Outlier

The Dig

APRIL 6TH, 2110 - UDON THANI, THAILAND

It was hot.

Jace looked up to the sky, a hand angled horizontally over his sensitive eyes. There wasn't a single cloud in sight. He scowled and looked over the locals he'd paid off to dig in this area. Their backs were covered with sweat, and they barely spoke, because Jace hated noise. He retreated into the safety of his tent, and stared with tired eyes at the map pinned to the tent's back wall.

He'd been everywhere. There were red markers on the map on every single continent. He remembered all of them, every single dig. He'd been everywhere, but nothing had come up. He was frustrated beyond belief. Maybe his father had found all the relics, years ago when he'd become the Supreme Leader of everything and founded the Pax Treaty.

He shook his head. No, that couldn't be it. He knew there was something else. He'd seen it, years ago, when his hair had turned white and his father had finally found some use for him.

Jace sighed and sat down, burying his face in his hands. Here he was, with the last of his budget spent, in Thailand because he couldn't think of anywhere left to go. He'd even braved Antarctica, dammit, and he had nothing to show for it!

A bead of sweat ran down his face, and he wiped it away waspishly. My life's gone to shit, I've got nothing, father doesn't even want me anymore, I'm a disgrace-

"Khun Lloyd! Khun Lloyd!"

Jace stood from his seat, heart beating erratically in his chest, as he practically tumbled out of his tent in excitement. He surveyed the scene- the locals were all slumped in the dirt, their bodies tired, but their eyes glittering with the same excitement Jace felt. He jogged over to his hired supervisor, a small man with slanted dark eyes and a grin missing a few teeth.

"You found it?"

His supervisor gestured to one of the diggers, who was currently climbing out of the pit, carefully holding something wrapped in his shirt. He was smiling widely, pleased to present something- anything, because Jace had been working them so hard. Jace reached out and took the man's sweaty, grungy shirt in his hands, and unfolded the fabric around the find. He held his breath.

And then released it with a victorious cry.

He tossed the shirt back to the man and held up the glittering necklace in the waning sunlight, ecstatic for the first time in years. Jace began to laugh, and collapsed to the ground, holding the necklace close, the sounds of his joy echoing around him.

"Friend! My friend!" He said, in between peals of laughter. The supervisor leaned down, regarding him curiously. "Tell them their hard work has paid off. Tell them that I'm tripling their pay, and we're all going out for food and drink. Tell them it's on me."

He clutched the necklace even closer to him, practically crying with happiness, as the supervisor shouted his words in Thai back to the workers, who cheered.

Jace lay back in the dirt, and kissed the necklace, over and over. He pulled his mobile from his pocket and called his father. He didn't pick up, but Jace was too overjoyed to care. He left a message instead.

"Father," he said, tears in his eyes. "Father, I've found it. Can I come home now? I can come home now, right?"

He hung up and sighed contently. He could come home, after years of searching. But it wasn't over yet.

He still needed to find her.

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A/N: Well, there it is- the first chapter of Outlier! I'm so excited to be sharing this story. Did you like it? Let me know!