Solaris Ch. 01

They must have weighed 20 pounds each, just lifting her legs would be difficult let alone running. The group was led outside into the nearby woods "The house is down this hill, you have 45 minutes" The supposed leader said.

Then a starter shot sounded and the time began, many of the men raced forward moving at a speed Mia didn't think possible with the weights. She searched for Lissa in the crowd but could not see her. She began to move forward into the dark of the woods hoping that whatever was at this house would tell her why she was here. She began to move through the dense woods as quickly as she could with her weighted legs, as she ran a nerve wrecking scream sounded in the distance and she whipped her head in that direction but could see no movement. Then it was quiet, she was alone. Mia continued to run down the hill as fast as her legs would allow stumbling over rocks, branches and underbrush. Suddenly the ground was out from under her and she was falling, she tumbled hitting her back and scraping her arms down a hole. A pitfall, she stood and dusted her hands off looking up. She was a good 7 ft down, it would have been difficult to get out even without the weights, with an extra 40 pounds on her there was no way she would be able to get out on her own.

Mia swore loudly, she sat on the ground for a moment and thought what she could do. Then an idea popped into her head: change the weight. All they said was she couldn't remove it, but they never said it had to remain the same thing. Mia concentrated on the weight and focused her energy. She began to visualize herself bombarding the atomic structure of the weight and subtracting protons to shift its structure. She didn't have any particular element in mind but wanted to reduce its overall mass. She felt the weight in her leg begin to lessen, it was working! She focused more until it felt like nothing at all and then switched to the other one. Mia repeated the process on the second weight till her legs felt normal again. Now how to get out? She wondered, Mia tried to jump and hoist herself out but to no avail. She might truly be stuck and need to wait for someone to get her, which also meant she would fail.

With a groan of frustration she tried again and again to get out of the pit. Just as she slumped to the ground in defeat a large branch was lowered into the pit. Startled, she stood up and called "Hello?" No answer, but she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. She climbed out of the pit and looked around, she was alone. No trace of anyone was there at all, it had been about 30 minutes so she started sprinting as fast as she could down the hill. Now without the weights she could actually run, she avoided several other trip wires and snares as she ran. She could see the glow of the house in the distance.

Yes! She was almost there, when she got closer it looked like a charming cottage nestled in the countryside. It has a sloping roof with dormer windows, a front porch with a swinging bench. The exterior is clad in weather-beaten shingles and trimmed with dark green shutters, giving the house a rustic, country feel. It looked like it fit the surrounding forest but it felt odd that this little cottage belonged to some secret group. However, as Mia opened the door she was greeted by a completely different scene. The house is actually a modern, spacious home with high ceilings, open floor plans, and large windows.

The main living area is a large, open space that includes a living room, dining room, and kitchen, all of which are decorated in a sleek, contemporary style.

She looked around the room and counted 14 people, among them she spotted Lisaa, Mason, and Sophia. They were talking and having what looked like cocktails, Mia strode over dirty and the scrapes on her arms were seeping some blood.

She grabbed Lissa by the upper arm and pulled her away in a huff "why didn't you tell me you knew?" she whispered in quiet anger.

Lissa rolled her eyes "Mia, didn't Lucas explain anything to you before you got here? I wasn't allowed to tell you. No initiates are allowed to talk about it"

Mia sighed "So what is this then?"

"I'll let them give you the spiel" Lissa said, she then offered Mia her drink "Here you look like you need this"

Mia took the drink and downed it, the pair walked back to the group and Mason smiled at her approach "Well look who made it!" He then eyed her arm and frowned seeing all the cuts. Mason set down his drink "lets go get you cleaned up" he took Mia gently by the arm and led her to the bathroom.

"You know, I can clean myself and these are minor scratches anyway you don't need to help me" Mia said facetiously.

