Books clattered to the floor, making Evanna whirl around in a panic. "Nelly!"

A nine-year-old girl, who looked somewhat small for her age, bent down in a hurry. "Sorry!"

Evanna scanned the books from her perch on the bed, trying to detect any damage. Satisfied there was none, she went back to reading Down a Rabbit Hole.

Bright afternoon sunlight poured into every nook and cranny of her black-themed room. The luminosity around her seemed to mock the inner melancholia that had stubbornly refused to dissipate since swimming class. She had looked forward to some alone time after school. That was not to be.

Manel Attygale, whom Evanna had nicknamed Nelly, had been delivered to her for babysitting. She was like a younger, more energetic version of Marilda. She lived next door, and Evanna was occasionally tasked with babysitting, though the kid showed up to hang out with her nevertheless.

The mattress sagged when the bundle of chubbiness that was Manel jumped onto the bed with a book in hand. "Unnie?"

Evanna turned for what felt like the umpteenth time. Manel had started calling her "unnie" after picking up the word from the romcoms she had started watching.

"Unnie," she said again. "Can't I play Arcana for a bit?"

Evanna shook her head. "Nope. You have to be, like, thirteen to play it, I think."

"But why!"

"I dunno." She sighed. "It's got some grown-up stuff."

"Like what?"

"Like fighting—I told you this before!"

"You're not a grown-up either."

"Hmph. I'm way more grown-up than you. I'm seventeen this year."

"Okay to fight when you're grown up?"

"Nice try, Nelly." Evanna surveyed Manel's smug, pouting face and let out a laugh. "It's not random fighting—it's for your faction or you fight monsters or whatever."

"Fine." Manel's brow scrunched up in thought. "By the way, can't we make some tofu nuggets? I like your tofu nuggets."

"Thanks," Evanna said, taken by surprise. "But not now."

"Tofu in my mouth!" she said in a sing-song voice.

"What?"

"It's a song from Teen Titans Go!" The kid wriggled closer. "You should watch it—it's got science facts too."

"Cool! But it's kids' science stuff, I guess."

Manel seemed to deflate. "What sort of science stuff are you into then?"

"These days, I've been learning some quantum physics."

"Oh..."

"Yeah." Evanna resumed reading.

"Shoot some electrons through a double slit, what do you get? What do you get?" Manel burst into a rap, jabbing her finger up into the air to the beat.

Evanna straightened up and goggled at her. "Huh?"

"Electrons can be in many places at once!" The kid puffed up her chest. "I know stuff."

On another occasion, she would have pursued the conversation, but she turned back to her book.

Without missing a beat, Manel poked her. "Why are you not—um, talking much? Is there a word for not talking much?"

"Reticent?" Evanna tried to tone down her impatience. "And no, I'm not reticent—I'm just trying to read."

"You're somehow gloomy today."

"I'm not gloomy!"

"You definitely are. Did Shane ignore you?" she whispered loudly with a giggle.

Evanna threw her a startled look and snapped the book shut by accident—without the bookmark in. "What? What made you think that?"

"I dunno. You sort of mention him."

"I mention Obsidian."

"You mention him more—and you smile," Manel said, a grin brightening up her cherubic face.

Evanna blinked, her cheeks on fire. The heck, Ev! Have you been babbling to a kid about him without even realizing it? Now she's going to think you have some soft spot for him or something—I mean, it's just coincidence that I mentioned him more. Like, why would I mention him more? Argh.

"Like that time you said he scored the highest in a pop quiz," Manel added while she spluttered. "In bio class?"

"I just said he's smart! I didn't expect that from him!"

Manel giggled again. "But you smiled!"

Evanna opened her mouth to reply, but closed it on second thought—and rolled her eyes. "You know what, why don't you go play Arcana a bit. Just explore the city maybe."

"Really?" she chirped. "Thanks, Unnie!"

