"We're going to solve some problems using the equations we derived yesterday," Hiyori Inoue said, tapping on her tablet to close the attendance sheet.

She was a petite woman in her forties, clad in a pastel-colored suit with a scarf wound around her neck. A drizzle pattered against the windows, and the dip in temperature had ensured that everyone was wearing bulkier clothes.

Inoue skirted the teacher's table, shoes clip-clopping on the floor. "Before we begin, I have an exciting announcement to make."

Some of her students showed polite interest, while others simply kept on staring. On any other day, Evanna might have been among the former, but on that morning, she was huddled in a subdued heap by the window, hood flung over her head. Her idle eyes tracked the rain streaking down the glass.

"We are lucky that the headquarters of the Global Organization for Research in Particle Physics is located right here in Komoreby. Most of you might know it better as GORPP." Inoue walked down one aisle of the classroom. "GORPP is home to the CHC. Anyone know what it stands for?"

No one offered an answer.

"It's short for Circular Hadron Collider. It's an enormous particle accelerator." The teacher paused, and if she was disappointed by some of the blank looks, she didn't show it. "We will be learning particle physics in this class, so it's a great opportunity for us that they have agreed to arrange a tour this Friday for all of us to go see the largest, most complex machine in the world."

That elicited a curious spark in the eyes of those listening, but Evanna sat motionless, face frozen in a blank stare. Inoue went on to describe the significance of the CHC, but it faded to meaningless noise. Evanna's brain dredged up Oleanda's pool, vignetted with darkness, and she could almost feel the icy water that seeped through the dress and numbed her to the core. Harsh laughter reverberated in her head while she saw herself gasping and spluttering. A wave of nausea threatened to overwhelm her. She swallowed.

"—on Saturday maybe?"

Huh? Evanna slowly turned to the boy sitting beside her, whom she got to know was called Mort. He was looking at her with glassy, grey eyes and a crooked smile that was somewhat creepy.

He repeated the question, his tone hopeful, "Do you wanna come hang out with me this weekend? We can maybe—"

She shook her head. "I—I have other plans."

"Okay, then," he whispered and flashed her a grin, which she pretended not to see.

Her inner torment resumed—she was running barefoot, dripping wet and chilled to the bone, while the incessant cackling followed her like a malevolent spirit. Evanna clamped her eyes shut. Please stop.

It was all-consuming—oozing magma burning away all that was good in her mind. She took in a tremulous breath and hugged herself tighter. They probably thought it was a harmless prank—or maybe it's some initiation ritual. Alcina probably meant no harm. And Ookie...

She stole a glance at Anukie, who sat with Alcina at the front of the classroom.

They had made no contact since the night before. Evanna had sprinted to her car and changed into her own clothes in a mindless frenzy before driving off. She closed her eyes again and concentrated on her breathing.

It was when she was in the restroom before her next class that she came to know of a video that was circulating around. It had captured her nightmare in excruciating detail. Two girls were watching it on their phone. She threw up—this time in a toilet.

The rest of the morning progressed without incident. Evanna slunk through the hallways, avoiding all eye contact. She wished a Nydus worm would gobble her up and belch her out into each classroom, which would save her from the agony of traversing the hallways. She had no appetite, so avoiding the cafeteria was easy. Instead, she visited the library.

The library was as grand as she envisioned it. Shelves rose all the way to the ceiling, brimming with books, and a chandelier hung over the hexagonal center, where plush chairs beckoned prospective readers. The place provided Evanna a momentary respite as she wandered down its aisles, losing track of time.

When the lunch break drew to a close, Evanna finally managed to do what had been on the back of her mind all morning. She got hold of Genelle Lee before math class was due to commence. 

Genelle sat reading a book at the back of the classroom. She was now in a dull jacket that was in stark contrast with her neon green top the day before. She looked up at Evanna's approach, and her face twisted into a scowl. 

Before a word of greeting could be uttered, she snapped, "What do you want?"

Evanna flinched and blurted out, "I—I just wanted to say I'm sorry about what you went through yesterday."

"Just leave me alone," Genelle hissed, her eyes cold and cautious.

It was like a slap on the face, but Evanna complied. The weight on her shoulders lifted ever so slightly.

She had to undergo more human interaction in the chemistry lab during the last three periods, but it was with a quiet girl in braces, who did not engage in idle talk. Or maybe it's just 'cause it's me.

The instant the last bell sounded, Evanna gathered her things and dashed out.

