SOLAR & The Specialists
Shock

Mindy is reluctant to separate from Solar. He envies Christian, who can spend time with Solar alone when he comes home from school. Tomorrow is the game day Christian is waiting for. So there's not going to be any basketball practice today. Coach Christian wants all his players to get enough rest to face tomorrow. The boy was lucky that Solar was willing to spend some time playing with him today. Mindy herself has to be tutoring Cello. Though he was eager to join Solar and Christian, especially after their event was canceled when the last time Solar disappeared.

"Tomorrow you'll meet again at my match!" Christian pulls Solar's hand. She grumbled at Mindy for acting as if she didn't want Solar to go home with her. "I need Selena today."

"What's he for?" Mindy frowned, her hands still pampered in Solar's free arm.

"Energy recharge!" Christian encourages Solar to get into a taxi. Today he did not bring a vehicle because he was too sleepy to drive to school.

"Don't have too much fun, yeah!!" Mindy waved at the two.

"Sister Theo and his friends are still home?" Solar asked as soon as the taxi walked slowly leaving the school area. He needs to erase Theo and his friends' memories of anything related to Jazho.

"Still." Christian replies while replying to messages from his teammates on mobile. "What are you eating today? A pizza? I've been thinking about pizza all day." Further. He chose topping pizza through online orders after he finished replying to the message.

"Just give it up."

"What do you want to talk about with Theo? MIT again?" Christian didn't raise his head from the screen.

"Not really."

Christian is done ordering. He put his phone back in his pocket.

"My parents are home today. Phillip is too."

"really?"

Christian nodded before replying, "They should be home next year. Even Phillip... Whoa! I don't know what's going on in my family. They rarely come home suddenly and at the same time."

"You didn't ask why they came home so soon?"

"No. What for, too? If they still remember the house just go home!" Solar caught the irritation from his tone.

"Are you not happy they're home?" Solar amazed. Shouldn't she be happy that her family is coming home after all this time?

"I barely know them." Christian put his shoulder down. "I'm tired! It was a chemical replay. My head hurts a lot from thinking too hard." He put his head on Solar's shoulder.

"You rarely use your brain to learn." Christian, who Selena remembers, does not like to study or school.

Christian raised his face to whisper in Solar's ear, "I honestly left my answer paper blank." Then he put his head on his shoulder again.

"Why?"

"Don't know the answer."

"Everything?"

Christian nodded casually. Both of his eyes were closed. "Let me remember! Uh! There's one column I filled in."

"really?"

"Yes. My name's column." Answer while chuckling. "Shut up, I'm going to sleep for a while! Wake me when we get home!"

"What if your rapor value is bad?"

Christian clicked his tongue because he had gotten the most comfortable position to sleep, while the owner of the shoulder continued to invite him to talk. "Whatever my ridicule, I'll catch up with you to Massachusetts. My family's money is a lot. I can go to college wherever I want."

His words were similar to Mindy's. Suddenly he thought of Reagan. The Selena, Christian, and Mindy families have never had a hard time when it comes to money. If Reagan was as rich as they were, would he have gone to college in Massachusetts too if he knew Selena was going there?

Reagan avoided it from yesterday. In class, Reagan did not think Solar existed. Solar never had a chance to talk to him alone. Mindy was with him all the time during school. He plans to meet Reagan at his home after he finishes with Theo and his research team.

They arrive at Christian's house with Christian's pizza order. Christian's eyes opened wide as he sniffed the smell of lunch from his box. Whereas previously Christian slept soundly during the trip home to make Solar's shoulders stiff. They go inside the house. Christian hugs his shoulder, while his other hand carries pizza.

"Hi, Selena!" Greet Adam from the pantry when he sees them passing by.

Solar smiled briefly as he waved. Christian doesn't let him come to Adam for a chat because his hand has been pulled towards the basement. Adam looked at him with understanding. It seems that Adam is used to Christian's own attitude.

"I think Adam wants to talk to me." Solar racked his brain to find a reason to talk to Adam.

"You're not familiar." Christian said it casually.

"Christianl..."

"I'm in need of an energy recharge from you. I have a match tomorrow. You want me to lose?"

Solar took a breath. To be honest, he himself did not know what kind of energy recharge Christian wanted from him. The only support Solar can provide is to channel his own energy to Christian so that he feels fitter and more energized. After that Solar will need hours to soak in order to recover as usual.

Solar complied as Christian continued to hold his hand and lead him down into the basement, where they played. Christian threw his bag at me. The pizza box he put on the table while he took a drink from the fridge.

"I didn't see Theo or the Professor." Said Solar. He gasps when Christian puts a cold water bottle on his cheek.

"Maybe in the room. Why do you care about them?"

