The tempest ran its course with Evanna fuming in her room and Mary giving her an earful. Peace was restored in the house only after the latter received an apology. Evanna also managed to obtain Mary's acquiescence to see the school counselor instead of a psychiatrist—a feat that was accomplished with the help of a sympathetic Janet.

After an early dinner, Evanna curled up on her bed in exhaustion, trying to stem the many thoughts whirling in her head. Her eyes idly checked and rechecked the room—an impulse that ground on her nerves. She had not received a reply to her email either.

Her thoughts strayed to the woods, and the memory soothed her. For oft, when on my couch I lie, in vacant or in pensive mood, they flash upon that inward eye, which is the bliss of solitude.

To her annoyance, Shane Evans entered her mind, causing her to replay the brief exchange she had with him. Guilt stirred within. You're so mean, Ev...No, I'm not! He wouldn't give a flying hoot about what I say anyways.

Gripped with a sudden bout of curiosity, she trotted over to her computer, pulled up the web browser and ran a search for Obsidian.

Her eyes widened when she saw the many images and the significant number of followers they had on social media. The lead vocalist seemed to be Junho—she couldn't help the laugh that escaped her. Shane and Max played guitars. Ash was the drummer.

She grabbed a bar of dark chocolate she had found in the kitchen and settled down to watch a video that showed up in search results. Most of the videos were of their gigs in various concert halls and outdoor stages with large, excited crowds.

Evanna watched the video and moved on to another while the chocolate melted delightfully in her mouth with a hint of bitterness.

Even though Alter-Ev had no decent subwoofer, the band's powerful music electrified her with its deep bass, solid drums and catchy rhythm—the effect amplified by Junho going all out with his head-banging, rasping and yelling. The lyrics had substance—alternating between tones of lightheartedness and angst. Their music had soul, and so did their performance. The cherry on top was that they looked cool.

Invigorated, she logged into Arcana Online, which had finished downloading.

She scarfed down the last of the chocolate with a sigh of satisfaction and created a new lunar elf character, whom she named Artemisia. It was annoying that she had to level up a new character from scratch. Yet, when she completed the very first quest in the starting zone, a beam of optimism lanced through the murk in her mind.

Wednesday dawned, and the school day started with two periods of biology. They delved into the attributes of life, with students being given a fun thought exercise to imagine unconventional life forms possessing some of those attributes.

Evanna came up with rather wild suggestions that the teacher read out to the class, much to her mortification. Reminded of elemental beings in video games, she had even written "stellar civilizations" inside stars—with a doodle of what looked like an anthropomorphic fire, which made the teacher Mr. Oakfort guffaw in amusement.

After the bell rang, she set out for her art class—her other "chill" subject. It kindled a bubble of anticipation, and she even thought of using the elevators down to the ground floor. Habit, however, had already set her course in the direction of the stairwell. She started descending the stairs, bracing herself, just in case, for any surprises that might await her.

Soon, hushed voices wafted up to her from below. Straining her ears, she recognized Alcina's voice. She tiptoed further down and peered over the grey banister.

Alcina was standing in front of Armel Meriton, who seemed agitated. She had her arms crossed and was talking in an unperturbed manner, though Evanna couldn't make out words.

"But why?" Armel's voice rose a notch. "What did I do?"

Alcina just turned and left. He followed a minute later.

Wonder what she's up to now. At least, I'm not involved. Evanna continued her descent to the ground floor.

The art studio could comfortably fit two regular classrooms. Student work was everywhere—hanging on the walls and tucked into corners. One entire wall was an abstract mural of black and gold. Long tables and benches provided ample space for working, and many easels were scattered around.

People sat down at the tables and Evanna followed suit. The Obsidian boys were not present—they probably opted for music. Alcina, Sara, Oleanda or Anukie hadn't shown up either.

Marilda apparently took art class, since she drifted in and sank down next to her. As they exchanged a smile in greeting, Evanna decided this might prove to be her favorite class.

The teacher came bustling in with a smile that reached her eyes. She had a healthy bronze to her dark complexion, and her printed sheath dress had an abstract pattern in gold, black and white. As if to reinforce her artistic sensibilities, bronze beads adorned her neck in an unusual design.

