of aerodynamics, and he was experienced too.

He smiled at them and said, “Excited to know the results..”

“Yes!!” Everyone yelled in unison.

“Okay then, I won’t make you wait anymore. The council has decided to send one male and one female on this mission. So first, I will announce the name of the girl who has been selected.”

Vivian’s heart pounded in her ears as she waited in anticipation for her name to be announced.

“Her name is Ruza, Ruza Goler. Congratulations!!”

Vivian felt a ringing sensation in her ears. He had spilled water over her childhood dream.

Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she ran out of the meeting room without waiting to hear the rest of the announcement.

***********************************

Crushed by her failure, Vivian slumped on a bench kept in the garden of the ZSRO (Zodiac Space Research Organization).

She buried her head in her hand and cried for all she was worth. Vivian rarely cried, but today’s failure had crushed her.

This is how Ruza found her when she came running into the garden in search of Vivian.

She placed her hand on Vivian’s shoulder and said, “Vivi..”

“Ru, just go away. I am in no mood to talk to you.”

“Please, Vivi, at least listen to what I have to say.”

“Ru! I said go…just leave me alone.” Vivian repeated as she looked up at Ruza. Her cheeks were stained with tears, and her eyes were clouded with despair, humiliation, and agony.”

“Vivi, we both have been selected for the mission,” Ruza said, shaking her up.

“Do you want to do this, Ru? Are you deriving some sadist pleasure by rubbing my wounds with salt…” Vivian ranted without listening to what Ruza had said. Her eyes widened in surprise when her brain finally registered what Ruza said.

“We both what!?” she said, jumping to her feet.

“You heard it right, Vivi. We both are going on this mission.”

“Whoah! No way! You are saying this to cheer me up, aren’t you?” She said, glaring at Ruza. If she dared to joke about such a serious matter. She would skin her alive and cut her into pieces before feeding it to eagles.

“No! Vivi. Don’t you know me? I am speaking the truth. Pinkie promise.”

“Ahhhh!!!!” Vivian screamed in delight and jumped up and down. She held Ruza’s hands and turned her round and round till her head started spinning. She knew that her BFF would never lie if she did ‘Pinkie Promise.’

In the end, Ruza got fed up and steadied Vivian gripping her hands firmly.

“Wow!” Vivian exclaimed, still unable to believe that it had actually happened. She was going on a space mission and that too with her childhood friend and not some crazy, serious man.

“But how did this happen? Weren’t they going to choose a male and female?”

“I don’t know, and I don't think our Supervisor knew it either. He was going to announce the name of the male candidate when his IAD beeped. His face turned ghastlier than a ghost, and he said quote, ‘The council has decided to make this mission the first-ever Female Only mission. So Vivian and Ruza will be going on this mission.’ After this, he stormed out of the room before giving anyone a chance to ask anything.”

“Strange….”

“Hmm… I hope everything is okay. Do you think we should back off from this mission? Something seems fishy.” Ruza said after a detailed analysis. She didn’t want to risk her life by going on a mission that seemed awkward right from the beginning.

“No way! I won’t let this opportunity slip from my hands even if I die in the mission!” She said with an expression that indicated Ruza had said something horrifying.

Ruza let out a deep sigh and said, “kay… let’s go then.” If Vivian went, she had to go as well. She didn’t want to lose her childhood friend to some stupid mission. For some reason, Ruza had an ominous feeling about this trip.

“Shit!” Ruza exclaimed as she caught the time on the watch.

“Vivian, go and collect your ID and agreement papers from Mr. Rollan. He has a flight in five minutes. Run..” She explained as fast as she could.

“No! Why does it have to be that man.” Vivian groaned as she sprinted towards Mr. Rollan’s office, which was on the second floor.

She didn’t like Mr. Rollan at all. Something about him screamed dangerous to her. She didn’t know what it was, maybe sixth sense or a gut feeling. She avoided him like the plague if she could. But, today, she had to run to meet him.

“Great! What more will you make me do...Oh…My Childhood Dream.” She muttered dramatically as she raced towards the lift.

Damn! It was on the 50^th floor. It would take five minutes just for the lift to come down. She had no option but to take the stairs.

She climbed as fast as she could, taking two steps at a time. So, she was totally out of breath when she reached Mr. Rollan’s office.

There was only one minute left. So, she knocked at the door without waiting to catch her breath.

“Come in.” Mr. Rollan’s curt voice reached her ears, making her hair bristle.

Unfortunately, her foot caught on the doormat, and she stumbled. She managed to gain her balance, and she didn’t fall.

He scrutinized her from top to bottom and said, “I hope you will manage this mission with better efficiency than you have managed the meeting. God knows what Richard saw in you.” He said, shaking his head; displeasure evident on his face.

Vivian stared at her feet and muttered an apology as her face burned with shame.

He let out an audible sigh and said, “Here have some water.”

Her hands trembled as she took the bottle from Mr. Rollan. She shifted from foot to foot as she gulped down the water.

She wondered if she would be allowed to go on the mission after her behavior. She had forgotten the most important rule; No matter how difficult the challenge is, always stay calm.

She waited patiently for Mr. Rollan to hand her the ID and the agreement. She was too embarrassed to ask him for it.

Suddenly, she felt her head grow heavy. She blinked her eyes as she tried to shake away the darkness that threatened to engulf her.

She felt her head spin, and her feet wobbled. But, Mr. Rollan caught her before she could kiss the floor. It was as if he was already standing beside Vivian, waiting to catch her.