SOLAR & The Specialists
Hanging Out

Solar, Mindy, and Christian are in Mindy's car. They both force Solar to come to Christian's house after school.

'Mumpung Christian training holiday', that's why.

Thanks to Selena's memory, Solar remembers the various habits the three of them had together while there was time to gather. Usually, Christian is too busy with basketball practice, while Mindy is busy with various kinds of tutoring registered by her parents. Especially today, Mindy skipped violin lessons to be able to join her two friends.

Selena herself does not feel lonely if she is not with Mindy or Christian. In fact, he can do a lot of activities alone. Especially voluntary activities that can fill a long list of portfolios to be accepted at MIT.

"What are we going to do today?" Ask Mindy.

"Theodore returns. Aren't you always excited to meet him?" Christian replied indifferently from the front seat.

"really? It's been a year since we've seen him!" Mindy squealed in excitement.

Solar rummaged through Selena's memory, finding out about Christian's family tree. Theodore is Christian's second brother. He was a researcher who spent more time at sea than at home. He once served as director of operations at his family-owned company, but two years ago resigned over accepting an offer as a researcher in Australia. Business was not his interest for a long time.

Christian, too, prefers sport to study. Phillip, Theodore and Christian's older brother, is the only successor to the family business. He was thirty-two years old and not married. He was busy managing and developing their family business, until he was more often abroad. For the past three years, Selena has only met him once during the parents' wedding anniversary.

Christian's condition is not much different from Selena's today. He is not close to his family, because all family members have their own lives. Her parents also prefer to spend seven months of the year cruising around the world.

"She suddenly came home for a vacation. I'm sure it will feel the same as the days when he wasn't home. He rarely went out of the room. His job is just sleep. Just out to eat and shit." Keep Christian.

"It was your attitude that made Theo lazy to go home." Mindy comments while fixing her bangs.

"'So' which is what does it mean?"

"You should be better off with your sister. At least you have a brother. Look at Selena and me! We're lonely at home because no friends fight." Answer Mindy.

"If you had brothers like Theo and Phillip, it would be like being an only child, believe me!"

Their little debate stopped when they arrived at the grounds of Christian's house. A Jeep and a white van were parked next to the house. What an awkward view when seeing Christian's house the arrival of guests. But when Theodore remembers coming home today, it makes sense that any other vehicle other than Christian's was there.

"It looks like Theo brought a friend." Christian comments when he saw the van parked next to Theo's Jeep.

Solar felt something familiar. There was a faint jolt of energy coursing through him. The sensation was the same as when he was among the colonies.

Christian and Mindy are already at the top of the steps connected to the terrace. They looked over when they realized Solar was not going up.

"Why?" Ask Mindy.

Solar shook. He did not understand why he felt the signal of one of his colonies when he arrived at this house. The signal was very weak, almost undetectable if only Solar was not a heloxe. Its capabilities exceed most of its species. He decided to find out.

Mindy has come down from the steps to take Solar's arm. They walked side by side following Christian from behind.

The circumstances in Christian's house are no different from Selena's last memory of the house. Christian lives here alone. There are several housekeepers living in the back pavilion to take care of the house as well as Christian. The rest of the house belongs to Christian.

"Umm. hi!" A well-built bule with dark curly hair greeted them from the top of the second-floor staircase. He was hugging a big bottle of orange juice and a snack. Solar suspects the bule got it from the pantry. He was on his way to Theo's room when he saw them enter from the front door. Bule hurriedly came down to approach the three of them. "My name is Adam." The curly-haired Bule wiped his right hand on the jeans before extending it to Christian. "You must.. Christian?" Christian shook bule's hand briefly. From his accent, Solar guessed that the bule was from Australia. Selena's memory has a huge database of accents from all over the world. Solar was lucky to meet Selena before she died in front of him.

"Where's Theo?" Ask Christian without further ado.

"above. With our Professor." Adam was surprised by Christian's attitude.

