"It doesn't make sense," Quentin plopped down at the secluded corner table, "why would he leave this for us?" They'd managed to locate a little coffee shop a few blocks away and seized the opportunity to sit down and mull over the events of that afternoon. Neither of them had managed to put the pieces together as to why a total stranger would give them an infinitely valuable lost manuscript.

"Maybe he stalked us on social media?" Lilly suggested, only half-joking.

"I wrote my admissions essay on Fillory, maybe he knew I would like it?"

"That's not the kind of thing you give someone as a welcome gift to Yale," she pointed out, scrunching her nose in frustration. "If it isn't authentic, then he gave us a fanfiction for some reason. If it is, then why the hell would he give it to us, of all people?"

"Maybe, there's some sort of explanation in the manuscript itself?" Quentin placed the manuscript meticulously on the table between them. He made sure to check for any coffee residue before doing so. This stack of parchment was precious cargo, and he'd be damned if he was the one to destroy it.

"We need to take a closer look." Quentin nodded in agreement. "At first glance, the parchment itself is indicative of the period it claims to have been written in," Lilly thumbed the pages fastidiously. "It's remarkably well-preserved." She marveled at the text, skimming the words of the first page swiftly. She couldn't help the rising excitement at the idea that it was authentic. The barista arrived beside their table and gently placed their drinks down. Quentin snatched the manuscript up and redeposited it on the empty third chair, out of range of potential spillage. Lilly thanked the barista and blew on her steaming cappuccino. Quentin's mug was straight black, which didn't surprise her in the slightest. This preference seemed to match his overall demeanor.

"So," Lilly said in an attempt to make conversation as they sipped their drinks, "where did you go to college?"

"Columbia, you?"

"Same, I'm surprised we never met."

"Oh, well, I was never a social butterfly. Only went to a few parties the whole time I was there and Julia had to drag me." Quentin was a bit awkward, but he was sweet and that's what truly mattered. With a good amount of coaxing, Lilly was able to bring him out of his shell. It helped that they had their love for Fillory in common. Something about the book ignited a spark in Quentin's eyes, and Lilly had no doubt that she was in the presence of the biggest superfan in existence. He told her about the collection of first edition books he had gathered throughout the years, voicing his indignation that he'd found one at a garage sale, thrown into a box with a bunch of junk. It was wonderful for Lilly to have someone to share in her passion for literature as her friends had never been kindred spirits in that regard.

"I'm surprised you're so interested in this." He scrutinized her face, trying to get a read on her. "Julia is always yelling at me to leave this all behind and move on with my life and no offense, but you don't seem the type," Lilly studied him across the rim of her cup.

"These books were a big part of my childhood. They're classics and the writing is stunning. There's a balance you need to find between leaving it behind and keeping the child inside you alive," she smiled as he listened intently. "In my opinion, if you throw the things you love away just because you're getting older, it takes all the magic out of life, don't you think?" Quentin smiled fondly across the table. It had been so very long since he'd felt understood. As strange as the circumstances were, he felt more accepted by this woman than he had by anyone since Julia lost interest in Fillory. "I'll contact my literature professor from Columbia tomorrow. He might know how we can validate this." Lilly jutted her chin in the direction of the manuscript. "As much as I'd love to study that thing all night, I think we should hold off until we have the proper equipment. I don't want to risk damaging it."

"Yeah," Quentin's whole body seemed to deflate in disappointment, "I guess you're right."

"In the meantime, keep it in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight," Lilly instructed. She'd studied enough old manuscripts in school to know how they should be handled. A coffee shop definitely was not optimal.

"Wait, you want me to take it?"

"Quentin, I've only known you for a few hours, but I can tell you'd sooner die than let anything happen to that manuscript," she smirked, "besides, I'm pretty sure the only way you'd part with it is if someone chopped your arm off. I trust it's in good hands."

The afternoon passed in a flash, the sun disappearing behind the sea of skyscrapers. Quentin had left a moment earlier, after exchanging numbers and promising to keep each other updated and meet up soon to continue their investigation. They'd spent the rest of their time together chatting about everything from conspiracy theories to their childhood obsessions. The events of the day all seemed to blur in Lilly's mind, and she was pleasantly surprised at how it played out. She certainly hadn't expected it after her disastrous non-interview.

She descended the steps of the closest subway entrance, through the artificially lit hallway and tiled walls until she stood along the platform. Her stomach sank as she realized it was deserted. She stood alone in the cavernous station, glancing around to check for any suspicious characters. It was never a good idea to be alone in any secluded space in a city. Chances were, you wouldn't be alone for long, and you never knew who it would be that found you. Lilly gripped her bag tightly as she waited. According to the lit-up sign hanging from the ceiling, the next train wouldn't be arriving for another eight minutes. She settled down on one of the benches lining the wall and kept a wary eye on her surroundings.

