Chapter 36

Atlas stared in disbelief at the crying Sophia. Frustrated, he took a few steps back. "Fine," he said coldly, "if you're not leaving, then I will."

In a life-or-death situation, affection meant nothing. Survival was paramount, even if it required fighting for attention or inciting hatred. Without life, nothing else mattered. Atlas couldn't understand Sophia's actions.

"Atlas, are you really going to leave me?" Sophia asked despairingly.

Atlas turned resolutely and walked away without looking back. The water reached his waist as he struggled forward. His foot caught on something, and he fell, swept away by a wave and thrown onto a nearby patch of grass.

"Odalys, help me!" Atlas screamed, fear finally gripping him. He shouted repeatedly, but only the howling wind and rain answered.

Images of Odalys flashed through his mind. He remembered a typhoon on set; he'd been rushing back when debris struck his car, injuring his leg. Odalys had braved the storm, dragging him from the car and carrying him miles to a clinic. The doctor had said that a delay would have ruined his leg. Atlas had a high fever for three days and nearly died.

A shudder ran through him. He turned toward Group B, hoping to see Odalys, but she wasn't there.

"Odalys, I'm going to die. If you don't come, I really will," Atlas whispered, his voice filled with desperation. He regretted not being in her group. He thought, If only I had been with her, she wouldn't have ignored me. She wouldn't be standing there so pretentiously.

[What's Sophia even doing? If she wants to die, fine, but don't drag Atlas down with her. Atlas, hurry up and leave this drama queen!]

[Good thing Atlas is smart and just walked away!]

[That damn Sophia, throwing a snake in front of Finnian! If he got bitten, his face would be ruined!]

[Sophia has no brain! Stupid! The seawater is flooding, and she's still not running? Does she really think Odalys is going to save her? Who does she think she is?]

The previously half-asleep online viewers awoke, furiously typing and attacking Sophia. News of her actions quickly trended.

Meanwhile, Sophia stood alone, feeling wronged, in the pitch-black darkness. Her flashlight was dead. Frantically searching for a way out, she found nothing.

Sophia sobbed quietly. "Why did you all leave me? What do you gain by letting me die? Are you all trying to hurt me? Everyone says Odalys is good. What's so great about her? Why does everyone run to her? What makes her so special?"

(Page Break)

As soon as Sophia finished speaking, a wave crashed toward her. "Ah!" she exclaimed, swept away and tossed into the air. Her face turned pale, and she lost consciousness.

[Oh no, did she really die?]

[Answering the person above: Normally, she probably didn't survive.]

[They always say you won’t die if you don’t provoke fate, but she just kept pushing it. Everyone else stayed safe, and only she got into trouble. She’s probably bad luck.]

[From now on, I’m telling Finnian to stay far away from her! A woman like this with emotional instability is way too dangerous. Luckily, Finnian ran fast.]

[What now? Does Sophia really get swept into the sea? Oh my God, she’s risking her life for a variety show!]

Shock gripped the viewers. They were too afraid to type, even Sophia's fans fell silent. Some couldn't understand why Sophia blamed Odalys for natural phenomena.

At the Bennett residence in Crownridge, a phone call shattered the quiet.

"Mom, something's happened," Henry said, rushing to Hannah's bedroom.

Hannah looked at the phone screen. "What happened? Did Odalys cause trouble again?"

"The water's flooding, and Sophia was swept away by the waves," Henry replied hoarsely. He wouldn't have known without the assistant's call.

"Sophia was swept away? What about Atlas? How is he? Didn't we tell him to make sure Odalys took care of Sophia? How did this happen?" Hannah asked, her face darkening. She blamed Odalys for failing to care for her siblings.

"Atlas was swept away too, his condition is unclear, but Sophia's survival is uncertain," Henry said grimly. He never expected this on the show's first day.

Hannah shouted, "That damn Odalys! She's a disaster! Why did we bring her back? If it weren't for her, neither Sophia nor Atlas would be in danger!"

"All this trouble because of Odalys. If it weren't for the pressure from the Stewart family, we never would have brought her back. She's cursed us; her return is meant to kill us all!"

"I should have known, we should have gotten rid of her when we found her. If she had died, she wouldn't have caused us all this trouble."

Watching Sophia on screen, Hannah fainted. Henry called for a doctor.

"Henry, Sophia's in trouble," Caspian entered. After a moment of hesitation, he muttered, "But, wasn't it us who brought Odalys back?" He quickly dismissed the thought.

(Page Break)

On the island, late at night, strong winds, heavy rain, and seawater flooded the island. The crew sheltered in Group B's cave.

"The water's coming!" someone screamed.

Finnian and Lucian rushed in, grim-faced, as seawater poured into the cave entrance. They froze. But then, something seemed to block the water, and it receded.

Everyone stared in disbelief.

"It's really holding back the water," Freya whispered. She hadn't taken Odalys' earlier mention seriously. She exchanged a look with Selah, and Stellan also glanced at Odalys. He saw her calmly observing the situation, her emotions stable.