Without further ado, she jumped to her feet, flung the book down on the bed and dashed to the computer. Evanna watched her, letting another sigh escape her lips. Then she leaned back on the pillows and flipped the book to find the page she was reading.

Evanna tossed and turned, her face contorted in a frown. She was in the clutches of a nonsensical dream that was of her wandering aimlessly in the dark. A fog of darkness pressed on her from all sides, making it impossible to see anything beyond a few feet.

She swerved past a vase, and dancing people materialized out of the gloom. An inexplicable sense of dread settled in the pit of her stomach. She sprinted towards where she thought the exit was. After running for a long time, she came upon the door. When she lunged through it, she found herself in a room with many screens. Ed Morken stood next to a computer. Evanna tried to speak to him—ask him what was going on. A female voice, inflected with curiosity, cut in with the words, "Is it normally empty like this?" It was Alcina. Morken turned to answer her.

Evanna jolted awake, roused by the phone alarm. It was 7.30 a.m.

Her trembling finger jabbed at the screen to turn off the alarm. Then she massaged her temples as if that would help her retain the finer details of the dream. Excitement lanced through her when she realized that what she saw was the detector station's control room. Wait, Ed Morken was visiting the station that night. Someone else was on duty at the control room.

She scrambled to her feet and rushed to the computer. She had limited time before she had to set off to Olympus for Biology.

Eyes glued to the screen, Evanna skimmed over one webpage after another. Information on how particle colliders were run was either scant or too technical for her.

Finally, she leaned back in defeat. Her eyes roved over random things in her line of vision. Okay, one way or another, looks like an accelerator operator is the one who oversees things. One of those should've been present that night. Where were they?

She sat up straighter and clamped her eyes shut in concentration. Many a time she had stared at small objects, trying to move them via psionic means and ended up feeling silly. She had also tried to remember what happened in the subterranean tunnel leading to the cavern that housed the giant detector. Until then, she hadn't given the control room much thought.

In her mind's eye, she constructed the scene with the screens and blinking lights. Snippets of memory streamed in—Morken talking about the problem that caused the particle beam to be turned off. Then her heart beat faster when Alcina's voice echoed in her head, asking the physicist why the room was empty.

"Supposed to be here..." Evanna murmured, kneading her forehead as she recalled Morken's answer.

However, try as she might, she couldn't remember the name that he mentioned.

She let out a frustrated sigh and checked the time. Then she jumped to her feet to head to the bathroom.

It was almost 8.30 a.m. when Evanna presented herself in Olympus.

She trotted to the back of the classroom, sneakers thumping a staccato beat on the wooden flooring. She hated arriving at the last minute, since that meant making an entrance in a crowded classroom. Thank heavens Croke seems to be late. The last thing she wanted was to go in when the class had started.

The corners were taken. She craned her neck to look for Genelle, but she was nowhere to be found. Obsidian was missing too. Her eyes rested on the empty seats up front and at the back of the center column, which seated four in a row. She opted for the latter.

Within minutes, Evanna sat down on the chair next to the aisle and slung her bag on the back rest. The table was a long slab of ash wood meant to be shared with three others. It was sparsely covered with graffiti—idle carvings of bored students. She placed her notebook on it and started doodling.

She started when she sensed someone sitting down on the adjacent chair, and her nose detected the warm notes of a fragrance that reminded her of incense.

An instant later, Evanna found herself staring at Ash Gevaria.

Her eyes boggled—in danger of falling out of their sockets. He made himself comfortable, seemingly unperturbed by her scrutiny. Then an easy smile materialized on his tamarind brown face, instantly transforming it to look friendly.

"Hey," he said in a pleasant rumble.

For a moment, she dwelled on his bass voice—the deepest out of the Obsidian boys. Then she squeaked "hey" and quickly turned back to her notebook. Wait a bloody minute. Am I sitting next to Ash Gevaria?

Now that she was used to sitting beside girls for months, it struck her as even more outlandish.