Theo, a tall man who looked thinner than Selena remembered, appeared from above.

"You're home yet?" Christian's brother ran a little while down the stairs.

Solar felt it again. He felt a signal from his people that felt closer. Solar's voice was stuck in the throat. He spread his gaze across the room, looking for where the signal came from.

"Hey, bro!" Theo who was already standing in front of them instantly rattled Christian's hair furiously. Christian stayed away so his hair could be saved. "Selena! Mindy! How long haven't I seen you guys?"

Mindy smiled broadly, "A year, brother." He answered with a sweet, made up voice.

Now Solar realized where the weak signal was coming from. Theo's.

Solar looked at Theo fixedly. His gaze moved from top to bottom, as if scanning Theo's body to find out if his conjecture was correct. Of course Solar doesn't really have the supernatural power to scan someone's body. He just wanted to know where exactly the 'location' of his people's signal came from.

"Are you okay?" Theo waved his hand in front of Solar's face.

"Hello, sis." Sapa Solar with a choked voice. He actually sensed a signal of the existence of one of the Grenoiave, his colony. Why does this man have that signal?

Unexpectedly, Theo hugged her. Solar gasped, but he did not let go rashly.

"Sister Theo is thinner than I remember." Solar offered an awkward little smile.

"Your brother, this" Adam embraced Theo's shoulder, "loving to seclude himself at sea. He ate nothing but canned cornet and beer."

Adam's supple attitude was considered pleasant by Mindy. They quickly get along at lunch together. Christian is still being nonchalant, as if there was only him in this house. Theo several times asked Solar to talk, asking about his condition and his family. The professor sits at the end of the dining table, where Christian and Theo's father used to sit while eating with the family. Everyone thought it natural to sit there, considering his oldest age among them.

"Have you thought about the essay you were going to write?" Ask Theo to Solar.

The essay in question is one of the requirements for university entrance abroad. In addition to high grades, letters of recommendation, and portfolios, a good essay is also a major factor to be accepted by MIT. Of course Theo knows about MIT. Selena always talked about MIT and often asked Theo for advice whenever they met. MIT is a very selective university in choosing its students. Out of every hundred applicants, only seven are accepted each year. Selena fought hard to become one of those seven people. That was his only dream all along. Although Theo is not an American university graduate, Selena believes the selection process will not be much different from prestigious universities in Australia.

Solar shook his head to answer Theo's question.

"What about the department. Do you have a choice?"

Solar was shaking again. During this time, Selena just wanted to enter MIT. He has not yet decided what to learn. He has no right to choose the choice of a dead person. Suddenly Solar felt awkward. He had no idea how Selena should behave in this situation. Unconsciously she tucked her hair behind her ear. This gesture was glimpsed by Theo, making him stunned for a moment when he saw the earrings worn by Solar.

"Good ear." Comment Theo.

The earrings look similar to the evidence found on the corpse in Billie's stomach. Theo tries to think positively. Maybe those earrings are quite market. But his mind refused to agree. The evidence found was not just earrings. The earrings are studded with diamond stones. Although small in size, the owner of diamond earrings is definitely not from among ordinary people. Selena's character and her family background are perfect for having one.

In the case of Solar, the earrings attached to both ears are not really diamonds. He only imitates Selena and considers the two earrings attached to her ear is part of Selena's own body.

Solar did not answer immediately, but smiled faintly. "Mama bought it for me on my fourteenth birthday." His smile grew wider, feeling proud of himself for being convincing.

Solar's answer made the pain in Theo's forehead deeper. He is not too close to the Selena family, but he knows for sure if the taste of Mama Selena is high enough. Mama Selena is not a rich person who likes to wear goods with market brands. Even if the brand is often used by others, he will make sure that his goods are custom, aka made specifically. Theo's instinct says that Selena's earrings must also be made by Mama's subscription jewelry designer. Especially if it's Selena's birthday present, their only child. That is, there is only one type of earring in the world. Theo scratched his neck subconsciously as it could not bear to not think about it deeply.