"Why are you behaving that way with your brother and his friends?"

Christian smiled wryly, "Last-lately you've often answered my questions with other questions." He put his body on the sofa. "I just don't like them. I don't like everyone, except you." Reciprocity.

"What's everybody's wrong with you?" Solar sat next to him.

Christian flicked his shoulders, "They're just not as fun as you."

"What's fun about me that makes you hate everyone?"

Christian did not hurriedly answer, but looked on with an expression as if he was thinking. "I don't know. You are, you are." Again he put his shoulders down. He suddenly straightened his body, breaking the distance between the two of them. "You don't like me like this? You never protested."

"I'm not protesting."

Christian's eyes narrowed, "You just did it." He held both hands of Solar. "What do you want me to do? Don't ask this-that! Just tell me the truth!"

"I feel your attitude is less than pleasant. Not that I meant to compare, but I've seen Reagan behave better than you."

Christian took off his grip while turning the eyeball. "So that's why..." He grumbled as he stuffed a large slice of pizza into his mouth. Christian chews with a feeling of annoyance. "Ah, not good!" He was complaining about the pizza he was eating. He threw the remaining pieces into his box again.

"You're upset." Said Solar.

Christian swallowed and then snorted. He opened a can of drink and drank a lot. "Of course I'm upset! Why compare Reagan to me? He was just a stranger! You told me he looked like a cockroach!"

Christian's face immediately hardened. He refused to look at Solar. Solar often felt that Christian always looked at her with a loving look. He likes to be looked at like that by someone. If you remember, besides his family, only Christian who often looked at him so. They feel valuable because they mean something to someone. Seeing Christian being upset like this, Solar was also agitated.

"I told you I don't mean to compare. I'm just looking for the easiest example." Solar touches Christian's arm, quietly calming him through the energy.

"What are you close to him?"

"We're not close."

"Is there something you haven't told me? I mean about this Reagan."

"Not much happened. He used to avoid me at school."

"Do you like him?"

"of course. He's good."

"I like you. I like Mindy."

"Selena..." As a result of the energy channel from Solar, Christian no longer wanted to be angry with him. He breathed heavily.

Solar suddenly smiled, "If anyone were to look, they must have thought that your life's matter was quite heavy because of your breath just now."

Christian chuckles. "Sorry, I was so upset. It's not anymore."

"Does a hug make you feel better?" Solar opened both of his hands wide.

Christian just looked at him. "Stop!"

Solar lowered both of his hands, somewhat disappointed. "Why?"

"I need an energy recharge."

"ah! You've said it a lot since. What do you mean by energy recharge? You want to be entertained, right?"

Christian did not answer, he still looked at Solar with a difficult view to interpret. Suddenly Christian leaned forward to kiss Solar. Just a brief kiss on the corner of the lips, but enough to make Solar surprised until he had no time to do anything.

Thanks to Selena's memory, Solar learned how humans communicate through verbal and physical contact. What Solar has just experienced is a physical contact to show interest in intimate acts between two different genders. Christian not only put his lips on Solar's face, he also had a certain purpose that he could only show by action.

Although Christian was away, the distance between their faces was still too close.

"You mad?" Ask Christian carefully.

Solar shook. Christian kissed her once more, this time right on her lips. Christian's impulsive actions leave Solar confused.

"If it was only once, it could be considered an accident. You did it twice. Is there something you want to say but can't?"

Christian still looked at him. This time Solar could see Christian's feelings from just the look in his eyes. The highlight was the same as Selena's eyes when she silently watched Reagan from a distance. If Solar had a heart, maybe the sound would be very loud.

"I'll say it later. Not now." Christian finally answered.

They were startled by the sound of the door being opened violently. The sound of footsteps coming down the basement was heard later. The two stay away from each other.

"Selena!" Theo's figure appears. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

From his expression, Solar immediately knew that the process to erase Theo's memories could not be delayed anymore. Without waiting for Christian's approval, Solar followed Theo straight up.

Theo led him towards the deserted dining room. Adam and Professor were in Theo's room doing nothing. The housekeeper was nowhere to be seen. Theo squeezed out a piece of newspaper that he had brought with him.

"What's wrong?" Solar needs to know how much memory Theo has to erase.

Theo turned towards him. His face was agitated. He fixed a crumpled newspaper due to the treatment of his hands. He opened it wide on the dining table so that Solar could read it. "Do you know anything about this?"

The paper was published a few weeks ago. Theo pointed to a news article about the discovery of a female corpse in the belly of a whale. The news was accompanied by images of whales stranded on the beach taken from a distance. Solar read the entire article.