The hairs on her arms began to stand on end, and she was keenly aware of a prickling along her spine. Lilly shifted uncomfortably in her seat. The damp, stale air grew charged with something unearthly, seeping through the cold and wrapping itself around her. There was a disturbance in the darkness of the tracks. Lilly stiffened and her heart began to thump heavily in her chest.

"It's just a rat," she whispered, eyeing the darkness dubiously. But the noise came again, echoing off the tiled ceiling and ringing through her ears in a resounding warning. A scratching, scraping, clanging. From the inky blackness came a bone-chilling snarl. Lilly jumped to her feet with a startled gasp. A rumbling grew from deep within the tunnel. Eyes squinting into the shadows she could scarcely make out the outline of something slouched over the far side of the tracks. Glowing blue eyes fixed on her. Lilly stumbled back, slamming her calf into the metal bench she'd been sitting on. The creature growled, guttural and hungry.

The tracks screeched as her view was interrupted by a train barreling between them at top speed. Her hair blew back as a fierce wind ripped through the tunnel. The fluorescent lights flickered uncontrollably over and over again. She was disoriented by the whirlwind of sensations slamming into her. The subway tiles peeled back from the wall, flinging themselves across the room. The roar of destruction was deafening. She turned to run back to the surface, but the entrance had been demolished, nothing but a pile of rubble remained. Lilly flung her arms over her head to protect herself from flying debris. The entire station was coming apart at the seams.

A flash of light focused her attention through the storm. Through the windows of the train, she caught glimpses of blue and green, sunlight, sky, trees, and grass. She squeezed her eyes shut, overwhelmed with the urge to be sick. Then, as if it had never even happened, the air stilled and the station went silent.

Lilly peeled her eyes open agonizingly slow, pure sunlight filtered in. The air was fresh and crisp, birds flitted between trees and everything seemed painstakingly normal. At least, it would've been normal if this was June, and it wasn't seven-thirty at night. She'd somehow been transported from the dark, filthy subway tunnel to a perfect summer day. She stood on a paved walkway, surrounded by perfectly groomed grass and trees, the only person around as far as she could tell.

"What the fuck just happened?"

"Well, you look like you just got hit by a bus." Lilly shrieked and whipped around to face the phantom voice. Leaning against one of the towering oak trees was a young woman around Lilly's age. A brunette with deep tan skin and mischievous dark eyes. Stylish and well-manicured, she wore her magenta top and black studded shorts with elegance and power. She grinned conspiratorially at Lilly.

"What- how did I-"

"Lilly Cole, right?"

"Uh, yes, how is this possible? One second I was in the subway, then things went mad, and I ended up here."

"My name's Margo, and you're at Brakebills University. Now, follow me, we don't want you to be late, do we?" She flashed a quick smile that promised trouble and began to hurry down the path. Her heels clicked sharply on the pavement as she went.

"What's going on? What the hell was that?"

"You, my dear, have been offered a preliminary exam for entry into the graduate program," yet another half answer.

"What graduate program? I didn't even apply, I've never heard of this school!" Margo just ignored her and Lilly followed for fear of being left alone in unfamiliar territory. She was led across a pristine cut lawn and into a massive building. This structure was much newer than the others they'd passed, with modern furniture and floor to ceiling windows. Margo's sky-high heels in no way hindered her speed, and Lilly found it difficult to keep up with her.

They reached a set of double doors and Margo silently pushed them open, motioning for Lilly to enter. Peering warily inside, she didn't get a chance to back up before Margo gave her a firm shove into the crowded room. It was set up with rows of long tables, seemingly for the test she was to take. A large banner with Brakebills University printed in bold letters hung above a platform at the front of the room.

She looked around, still confused at how she'd gotten there, everyone else looked like they knew what was happening. The longer the absurdity continued, the more certain she was that this was all some bizarre fever dream. It looked like a regular old testing room. Lilly's head spun with unanswered questions as she inched further into the crowd. People were beginning to take their seats, and Lilly shuffled over to the nearest desk to blend in. She was extremely concerned by the fact that no one else seemed bothered. The safest thing to do was to keep a low profile until she could figure out what was going on.

She sat beside a young woman with wavy magenta hair and perfect caramel-colored skin that seemed to glow from within. She wore all black which made the color of her hair stand out even more. Lilly sat beside her and received a grin.