"Hello kids! Are you all here?" she asked brightly. "Looks like it. Welcome to my class! I'm Sapna Halder."

The first lesson was still life. On one side of the studio, a potted philodendron plant, oranges and a slender glass bottle were tastefully arranged for their benefit.

Evanna and Marilda picked their easels and got to work. Charcoal pencils scraped on paper amidst hushed voices. The pleasant soundscape lulled them into a companionable silence.

"How's your lip?" Marilda asked after a while, peering at the healing wound. "Where did you bump it anyways?"

"Um, the counter in the restroom?" Evanna flashed a smile. "It's fine now, thanks!"

The other girl nodded. "I didn't put you down as the klutzy type, but then accidents happen, I guess."

Sery and Ula, perched on a stool near them, started an animated conversation about an upcoming Obsidian gig.

Marilda perked up and whispered, "So, who do you like the most out of them?"

Should I mention that I ran into Shane just yesterday? Evanna grinned. "I dunno—I watched a video or two just last night."

"I think I like Junho and Max the most." Marilda eyed the glossy plant before her. "Don't get me wrong—Ash and Shane are, like, awesome. But they're so mysterious and dark, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

"They're secretive—especially Shane. Like, I don't think even his most obsessed fans know anything substantial about him. Plus, I think I sort of gravitate towards Junho and Max, 'cause they're, like, your classic oppas. I wish they'd do some pop music sometime too."

Evanna giggled. "You watch romcoms?"

"Uhuh." The other girl dabbed a smudge on her paper. "I watch, like, a lot. Do you?"

"Not a lot. I watch shoujo anime too."

"Cool! I mostly read manga. I also write my own fanfic, 'cause you don't always get satisfactory ships or story endings."

"Send me! I want to see."

Marilda looked pleased. "I'll add you on FB and send you the link."

"Do you write original stories too?"

"So far, no. I also write articles for the school paper. They don't accept everything though, and they edit quite a bit before publishing." Marilda emitted a dissatisfied sniff, but puffed up her chest. "That's one reason I have to stay on top of things around here."

Evanna suppressed a laugh and leaned closer to the easel to refine her lines. "What's the paper?"

"Kom High Times. It's online. And it just occurred to me—I can write an article about you. It'd be interesting, 'cause you're probably the only new person in our classes, and you're new to the city too—"

"Hell no!" She almost dropped the pencil.

Marilda regarded her and let out an infectious giggle, making Evanna grin again. "Yeah, you don't look like you want publicity. But it was worth a try."

"You don't look like it either."

"But I take drama and theater." Marilda gave herself a determined nod.

"Wow, you're gonna be in a play?"

"Yeah, the school play would be on the day of the talent show."

"I'm definitely looking forward to it!"

Marilda beamed.

They concentrated on their meditative task, and the teacher soon arrived to check their progress.

"Your drawing shows promise," she said to Evanna, her voice warm. "Maybe you can add some shading here—make the plant pop out. See how the light falls on the leaf?"

When she was gone, Evanna turned to the other girl and whispered, "I like her."

"Me too," Marilda whispered back. "By the way, I'm surprised you don't have any questions for me today."

"I do. I wanted to ask you where you go for private tuition."

"Oh, you haven't signed up for any classes yet?"

Evanna noted the surprise on Marilda's face. "No..."

"I can't help you much there, 'cause you're not taking my subjects."

"Oh, never mind then."

"I do know some stuff though." Marilda tapped her pencil to her chin. "Many science people I know go to Olympus for classes."

"Where?"

"Olympus. In this precinct in downtown Komoreby. Several tuition centers are located there," Marilda said and added sagely, "Obsidian go there too."

"Oh." Evanna's eyes widened. "Thanks, I'll check it out. Does everyone go?"

"You don't do that in Nuara? Strange." Marilda's features shifted to a comical frown. "Yeah, you have to—especially science people. Unless you don't care about flunking."

She ignored the twinge of dread at the prospect of extra classes. I won't hang around this place that long!

When the class ended, they made their way to the cafeteria together.

"I like point-and-click adventures a lot," Marilda said as she pushed through the cafeteria doors. "They have nice stories. I really like this Deponia series—I'll send you some of my favorites."

