The overcast sky brooded over Evanna when she emerged from the monorail station.
She was in downtown Komoreby, surrounded by sky-high buildings. The day was prematurely dark, and a cold wind blew with a whistling sound that was somehow audible above the noise. The sidewalk yawned before her in a wet, slate grey expanse, and even the welcome splotches of green appeared darker that day.
She fast-walked towards the twin towers that loomed in the distance. Sudden honking jarred her nerves, and a sideways glance revealed vehicles stuck in a traffic jam.
Evanna quickened her pace as if to outrun the memory that haunted her since biology class. The incident triggered a visceral reaction, followed by dread. Her inner eye lingered on Shane's face that didn't exhibit an iota of disgust or discomfort. It was like a red flag waving in her face. Here I thought Mort was creepy—at least, he shows it openly. Why did Shane do that—does he like to torture bugs? Why else would he volunteer? And what does it matter to you if he's creepy!
Apparently, whether Shane was creepy or not mattered very much, judging by the dull ache that persisted in her heart. It throbbed with pronounced jabs every time she thought about it. Her pulse quickened when the distant memory of the party surfaced, and she zeroed in on his laughing face as she floundered in the water.
She realized that part of her distress was more of a Pavlovian reaction. On a deeper level, she knew nothing about him, and he might destroy her like that hapless cockroach—a line of thinking that was even more upsetting.
She shook her head and powered on.
Mary and Janet had suggested that they go out for dinner that Friday evening, which was why Evanna was now heading towards their offices in Solaris Towers. Her mood had deviated towards barricading herself in her room instead, but she dreaded getting into an argument over the last-minute change of plan.
A stubborn vestige of hope stirred within, prompting her to consider the possibility that there was more to the incident than what met the eye. She suddenly wanted to talk to Shane, even though she dreaded the confrontation.
She shook her head again to blot out the compulsion. Last time you thought the best of people, look where it got you, Ev. Anukie flashed in her mind, picking out a pink dress and giving her wedge heels to go to the party. Her stomach lurched anew. Trust no one.
She clenched her fist in an effort to contain her emotions and glanced at the phone clutched in her hand. The first thing she had done after Biology was block his number. Then she had avoided him like the plague while an icy pickaxe chipped away at her heart.
Solaris A was a gigantic block with metallic wall cladding, next to which was its identical twin. Evanna ascended the wide steps and hurried towards the automatic doors that slid open to welcome her. She crossed the lobby area, where amber orbs hung down from the high ceiling.
"Yes, miss?" the receptionist asked when she trotted up to her.
"I'm visiting. Dedalus Media."
After she obtained a visitor keycard, she whizzed up to the seventeenth floor.
As she stepped out of the elevator, her gaze landed on the glass doors ahead, beyond which was a comfortable office space with wooden partitions and vector art decor.
"Hey, Ev," said a female voice.
Evanna spun around to face a smiling girl in a yellow dress. "Oh, hey, Riley!"
Riley, who worked in the client servicing department, had been friendly to her the previous two times she had visited.
"Mary and Janet should be back any minute," Riley said, pressing her forefinger to the scanner by the door and ushering Evanna in. "We had a big pitch to prepare for today, and it's been a bit hectic. You know, for the ZipTube project? You've probably heard about it."
"Oh, um, yeah, the vactrain." Evanna tried to show polite interest, though her mind was elsewhere.
Riley babbled enthusiastically as they walked in.
"So, wait in Mary's office maybe?" She gestured at the door on one end of the open space. "You can help yourself to coffee if you want."
"Okay, thanks."
Evanna wandered towards Mary's office, smiling at several people who looked up to say hello. She tuned out the buzz of conversation and gazed out at the window wall—in time to witness a streak of lightning that illuminated the panoramic cityscape for a split second.
Mary's office was the quintessence of orderliness, furnished in pastel colors. She flopped down on the sofa and dumped her backpack next to her. This one time I liked a real-life guy and...Wait, do I like him! Why would I like him!
