SOLAR & The Specialists
The Year-Old Girl

Selena grunts bored. The bonfire event that was supposed to fail, turned lively as if nothing happened after the gas tank that he filled with sea water was discovered by Reagan. Reagan did not scold him, let alone divulge his ignorant behavior to the teachers. Reagan secretly emptied the seawater and refilled the tank with gasoline he requested from the bus driver. The tank filled with gasoline was returned to the event organizers, so they could use it to light a bonfire.

"You want to go for a walk?" Selena confronted Reagan in the hotel lobby as she was about to climb into his room. Reagan replied to his question with a cold glance that made Selena laugh, "I didn't do it!"

"I saw you dump gasoline on a cliff, then refill the tank with seawater." Reagan with a flat tone.

"You're reporting me?" Challenge Selena.

"Sociopaths will always manipulate others to escape punishment." Reagan stared at the ceiling of the lobby with a glaring look.

"Well, whoa! Now you're diagnosing me?" Strangled Selena while clapping in amazement. A moment later, his smile disappeared. He walked a step closer to Reagan. "Since you moved here, I've been bothered by your attitude. You know that, right?"

Reagan. This time they looked at each other. Both of them gave off an aura of hatred. Stared hatefully by Selena, Reagan clenched his jaws to hold back his emotions.

"Don't expect you to be rich, beautiful, and smart, so you can just make a move that harms others. Just so you know, Selena. I also caught you throwing away Wenda's bag this afternoon."

Selena's eyes twitched somewhat confusedly. He then recalled his actions earlier this afternoon, when Wenda bully him through a comment on social media by saying that Selena was only lucky. If her parents are not rich and she is not beautiful, then Selena is just a piece of trash. He wrote the comment on the school blog, where one of his photos was taken secretly by the event organizers. Comments from Wenda invited other netizens to share malicious comments about him.

Selena did nothing to Wenda when she met him at the hotel restaurant at lunchtime. He simply barged into Wenda's room with the hotel access card he had stolen from the reception desk, unpacked Wenda's entire suitcase, and threw it out the window. All of Wenda's clothes and luggage fell into the swimming pool just below her room. Wenda cried to report the incident to the teachers, but no one managed to uncover the perpetrator because Selena had turned off all CCTV cameras highlighting her activities. Selena worked hard enough and was careful not to be caught. You could say he was pretty good at doing it. Unfortunately, today he was again unlucky. Reagan caught her from the pool.

"Rich? Don't make me feel guilty for having money you don't have! It won't work on me." Selena smiled a little. "Beautiful? Maybe because of my parents' genes." Selena took one more step. "Smart? My IQ is higher than yours, so of course I'm smart." Now they stand in line. "You're just saying things I already know. I take it as a compliment."

"There's nothing good about you." Reagan emphasized every word on her. "What exactly is your purpose?"

Selena turned the bored eyeball. "So you know. Then why not report it?" Now he looked into Reagan's eyes. "You protected me?" This time his smile appeared. Reagan considered it a stupid grin. Selena always grinned like that if she had any evil ideas that she would definitely implement soon. Usually the evil idea always harms others or at least makes someone cry.

"I don't want to get involved with you." Reagan replied calmly.

"You should have said that long ago we 'destroyed'. Being involved is not enough. You know how far I can go. Maybe next time, you'll be my target." Selena put her shoulders back.

Both Reagan's eyes narrowed to see Selena turning away. He wondered how there could be a girl as weird as Selena. Sometimes he's nice and normal, then next turns creepy. At the same time, Selena was also thinking about why Reagan always appeared in her head.

***

"Selena!"

A petite-looking girl with a ponytail hairstyle ran over to catch up with him. Name's Mindy. The girl had always been dependent on Selena since Selena saved her from the senior round when they were in Junior High. It does not make Selena uncomfortable because the Mindy family is rich. He is the favorite grandson of the Minister of National Defense who is currently in office. His uncle was an admiral, and his father was the founder of a multinational technology company.

Thanks to Mindy, Selena is often invited out of the country for a vacation without worrying about being banned because her parents always allow it. Thanks to Mindy too, Selena always gets EDM concert tickets for free every year. Selena has benefited from everything since she became friends with the spoiled child Mindy.

"The conversation has begun! They'll start fireworks soon! Go, there!" Mindy who was still bored immediately wrestled spoiled in Selena's arm like a child. "Hopefully your plan works! If there's no fireworks tonight, it won't be!"

Selena just smiled. Yesterday he smuggled a box of fireworks into the trunk of the bus even though he knew the teacher and the Principal would be in an uproar when he found out. All those fireworks were bought with Mindy's money. No one will be able or willing if the pocket money is used to buy expensive fireworks at the risk of being expelled from school. But Selena can always influence Mindy to do anything. For Mindy, Selena is a role model. The girl will follow wherever Selena goes or whatever Selena tells her to.

"Don't turn it on before twelve o'clock tonight! Otherwise, we can all be caught." Selena tried to warn.