Mason gave her a sly smile "Yeah but you can't do what I can babe"

He took a washcloth and gently wiped the dirt off her arms and cleaned the cuts. He then placed his hands on top of her arm that had the most cuts. He closed his eyes and her arm felt warm, almost like a heating pad was applied to it. When he removed his hands the cuts were gone, almost as if there had never been any at all. Mia was stunned "You can transmute cells?!" she almost yelled. Mason put his hand over her mouth "Shhh! Yes, I can but you can't tell anyone my ability"

Mia locked eyes with him and felt her body come alive at the close proximity and his large warm hand on her. Mason's body was inches from hers and when he removed his hand from her mouth he brushed her cheek as he stared into her. Mia's heart was racing as she looked up at Mason, her body alive with desire. Without a word Mason pulled Mia against him and gently pressed his lips to her, what started out as a sweet and gentle kiss was becoming more and more fevered. Mason lifted Mia onto the counter and she wrapped her legs around him wanting to feel him closer to her. He pulled away slightly to change his angle to kiss her more deeply, holding the back of her head with one hand and her waist the other. His tongue slid against hers and deepened the kiss, he was practically grinding into her on the counter, she pulled her face away and said "We.. should probably go back"

Mason groaned but stepped back "You're killing me angel"

Mia was nearly panting, as she hopped down from the counter and straightened her clothes as well as fixed her hair. Mason adjusted himself in his pants and they walked back out to rejoin the group. Lissa took one look at Mia with her skin flushed, and lips slightly red and immediately had a shit eating grin on her face. Mia looked at the floor embarrassed, she felt like everyone knew. Mia stood next to Lissa and Mason, and the robed figures were back.

"Congratulations, the 14 of you have moved on to the next phase and we will meet here tomorrow at 9:00 PM to go over the next trial." The figure then nodded to the others in the room. They all began to take their hoods down and robes off, the leader Mia guessed was a blonde man with a strong jawline and a defined nose, and his dark brown eyes were framed by thick, dark eyebrows. His hair was long on top, with the strands falling across his forehead in a carefree manner. The sides and back of his hair were trimmed short, giving him a clean, polished look. The man had a strong, athletic build and a muscular physique that was evident even through the fabric of his suit. His arms were toned and well-defined, with veins that popped out on his biceps and forearms. He had a broad chest and a narrow waist, and his legs were long and powerful. He looked intimidating, Mia thought. She glanced at Lissa who looked at him with a hungry look in her eye.

Around the room the rest of the members who were there all stripped off their robes and Mia turned to look into the eyes of Noah Stoll. Panic immediately ran through her body but she felt glued to the spot by his heated gaze.

She hadn't seen him since the funeral and never knew what came of the accident, he had a small scar just above his eyebrow that she guessed she had caused. He had grown taller and filled out more, he looked like a man instead of the lanky awkward teen that she knew.

The man standing in front of her now was tall and muscular, with a chiseled, athletic build, his biceps were large and toned. He now stood at around 6'4", with broad shoulders and a muscular chest that tapered down to his narrow waist.

His chiseled features were framed by thick, dark eyebrows and a strong jawline, and his piercing blue eyes that seemed to gaze right into her soul. His lips were full and sensual, his hair was a rich, dark shade of brown, styled in a messy, textured manner that gave him a rugged, unkempt appearance. His locks were thick and full, and they had a natural wave that added to his rugged handsomeness.

Mia's mouth went dry and she felt like a cornered animal under his gaze, they continued to stare at each other until Mason noticed and stood in front of her "Hey, Earth to Mia? Are you okay?"

She was shaken out of her trance and gave a small smile "Yeah I'm fine, I'll be right back" She started walking towards the bathroom and once she was inside locked the door and splashed water on her face.

What was he doing here? Why was he in this group? She needed to get out of here and fast. She dried her face and opened the door, only to smack right into Noah's chest. She let out a squeak and looked up at him.

"Hello, Mia. Long time no see" He breathed out, the words caressing her as he was only inches from her. Mia stumbled back to fast as if she had been burned.

"What are you doing here?" She blurted out.

"What? No 'nice to see you Noah?' Not even for an old friend? I'm hurt really" his voice was smooth and alluring, it held a hint of amusement.

"We haven't been friends in a long time and you know that."