Solar raised his head and shook his head. Both of his shoulders were suddenly gripped by Theo, making him gasp. "Don't lie, Selena!" Theo's expression was now half pleading. "The earrings you're wearing are similar to the ones the corpse is wearing!"

Solar was surprised not to play, but he was able to overcome his shock quickly and without showing it at all. He came to the conclusion that Selena's real body had been found. "Equins?" Just pretend to be stupid. Solar wants to dive into Selena's underwater adventures in her heart even though she knows they're not worth it.

"The only evidence we got was an earring still stuck to the corpse's ear. Earrings are exactly like this!" Theo pinned Solar's hair to the back of the ear, exposing his fake earrings.

"I don't understand what Brother Theo said."

Theo looked at both of Solar's eyes, feeling despair. "You really don't know?"

Solar shook.

"Then do you know about the contents of the small jar you took from my room?" It's a trick question. Theo risked everything when asking Solar that question, hoping to get the least reaction he expected.

Solar ate his trap, he fell silent. He still vividly remembers how Jazho was wiped out in the darkness of the Indian Ocean after they exchanged information. He recalled how Jazho gave up his last memory as he was forcibly separated from his body. Solar couldn't shake how Jazho's pain was when his core was ripped out.

"That jar contains the core of an alien creature I found in the sea."

"The creature you killed." Sahut Solar's. Both of Theo's shoulders slumped over hearing him.

"So you know." Theo.

"Jazho was alive when you dissected his body. Without a body, Jazho is gone."

"Jazho's name?"

Solar nodded.

"Then what's your name?" Again Theo bet when asking that, half hoping that Selena who he was talking to was Selena who he knew. He did not want his conjecture of Selena's lifeless body bobbing in the sea and ending up in Billie's belly becoming a reality. It was the only thing that had crossed his head since he saw the earring in Selena's ear. It's all impossible, right?, he thought.

"Solar's. Name's Solar. I'm from Grenoia."

Both of Theo's knees were limp to make him fall in front of Solar. His sight was blurred and blood felt forced down from his head. It was not this confession he expected. If this figure in front of her was one of them, then Selena was completely gone. The decomposed body in the morgue belonged to Selena.

There was noise from the front door. Theo did not hear it because his mind was already filled with Selena and the Grenoian creature. Both of his eyes closed. His body was so limp as to just open his eyes. Acid suddenly rose from his stomach. He felt very nauseous and wanted to vomit right then and there.

"Theodor!" Marlia, Christian's mother. Marlia wore an open cocktail dress on both of her shoulders. A wide, dark red hat and wide-framed sunglasses were immediately removed when he saw his second child. "When are you going to introduce your fiancee to us?"

Her husband walked by her side, pushing two very large suitcases. Phillip, their first child, followed behind.

"Why sit on the floor?" Ask Phillip.

Theo raised his head. Solar doesn't look anywhere. It vanished. Theo held on to the sturdy pantry table in order to help him stand up despite the slight staggering. "You see Solar. I mean Selena?" Ask panicked.

"Is Selena here?" Marlia was immediately excited. "Where is he?" She and her husband go looking for Selena. The two of them were unaware of their second son's state due to Theo's position turning his back on them all. Marlia instantly disappeared to pick up champagne from her favorite kitchen.

"Have you come?" Christian who came out of the basement door looked at his family who had just arrived. Phillip waved at him.

"Of course we should come! Soon you'll have a brother-in-law!" Papa answered them excitedly, he sat down on the dining table chair, calling the housekeepers to take care of their luggage.

"Who's getting married? Philip?" Ask Christian again.

Phillip shook his head, he pointed at Theo who looked like a dazed person with his chin.

"Who's the bride? A mermaid?" Christian was astonished, his brain was trying to remember the last time Theo dated.

"Don't be so reckless!" Marlia suddenly appears while carrying a bottle of the finest quality champagne she can find. He felt that his family should soon celebrate this moment. "Theo just proposed to a girl! Right, right?"

"Huh?" Theo suddenly regained his senses from his daze. "Who girl? Who proposed?"

His family looked at each other.

"Ivanka said you came to her clinic for advice on jewelry that you would use to propose to your boyfriend. When are you going to introduce her to us?"

"Theo's married??" A surprised cry sounded from the second floor. Adam and Professor, who had rushed out to see what was going on, were startled by Theo's wedding information.

Theo could only stutter. "It's wrong.get it." His head suddenly felt dizzy. His gaze darkened along with the collapse of Theo's body to the floor. Everyone screamed in surprise, but no one reacted to hold Theo's body against the marble floor below. Phillip and Christian became the most alert people to immediately run to him. Phillip shook his sister's body. Next to his hand touched Theo's forehead which was already covered in cold sweat.

***