Nebula (k.w) [1]

Chapter 12: The Truth

Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.

-Maya Angelou

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THE THING EDITH LOVED ABOUT PHYSICS WAS HOW SYMPLE EVERYTHING FELT. How she could get every answer so easily about the most fundamental ideas. Physics were so beautiful.

They felt like the only thing in Edith's life that truly made sense.

Mr Taylor was an amazing teacher, he showed a lot of passion and it often rubbed on the blonde. Her eyes filled with wonder as she stared at pictures of planets, atoms and a million gorgeous things. Her young teacher made everything make so much sense. Not only physics, literally everything. Every doubt she couldn't bear to consult with her parents, Edith went to Mr Taylor.

"You look upset, Duncan," he commented, finding the blonde in an empty classroom. He didn't fail to notice she had been skipping class and figured Edith would be practising. Mr Taylor found her staring at a book about black holes, deep in thought, not really reading but remaining still "Is your thing acting up again?"

He was teasing. Her mutation never acted up. "I'm cool, teach."

Mr Taylor hummed, taking a seat beside the teenager as she closed her book.

"That's the one I recommended, I didn't know you were still listening to me."

"It's good. I guess. I am."

"Finkelstein is not just good, Duncan, it's genius. If you're into it I could lend you an Isaacson I've been holding onto." Mr Taylor nudged her side before sighing "Has Chance been treating you good?"

No. He hasn't. He never did. Chance wasn't the worst but he wasn't good either. She didn't like him, she didn't love him. Edith sometimes felt like she hated her boyfriend. He was mean and spiteful and they argued so much lately it was getting tiring. The teen was fed up.

"What do you think?" she said vaguely.

"I thought you were good at English. The whole answering with a question... Not cute."

"I don't know, Mr Taylor. This whole year has been weird as fuck."

"Language."

Edith rolled her eyes "Sorry."

Mr Taylor gently took the book out of the blonde's hands, studying it carefully.

"You know what Finkelstein found, right?" he asked, deep in thought.

"The gravitational kink?"

The teacher nodded "A topological defect in the gravitational metric, whose quantum theory could exhibit spin 1/2."

"Finkelstein determined that whatever falls past the Schwarzschild radius into a black hole cannot escape it. Yeah, I know." she continued, Mr Taylor looked proud.

"You know what that means?"

Edith thought for a moment, trying to find the right word "It means the membrane is one-directional."

Mr Taylor tilted his head as Edith's confusion became clear. She really didn't understand where any of that was going but waited patiently until he explained.