Her feet wriggled out of her sneakers, and she curled her legs into a comfortable position. Unlocking her phone, she hesitated. Are you insane? You can't just rant to Mari-chan about all this.
It occurred to her that she had no one to confide in. A wave of sadness threatened to smother her, and she tapped a repetitive beat on the phone. Then she dozed off into a troubled nap.
Minutes later, the sound of enthusiastic voices awoke her. She yawned and shifted to a sitting position.
The door opened, and Janet entered, dressed in a neat suit and heels. Mary followed behind in similar attire, but with thick-heeled pumps and brown hair secured in a bun without a strand out of place.
"We won the pitch!" Janet flung her handbag on the sofa.
"This is indeed one of our biggest achievements." Mary had on a satisfied smile as she went over to her desk. "Especially since there were bigger players in the field. They liked our insight."
"Congratulations!" Evanna looked from one to the other. "So, what happens now?"
"Oh, we'll be launching a massive campaign," Janet sank down next to her and crossed her legs, "with commercials, billboards, content for their online platforms..."
"Sounds awesome. And ZipTube's cool—it'd be amazing to travel in it," Evanna said, fishing out a bubble of enthusiasm. "I heard it can go a thousand kilometers an hour!"
"Yes, it's a project by Helion," her mom said, now seated in her swivel chair. "We'll be working closely with them."
"Helion is an infrastructure company founded by Enrico Solheim," Janet explained for Evanna's benefit. "They're ambitious. Even this skyhook project was proposed in collaboration with the government's space program."
"A skyhook? Wow," Evanna exclaimed, eyes wide. Super long tethers in orbit to propel spacecraft into outer space!
"They've scrapped that project now, however."
"Probably because Solheim pooled funds for HEPLOK instead," Mary said with a nod. "Along with a generous personal donation."
Evanna sat up straighter. Oh, for the construction of the particle collider? It must have a hefty price tag, after all.
"The man's quite the philanthropist," Janet chimed in. "Fund research, create a better world..."
"Come now, Janet." Mary shook her head. "Solheim's doing it for profit, of course. He's a visionary, and he's resourceful. If he puts money into something, he'd expect something in return."
Her sister chuckled. "Talk about cynicism."
"What can you get by funding HEPLOK?" Evanna frowned. "I mean, it's a research place, right?"
"New technologies emerge from research." Her mom turned off the computer. "What we take for granted came about that way."
"Oh, like, how we wouldn't have GPS if it weren't for Einstein's theory of relativity..."
"What?" Janet threw her a sidelong glance.
"Time ticks slower away from Earth's gravity" Evanna smiled as she recalled Inoue's words. "If we don't take that into consideration, there'd be navigation errors. So, GPS wouldn't work."
"Right, nice to see you see things Mary's way for a change." Her aunt laughed and got to her feet. "Well, let's go now, shall we?"
The sisters led the way out, exchanging parting words with many people, who appeared to be in high spirits. Evanna tailed along, deep in thought. As she stood in the rapidly descending elevator, she made a mental note to look up Enrico Solheim.
The next day at Olympus, Evanna made sure she looked at everything but Shane. The sight of him threatened to break open the lock she had placed on her heart and awaken a torrent of thoughts she didn't want to deal with. Right after Biology in the morning, she hid herself away in a nearby coffee shop till the next class—much to Genelle's bewilderment.
When Chemistry ended in the afternoon, she was the first to exit the classroom. Her fiery red ponytail whipped the door as she ran out. It was time for a meetup with Marilda.
Half an hour later, Evanna arrived in Dendron Mall.
As she waited for the other girl, she meandered along an upper floor, eyes flitting over motion graphics and shopfronts. Beyond the railing to her side, the circular plaza yawned below under the dome of a skylight. Shoppers scurried about like ants, some riding the ever-moving escalators, while teens sat chatting under dwarfish ornamental trees. She absent-mindedly fingered the Uchiha keychain that hung down from her backpack.
