A Chaotic but Perfect World: In the Epping Forest

The right person

Selena smiled.
-I'm so happy our team is finally complete. You're right. We should start planning, then. I made some changes in our execution team. Emily and I will be together and Oliver and you will be together. I would've teamed up with Serly, but I don't think you two could be a productive team.
Oliver rolled his eyes.
-Who'll be the leader?
Selena squinted and sighed.
-I'll let you be the leader first, so she could understand our technics. After that, she'll lead.
Oliver huffed and unenthusiastically replied.
-Hooray, I'm going to be the leader for the first time.
He looked at her seriously.
-I'm not a terrible leader, you know. You should try to give me more chances.
Selena silenced him with just a look, leaving a satisfied Emily.
-Listen to my plan everybody. First we'll go and examine the forest. Then, if we find anything, we'll come back and start the real planning. If we find nothing, we'll send drones and go further. If we still don't find anything, we'll contact with the other groups and see if they found anything. If they found nothing, then we'll go underground, with technologies, of course. Today, at 10 p.m. we'll start our research. Any questions?
Emily blinked.
-Yeah, one question...what do we do now?
Selena confidently crossed her arms.
-Now we do research on portals. All of us. I'm sure we won't be needing that any time sooner, but we'll need it later. And we must always be prepared for the future.
Emily nodded.
-Okay, got it.
Everyone got the research tools. An ipad, but not just an ipad, but an ipad with several other ipads attached to it. One's for normal research, the other is for scanning, the other is for finding out details about an object, for example, its temperature, type, texture, color, the other is for determining what sound a sound is, and so on.
Portals. Created with the souls of the dead. There are more than one type of portals. When the destination is always the same, when the destination is controlled by the creator of the portal, when the destination is unclear...But how to find out which portal is the one used by Hemsworth?
-We don't know much about the portals used by Hemsworth. All we know is that they are blue and look like a delicious jelly.
Oliver chuckled.
-Like a jelly, Emily? You sound hungry.
Emily looked up at him.
-Why'd you say that? My stomach didn't growl...yet.
Selena sighed and looked at both of them.
-Oliver, go make something for us to eat. We've been doing research for hours.
Oliver blankly stared at her.
-I was doing research too, in case you didn't know.
Selena smirked.
-I know, but you're best at making food.
Oliver groaned and stood up.
-I'm obeying only because I'm better than Emily.
Oliver left to the spacey kitchen, which had a long counter, a refrigerator and freezer, lots of drawers, cupboards and, of course, tableware.
Selena leaned closer to Serly, who was sitting a chair away from her, and whispered.
-If you want to make him do something, just tell him he's the best at doing that thing.
-I heard that!
The girls chuckled at his booming voice.
After a while Oliver returned with plates in his hands.
-I made turkey sandwiches. Hopefully you have no protests, Emily.
Emily laughed.
-I'm famished! Give me some...or even all!
Oliver pulled his hands away from her.
-Wait your turn you ravenous monster! Your stomach didn't growl yet and you're already attacking. I bet you would've eaten me if it did.
Everyone chuckled and began to eat.
-I'm curious, when'd you become familiar with MBTI and the cognitive functions?
Oliver asked her curiously.
-She was familiar with it?
Selena turned to Serly with a questioning and proud face.
-Yeah, she's the first person to know what that is out of all the members on when it was the first day.
Oliver smirked at her, and Emily made a sturgeon face
Serly sighed.
-I found out about it when I was 11 or 12 years old.
Oliver's smirk widened and eyes narrowed, indicating amusement and curiosity.
-Really now?
She nodded uncomfortably.
-umm...yes. My interest in psychology began at that exact age.
Emily choked on her sandwich, just to say.
-Hey Oliver, she found out about it when she was younger than you! And you can't change the past! So you can't beat her!
She laughed evilly, as if her evil plan of taking over the world was succeeding.
Oliver rolled his eyes.
-Speak about yourself!
Selena chuckled at their childish banter, while Emily came up with a comeback.
-I'll speak about anyone who can beat you!
Oliver smiled irritatedly.
Emily suddenly stopped laughing and put on a thinking face.
-If you were into psychology at 11 or 12, then what were you into when you got older?
Serly furrowed her eyebrows.
-Quantum physics, philosophy, criminology, religions, occultism, history, but not much, got back to psychology again, art and its history, writing, for an extremely short time music and returned back to my other interests.