When she got home, she immersed herself in Arcana Online and joined a dungeon party with members of her guild. The swarm of undead mobs was usually an annoying distraction from the boss battles, but now, she welcomed it. She thrashed her keyboard, letting her arrows fly.

The passage of time was swift, and she was so engrossed in the game that she barely heard the knock on the door. A sliver of light spilled into the dim room and elongated along the floor. Evanna glanced at the doorway and found her mom silhouetted against the brightness beyond.

"Ev, sweetie, aren't you coming down for dinner?" Mary asked.

"Mom, I'm in a game," Evanna murmured.

Her mom sighed and closed the door.

Half an hour later, Evanna plodded downstairs to grab some food. Her stomach felt as empty as her heart. She had hoped that Mary and Janet would be busy watching TV, but they were talking at the kitchen table. She braced herself for the inevitable as she served herself some rice, vegetables and mushroom stir-fry. The questions came after she ate a few mouthfuls.

"Do you want to talk about what happened yesterday?" Mary asked.

"Nothing happened, Mom," Evanna mumbled.

"Really, Ev?" Her aunt's face projected incredulity. "You come home shaking, and your hair soaked—"

"I was just hanging out with Ookie and her friends. And I fell into the pool."

A long minute crawled by. Evanna focused her stare on the plate. Mary had sauteed the rice with olive oil and garlic, emanating a mouthwatering aroma. The vegetables were baked to crusty perfection, and the mushrooms were lightly charred to bring out their umami flavor. Yet, Mary's culinary prowess failed to nudge aside the weight in Evanna's mind. She shoved another spoonful of rice into her mouth and chewed.

"You know, it helps to talk," Mary said, peering at her daughter. "This is all so new to you—"

Evanna swallowed. "I'm okay."

The sisters gave up after a few more attempts to get her to talk.

After the meal, Evanna cleaned up the dishes and clomped back upstairs to finish her homework. Late that night, she opened the Animorphs book she was reading. Shouldn't have gone to the stupid party or worn those stupid shoes. So much stuff I would've done different.

Thoughts swirled in a loop—a cyclone that refused to cease. In the end, she closed the book without reading a word and picked up her phone. People she knew in Nuara had sent her messages. After tapping out perfunctory replies, she buried her head in her pillow and let it soak up her silent tears.

The next day dragged on in a similar fashion. Evanna had to cope with the odd looks, the occasional giggle or being treated like she was invisible. If she had any doubt the previous day about the fact she was an absolute outcast, it was put to rest when it became increasingly obvious that she was avoided by all—except Mort.

From the snatches of conversation she overheard and the comments thrown her way, Evanna gleaned that most people avoided her simply because she was spurned by the highest echelons of Komoreby High society—to fraternize with her would have been "uncool". The ones who disliked Alcina had no sympathy for her either, since they saw her as one of Alcina's posse—albeit fallen from grace. Some viewed her as a "snowflake" and thought the prank was hilarious. It was like she had been pushed into the ocean with an iron ball shackled to her leg, the pressure of her misery and self-pity crushing her with increasing force as she slowly sunk to the bottom.

When lunch break arrived, she was the first to hit the cafeteria. Sandwich procured, she dashed to the plaza outdoors and hid herself in an obscure corner, where a small table resided under a tree. Thank heavens, it's not raining.

As Evanna munched half-heartedly on her sandwich, someone flopped down in front of her. She was so startled that she almost choked. It was Marilda.

"So this is where you've been hiding, eh?" Marilda pulled her legs onto the bench and shifted to a slouchy posture.

Evanna gulped down her food. "What—why are you talking to me?"

"Well, about time someone did?"

A frisson of emotion shot through her. "You can totally say it."

"Say what?"

"I told you so. I'm such an idiot, aren't I?"

"You are a bit, yeah." Marilda flicked a leaf from the concrete tabletop. "But I guess you gotta be stung first to learn to protect your hide in the future."

Evanna said nothing. A gust of wind buffeted the leaf before it spiraled to the ground.

"I can't hang around long," Marilda went on. "I've got places to be, but I'm gonna give you some advice, new girl. Take it or leave it."

"Okay," she mumbled, eyes wide.

"One: I dunno who the mastermind behind the prank is—I thought it must've been Oleanda, but now I have reason to believe it's Anukie. So...you'd do well to stay away from your toxic pal."

A block of ice dropped down Evanna's stomach. Cold spread to her far extremities, making her shiver.

"Two." Marilda held up two fingers. "There aren't any knights in shining armor to save your ass. Maybe there are in a parallel universe but certainly not in this. So, avoid DID situations."

