---- among the clouds. After landing, I saw five people who looked about my age standing in front of Erica. When she saw me, she breathed a sigh of relief and patted my shoulder with asmile. She said, "I was starting to think you'd changed your mind. Thank goodness." Only when she said that did I realize I was late, and I apologized repeatedly. Before officially entering the research institute, everyone was busy making phone calls to their family and friends. Only I sat to the side in silence, gripping my phone. Erica handed me a bottle of water, sat down beside me, and couldn't help but ask, "Nothing to say to anyone?" I shook my head and forced a smile. "Nope. No one." It was their fourth day of vacation, and Nicholas finally messaged me, demanding to know why I hadn't come home. Brandon had called several times, but I didn't pick up. Meanwhile, Madison kept her social media updated with every new moment. ---- One photo showed Madison bundled up in thick clothes, standing on a snowy mountain with her back to the sun, her smile radiant. Another showed Brandon taking a picture of Nicholas, who was holding a camera in an awkward pose. The camera in Nicholas' hands was the one I had given him for his birthday last year. At the time, I had said I hoped he would use it to capture good memories of me, and he had smiled and promised he would. He had never picked up that camera for me, and in just one short year, we had already grown apart. Now, we were officially over. Erica noticed my low mood and tried to comfort me. " Maybe you should still contact them after all. You won't have another chance later." I gripped my phone tightly, thinking for a long time before finally deciding to call Brandon. I tried three times, but no one answered. I sighed and simply sent a message in our group chat. ---- "T'm going into classified research for ten years. I won't have a chance to contact you afterward. Goodbye." Then, in front of Erica, I pulled out the SIM card and tossed it straight into the trash can. I stood up and walked away, never once looking back. Up on the snowy mountain, Nicholas and Brandon were still busy picking out snowboarding gear. Meanwhile, Madison held her phone tightly, staring at the missed call notifications one by one as they popped up and disappeared. My message had gone to both Nicholas and Brandon. She read them, then quietly deleted them all. It was as if Ihad never tried to reach out at all. Once she was done, a satisfied smile curled on her lips. Her eyes sparkled with triumph. "Maddy, come play!" someone called out. Madison immediately shut off both phones and ran over, cheerfully shouting, "I'm coming!"