She drew in a sharp breath when she sensed people glancing her way. Calm down, Ev. Why can't it be Junho or Max? It wouldn't be this awkward. Wait, so if Ash is sitting next to me, then...

Shane lowered himself onto the chair beside Ash.

It was as if a meteor blazed through her system, frying her brain circuits. Evanna averted her eyes and held the pen in a death grip.

"Nice doodle," Ash said.

"What? Oh." Her breath escaped her in a whoosh. "Thanks."

Evanna managed an awkward smile and closed the book. Maybe these seats are reserved for Obsidian. Maybe commoners shouldn't be sitting here. Maybe I've committed a grievous faux pas. Holy cowsies!

In the beat of silence that stretched out, she sneaked a glance past Ash.

Shane leaned over his notebook, arms propped up on the table. The white graphic tee under his jacket caused a certain memory inside a music room to surge unbidden to the forefront of her mind—which didn't help matters. The temperature in her face rose to critical levels and stained it the color of beetroot. In her peripheral vision, she noticed Ash focus his gaze on her.

Evanna cleared her throat and willed her voice to come out normal. "Um, maybe I'll just sit somewhere else..." 

Seconds ticked by. Then a jolt traversed her spine when she realized that her words might have come across as rude. But then again, he must know what I mean! It occurred to her that Shane hadn't said a word or so much as looked in her direction. Why would he be looking at random girls, Ev? That's what you are to him!

"You don't want to sit next to me?" Ash asked, calm as ever, though she still didn't dare look up.

"I feel like I shouldn't be here," Evanna began to say, and the rest of the words tumbled out in a rush, "I mean, you can just be upfront about it too—you know, how weird it is. I feel like a goat sitting next to a bunch of alpacas—not that I'm calling you guys alpacas!"

He laughed, and she was startled to hear Shane chuckling as well.

Embarrassment bloomed within, making her want to vanish into thin air. Okay, maybe shut up now, Ev.

"You can call us whatever you want," Ash said lightly as he turned to Shane and smacked a hand on his back. "Suits him for sure."

"Hm," his friend replied.

Evanna peeked at Shane again. His profile was sharply defined against the window, and a subtle smile lingered on his lips.

"Anyway," Ash went on, surveying her with a thoughtful look. "I feel like I'm sitting next to a mini sun."

"Huh?" She blinked up at him while the background noise receded as if someone threw a blanket over it.

"You're...sunshiny for a girl dressed in black."

Wait, did he just call me sunshiny? Me? She scoffed. No way.

"Just...relax." His eyes twinkled. "Think of me as a blank wall—or a chair."

Evanna racked her brain to figure out what to say.

He added in a lower voice, "Him too...unless you prefer to think of him as an alpaca. That's also fine."

She couldn't help the giggle that escaped her.

Now that she was talking to him for the first time, she found something tranquil about him—like he was swathed in an aura of wholesomeness. The smile he bestowed on her seemed genuinely friendly as well. Earthy—that's the word to describe him. He's definitely the most grounded one out of them.

Before anything more could be said, the teacher arrived.

Throughout the lesson, she was hyperalert. Intermittent glances flew her way—or maybe she imagined it worse than it actually was. She also noticed that Genelle had arrived and seated herself up ahead.

When the class concluded, Evanna gathered her things with feverish vigor and made to get up. Then she caught Ash's eye. She flashed him an awkward smile, accompanied by a mumbled word of farewell.

A nanosecond later, she dashed out of the classroom without waiting for a response.

She met up with Genelle out in the corridor, and together, they made their way to Bubbly, a colorful juice bar not far from Olympus.

"Why didn't you text me or something?" Genelle laughed as she inspected the eye-catching visuals that showcased what was on offer.

"I dunno—imagine my shock when Ash sat next to me!" Evanna said, reminiscing the moment. "Mari-chan should hear about it."

"Definitely."

A shiny counter dominated the center of the shop, and behind it, blenders whirred. Teens crowded the place, saturating it with chatter. Tall stools were positioned next to ledge tables along the walls, and colorful partitions divided the area for privacy.