"I'll check it out." Evanna recalled Junho and Max talking about an online game. "Is there some MOBA that's really popular here?"

"Oh, yeah, that's CoN. It stands for Champions of Novidus."

Marilda went on to describe it, but the words faded to meaningless noise.

Directly ahead at the food counter was Anukie.

Evanna's stomach constricted while her eyes focused on the floor. She inhaled a lungful of air to calm herself and mentally counted each step. One. Two. Three. The heady aroma of food filled her nose, but her appetite shrank the closer she got.

"—don't know that much about it really," Marilda went on as she picked up a plate. "This is only stuff I've heard. I'm not into online games."

"Oh, that's too bad," Evanna said, her voice rather shrill, as she carefully avoided making eye contact with Anukie. "I play Arcana Online, and it's great."

"It's good? I've heard about it. I saw it has cool character options."

"They've added more playable races, yeah. I started a new lunar elf called Artemisia. You might like the lore, the quests and the open world."

"I might play it sometime—"

"Hey, freaks," Oleanda whispered as she breezed by them, looking striking with her pixie haircut.

Evanna glared at her receding back. When she turned around, she noticed that Anukie had disappeared too.

"Just ignore her," Marilda said, her cheerful tone intact. "I think you're one of the prime targets 'cause you're new."

"I was a bit unfriendly to Sara in lit class—maybe that has something to do with it too. They must be friends."

They resumed their conversation on video games while eating, though Evanna had to cut it short with an excuse about an appointment with a teacher—which was not entirely untrue. She was glad when Genelle Lee, who was drifting close by in search of a seat, gravitated towards the one she was about to vacate.

Genelle seemed more awkward than the Genelle she knew. Her long ponytail complemented her tall frame, which brought to mind a model in a haute couture fashion show. However, her loping gait and slouched shoulders gave her a gangly look.

"Mind if I sit here?" she asked as Evanna made to get up.

Marilda shrugged. "I don't mind."

"Thanks." She set her food tray on the table and smiled at Evanna. "I'm Gen, by the way."

"Nice to meet you—I'm Evie," Evanna said, returning her smile. "Sorry, I gotta go!"

The girls waved goodbye as she departed the cafeteria. She wished she could fast-forward the next half hour of the fifty-minute lunch break.

The counseling unit was located on an upper floor of the Hive, and she had no trouble finding it. She had obtained an appointment in the morning, knowing that there was no getting out of it—especially given that her mom had obtained the counselor's phone number for a chat.

A few knocks later, she was admitted into a room furnished in pastel green. A square clock hung on one wall, its steady tick punctuating the stillness.

A bespectacled woman sat at the table, her plump form encased in an olive green blouse. Elaborate black curls hung down to her shoulders while magenta lipstick caked her thin lips.

This was Mrs. Sigrid Marsh—an O Level science teacher who also acted as the school counselor.

"Welcome." The woman smiled and motioned for her to sit on the sofa near the window. "Evie, yes?"

"Yes. Nice to meet you, Mrs. Marsh." Evanna perched on the edge of the sofa in a suitably well-mannered posture. "Thanks for seeing me."

"Make yourself comfortable now." The teacher sat down in front of her, manicured hands holding a notebook and pen. "Your mother called me for a quick chat a little while earlier."

"Yeah, she told me she was going to."

Mrs. Marsh surveyed her with her small, beady eyes. "Evie, I want to start by assuring you that you're safe here, and I'm here to help. What you wish to keep a secret would stay a secret in this room."

Evanna just smiled, though it came out rather half-hearted. Then maybe I can tell you I'm from a different timeline or universe or whatever it is—see how long you'd keep it a secret before you get me chucked in an asylum...

"Perhaps you can share some things about yourself?" the teacher asked, her tone encouraging. "We can start with your childhood and your life in Nuara."

Ev, the best way to get this over with fast is to cooperate. Evanna fidgeted in her seat and cleared her throat. "There's nothing much to say really. I live with my mom and my aunt—always been that way. We've lived a quiet life, 'cause, for one thing, life in Nuara is sort of quiet and slow-paced anyways."

"What about your father?"