DID? Oh, damsel in distress. Evanna almost barked out a laugh despite herself. "Right."

"Three: trust no one."

She would've been amused by those hyperbolic words on another occasion, but they rang true in light of recent events.

"Did that register in your brain?" the other girl asked.

Evanna managed to nod.

"Good." Marilda jumped to her feet. "Laters."

"Thanks," she said in a voice that was barely audible.

Marilda grunted in acknowledgement and strolled off.

When Friday dawned, Evanna forced herself out of bed and turned off the alarm after snoozing three times. Finally. Your glorious first week here is coming to an end, Ev.

As she threw on her hoodie, she remembered that it was the day of the field trip. They were going to visit the CHC in the afternoon. What did it stand for again? She had no idea what to expect, but her spirits surged at the prospect of escaping the oppressive confines of her daily torment earlier than usual. Her mood elevated further after she wolfed down two big slices of homemade pizza—leftovers from dinner. Then she was off to school.

After three periods of physics class and an early lunch break, all those who took twelfth grade physics were herded into buses, drawing envious looks from other students.

Evanna lagged behind the crowd and was the last to board the bus. At the back, she curled into a morose, black ball and pushed her backpack onto the empty seat beside her. The perks of being the outcast. You gotta be one to know it. A bitter laugh burst out. It drew a you're-such-a-weirdo glance from the person sitting across the aisle—a girl named Sery. Evanna stuck out her tongue, and Sery stared in distaste before averting her eyes.

Another laugh escaped her. It was strangely liberating now that she couldn't sink any lower.

When the bus started moving, Evanna made to pull out her earphones but stopped short. A packet of Pitipit emerged from between the seats in front, balanced on a long ruler. As she hesitated, the snack inched closer. She grabbed it and frowned at the tufts of dark hair that jutted out above the seats. The ruler retracted.

Evanna stood up and craned her neck. Junho and Max! The gamer boys. As she plopped back down, a smile tugged at her lips. She ripped open the packet and helped herself to its savory contents. 

After a while, she leaned forward and whispered, "Thank you!"

A voice responded, "We wanted to give you in person, but you looked like an Assassin about to knife someone."

Evanna giggled and leaned back, a spark of life springing within.

An hour later, they traveled through swathes of open plain with nothing but the wilderness in view. Trees grew in copses, dotting the verdant landscape, and further away, mountains soared in the horizon. Evanna emitted a contented sigh as she soaked in the scenery. Epic music thumped in her ears and gave a surreal touch to the whole experience. How come this cutting-edge science place isn't smack in the middle of the city? Not that I'm complaining.

In the far distance, buildings appeared in her line of vision, with peculiar geometry that brushed the firmament. Arcs and curves gleamed silver in the sun and shot out sparks of light that made her squint. The complex was an odd manmade landmark in the middle of nowhere and reminded her of an ultramodern university. As they drew near, she mused at its sprawling extent.

The buses lumbered to a halt at a boom barrier. Security personnel went over quite a few formalities before they were granted entry. 

As the vehicles eased into the compound, Evanna's eyes darted to the lanes that branched off the road, signposts declaring their strange names. They headed towards the central edifice, with an irregular façade of steel and glass. Above the entrance, silver letters made up the word "GORPP", while a smaller plaque spelled out what the letters stood for.

The buses unloaded their passengers and trundled off for parking. Everyone shuffled into the grand entrance hall, led by Hiyori Inoue and a math teacher named Manasie Mori. An abstract sculpture dominated the hall at its center, made of recycled metal parts. Everything was spotless, geometric and impressively large—as if to spur reverence in all those who entered this sanctum of science. The quiet pressed in like a material entity, amplifying their footsteps and hushed voices.

Evanna followed the crowd into an exhibition area shrouded in darkness. Digital displays pierced the gloom, conveying information on fundamental particles and the work done at the CHC. Where is this CHC anyways? Housed in another big building?

Nearby, Alcina scanned her surroundings with interest, while the other girls trailed behind with bored expressions. The sight made Evanna's stomach sink, and memories rocketed up, threatening to fling her system back into chaos. She pulled in deep breaths, struggling to get ahold of herself.

The tour guide was a young physicist named Tian. He ushered the students to a replica of the famed particle collider, illuminated with blue LEDs. Evanna jostled her way forward for a closer look. The machine took the shape of a ring, with smaller rings connected to it. There were "detector stations" positioned at varying intervals along the circumference.