"Quiet down! Christian's been watching the others. After all, the teachers including the Headmaster had already started to let their guard down due to drowsiness. The sleeping pills that you put in their drinks are potent!" Mindy has no power not to squeal. He jumps up happily.

"Twenty minutes to midnight." Selena said while looking at her watch. "Our party has just begun." Selena grinned no less widely.

Twenty minutes later, Selena was sitting on a cliff by the sea. He loved the view from the secret place he found. In front of him stood a giant niche where high waves looking for a gap to hit the shallow water corals under the cliff where Selena is located.

Selena discovered the secret place accidentally on the first day the Harapan Pertiwi High School tour group arrived at the resort which is located not far from the cliff. After the division of the room, he used the opportunity to rest by going for a walk alone. He had to climb a steep rocky hill in order to get there. Selena was immediately captivated by the natural beauty that lay before her. Not to mention the soothing sound that comes from the pounding waves, seagulls, and the breeze that continues to hit his face. It would not be an exaggeration if Selena immediately regarded the place as a hidden paradise. He spends a lot of time there alone. Sometimes he just daydreamed, or just stared at the sea and sky.

The full moon hangs dashing in the night sky. The waves of the sea roll high because of the tide. In his hand, the walkie-talkie rang noisily. His friends were already in their respective positions, waiting for the cue from him to light fireworks. Selena skipped a minute from midnight as she was stunned for a moment to see the excitement of a bonfire party on the edge of the forest near the resort. He could see everything from the top of that cliff.

The sea breeze blew, making him close his body behind the thick jacket he was wearing. Her hair was messy despite being braided over her shoulders. Selena is seventeen years old. No one knows when his birthday is, including Christian and Mindy. He always made up stories that his birthday fell on February 29. Her parents don't even remember Selena's birthday today. This is evidenced by the absence of any incoming message notification from them. Parents are more concerned about the health condition of their patients, or the financial condition of the hospitals they manage.

In a year, Selena will graduate High School. In a year, he'll make sure he's accepted at MIT. In a year, he will leave Indonesia. Far from here, organize a new life, without restrictions and constraints from anyone. He would rent a studio apartment for himself. He will keep a dog. No, two dogs are better. He's going to a party last night at a nightclub. But before all that happens, he has to stay for another year here, study hard, and keep his grades at the top.

"Bravo two, copy." Christian's voice coming from a walkie-talkie breaks his daydream.

"Cell?" This time Mindy's voice.

"Selena? Not yet, is it?" Christian Urge.

"Here is Raven one. Get ready!" Reply Selena. "Three..two..one!"

Fireworks glide to the sky. It came from within the forest. The noise at the campfire stopped for a moment. Everyone looked in amazement into the sky. They applauded happily without knowing who lit the fireworks.

"Happy birthday, Selena." Selena muttered to herself. His face looked up, looking at the fireworks with a smile on his lips.

Tonight feels perfect. The full moon is perfectly round above the niche. Selena wondered if it was possible for humans to live on the moon. There is no water like there is on earth. If the moon is unlivable, then there must be other planets that can. After all, this world is very vast. There are countless planets and stars. Selena believes if it's out there, there's gotta be another life. However, no technology can prove it.

The sea breeze did not feel as strong as before. Selena did not feel it at all. He feels weird. The waves are getting higher, but there is no wind. Something is moving on the horizon. The longer, the closer.

Will there be a tsunami?, he thought.

Selena tried to figure it out through her limited vision. If there is going to be a disaster coming, he must warn everyone. But of all that he learned, no signs of nature appeared before the disaster came. The water on the beach will recede in an instant before the tsunami hits. He was almost certain that something that was moving closer to the land was not a tsunami.

Unknowingly Selena was already standing on the edge of the cliff. His right foot stepped on the soft ground surface which instantly landslided as soon as he stepped. Selena fell off a cliff. He could not scream, let alone hold on to save his life. The walkie-talkie he had been holding crashed into a sharp rock that was sticking out of the water, followed by his body which also fell against the flat-faced coral that was thirty meters below.

As soon as Selena landed, the ocean waves greeted her. But the waves were not strong enough to wash away his body. His ribs were broken, and his legs were bending unnaturally. Blood was pooling around his head. The longer it flows down to color the sea water around it. Selena's mouth continues to open and close to catch her breath. He's dying. Unfortunately, no one realized that the birthday girl was dying.

Something Selena had seen had reached the reef. Shape changeable. At first it shines silvery, then it is a wave, then it turns into water, then it turns into sea foam again. It turns into whatever it goes through. Near Selena's body, he stopped for a moment. Slowly but surely, he changed his form into a human being. Skin, hair, hands, feet, and face, all formed in seconds. Selena's eyes were wide open as the creature had a face resembling hers. The poor girl had a severe internal bleeding.

In one last breath, Selena was gone.

Now the human incarnation that was crouching on top of Selena's body touched her forehead. With her touch, she retrieves all the remaining memories before Selena's brain dies.

***