"Theo used to tell me about you, Selena." For the first time, the professor opened his mouth. "He said you were a genius kid who wanted to go to MIT since he was in elementary school."

Everyone who was new to Selena's ideals looked towards her simultaneously. Solar felt awkward again for being the center of attention at the dining table.

"You never told me that." Mindy immediately pouted.

"Why did he tell us? We're not gonna be able to help him get in there." Christian actually meant to defend, but it sounded like satire. Both of his friends did know Selena as an irritable figure to talk and have low concern for the surrounding. He won't start talking about something if it doesn't really need to be said. Selena tells Theo her ideals because she knows the advice from Theo will help her to pass the selection. That is the simple way of his mind.

Unexpectedly, the Professor laughed instead. "I'm saying this because I want to offer help."

If the real Selena heard this, perhaps she would be immediately interested. So Solar pretended to act like her life depended on that 'help. Christian smiled to see it. The scenery when Selena was desperately wanting something was quite rare to see.

"One of my best friends, Professor Broom –maybe you both remember" the Professor looked at Theo and Adam alternately, "he had a son who was a lecturer at Cambridge. Maybe he can recommend you to his colleagues at MIT, if that helps. It's still a year, right?" Cambridge University is a different institution to MIT, but the two are bound by cooperation. MIT has a more intensive learning system and smaller classes. Moreover, MIT also still holds the best record in the world as a place to study science and technology.

Solar nodded briefly and offered a grateful smile.

"We'll set a time to meet him. What say?" Professor continues.

"Of course." Solar didn't know what else to say but to agree to the idea.

"I think I should go to school in Massachusetts, too." Christian and Mindy almost at the same time.

"Actually I'd like to offer you advice on entering through the scholarship you got from the sports championship. But your achievements are not that good to be glimpsed by any foreign university." Theo told his sister. Gaining such an irritating comment, Christian pelts his brother with grapes.

"I'll square your mama!" Theo tried to dodge the wine bullets thrown by his sister.

"My mama's your mama too, you crazy bastard!" Christian still keeps throwing wine at Theo.

"We're a food war? Asi!!" Adam followed Theo with whatever fruit he could reach.

Ignoring the commotion at the dining table, Mindy hugs Selena's arm. "If you go to MIT, I'll find a private university near your college. My grandfather's money is a lot. I can go to college anywhere." Mindy noticed the plate was still intact. "The food is bad?" Ask.

Solar shook his head, "No appetite."

Mindy let go of his embrace. "I've rarely seen you eat these days. You sick?" To prove it, Mindy stuck the back of her hand against Solar's forehead. The temperature is low, but not too cold to raise suspicion. "You don't look cursory." Thanks to his own hypothesis, Solar doesn't have to worry about Mindy's suspicions.

After lunch, Christian, Mindy, and Solar go to their playroom in the basement. A basement is very unusual to be found in homes in Indonesia. Christian's home was an exception. The basement of the house has been converted as a playroom for Christian and his friends. A pool table is placed in the corner of the room. Home Theatre is installed across the room and equipped with large sofas for the audience. Several arcade game machines, a set of Virtual Reality gaming equipment, and a basketball hoop were also installed there.

Although the three of them were familiar, Christian also had other friends. Especially among the school basketball team who quite often to Christian's house when there is no training. In order to impress his basketball friends, Christian deliberately put up all the games they like here. A large fridge is never left empty by its domestic assistant. For teenagers their age, Christian basement is one of the definitions of heaven.

Mindy turns on the big TV while laying on the couch. He punched the remote at random, not knowing what channel to watch. Solar rested her hips on the pool table while folding both hands on her chest. His eyes continued to pay attention to the movements of Christian who was playing solo basketball. Every time the ball is thrown into the ring, Christian always manages to make points.

***