"We use superconducting magnets to accelerate proton beams or ion beams at 99.9% the speed of light," their guide explained and pointed to a detector. "And smash them at the center of these detectors. By doing this, we break them down to their constituent parts—the fundamental building blocks of our universe. We also excite quantum fields, discovering whole new particles—"

"Can't we see the real deal?" a skinny guy asked and looked sheepish. "I mean, that would be way cooler."

Evanna inwardly agreed with him. We came all this way, but we only get to see this replica? That would be a let-down.

"We can go see one of these detectors," Tian said. "It's a long drive, so we can go after we're done here."

The boy looked puzzled. "Oh, the CHC is not here?"

"The CHC is eighty kilometers long." The guide smiled. "It stretches out beyond Komoreby and the province itself, a hundred meters underground."

All those who were listening stared at him—Evanna included. Wait what! This machine is bigger than a city?

"The protons, as I mentioned before, are accelerated to near light speed. They complete approximately 3,750 laps around the tunnel per second and produce billions of collisions. We use supercomputers to sift through the petabytes of data." Tian paused, observing the wide eyes and one or two gaping mouths before him. "The groundbreaking work we do here strives to unravel the nature of reality itself."

Time flew by as they passed the many displays, including replicas of particle accelerators that preceded the CHC. They finally headed outside again.

Evanna, who was lagging behind, found herself walking next to Tian. "What are all these buildings, by the way?"

"It's like a town in here," he replied. "There are restaurants, banks, supermarket, accommodation for researchers and engineers, hospital..."

"Oh, a hospital too?"

"People working here are monitored for radiation doses with dosimeters and regular blood tests."

"Right."

Back inside the buses, they journeyed through more wild, unblemished plains to the CTD or Colossal Toroidal Detector—one of the main detectors of the CHC. It was along the way that Max and Junho struck up an animated conversation with her about Arcana Online.

"We'll add you," Max said with a grin, peeking through the gap between the seats. "My in-game name's Santuin."

"I'm Croizar," Junho chipped in.

Evanna grinned. "Cool!"

The sun dipped in the far horizon in a fiery orange ball, and the sky took on an unusual tint of pink. They arrived at a smaller compound, at the center of which was what resembled a large warehouse, veneered in sheets of alloy. Under the rose-colored glow, the place exuded a cool stillness. It was humbling to imagine that by entering this unassuming structure, they would gain access to a colossal main detector of the CHC, which apparently created hadron beam collisions at the speed of light.

Students disembarked and milled about in front of the imposing roller doors until Tian appeared. He led everyone through an inconspicuous entrance to the side.

Evanna stepped into a space as big as a hangar, where concrete floors, catwalks, cables and pipes gave off an industrial vibe. The air was chilly and sterile, making her hug herself, though the cold seeped in nevertheless. The place was also silent apart from the whir of ventilation systems and the click of electronics, as if it was a slumbering giant.

Tian walked to a set of double doors further in, where he swiped his key card and aligned his eye to a retina scanner. Then he ushered the students inside. Everyone stared at the gaping hole in the floor, surrounded by a guard rail. Pipes and cables converged at this point, disappearing into the hole. Evanna inched towards it and peered down into the dizzying depths. She sucked in a breath.

"It's through this that we transport equipment down to the detector cavern below." Tian gestured at the black mouth of the hole. "The detector is as high as a six-story building. It's like building a ship in a bottle."

"I'd like to go underground and see it up close," a female voice said.

Evanna snapped up her head to see Alcina, whose blue gaze was fixed on the guide.

"Unfortunately, that's not possible," Tian said.

That instant, Alcina's eyes flashed—or so it seemed. Irritation? The queen's not used to being denied most likely.

"Is it because it's currently running?" Inoue asked calmly.

Tian stepped back and made to leave. "We don't normally take visitors underground."

"I see."

Soon after, Tian took them to a diagram of the detector and explained its parts and functions. As described by its name, Evanna saw that the machine was toroidal in shape, with a beam pipe lancing through it in the middle. The cross section revealed concentric cylindrical layers around the pipe, which were used to record the properties of the colliding particles. She listened at the back, zoning out at the more technical aspects of the lecture.

When it was night-time, everyone started ambling out. As Evanna walked along, someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to face a bespectacled man with a warm smile. it was Ed Morken, her aunt's boyfriend.

"Your aunt said you're visiting," Morken said. "I wanted to come say hello before, but I was tied up with work."

