Beta - Chapter Two: Expansion

Beta C. Baker

BRANDON’S HAND WAS SOFT AND WARM, CLOSED AROUND HERS IN A PROTECTIVE, reassuring grasp as he led her down the street. It was dark, and the street signs were hard to read. She wasn’t really sure where they were going but it seemed to be east of her house. Or, wait, maybe it was west. Her sense of direction had always been rather poor. Logic told her she should be nervous about their destination and maybe thinking about possible evasive tactics, but she felt an odd sense of comfort with him, blind trust that overrode logic. This, paired with a burst of insatiable curiosity distracted her from rational thought. They weaved through suburbia and surface streets as a million questions weaved through her mind. She half trotted to keep up with his long strides. He seemed to be in a hurry. “So, who are you?” she asked, looking up at him. “What are you?” “I’m Brandon. I’m a Libra. I enjoy long, romantic walks on the beach and—“

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Beta C. Baker Rowena groaned loudly and rolled her eyes. That joke was so overdone. “You know what I mean. How do you know so much about me? I mean, it’s as if you’ve known me for years.” He grinned at her. “All in good time.” “Oh, is this a bad time?” she inquired sarcastically. “I’m sorry, I thought you’d been chasing me down for a week. My mistake.” “It’s just hard to explain,” he admitted. “It’ll be easier to show you.” Rowena sighed. “Well, are you psychic? Like you can read minds and stuff?” “Um. Sort of.” “What about the future?” “I told you. It’s better to show you,” he said somewhat impatiently. Then he looked at her, smiling sweetly. “Don’t worry. Your questions will be answered.” “All of them?” she inquired. “…Yes. But those answers will lead to a lot more questions,” he said after a moment’s hesitation. “And I’m not so sure I’ll be able to answer all of those ones.” She was quiet for a moment, frowning. “Are you this frustratingly vague on purpose? Because it’s less alluring and mysterious than it is just annoying.” Brandon laughed, grinning brilliantly, and Rowena was once again drawn to his unique beauty, power, and grace glowing past his controlled reserve. A short gust of warm wind blew small strands of light hair across his dark eyes. He turned to her. “We’re here,” he announced, nodding to her right. She half expected to see a castle or a mansion or some creepy government building, but it was just a normal white house with a green lawn and a black sedan in the driveway. All it was missing was a lawn gnome and a golden retriever. “Huh,” she said. “It’s…nice.” Brandon chuckled. “What? Are you disappointed?” “No, no, no. I was just…expecting something a little more, um…” She trailed off helplessly.

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Beta C. Baker “Hollywood?” he offered. “Yeah,” she conceded sheepishly. He grinned and headed up the driveway, guiding her with his hand on her lower back. “We prefer not to draw too much unneeded attention to ourselves.” The plural terms in his statement registered at the same time as the lights in the windows. Rowena felt a little uneasy again. She’d just begun to trust Brandon; she wasn’t sure if she was ready for much more than that, yet. “Don’t worry, they’re cool” he assured her. “Everything is jake.” Rowena paused, staring at him blankly. He blinked at her. “I’m trying to be more Hollywood for you,” he explained. “Too much?” She frowned uncertainly. “Who’s Jake?” Smirking, he shook his head and said, “No one,” before ushering her inside. The house was considerably cooler than outside, to the point that the first small breeze of air made her shiver. It was laid out similarly to the house her grandparents had lived in before they died. A staircase right in front of them led up to the second story, a doorway to their left appeared to lead to the living room, and she assumed the door to their right led to a kitchen. The entryway was bare: no pictures, tables, mirrors, or even a rug. It was home only to a small coat rack holding two jackets. Brandon’s joined them as he called out, “I’m back!” A voice from the living room answered, “What’s the news?” overlapped with another, more excited voice shouting, “You get ‘er?” Brandon ignored Rowena’s quizzical look, calling back, “She’s here!” There was a thud, a clatter, an annoyed, “Watch it!” and then a wild-haired darkskinned boy burst in from the living room. Startled, Rowena yelped and leapt back. Her foot caught on a tear in the carpet and she went down, crashing through the right door. Well, she was right about it being a kitchen, at least.