Within minutes, she approached the discreet corner on the second floor where Kawaii Kawaii was located, its electric blue neon lights spilling out onto the floor. It had become her favorite store in the mall over the last couple of months—the bookshop being the close second. The trip to Cape Valinia was supposed to happen in three days, and her plan involved Jinxy's services. Now, she had no idea what to do. She rubbed her forehead as her mind yet again strayed to Shane.
"Evie!" Jinxy's toothy grin greeted her the moment she entered. "Whazzup!"
"Yo!" Evanna grinned back and held out her fist.
Jinxy bumped it with hers and broke into an Eddie Rath rap. "I represent U-chi-ha, most awesome of ninjas."
"Poor master splinter, autumn or winter." Evanna gripped an invisible mic.
"Cause to offend ya, I'm not Kyuubi."
"My claws, they will ya, pause to remember—"
"Sasuke!" Jinxy finished, cupping her hands over her mouth.
They burst out laughing, Jinxy making a deliberate pig-like snort. Evanna clutched her side in her effort to stop laughing.
"What brings you here today?" Jinxy managed to ask.
Evanna's liveliness faded, and she hurled a glance at the cosplay items. "Just wanted to say hey. I actually wanted to get some stuff too, but, um, not needed anymore."
"You wanted to cosplay and had second thoughts?"
"Sort of," she mumbled, reaching for the wigs on the mannequin heads.
"Why don't you check out what we have, anyways?" The other girl bounced up to her, bushy hair wilder than ever as it bobbed with the motion. "It's not just about how well you do it. It's fun!"
"Yeah..."
"Here, let's see how you look with this." Jinxy snatched a pink wig, placed it on Evanna's head and whirled her around to face a mirror. "Look at you!"
Evanna let out a giggle and struck a pose. "I was thinking of shorter hair."
"Oh, right."
"Maybe this one," she said, stroking a messy, black wig. "Looks familiar."
"That's from Death Note."
"I knew it's L's hair!"
"If you're going for that, you wouldn't need a special outfit, I guess." Jinxy shrugged. "You might wanna check out our chest binders though—unless you wanna do a female L."
"Okay..."
"Yeah, we have a few varieties. They're also popular with our trans and gender fluid customers."
Evanna's phone interrupted them with a funny "purupuru" sound.
The other girl giggled. "I love Den Den Mushi snails."
"Me too," she mouthed and answered the call.
"Evie, where are you!" Marilda's voice almost shouted over the background noise. "I just got off the monorail."
"Cool! Meet me at the food court."
Jinxy watched her expectantly while she hung up. "So, you're going for the L cosplay?"
Ev, stop wasting time! You don't need these. Her mind jumped ahead to her impending meeting with Marilda. "Maybe later. I gotta run!"
"Aw, too bad." Jinxy's mouth made a comical concave down shape. "Well, come back any time you change your mind!"
A few minutes later, Evanna headed towards the food court on the lower ground floor. Anticipation plumed within. Now, Ev. You've run the simulations. You know how Mari-chan would react.
"Evie!"
She pivoted on her heels to see Marilda hurrying over, shoulder-length hair bouncing with each stride. "Hey!"
"You've showed up here way early," Marilda said breathlessly and fished around in her bag.
"What are you looking for?"
"This." Marilda produced a pen drive and beamed. "Last year's talent show videos!"
The tiny drive sat on the palm of her hand, its plastic casing glinting in the light. In other circumstances, Evanna would've been excited to see the performances—especially that of Obsidian. Now, she just uttered a thank-you and stowed the device away in her backpack.
Her friend's voice lowered to a gleeful whisper. "You'll find quite a few shots of Obsidian doing some impromptu dance moves."
"Oh, cool..." She grabbed her hand and led her towards the food court. "Let's have lunch."
Marilda blinked as she hastened to keep up. "You must be super hungry!"
They placed their orders and found seating in a far corner, where leafy decor sprouted off the wall to their side. A warm aroma wafted from the hotpot on a nearby table amidst loud voices and clinking cutlery. Marilda wriggled into a comfortable position and stared at Evanna, who sat motionlessly in front of her with legs double-crossed.
"Are you, like, gonna interrogate me about something?" Marilda finally asked.
