“We have arrived at our destination: Explorer Island! We will now descend,” the officer announced.

After a smooth ride over the ocean where only small patches of land could be seen, I was able to regain some strength. I primed myself for the descension of the bus, channeling all energy into the wimpy arms I had. However, there was no need because the whole landing and deceleration was smooth. This time, there was no angle of the bus. If that were the case, there was no angle needed for the take off either!

“You may now step off the bus,” the officer announced once more as I heard the door fling open.

A line was created in the aisle and once I reached the front, I glared at the officer. “I didn’t think you had this other side in you.”

An unexpectedly wide and genuine smile spread across his face. “I better enjoy what I’m doing.”

I stepped off the platform of the bus and was met with the teachers and Integrator. “Next time, notify me on whoever you’re going to hire so I know who to avoid.”

“No can do, there will be surprises from here on out, and surprises only,” the Integrator said with conviction.

A blast of cold air reminded me to pay attention to the scenery—which was mostly ocean in front of me and a sandy beach for the shoreline. The sun now glimmered above in the horizon, indicating noon in the northern hemisphere. As I turned my head around, crags were displayed by the beach, followed by individual, leafless trees that stood on the perimeter of densely packed conifers.

Once everyone stepped out and appreciated the new view, the Integrator spoke above the crashing of waves and wind. “Seamus will be the one leading you to your new homes and the teachers will give you a breakdown of what to expect. I will be taking my leave now. Enjoy your stay, Explorers. ”

With a hand’s wave to the rest of us, he turned and walked along a dirt path that led inland until his figure merged into the dark greens and browns of the woods.

“As he said,” Seamus continued, “everyone follow me to your new homes!”

Taking the lead, Seamus walked across the smoothly transitioned ground from sand, to stone, to grass, with Professor Lorraine and Doctor Amy directly behind him. The rest of the Explorers followed and I looked back at the officer, who seemed to not be coming because he was waving goodbye, which I reciprocated.

Being the last one behind, I noticed we were not following the same dirt path the Integrator took, which was off to the side. Instead, our path cut directly into the heart of the woods. Discordant sounds of footsteps marching on dirt, pebbles, and some large stones felt like a homecoming symphony that could not be experienced in a city. The rustling of leaves, insects and birds chirping, and the great height of trees embellished my senses, telling me to relax my focus and let Mother Nature do the talking.

Along the path, we encountered a community that the Integrator mentioned in the classroom. Although we did not stop nor ask questions, I could tell that beyond the overlaying branches and undergrowth, there was a settlement indicated by the perfectly vertical and horizontal tree trunks that could not have been formed organically.

Soon, the trees that followed the path ceased and opened up into a large field that represented a sort of town square – judging by less than a dozen or so buildings. This small village was all enclosed by the surrounding woods. With our continued walk, the dirt path transitioned into neat and leveled cobbled pavement, which Seamus followed to our destination—a set of three similar-looking single-floored villas.

“You will be staying in those villas with your partner and training to your heart’s content. Or for humanity’s sake. Whatever,” Seamus said. “Now, let’s see if the Integrator’s prediction came true!”

We Explorers looked at each other and smiled, here it comes—our personal teachers.

“First,” Seamus started with squinting eyes, “the key here says Lyviria and Kemia.” Kemia jumped for joy and reached for the key, grabbed it and dashed back to Lyviria. “Your personal teacher will be Doctor Amy—follow her to your new home.”

Looks like I won’t have my preferred partner or teacher. I watched the three of them walk to the villa on the right and pause after an attempt to unlock the door, which swung open from the inside, revealing another lady. Doctor Amy put her arm over the lady’s shoulder and chattered a bit before they all went in.

“Second,” Seamus shouted above the wind, “is Notemi and Laizen.” I walked towards him, but my partner was already a beat ahead of me, dangling the keys in front of my eyes. “Your teacher will be Professor Lorraine—follow him to the central villa.”

Professor Lorraine walked towards the brown-colored home with us closely behind. I could still hear the last two boys talking with Seamus, and Olma asked who their teacher would be since he was already teaching the primary classes.

“In addition to the weekly primary classes, I will personally be teaching both of you,” Seamus said. “I also can’t believe the Integrator predicted everything right, including the three houses in which you all would reside in.”