Emily's eyes lit up.
-Blimey! That means you are also a Wikipedia!
She seemed excited to find someone like her.
Serly awkwardly and weakly smiled, making it look like she hasn't smiled for years.
-I'm more known as Google.
Oliver and Selena chuckled.
-Who gave you that nickname?
He asked her.
Serly was avoiding eye contact at all costs, and another thing she was trying to avoid was sharing about herself, especially information that connect her to the past, which she hated so much.
-My family. I was also called a book, encyclopedia, artist, it's...not...unusual...
Selena squinted.
-Artist? What art do you know?
She sighed.
-I'm most known for being good at drawing, painting and pottery, but I am also skilled at photography, writing, filmmaking and... singing.
Selena continued, while Emily and Oliver smiled inquisitively.
-That's interesting. You're multi-talented. Like me. Do you have any plans where you'll use these skills?
She nodded with a sad expression on her face.
-Yes...not all, but...yes. I'm keeping some for plans, some for backup plans, some for backup backup plans.
Selena chuckled.
-It's about time a planner appears in this group. I was getting cooked by the uncertainty of these two. And what are your plans, backup plans and backup backup plans?
Serly's legs were closed and straight, her hands interlocked with fingers and resting on her lap, her back not leaning or relaxed, but wooden.
-I'm planning on going further in my studies of psychology, forensic psychology, specifically. If that doesn't work, the reason of which can be my preferences and the location, my other options are ones that I don't really prefer, but...architect, any type of designer, really, potter and sculptor, animator or anything with animation and maybe even writer or anything with writing, like scenarist, accountant, criminologist, maybe attorney...whatever career I have ever taken interest in, they're too many.
Everyone smiled in their unique way, revealing a part of themselves. Selena's smile indicated understanding of her determination, Oliver's had curiosity prancing in it, and Emily's was impressed and full of thoughts, questions, wonders.
-But then why are you working as an evil-hunter and not as something less dangerous?
Selena seriously asked her.
She, in turn, sighed quietly and spoke.
-I have to...learn how to...I have to...build social skills. And I'm working a dangerous job... because it challenges me to reach my goal faster.
Emily exhaled calmly.
-You're here for the same reason as mine.
Oliver, with a questioning face, expressed his thoughts.
-But why? You could've worked as something not dangerous and still reached your goal. Or is it for motivation? What if you die, then you can't do anything at all. What if you get permanently hurt and can't work at all? What if you get trauma or any other mental health issue and it interrupts your plans?
She lightly shrugged and spoke in a hoarse whispering voice.
-Honestly, I don't care.
He scoffed and smirked.
-You're telling me you don't care about your life?
She stayed silent and just stared with dead eyes and a spiceless face.
-I don't believe you.
He stated.
-Neither do I.
Instead of protection, she joined his force.
-You've got secrets, don't you?
He immediately responded.
-Doesn't everyone?
She continued the speed talking.
He didn't speak with words, but smirked, indicating his fascination. Selena and Emily only quietly watched them connect, one confused and the other curious.
An air of mystery surrounded her, she was confident and yet skeptical, proud and still humble, independent and yet dependent...
-That's enough about me. You're strangers to me too, so speak.
She finally expressed her uncomfortableness, in a polite and straightforward manner, but still, she saved herself from getting interviewed, even though it was necessary. She really didn't want to talk and open up, definitely no. That took a lot of energy from her and made her feel tired. And if she's tired, then she can't focus. She's tired most of the time, but she still looks focused. Looks focused. Actually, in her mind, something else is floating around. Be it unusual questions, unrelated thoughts, plans and past events...
She got rid of thoughts of past events, and that's why she can't remember many things. She has good memory, but only about the things she counts as important...like work. Her brain deletes the temporary memories, the ones many people count as important and keep, like a medal or trophy.
Thinking about something else makes her unfocused and she forgets everything around her. Sometimes she fears she'll say or do the wrong things because she wasn't focused. The present moment isn't really her favorite time. Every time she thinks about something, her mind reminds her of her surroundings. It's like she has two minds. One is spontaneous and does what it wants, the other is responsible and very stressed. These minds are always at war, but when they collaborate, they surely bring out the best of her...all she has to do is work harder on herself and learn to trust, open up and engage... although that's near impossible for her.