"No," Evanna said, trying to sound nonchalant. "Why?"
"You've got this funny look on your face, and you've been staring at me for the past minute or so?"
"Oh, um, I've got something to say."
Marilda leaned forward, eyes wide with curiosity. "Yeah?"
"Mari-chan, I think I like Shane!" Evanna whispered.
"So? A gazillion girls like Shane," Marilda said with a shrug.
"Not as a fan! I mean, I like him! A proper crush—not a big one though."
"Why are you all flustered then?"
"Okay, fine—somewhat big." Heat kindled in her cheeks. "Anyways, the next important thing I gotta tell you is..."
Marilda blinked and leaned forward another inch.
"I'm from a different universe, okay? Like, I went to see this particle collider in my other universe. It was a school tour thing, and it was all cool until me and Alcina happened to go hundred meters underground to this colossal, dirty big detector machine. We were walking down this passageway, and the next thing I know—I woke up in my bed. And turned out I'd traveled back a week and, like, swapped with the Evie in this universe—whom I call Alter-Ev. I also seemed to have awakened this psionic ability to move things. Anyways, the point is, I'm stuck here now."
Marilda goggled at her, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish devoid of oxygen.
"Mari-chan?"
"Whoa..." she finally said. "Really?"
"Yeah." Evanna flashed her an uncertain smile. She took it well. A little different from my simulation, but anyways...
"Were you...abducted too?"
"No! This isn't about aliens!"
"Okay..."
A long minute passed. The chatter from the surrounding tables filled the quiet between them.
"You're really from another universe?" Marilda squinted at her, looking rather dazed. "Other universes exist? No way..."
"Yeah, I know it's insane." Evanna drew in a breath. "I still can't wrap my head around it."
"Are you...Is this a joke?"
"No!"
"Whoa."
She stared at Marilda, whose face now alternated between confusion and incredulity as she processed the information.
"I wanna find out what happened." Evanna furrowed her brow. "I was trying to find that dude, remember? His name's Adam Rind, and he's a physicist at HEPLOK. I think he's got the answers. Um, Mari-chan, are you following me?"
"Yeah, yeah..." Marilda nodded, though her eyes appeared slightly glazed.
"Okay, so, I found Rind's location. He's in Cape Valinia. It so happens that Shane's lived there, and he offered to drive me there on Tuesday—" She faltered when there was no reaction from the other girl.
"Oh, sorry...what Shane?" Marilda asked slowly as if she had difficulty forming words.
"Shane! From Obsidian!"
Marilda's jaw dropped open, and she took a good minute to recover. "That Shane?"
"Yeah, but the thing is..." Evanna sighed, hands balling on her lap in an effort to sound calm. "Maybe he's a closet creep. He was a jerk in my universe, and now he sort of pulled a Mort move and dismembered this poor bug in class. Like, he volunteered. And I don't wanna go with him anymore. I mean, I'm afraid that he might turn out to be the jerk I knew. I'm afraid that I'd get pranked again or—I just don't know what to think. He might even kill me and bury me somewhere! I was going to ask you to cover for me. But, well, I blocked his number now."
"You have his—you blocked it?" Marilda's words slurred. "And turned down his offer to...drive you?"
"Yeah." Evanna started twirling a lock of hair. "I haven't told him I'm turning it down. I think he gets it."
"I..."
"What?" She narrowed her eyes. "Wait, you okay?"
"I gotta...pee. I'll be back..."
Marilda lurched to her feet and headed towards the restroom.
Evanna entered the Hive and broke into a run. There's no time to wait for the elevator, Ev!
It was almost 6.30 a.m. on Monday. Her stomach lurched with what she now called "dawn jitters". The prospect of meeting Lycurgus was a double whammy that particular morning.
She bounded up the stairs and halted on the first floor, where the library resided. For a moment, she stood panting, one hand clutching the banister. The bananas she had for breakfast jostled around inside, and she gulped in cold air to bite down a wave of nausea. Beyond the glass facade before her, the library looked serene as ever, with barely a soul to disturb its tranquility. Her mind strayed to Marilda.