“I don’t think he predicted the houses when the key itself has the names,” Kailus corrected. He turned his eyes towards me and waved, prompting Olma and their teacher to follow. I waved my hand by my head and turned to face the entrance of my new home, its door already held open by Professor Lorraine.

Taking a step inside, I removed my shoes and looked into the unlit hall with tiled floors that joined to make a pattern with different colors. Notemi was already inside searching for the light switch, which Professor Lorraine flipped at the center of the hall. “Let’s sit in the living room and talk about what you will be doing,” he said.

I took off my jacket and hoodie, and Notemi took off her trench coat and scarf, revealing a navy blue shirt similar in color to the tee I wore. “Looks like we were meant to be after all,” Notemi said.

“I thought you were tired; what happened to resting?” I asked, wishing she would stop.

“I could stay up if I wanted to, and now is the time where I need to remain awake. And because Kemia already fed me her energy,” she answered.

“Well, I had little sleep for the past two days since I got the letter. I’ve probably been awake for over thirty hours by now,” I told her.

“Someone’s been excited.”

“How did yo-”

“Anyone who has been excited should know its effects on the body, unless they have been asleep,” Notemi interjected. “I don’t know how you could sleep on excitement, though, unless you don’t pay attention to your life.”

"Yeah, whatever." We hung our outerwear by a closet near the front door and joined Professor Lorraine on a coffee table in the living room, who remained draped in the off-black ceremonial robes. We sat with our legs crossed on the floor as he poured steaming water from a kettle into a glass cup.

“You already prepared hot water?” I asked.

“Yes. Actually, we had one of Doctor Amy’s assistants go into each home to prepare for visitors. Most of us disciples, like myself and the rest of the teachers, live on this island not far from here,” he said.

“The assistant is the one that came out of Lyviria’s and Kemia’s home, right?”

“Correct, her name is Julie. She will also be helping with their training, while Seamus and I will single-handedly train our pairs,” Professor Lorraine said, filling the last cup for himself.

“So what will you be training us on?” Notemi asked.

“We won’t get into that today, but tomorrow when you are rested and when you will be attending your first class with Seamus. Amy and I will also be there to deliver your training schedules, as well as the primary goal of your training.”

“Off topic, but how did the Integrator predict our partnership, and when did he make that prediction?” I asked.

Professor Lorraine pondered for a while, giving Notemi time to switch from a cross-legged position to a knee-hugging fetal position, and allowing me to blow the cup’s heat away for a few – sips. “To put it succinctly, he just knows things. He surprises me and the other disciples many times as well, such as when we were told to become teachers for the Explorers Project. He told us to trust him when he was finding this island two decades ago, saying that it was meant to train humans to be in contact with ETs.

“Obviously, we did not believe, nor have we witnessed any of those beings at that time, so we thought he was a certain type of mad. But I knew he was mad when he said I will be a teacher and when he hired me to be his disciple when I barely touched my teens. And now we are here, preparing for the greatest meetup in human history with beings that are not human.”

“Wait, so you’ve met an ET?” I asked.

Professor Lorraine chortled. “I guess you could say that. I don’t know what to call it, actually. It was nothing more than a blur.”

“Woah!” Notemi said, reflecting my reaction with a gaped mouth. “Tell us more!”

“Unfortunately, that’s about it. You can press on, but I tried my best to remember as many details as I can. Regardless of my efforts, what I say is all there is to it—a blur, a haze, a fuzziness. Like a shapeless cloud, if that makes any sense. I couldn’t make out any form, but I did feel a presence.”

“Wait, so how are you going to train us to see ETs when you can’t?” I asked.

“That’s the thing, the Integrator told us to teach and absolutely trusts us to do what we need to do,” Professor Lorraine snorted. “I don’t know how this will work, but Seamus seems to understand quite a bit more because of his background, so he will do a better job explaining it than I or Doctor Amy will.”

“Well, thanks for giving me another night of no sleep,” I snorted.

“You’re welcome,” Professor Lorraine said with a smile.

“I’m hungry,” Notemi said unapologetically.

“I have a banana in my backpack, so I guess you’re alone,” I said.

“Ah! No need, here is a tray of food that was prepared beforehand.” Professor Lorraine walked to the kitchen and came back with a tray containing a full meal—vegetable soup and a mix of grains and greens.

I heard Notemi’s stomach growl at the sight of the large bowls and plates, drawing my eyes to hers. She gave a smug grin. Curse my luck.