Ivy and the Fluorescent Lightbulb

Chapter 13.2 - The Future World

"Eloise?" Ivy said, looking at her classmate as her eyes adjusted to the light. "How did you find me here?"

"I saw you coming from here yesterday, so I figured you came back here again. Why do you come in here, anyway?" Eloise said, stepping into the room and closing the door behind herself.

"Because it's quiet," Ivy awkwardly replied.

"Oh," she said with a nod, looking around the room. "Anyways...Ms. Buchanan said it's time to come back—"

"It's not 2:05 yet!" Ivy said, checking the time.

2:07

"Oh..." she said, deflated.

"I know I said I wouldn't bother you after this morning," Eloise started, "but I'm only here because I was asked to, promise!" She paused, looking at Ivy's clothes with a bewildered expression. "Uh...were you always wearing that?" she said.

"Oh...um..." Ivy awkwardly started, uncertain of what to say. "It's...a costume," she finally said.

"How is it glowing like that?" Eloise said, walking towards Ivy. She stopped herself, quickly looking away from the clothes. "Oh-um, sorry. I guess that's pretty prying of me, isn't it."

"You're not gonna tell Ms. Buchanan about this, are you?" Ivy desperately said, unfolding her school clothes.

"Of course not!" she replied, holding her hands in the air. "Promise." She stared at the glowing threads. "How do you get the threads to glow like that?"

"Oh, this?" Ivy said, glancing at her billowing sleeves. She froze.

The usual steady glow of the clothes was now rapidly pulsating, causing a sporadic pattern of swirls and streaks all around her. When did this start? she thought in bewilderment.

Overhead, the 5-minute warning rang. Ivy looked at the door's window. "We can't keep the light on in here!" she quickly said, dashing to the wall and turning the switch off. "I don't want this secret spot get discovered."

"...Do you come here often?" Eloise hesitantly said, uncomfortably looking out of the window.

Ivy paused. Should I apologize now? she thought, carefully watching Eloise. "Often enough, I guess," she said instead, glancing at the floor.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed the fabric of her clothes slowly stopped swirling, coming to its usual steady glow. Wait a second...

Ivy reached out and switched the lights on again.

The patterns swirled.

She switched it off.

The patterns stopped and glowed.

"Wait..." she said.

"Wait what?" Eloise said, shifting from foot to foot. "We kinda need to get back to class before Ms. Buchanan calls administration or something—"

"Just another minute," Ivy said, quickly switching the light on and running to a stack of boxes. "I need to try something."

Climbing to the top of the stack of boxes, she carefully balanced herself and stood as close as she could to one of the light panels.

"Ivy, what are you doing??" Eloise exclaimed. "You're gonna get hurt, get down from there!"

Ivy didn't hear Eloise. Instead, she was focused on the swirling patterns on her clothes. The swirls became more and more frantic, spinning in a dizzying kaleidoscope. Ivy could feel as energy coursed from the sleeves to the pants and finally to the boots. The boots began to glow, the bottoms becoming increasingly brighter.