She had filled her in on the missing chunks of information over the weekend, receiving varying responses and a rainbow of emotions. She giggled and continued her sprint up the stairs. Well, it's so insane, even Mari-chan has a hard time wrapping her head around it.
The staff room dominated the second floor. She hurried towards the individual offices and stopped by a stout door. Attached to it was a bronze plaque with the words "Thelma Lycurgus".
An icy claw raked her insides as she raised a tentative hand and knocked.
"Enter," a deep voice commanded from within.
Evanna steadied her breathing and forced herself to comply.
It was akin to entering the lair of a fearsome beast. The dim lighting made her pause. As her eyes adjusted, she discerned a spartan room with a book shelf against one wall.
"You're late, girl," Lycurgus snapped, her motionless form propped behind a table.
"I—I'm sorry, ma'am," Evanna stammered, crossing her arms behind her back. "I think it's just one minute—"
"There's much to pummel into that pretty, little head, I see," Lycurgus drawled with a thin-lipped smile. "No punctuality, no discipline, talking back at adults..."
She said nothing and focused her stare on a random point on the floor.
"Tsunokory has always been a thorn in my side," the teacher went on. "Your accursed house has more delinquents that any other. But I will catch each and every one of you rascals and put you in line."
Evanna shifted her weight, her queasiness escalating.
When no response was forthcoming, Lycurgus barked, "Come closer, girl."
She hurriedly stepped forward. Why can't she just tell me what I have to do and let me go!
"Do you know what an apiary is?"
"Um..." Evanna frowned. "Bees are kept there?"
"Apiaries contain large, well-organized colonies of many thousands. The colony acts as one organism to achieve goals. There are roles assigned to the units within this structure. They work diligently for their colony, serve their purpose and...die."
She blinked and held her breath while the oppressive air in the room closed in on her.
"What do you think happens..." The woman's narrowed eyes bored into Evanna. "If a few of those units stray from the larger community, abandon their role and act...anomalous?"
"I—I don't know."
"That perfect structure disintegrates. That's why we need those stray units reprogrammed...or we banish them."
In the dead silence, her heartbeat seemingly ricocheted off the walls.
Lycurgus reached for the papers on the side of her table and sifted through them with deliberate slowness. Rustling permeated the atmosphere.
The woman finally pulled out a paper and placed it on the tabletop. "Do you know what that is?"
Evanna frowned at the document, but made no move. "I'm not sure."
"It's a template of Komoreby High's Leaving Certificate." Lycurgus paused as if to ensure the words registered in Evanna's brain. "As you might already know, it incorporates a character certificate as well. Without it, it would be very difficult indeed to get into a good university or apply for a decent job."
"Oh..."
"And every single certificate passes through my office. Now, I hardly take an interest in most of them, and they get stamped without any...complications."
The icy claw raked deeper into Evanna's gut, and her skin prickled with goosebumps.
"To put it simply, girl, your future is like this paper here," Lycurgus said, her bony fingers shaking the flimsy sheet. "If you awaken my displeasure..."
She goggled as the teacher crumpled up the paper and flung it into the waste bin. The simple motion drove the point home with the force of a wrecking ball.
"Turn around," Lycurgus snapped.
"Huh?" she blurted out, but the malevolent stare on the teacher's face made her turn and face the door.
"Now, things were a lot better back in the day. Fear is a great motivator for young people to behave themselves. That's why I'm fond of the old methods of enforcing discipline..."
Evanna glanced back, and her eyes almost fell off their sockets.
Lycurgus was fingering a long cane.
The woman approached her with slow steps. She clamped her eyes shut while her heart thundered within. No, this can't be happening! This is—
The cane struck.
Three more strokes and a breakdown later, it was time to head to the morning assembly.
Evanna emerged from the restroom, wiping her eyes. Then she plodded her way to the stadium on shaky legs. The sun was hotter than usual, as if to remind her of the searing pain she endured less than half an hour ago. Her back stung with every movement.