They ordered orange juice, Evanna opting for a healthy add-on of chia seeds. Genelle aired her worries about the ever-increasing pile of homework as they made their way to a vacant spot at the back of the shop, where Evanna settled down on a high stool and double crossed her legs.

A snippet of conversation wafted across the divider, making Genelle pause mid-sentence.

"—is what Neo has been saying as well."

"It'd be a pity, yeah," replied a soft voice.

"People are just so wrapped up with work, they don't want to spend too much time with anything else," the other girl went on. "I get it that we're all pressed for time, but school shouldn't be all about studying."

"I agree. I've been trying to get people to be more active in clubs I'm in."

"Wish you were in Raitory."

There was a quiet laugh.

Evanna leaned back and stole a peek. The head girl Vanya Lenadora was sitting beyond the partition, holding a glass of juice. Next to her was Aidana Aliyev, the only prefect in 12-E, her homeroom class.

Genelle whispered, "I think Vanya's worried the Science Day won't be so great after she leaves this year."

"Oh, right," Evanna whispered back.

There was a pause, and then Vanya's voice could be heard saying, "I don't really know Cole Bostlowe. We don't seem to have much in common—except for sports, but I'm not an adrenaline junkie like him. I have a feeling he wouldn't care about this anyway. That's why I'm asking you. When you become head girl this year, can you please, at least, poke a few people into action if..."

"Well, I'm not so sure I'd become head girl," Aidana said.

"What do you mean?"

"There's a girl from Benriuka who's determined to snag that role."

Vanya made a dismissive noise. "Quite a few people are out to snag it."

"She's a persuasive speaker, and she seems perfect—or that's what she projects. She's going to be made a prefect at the end of this term."

"That's crazy."

"It is." Aidana let out a sigh. "It's like she suddenly popped into existence."

"What's her name?"

"Alcina Gomez—you've probably heard of her."

"Oh, from the Sports Day."

"Yeah."

A straw clinked as Vanya sipped her drink. "How did you find out about this?"

"Lycurgus let it slip the other day when addressing the junior prefects."

"I wonder if this girl has some family who pulled a few strings to make that happen."

"Maybe, but no one can dismiss the fact that she's quite something," Aidana said. "Personally, I feel there's something off about her—but then again, I can be seen as biased."

"You're the most clear-headed person I know from the junior batch, Dana. I don't think anyone would just dismiss your judgment."

"It's not an opinion I'm going to go about airing, so please keep it to yourself. And honestly, I'm not going to be fighting silly wars to become top dog. I like to keep my life simple."

Genelle and Evanna started when a guy arrived to serve them orange juice.

"Here you go," he said, placing the drinks on the table.

They thanked him in unison, and as soon as he was gone, they exchanged a look.

Genelle whispered, "I didn't know Alcina's such a big deal."

Evanna shrugged while a frown creased her forehead. She stirred the drink with the metal straw and watched the ice cubes jostling together. The conversation behind the divider shifted to a subject along the lines of time management that was of no interest to her.

Her phone pinged. It turned out to be a message from Marilda. A smile broke out on her face when she anticipated Marilda's response to her close encounter with Obsidian.

Evanna took a sip from her juice while tapping out a reply. "Mm, our cafeteria should learn from these people. This juice is good."

"Yeah, I think the school one's a bit bitter 'cause they somehow scrape the rind or something," Genelle said.

She stopped typing and slowly looked up. A fragment of buried memory surfaced, and her heart escalated.

Genelle raised her eyebrows. "What?"

"What did you say?"

"It's bitter 'cause they scrape the rind?"

Rind. The word sent a jolt down her spine. Evanna hopped off the stool.

"Evie?" The other girl blinked at her. "What's up?"

"I—I'm going to the toilet. I'll be back."

Evanna made a beeline for the restroom. She stopped by the door and stared into space, fingers twirling a lock of hair.