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Beta C. Baker Wincing, she pushed herself up on her elbows. The backpack had saved her back, but her left hip groaned painfully. She looked up to see the boy holding open the door and grinning delightedly down at her. Over his shoulder was a taller, pale boy with rectangular glasses and neatly trimmed dirty-blonde hair. He looked unimpressed. “This is her?” he said dryly. “Are you kidding?” the other exclaimed. “Of course this is her! She’s perfect!” Brandon pushed past them and helped Rowena to her feet. She tenderly straightened her shirt, watching them curiously. “Guys, this is Rowena,” Brandon said calmly. “Ro, this is Alec and Darren.” Alec jumped forward and seized her hesitantly outstretched hand, pumping it enthusiastically. His many bracelets clacked together and jingled merrily. “This is fantastic!” he said excitedly. “We’re ecstatic to have you here!” Darren snorted softly but didn’t speak up. Rowena glanced at him and decided he probably wouldn’t go for a handshake. Instead he was looking at Brandon as though he were the dumbest person he’d ever met. Alec, on the other hand, was looking at him like he was a god. Brandon sighed. “She doesn’t know anything yet,” he explained. “I haven’t told her.” Alec’s face fell and slowly slid to match Darren’s. “Why on earth not?” he gaped, perplexed. “Because,” Darren growled slowly. “Brandon fancies himself romantically mysterious.” He turned his gaze on Rowena. “Tell me, is he a poor impression of Edward Cullen?” Rowena shrugged. “I never read Twilight. I wouldn’t know.” A smile spread across his face in a way that suggested it was an expression he rarely wore. “Good answer.” Rowena offered a tentative smile back just as his slid away to seriousness once more, a look in his eye warning her that she hadn’t won him over just yet. She turned back to Brandon.

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Beta C. Baker “What is all of this about?” she asked quietly, but firmly. No more mysteries. She was reading for something to happen, or not to, but this state of limbo was killing her. Brandon opened his mouth to answer, but Alec spoke first, grasping her forearm in excitement and anticipation. “You must have so many questions,” he sympathized with her, though his voice was still cheerful. Smiling with a growing fondness for Alec’s energy, Rowena nodded. “Brandon said you had to show me something.” Alec’s face lit up with recognition. “Oh yes of course! That’s brilliant! Oh, it would take much to long to explain! Really, we could all be here for days just talking, talking, talking, talking, and at the end you probably wouldn’t understand a single word any of us had said!” “I don’t doubt that,” Darren muttered, just loud enough to be heard. “Darren,” Brandon warned. But Darren had apparently had enough, and the low vibe of tension that had been radiating off of him the entire time was released in a loud growl of frustration. “Well, come on, Brandon! A high school drop-out? What were you thinking?” “You’re just pissed because you spent five months at MIT and found no one useful,” Brandon spat coldly, crossing his arms. “Uh-oh,” Alec murmured, and pulled Rowena aside as Darren stomped towards Brandon. “Don’t you give me that shit,” he snarled. “Mike would have been great and you know it!” “Mike was part of the bigger picture! Removing him would have—“ “Saved dozens of lives!” “And possibly caused the crumble of civilization!” Brandon’s eyes narrowed. “Besides, you know as well as I do that saving people wasn’t the reason you chose him.”