"Um, I don't...remember him much. He died in a car crash when I was two."

"I'm sorry to hear that." There was a pattering sound as Mrs. Marsh tapped the pen on her open notebook. "What are your hobbies?"

"I grew up reading, watching anime and playing video games—well, your average non-outdoorsy stuff mostly."

"You don't like sports?"

"Um, not really..."

"Were you happy in Nuara?"

"I guess."

"What about your friends? Do you miss them?"

"Well, I can talk to them whenever online."

"Who's your best friend?"

Evanna hesitated. "I, um, don't have one."

There was a prolonged silence. That must not sound good. But not like I can talk about what happened with Ookie! That'd sound even worse.

After scribbling something in the book, Mrs. Marsh asked, "How was your move to Komoreby?"

"It was...okay," Evanna said—but when the teacher made no response, hastened to add, "Mom and Aunt Jan run this boutique advertising agency, and they shifted their main office of operation to Komoreby. It wasn't exactly easy for me, but I was excited about coming here."

"Do you like it here?"

"Yeah..."

"What about school? Have you made new friends?"

"Yep."

"I see that you're not comfortable enough to talk openly." Mrs. Marsh crossed her legs. "That's understandable. I wasn't expecting you to. We have plenty of time to go over things in the coming weeks."

The counselor might as well have tightened the invisible manacles that shackled her. Evanna inwardly groaned.

"Is there," Mrs. Marsh said, peering at her, "anything you'd like to talk about that may be troubling you? I'd like to remind you again that you won't get into trouble."

The clock seemed to tick louder as if to hypnotize her into revealing her innermost secrets. Oh, is she expecting me to say I'm doing drugs or something?

"Not really," Evanna said and added in a rush, "look, ma'am, my mom was mad at me yesterday, 'cause I made some mistakes, and I'm sorry about it. I didn't mean to skip the class on Monday, and it won't happen again."

"It's not just about you skipping the class. Your mother is concerned about you. Are you involved with a boy?"

Evanna blinked. "Um, no."

"Many girls your age go through problems that often revolve around boys." Mrs. Marsh watched her, the smile reappearing. "There's rebellion, feeling like adults are the enemies...It's just hormones. Then they are distracted from schoolwork, and their grades suffer. You will do well to stay away from boys. They are little devils who just want to have some fun, and then they leave you."

She stared at the counselor, who made a tutting noise, the pleasant smile still lingering on her face.

Finally, Evanna found her voice. "This has nothing to do with guys, ma'am."

"As I said before, we will go through everything in time."

Evanna resisted the urge to heave an exasperated sigh. Maybe I should've gone for regular therapy, after all.

The rest of the day crawled on without incident.

By the time school was over, a significant amount of homework had piled up. Back home, Evanna spent the whole evening poring over it. Mary and Janet wanted to know how her session with the counselor went, and after some deliberation, she just said it was fine.

As night approached, a dark cloud coalesced in her mind.

Friday was just the day after the next. It made sense for whatever this was to revert to normalcy on Friday. Yet, she had made no progress in unraveling the mystery, let alone figuring out how to get back to her reality. Her memory still eluded her after the point she had walked with Alcina down the subterranean tunnel.

Dinner also turned out to be a miserable affair, since she ended up in a heated argument with her mom over food—further aggravated by her outburst at encountering various animal products all over the fridge. Evanna's earnest explanations and pleas fell on deaf ears. It was all too alien and outrageous for both Mary and Janet, which made them increasingly defensive.

Late that night, Evanna huddled down in front of her computer to play Arcana Online.

Sevanalla Inn was a busy hub in the lunar elf city of Anda Molad—right next to the city's marketplace and auction house. Bioluminescent vines hung down from the rafted ceiling and cast a muted glow. The owner of the inn stood behind a table that showcased wine bottles of varying shapes. White wood furniture shone in the perpetual moonlight that streamed in through arched windows.

Artemisia observed the crowd as she sat in a corner and did some needleworking, which would get her much-needed coin. A bard played a lyre in one corner, while several NPCs danced to the music. A guild invite popped up, which she ignored. She had not yet decided which guild to join.