She smiled back and stepped aside to talk to him. "You must be busy, but you came all the way here—"

"It's alright. I thought you'd like to see a bit more?" He winked. "The beam is off at the moment, so I can take you underground—if the people on duty are fine with it too."

Evanna's eyes lit up. "Awesome!"

As if to wave aside her worries on how to get back home, Morken offered her a ride with him to the city. Oh, wait, Junho and Max might notice my absence and tell Miss Inoue that I'm missing. She excused herself to inform the boys that she was staying behind.

She was on her way back to Morken when someone else walked up. Her eyes almost popped out of their sockets. It was Alcina.

"Hey." Alcina's face broke into a smile so charming that it outshone the lighting. "Mind if I join?"

Evanna looked from her to Morken, momentarily speechless.

"Oh, your friend can join," Morken said cheerfully. "Nice to meet you..."

The tall girl's smile didn't waver. "Alcina."

Evanna's temper surfaced like a steaming geyser. She opened her mouth to retort that Alcina was not her friend but held back at the last nanosecond. It wasn't wise to make a scene in front of Morken, which might reach her aunt's ears.

Without further ado, the physicist took them to a control room, which housed an array of computers, wiring, switches and lights, as well as multiple screens stacked up along one wall. The room was devoid of people, but the low drone of electronic systems suggested that it was very much alive. Footsteps resounded in the space as Morken went around checking a few monitors.

"Is it normally empty like this?" Alcina asked.

"Rind is supposed to be here—it's his shift." Morken tapped on a keyboard at one of the workstations. "He might have gone out for a bit."

Evanna studied the incomprehensible graphs on a display screen. "So we wait for him here?"

"No, we'll pop down and be on our way. It should be fine."

"Why is the beam off anyways?"

"A quench, apparently." He gestured for them to follow him out. "Let's go."

Evanna hurried to catch up. "A what?"

"The electromagnets are cooled to temperatures close to absolute zero—colder than outer space," Morken explained. "That's how they remain in a superconducting state, which means zero electrical resistance. If beam particles hit a magnet in one spot and heat it up, then it reverts to normal conducting—we call that a quench."

"Right..."

He escorted them to what looked like a changing room and handed them hazmat suits. The suits were apparently equipped with radiation shielding. Evanna's eyes widened.

They put on respirators, gloves, helmets and steel-toed boots. After donning the suit, Evanna followed Morken into the elevator, very much aware of the bulky, sluggish feel that heightened with each step. The full-face respirator made her breath hiss loudly in her ears.

The elevator started its rapid descent down to the detector cavern.

When they came to a stop, Evanna stepped out into a stark white tunnel with various paraphernalia stacked to the side. The industrial vibe was more noticeable than ever. Her gaze slid over the curious signs, some of which displayed the radiation hazard symbol. There were small detectors affixed to the walls. She found it rather claustrophobic, especially when she dwelled on the fact that she was practically buried under tons of earth.

A set of doors barred the way ahead. Morken swiped his key card and had his eye scanned. Evanna gazed down the passageway that yawned before them and curved sharply to the right, disappearing from view.

They had only taken a few steps when Morken faltered. Evanna realized that he had been silent the whole way down.

"Is something wrong?" Alcina's muffled voice inquired.

"You two stay here," he said. "I just want to check something. I'll be back—don't move."

After he was gone, Alcina turned to Evanna. "How was your first week, by the way?"

Evanna stiffened. The anger she had suppressed the whole week rocketed up and clouded her brain.

Alcina stood next to her, so calm and cool that they might as well have been standing in the school cafeteria. She even looks good in a hazmat suit. An image of a chessboard sprang to mind, with the untouchable queen, so sure of her place and in control of the whole board. The people around her are chess pieces, and she can use them as she wishes.

The anger built up to an inferno, and Evanna knew that if she stared at her arrogant face one second more, she wouldn't be able to hold back from punching it. The farther I get from you, the better. She clenched her fists and started walking.

"Where are you going?" Alcina demanded. "He asked us to stay here till he gets back."

"You can stay if you want," Evanna snapped.

"Get back here."

In response, Evanna quickened her pace, though she was still unsteady in the clunky boots. Alcina started after her.

"What are you playing at?" Evanna hissed when the taller girl caught up to her. Here I thought she might not have known about the prank, and it was just her minions trying to entertain her.

"Nothing." Alcina chuckled. "I wanted to come down here, so I got my way."

Without a word, Evanna stumbled on, rounding the corner, and stopped dead in her tracks.