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Beta C. Baker Darren’s eyes widened, wild and furious, his face and neck flushing red. Alec made a strained noise, somewhere between a gasp and a groan. “How dare you—“ “Hey! Hey-hey-hey!” Alec yelled, scrambling forward as Darren raised his fist. He slid between them, pushing Darren slightly back. “Knock it off, come on,” he scolded them, and nodded pointedly towards Rowena. Darren turned to look at her with a harsh fury, and Rowena’s breath caught in her throat. With an angry snort, he moved swiftly towards her and she found herself trapped against a counter. “Fine. Let’s see how great she really is.” She was dimly aware of Alec and Brandon yelling and rushing toward them as Darren pressed his hands to either side of her head and everything around them faded away into a blue and white blur of numbers and codes and equations, rushing around them at the speed of the earth. And then her mind opened and the universe poured inside. One percent thirteen point seven billion years six thirty two thousand one Delta II L2 four two thousand two two point seven two four nine to two point seven two five one degrees Kelvin error ten power one hundred twenty expand ten power fifty dark seventy three percent one hundred fifty billion years ninety nine point nine nine nine nine nine one hundred billion see see weak to millennia ninety nine point nine nine nine nine not ready stop nine nine nine nine six look killing her information paradox first line second plane third space fourth time Darren let go please fifth branches possibilities she can’t no stop! All at once everything was dark and warm and the numbers faded to a gentle whisper, safety. But she couldn’t feel the ground beneath her and her own fear fought against the consolation as she floated, lost, alone, begging to be grounded. *****

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Beta C. Baker The room she woke up in was dimly lit with an amber glow. Unease clenched in her stomach as she struggled to remember what had happened to make her head hurt so much. Slowly, the memory of Darren’s anger returned to her, along with the flood of numbers that had filled her brain and heart and nose and made her feel ready to explode. She couldn’t remember them all, only that it had been too much, too fast, and though she was sure it might have killed her if something or someone hadn’t stopped it, it felt important. It felt essential in a way that sort of terrified her. With a high groan, she forced herself to sit up and was somehow not surprised or startled when Brandon’s arms were around her, helping her. She felt warm and safe in his embrace, but through her foggy desire to be held and comforted, she grasped some string of logic and frustration, and pushed him away. “I’m sorry,” he said immediately. “Darren has a temper. He’s upset because—“ “I don’t care,” she said hoarsely, and discovered that her mouth and throat were completely dry. Swallowing painfully, she demanded, “What just happened?” A glass of water was pushed into her hands. She gulped it down greedily, the smooth coolness soothing her throat. Brandon took a deep breath. “You really weren’t supposed to see it that way, you weren’t ready,” he continued, and though he was still talking, as far as Rowena was concerned, he wasn’t saying anything. “I wanted to prepare you first, ease you into it—“ “Well, that’s pretty much a moot point, isn’t it?” she cut across him harshly, glaring fiercely through the shadows. “Who are you people? What’s going on and what the hell does it have to do with me?” Even in the poor light, she could see his face soften in defeat. He nodded slowly, looking down at his hands thoughtfully. “Alright. Okay,” he said quietly, more to himself than to her, before looking at her again. “Alec, Darren and I are…different. I know you’ve figured that much by now, but…in a way, we’re not exactly…human.” Rowena swallowed again, her heart beating faster. Part of her was telling her to run, to get as far away from them and this house as she could… But another part of her

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Beta C. Baker was exhilarated, dying to know more, to be part of this potential adventure. To be more, like Brandon promised her. “Metaphorically? Or literally?” she ventured cautiously, unsure of which part of herself to allow dominance. “Both. Sort of. Like I said before, it’s complicated.” He seemed to be searching for the right words, rubbing his hand across his mouth. “What Darren did to you before, was open your mind to the way he sees the universe. All those numbers filling up your head…he has that all the time. And that was the smallest portion he could have shown you. Any more and you would’ve been lost completely.” He paused to allow her to wrap her mind around that, which she was having trouble doing. She scratched her head. “How is that even possible? To see the world that way all the time?” she asked, trying to remember what it had been like. “I couldn’t even really see anything. It was like…like…” “A computer,” Brandon finished for her. “That’s the best thing to compare Darren’s brain to. He’s able to take all of those numbers and understand them, and essentially understand the universe as it is scientifically and mathematically.” The concept was amazing, and slowly Rowena’s desire to know more won over her desire to keep herself safe. She leaned forward slightly, eyes wide. “Do you see things that way too? And Alec?” she marveled. Brandon shook his head. “Not as strongly as Darren does. Math and science are dominant in his head. It’s what he’s most passionate about. Alec and I are different from him and from each other.” “I don’t understand.” “We each have our specialties, I suppose. Darren’s happen to be math and science.” “What about yours and Alec’s?” she prompted, still trying to understand, and feeling that this was all the very tip of the iceberg.