She was almost done with a cloak when a tall figure approached her. It was a high-level lunar elf Mage clad in a flowing robe of pearlescent turquoise and black. Her name, upon inspection, turned out to be Serafina.

"Hey! Need some help to level up?" she asked with a smiley emoji.

As the dialog box popped up, Artemisia gazed at it in surprise. "Really? Why would you help me though?"

Serafina shrugged. "I don't have anything particular to do right now."

Artemisia knew that some high-level players handed out coin to those starting out, but actually helping strangers level up was new to her.

"That's very nice of you." Artemisia smiled. "But I'd have to give you something in return."

"What's your profession?"

"Needleworking."

"Oh, you can make me some cool stuff when you level up maybe?"

"Sure!"

Serafina grinned and sent Artemisia a friend request, which she accepted.

"Have you decided which guild to join?" Serafina asked as they jogged out of the inn.

"No, not yet."

"You can join mine if you want. It's got nice people and cool perks."

Oh, is this some new way of recruiting guild members? Artemisia stood and waited for Serafina to summon her mount. "Okay, I haven't even checked out what's there, so might as well."

Anda Molad with its towering spires was the main city of the Umbra faction. It was located on the western edge of the Vale of Amorelle, the heart of lunar elf territory. One distinctive feature of Amorelle was its shimmering lake that reflected the two moons that hung in the night sky.

Serafina summoned her diatryma mount, and they rode towards the lake, Artemisia holding on from the back. This was a quest to collect feral kappa carapace.

"I like your mount," Artemisia said.

"Thanks!" The other elf grinned. "I got him from this quest chain in Loch Eos. I heard there's a dino-themed zone coming up in the next expansion."

"Really? Okay, I'm totally getting myself a T-rex."

Serafina laughed while the diatryma emitted a shrill squawk. "So, your favorite race is lunar elf?"

"Yep!"

"Mine too! I see you're a Ranger. You want to main Ranger or just trying it out?"

"Main. I like to take out my targets from afar."

"I dislike melee combat too. That's why I picked Mage. Though I wish I got companion animals like you do."

Artemisia cast an appreciate glance at the other elf's robes and staff. "I think it takes serious skill to play Mage."

"Ranger isn't easy either when you look at it that way." Serafina veered towards the feral kappa that materialized in their line of vision. "I mean, you're still just an elf with a bow, and the moment the tanks get to you up close, you're dead meat!"

Artemisia laughed.

Soon after, Serafina attacked a dozen kappa simultaneously with one spell. Artemisia took the final hit once their health was low.

They breezed through several quests, lost in conversation about the best mounts, the most rewarding dungeons and how to get great gear.

"Do you play this one char?" Serafina finally asked. "You don't seem new to the game."

"Oh, I just went through some guides and walkthroughs," Artemisia said in a rush, the text flashing up over her head.

"Right."

"I heard Mages have these tracking spells."

"Yeah, if you want to find someone, you can come to me."

"Cool! Can you please find these two people for me?" Artemisia asked as she picked a wild flower for her next quest. "I sort of know them, but they don't know me. I was thinking I can play with them once I level up."

Serafina was quiet for a moment, and then she laughed. "Okay, what are their names?"

"Croizar and Santuin."

"Are they people you know in RL?"

"Yeah."

Serafina cast the first spell, and a swirl of glowing blue light emanated from her hands. Then she drank a potion to get her mana up again for her next.

Artemisia watched, the wild flowers forgotten.

"Yeah, they're there in Gallenea, though currently offline," the other elf said. "Both are lycans. One is a Berserker and the other is a Knight."

Junho and Max go by the same names here! Artemisia thanked her and pretended to focus on the quest. Then she stilled.

Serafina's text bubble popped up. "Are you lagging?"

"Sorry." She straightened up. "I have to go."

"Oh, okay. I'll catch you another time!"

"Thanks for helping me out!" With that, Artemisia disappeared.

Evanna loaded her email and stared at it for a good minute. She had glanced at her phone when it notified her of a new email—and done a double take when she saw the sender, which was what had prompted her to log out of Arcana Online in a hurry.

She hastily clicked open the new email and read it—and reread it. Ed Morken had given her an appointment to speak with him on Monday and had provided her his phone number.