He was trapping her in the bathroom with his body blocking the door. Mia's heart pounded in her chest and she wanted to get out of there NOW.

"I gotta go back, Lissa is waiting on me. Please move"

"Don't you want to know what you're getting yourself into first? An explanation of things?"

Mia's face scrunched up in irritation at having to be in this close proximity with Noah. "Fine"

He turned "Follow me so we can talk properly" Mia was about to protest but he already started leading her away down the hallway to what looked like a theater room. He sat down on the overstuffed couch and patted the spot next to him, clearly for her to sit but it felt condescending. Mia rolled her eyes and sat down apprehensively. He had become far more intimidating and intense "tell me what this is and why you are here"

"Most polite people use please you know, but alright. This society is the Children Of Helios, it's a large organization and only the most powerful divine are invited to join. Think of it essentially as the secret government for the divine, we pick placements for people, decide where money goes, and keep the secret of the divine. There is more of course but you will only learn that when and if your accepted as a member"

"And why are you here?" she asked.

With a predatory smile he continued "After the incident my father decided it was best to pull me out of Solarium and have a private tudor take over. I ended up graduating a year early, so I enrolled last year at Solaris and was accepted into the organization then. This is only a small scale of the members, of course all the others are currently running things while we handle the recruitment."

"So what benefits do you get for joining?"

"Rather than being told what to do, you get to be the one doing the telling. Not to mention the money, power, and resources. Besides if you're ever in trouble we are the ones that handle it. To reduce the involvement of the nulls we keep all the records of the divine and any and all incidents are managed by the C.O.H. Marriages, deaths, accidents, children, etc."

Mia's eyebrows shot up "Wait, you're saying that the Children of Helios keep separate records than what the nulls have?"

"Precisely, the less they know the better"

Mia immediately thought of her parents' accident, if the C.O.H. kept separate records then there may be more information on what actually happened that night. She had decided that she would get into the organization and find out what really happened that night and if what had been some of her mothers final words were true. If Noah's dad truly did have them killed and he was somehow protected she would find out.

"Would they still keep records if it was a divine that was involved in something that was covered up?" she tried to sound nonchalant.

Noah cocked an eyebrow at her "They keep all the records of any information they have. There has been previous cover ups but I cannot say any further to a non-member"

She nodded and stood up, her hands still slightly shaky "Thanks for the explanation" as she was about to leave the room Noah asked "What did Lucas tell you before coming to Solaris?"

She knitted her brows "Just that not every divine was a good person and to be careful. In your case I already knew that." Her tone was clipped and she walked out of the room.

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Mia walked out to the group, feeling slightly shaken from her encounter with the now very intense Noah. She walked up to Lissa to let her know she was leaving, Mason gave her a concerned look that she ignored. Now was not the time to talk about whatever was going on between them, she needed to leave as soon as possible. Noah walked back into the room and began to chat to a blonde pledge ignoring Mia, which she was happy for. Mia excused herself from the group and grabbed and left to go back to her dorm.

She hurried back to her dorm as fast as she could without seeming suspicious. As soon as she made it back she took a shower to wash the rest of the dirt off. As the water ran over her back she put her face in her hands at what a mess just these few days had been. She was still withdrawing from pixie, she kissed Mason, Noah was at Solaris, and she had been approached by the Children Of Helios.

Mia sighed and began to wash her body, as she rubbed the loofa over her breasts her sensitive nipples became erect. Mia let out a long breath and allowed her fingers to pull and pinch the soft pink tips. Feeling her pussy twitch in illicit pleasure, her right hand drifted down to her wet pussy. While keeping her left hand on her nipple Mia laid against the wall of the shower letting the hot water run down her body as she rubbed her clit and began to insert her finger into her pussy. She thought of Mason kissing her, imagining it was his fingers inside her. Pressing her to the wall and she ground against his hand mewling in pleasure as he wrought it from her body. Mia's left hand went around her throat and began to squeeze as she pumped her fingers in and out faster and faster thinking about Mason grabbing her roughly. She rubbed her clit with the heel of her hand as she continued to build to a powerful orgasm, she squeezed her thighs together, pressed her hand firmer to her throat. She was so close! Mia began to curl her fingers inside her wet pussy to stroke her G spot, she let out a strangled moan as she came so hard her knees slightly buckled, upon opening her eyes she realized the image in her mind at the end was not Mason, but rather Noah.