She was transported back to the particle collider, and her mind conjured up the control room more detailed than ever. Ed Morken's words echoed in her head—Rind is supposed to be here. It's his shift.

Excitement rocketed up, and she bounced on her feet.

Ignoring the odd glance someone hurled her way, Evanna sucked in a deep breath and put her brain cogs to work. It made sense that Rind was the accelerator operator on the night of the anomaly. Yet, he was missing in the control room, and Morken found that troubling. What if Rind was down there in the underground tunnel that night and switched universes too? What if he's also trying to get back? That's it! I need to talk to him!

When chemistry started at 11:30 a.m., she could barely concentrate. Her mind was busy formulating plans on how to find Rind. I'd have to use the same method as with Morken, I guess, though it's painfully slow.

As soon as the class ended, she fast-walked out of Olympus. Without waiting for buses, she booked an Alico to a nearby grocery store, where she bought soy milk and chocolate. She had started using Komoreby's driverless taxi service, operated by a company called Alaricorn. Known for its winged unicorn logo, it had a fleet of compact, white cars called Alicos.

After a swift ride to Serin Drive, she ran up the driveway to her house—an amalgam of abalone greige blocks and expansive windows, which finally felt less alien to her.

Pushing through the door, she announced out of habit, "Mom! Aunt Jan! I'm home."

Then her gaze landed on three strangers, seated in the living room with her mom and aunt. She recoiled inwardly. She hated surprise encounters with strangers. If you kept your mouth shut, Ev, you could've managed to slink upstairs and get to work on finding Rind.

Evanna attempted a smile as she was introduced to whom she got to know were the sisters' colleagues. To her relief, Janet soon gave her an opportunity to make her exit.

She rushed upstairs and withdrew to her room. With a disgruntled noise, she dumped her backpack on the floor and plonked down in front of the computer.

Then she started scouring social media platforms for people named Rind. It's definitely a surname.

Unfortunately, none of the people who showed up on search results seemed to be the person she wanted. She Googled him next—with added keywords such as "Komoreby", "HEPLOK" and "physics".

Her eyes lit up when she found what she was looking for—an article related to HEPLOK that mentioned him among other physicists. His name was Adam Rind. How many Rinds can there be who are physicists and related to HEPLOK? This is him, Ev! This is him!

Unfortunately, finding a way to contact him was impossible. He had no online presence.

Birds warbled outside as she mulled over the problem. Checking compulsions sprang up in her excitement, which were an annoying distraction. She picked up the phone.

Evanna visited the HEPLOK website, and her trembling fingers copied the contact number. Then she started fiddling with her hair while the call went through.

"Hello, this is HEPLOK. How may I assist you?" a polite female voice asked.

"Hi, I'm trying to contact Adam Rind—he's one of the physicists. Can I please get a phone number or his email address?"

"Hold on." There was a clicking sound.

Evanna stared at the stars up on the ceiling, their dim forms barely visible in daylight. Her leg tapped incessantly on the floor to the rhythm of her heart.

The voice came back on. "What's the name?"

"Adam Rind."

A few seconds passed. "Hello?"

"Yes, I'm here!"

"I can provide you his work email, but not his phone number. In any case, you cannot contact him at the moment."

"Oh, why not?"

"He's on leave."

She blew out a breath and slumped back against the chair. Yep, I knew it was too easy. "Can I know when he'd be back at work?"

"I'm afraid I can't say. He seems to be on indefinite leave."

What? Evanna stared at nothing, dumbfounded. "So...there's no way to contact him?"

"No," the woman said. "I'm not at liberty to divulge any personal contact information."

"Okay, um, thank you."

"Anything else I can help you with?"

"Uh, no."

"Alright. Thank you for contacting HEPLOK and have a nice day."

Evanna hugged herself as uneasiness twisted her insides. She had only just lurched through the fresh new doorway that had opened up, but a colossal wall was already rising, threatening to render it nothing but a dead end.