When she slipped into line in front of Mano Gamage, he flashed her an awkward smile. She struggled to reciprocate the gesture, but failed miserably. When Marilda arrived, she greeted her with a quiet "hey" and took a step back to make some space.
"Evie, I wanted to..." Marilda started to say and paused. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Evanna mumbled. "I—I'll tell you later."
"Tell me what?"
"Stop talking," a peevish male voice commanded.
The prefect passed by—on a mission to quell the many conversations. Marilda had no choice but to stare at the head in front of her, which suited Evanna fine, since she wasn't in the mood to talk.
Minutes dragged on.
Evanna was so lost in thought that it took a second or two to register the woodsy scent that wafted from behind. Her brain's reaction was almost instantaneous. Her whole inner landscape upended into a confusing array of feelings.
"Hey," said a familiar masculine voice that was so low, it sounded attractively deep.
She inhaled sharply while her heart skipped a beat. Then ice settled in her stomach, making her shiver. No, I can't deal with this now.
Her voice came out in a petulant whisper, "Don't talk to me. And that trip is off."
He sighed. "Evanna—"
"You drowned that roach without batting an eye. You actually volunteered. If you wanna say some justification about how it was for science or it was just a roach that would've become pet food, blah blah, save it."
Silence greeted her words.
Well, why would he bother to justify it to me anyways? Why would he care what I think? He must be here just to annoy me. A black cloud enveloped her since the harrowing experience with Lycurgus, and it made everything darker. She hugged herself.
"I didn't drown him," Shane said quietly.
Her agitation went up a notch, and she revolved her head to shoot him a glance. "Don't lie to me. I saw the roach go limp!"
"I just put him under...general anesthesia."
"What?"
Hushed conversation in the vicinity ebbed away while ears strained to listen in on the tense exchange. Marilda turned, eyes panning from Evanna to Shane in open fascination. Then her head reverted to its original position.
The prefect was now retracing his footsteps, obviously irritated that his orders were being disregarded. He took one look at the figure standing behind Evanna and pretended to check if people were quiet further up the line.
Evanna scowled. So he doesn't get bullied—it only happens to us commoners and midgets.
Shane finally responded, his voice sounding closer to her head, "The roach is very much alive. I personally saw to it that he scuttled away to freedom. He must be hanging out with his roach friends as we speak."
Is he pulling my leg? What's he playing at? She glowered up at him, which attracted a few withering looks from nearby girls. "Yeah? How's that possible?"
"Well, they're cold-blooded. When it's too cold, their neurons can't fire. When I submerged the little guy in the icy water, he went unconscious—and couldn't feel pain. Some time after the...surgery was performed, he came to. Then Ash and I let him go."
Evanna blinked, utterly stumped. Her heart soared from the dumps.
Almost as if to hide her inner vacillation, she stubbornly crossed her arms. "But you cut off his leg!"
He sighed again. "Evanna, he was going to get his leg cut off anyways. Would you rather have had Mort do it?"
She experienced a jolt of realization as a memory popped into mind—that of Mort hunched over in the garden, enthusiastically dissecting a snail.
"If it's any consolation," Shane added, his calm words stealing into her ears, "that roach will grow another leg soon."
Evanna blinked again. She opened her mouth, but closed it on second thought. Wait, roaches can do that? How would he even know all this stuff. It's kinda...Whatever.
Principal de Alwis stepped up to the podium in the distance.
In the subsequent silence, a warm glow washed over Evanna and dissipated the chill. He didn't...So what? It was like that glow peeked through the cloud of darkness. In fact, he actually sort of—whatever, Ev! What. Ever. Her invigorated heart broke through the lock and started beating with a sprightly rhythm. Argh. She shifted her weight, arms still crossed.
She was glad when the principal started talking and attention was diverted to her.
Despite the sun that blazed down and the pain on her back, it was like gravity relinquished its hold on her ever so slightly.
When the assembly was about to conclude, she heard him whisper, "So...tomorrow's trip is off?"
Evanna's lips puckered into a pout. "I, um, changed my mind. It's...on."
"Hm."
She threw a quick glance at him to see his ghost smile hovering on his lips.