"Fuck"

She was slightly light headed, after rinsing off she turned off the water and changed for bed. After she laid in bed and tried to allow herself to sleep but the headache was starting to settle behind her eye just like it had every night since being off pixie. Mia fell into a fitful sleep, dreaming about a pair of intense blue eyes.

The sound of a loud hair dryer was going when opened her eyes to the light streaming into her room. The offender of the sound was Lissa drying her hair in a towel with the bathroom door wide open. Mia checked her phone and it read 8:30 AM and there was a text from the 678-438-9874 number "change of plans, meet during breakfast 9:15, same spot."

"Shit" Mia swore softly, she only had 45 minutes to be dressed, grab a bite, and meet the seller. She hauled herself out of bed and dressed hastily, pulled her honey blonde hair into a ponytail, slipped on her shoes and left the room without a word.

She noticed that the dining hall was filled with students of all divisions and year. Mia ran over to the grazing table and grabbed herself a blueberry muffin, and a banana. She cut in line at the refreshments counter and got a latte to go, checking her phone it was now 9:00 AM. She scalded her mouth as she gulped down her latte and devoured the banana as she made her way to the meeting place. Upon arrival, she noticed why they chose this spot. It was out of any vintage point of the cameras, if you were to look out the windows your view would be obstructed by the treeline. It was perfect, now she waited for the seller to arrive.

Mia began to eat her muffin, when a hand was placed on her shoulder. She whipped around and inhaled part of her muffin as she gasped, she started to violently cough up the muffin as she looked at her mystery seller. Mia's face fell, it was Henry, the creepy guy she met on the first day.

He leered at her, still keeping his hand on her shoulder trying to steady her while she coughed. "Well now isn't this a surprise! I thought you were a good girl but it looks like you just hide your naughty side from your brother"

Mia frowned as she cleared her throat "what I do is none of my brother's business, do you have the stuff or not?" She snapped.

"Oh you're a feisty one! I do love that in women. Yes, I have the dust. Do you have the money? Or would you prefer to pay another way?" He hinted as he raked his eyes down her body.

Mia felt disgusted, but she needed the dust "I brought cash." She pulled out a wad of bills and extended her hand. He took the money and handed her a small tied off baggy with a sparkly incandescent power inside. There was a reason it was called pixie, and the more shimmery and fine the power the higher the quality of the product. This appeared to be some very high quality dust and Mia smirked while holding it about to walk away.

"Wait!" Henry called.

She turned "what? It's all there just count it." Mia was about to go find a quiet place she wouldn't be discovered so she could take a hit.

"I would really hate for things to get back to Lucas about his poor sister hooked on dust. They say silence is golden, you know?" Henry said with a sinister look on his face. Mia let out a frustrated groan.

"What do you want?"

"An extra $200 for my silence, or you can get on your knees for me." Henry said, gesturing to his cock lewdly.

"Here!" Mia growled out and threw the extra bills on the ground in his direction and stomped off. She could hear Henry laughing as she left.

How dare he! That lowborn, vulgar, repulsive man! Mia was muttering in anger thinking about how awful and abhorrent Henry was. She wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole if you paid her! She was walking to the library, when she was touring with Lucas she noticed that down stairs in the archive room there was a small nook where the entrance was obscured by towering shelves filled with ancient tomes and scrolls, and one would easily walk past it without noticing. Also no cameras had an angle into it.

It was large enough for her to sit comfortably, she pulled the pixie out and dipped her finger into the power pulling a small amount to her nose to inhale. She sat back as she felt the drug enter her system and she immediately relaxed. Mia felt finally calm and like she could finally fall asleep comfortably, she was so relaxed that's what she did. All without noticing the figure behind the shelves watching her.