"Hi," she greeted, "I'm Dani." Lilly happily shook her hand, relieved at the opportunity to ask her burning questions to someone other than Margo, who was less than forthcoming.

"Lilly," glancing around the room at the other test takers she noticed that they seemed to be the only people interacting, "do you know what's going on?"

"We're taking the entrance exam for Brakebills." Dani's brows furrowed like she didn't understand the question. Maybe, Lilly was going crazy. She seemed to be the only one that didn't know what was happening, and how else could she explain the subway station's spontaneous implosion. Dani's face morphed from confusion to realization.

"Oh! Sorry, you must be one of the muggle bo--" she was interrupted by a booming, authoritative voice.

"No talking, please!" A man at the front of the room was looking straight at them with narrowed eyes. He wore a full suit and tie, his demeanor told her that he was someone of authority. Her cheeks warmed in embarrassment and Dani shrank back into her chair. After a moment, the man continued to gaze around the room as if searching for someone in particular. Dani twisted in her seat, mouthing, 'talk later,' before facing front dutifully. It was a few more moments of pressing silence before the door in the far back corner of the testing room was flung open and the chastising man yelled again.

"Late!" Lilly craned her neck to see the newcomer but whoever it was, was concealed by the sea of heads between them, "be seated." The last few stragglers found their spots, too afraid of the man to risk being apprehended. "Welcome, you may address me as Dean. "He strolled across the stage, his hands tucked into the pockets of his gray dress pants. "I know you have questions," Lilly's hand shot up with the opportunity to finally know what was going on, "and they will be answered in time." The Dean looked directly at her, raising his brow, his eyes seemed to bore into her. Lilly slowly and embarrassingly let her hand fall to her side. He turned away to continue his walk across the raised platform. "Now, your only job is to pass the examination before you."

Lilly glanced down at the light blue packet. The paper was adorned with the Brakebills crest, beneath it the words, 'Examination,' and 'Blue Book'. The Dean reached towards a large hourglass readily available on a table beside him and flipped it over, commencing the exam. Lilly opened her test booklet, accepting that the only way out of this, was through.

The first page showed a complex math problem and asked her to explain why it was true or false. She was only halfway through when the ink itself seemed to dissolve into the paper and a new problem replaced it. She let out a small gasp, looking around at the other test takers only to see that they were all deep in thought. Maybe she actually was crazy. Glancing back at her paper she read the next question, 'name the following hand positions', it said, above a group of drawings, all displaying various painful-looking hand positions that she had never seen before. She had taken a few classes on American sign language, and was actually quite good, so the answer should've come to her in an instant, but these were completely foreign to her. She wrote down whatever words the positions most resembled and ended up with the most random mix of words imaginable, but before she could take a second look, the question changed again, materializing another math problem.

Math had always been her worst subject, but she managed to solve the jumble of numbers before the page dissolved. She completed the literature questions with little to no problem, giving her a boost in confidence at the outcome of the exam. The rest of the test passed by in a blur. She'd just barely finished the last question when the Dean spoke.

"Pencils down, everyone! Please, bring your tests to the front of the room where you will be given your next instructions." Lilly stood from her chair, letting out a sigh of relief that the torture was over. Dani gave her an encouraging wink and a small smile and headed towards the front of the room. Lilly gathered up her test and had begun to follow until she slammed straight into another test taker. Her booklet was knocked from her grasp, landing with a thud on the floor. Luckily, only a few people took notice, she'd already had enough embarrassment today.

"I am so sorry," Lilly apologized profusely to whomever she'd bumped.

"Watch where you're going, Barbie," a deep voice grumbled from above her, moving on almost as quickly as he'd come. Lilly stood, seeing a man of most likely Indian descent making his way towards the front of the room. She might've found him attractive if his personality wasn't so repulsive. Letting out a huff of annoyance, she approached a long row of tables holding boxes for them to place their exams in. A staff member handed her a slip of paper resembling a tarot card.

"Please report to this next room for your final examination." Lilly shuffled off to the side to read her card. 'Building A, Room 104,' it read.

"Jules," Lilly's head whipped towards the voice. A man rushed across the room to embrace a fellow test taker. They pulled apart and Lilly felt a wave of relief to see two familiar faces. Julia and Quentin were huddled together, exchanging frantic whispers. Lilly hurried over to them and once Quentin saw her, he surprisingly wrapped her in a tight hug. "Thank God, you're here too."

"Do you guys know what's going on? You won't believe how I got here," Lilly whisper yelled to the two, glad there was someone who would listen to her.

"No, I-" Julia began, but was cut off by The Dean.

"Stop talking, please, stay focused." Lilly begrudgingly split with the others and headed towards her next destination.