CHAPTER ONE: THE GUY IN THE DESERT

"Hmm guys…I think we're lost." Bren said tapping furiously on his Core Tablet

"Well, thank you Captain Obvious!" Jinja said irritated

The Core-Tech team was walking on Sunheats' desert and all they could see was more and more sand. The suns' rays were getting hotter and hotter by each passing minute. You could easily fry an egg if you simply put it over a rock

"Veg out, Princess" Dax said

"Could you please talk in plain English? I can never understand what you want to say!" Jinja let her internal volcano of anger and frustration explode

"Guys! Let's just try to get along. I know we are all tired but we must continue until we find somewhere we can stay in." Chase said

"Um, Chase. I think you need to see this." Beyal said with his soft voice

When Chase turned around he saw a guy about 16-17 years old. He was tall and he was wearing black jeans and a grey jacket with a hoodie, but you could see his black hair. He was walking slowly with his hands in his jackets' pockets and his head down.

"Do you think he has seen us?" Jinja whispered

"Let's find out" Chase said while rubbing his hands. He was about to run towards him when he felt something holding his shoulder back. It was Beyal.

"I am not sure Chase Suno. What if he is dangerous?"

"He can help us find a way out of here. Besides, we are five and he is all alone" Chase tried to convince Beyal. And he did. He ran towards the young boy and the others followed him.

"Hi!" Chase said a bit nervously. The boy raised his head but you could nearly see his face.

"Oh, hello" the guy replied. He had a lightly British accent.

"I am Chase Suno. This is Bren, Jinja, Beyal and Dax" Chase said, pointing to each of his friends. The boy pulled his hoodie down and his face was finally shown. He had big golden eyes and a sweet smile.

"I am Leo. So, what are you 5 doing in Sunheat's dessert?"

"We were hoping you'd know if there's any village or city nearby" Jinja said.

"There's a seaside city a few miles from here. You can come and rest to my place" Leo said cheerfully.

Chase opened his mouth, obviously to agree, but Jinja stopped him.

"I don't know Chase. Shall we trust a guy that we just now met?" Jinja said almost whispering but it was loud enough for Leo to hear. He went near to Jinja and put his arm around her saying:

"Oh, don't worry…Jinja-right? You can rent a room in a motel but it's the nastiest place ever! Besides, you'll need some rest so you can continue with your trip. Am I right?"

Jinja blushed. She put her head down and agreed. Dax was looking at the scene, full of jealousy…