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Beta C. Baker “Alec’s talents deal with magicks, and connecting with the natural universe,” he explained. “Sort of like Wicca and Voodoo, I guess. I’m not exactly sure. I never really understood when he tried to explain it to me. He has a tendency to ramble.” Rowena blinked, sitting up straighter. “Wait, you’re talking about mixing science and magic. Isn’t that a bit, I don’t know… Contradictory?” Now Brandon was beaming at her, and his happiness somehow comforted her and excited her at the same time. She couldn’t help but smile slightly in return. “That’s the beauty of the quantum universe, Rowena,” he said excitedly. “Anything and everything is possible. All things exist together. In a way it’s almost an oxymoron, and yet it isn’t, because it can’t be.” Shaking her head to clear it, Rowena said, “You’re losing me again. Quantum universe? I thought science was Darren’s thing.” “It’s just the easiest term to explain the combination of all universes,” he said, his excitement growing. “Do you see what I’m saying?” She did, and she was shocked at the implication that such a thing was possible. “Are you talking about parallel worlds?” “Yes! Precisely! Oh, Rowena, there’s so much out there, so many amazing things,” he said passionately, holding her hands. “There’s so much we, I want to show you.” “But…I mean…wow, seriously?” She was at a loss for words. Psychic connections, magic, parallel worlds. It was all so…sci-fi fantasy. “Seriously,” he grinned. “How?” “Oh, you know. Science, magic, stories that take hours to tell.” His tone suggested that the story of how everything started was going to have to wait for another time. She was okay with that for now. There was already a lot going on that she was just having trouble keeping up with. “So, what do you want me for?” she asked carefully. “I’m guessing you didn’t just pick me at random to give me the grand tour.”

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Beta C. Baker Brandon sighed. “This is where it gets complicated again. Okay, think about your life. The decisions you’ve made, the influences people have had on you, et cetera. Now think about what would happen if one of those things had changed. What if you’d decided to keep on with school? What if your brother never moved away?” Startled, Rowena looked at Brandon. “How did you know about Eric?” Brandon smiled knowingly, and Rowena looked away, once again annoyed by his apparent ability to know everything. But she didn’t want to think about Eric and how he’d moved away to Europe and left her all alone, so she gestured impatiently. “Fine, go on.” “Every decision you’ve made has brought you to where you are now. Like the butterfly effect. Have you heard of that?” She nodded. “What are you getting at?” “Certain things need to happen to keep each universe in order. Certain people must travel certain paths and make certain decisions, or everything falls apart. The problem is, the three of us aren’t enough to keep everything together.” “So, you want me to help you?” she asked in disbelief. “Why me?” “Well, it’s a complicated job. It won’t always be easy, but you’re the type of person that’ll be able to handle it.” Alec and Darren’s reactions from earlier suddenly made sense. Alec agreed with Brandon, but Darren thought she wasn’t smart enough to handle it. To be honest, she was leaning towards Darren’s opinion in this case. “How do you know?” she asked Brandon skeptically. He smiled fondly and gently touched her temple. A flicker of warmth and faith sparked in her mind. “I know,” he whispered. She tilted her head into his hand and met his eyes seriously. “You haven’t told me what your specialty is yet.” His smile fading away to a thoughtful appraisal, he said simply, “People.”

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Beta C. Baker She nodded slowly as he pulled his hand back and his presence in her mind diminished. They were both quiet for a long time, and for the first time since she’d met him, Brandon looked surprised, if only mildly so. Rowena was about to ask why, but the moment was lost when a voice spoke up. “There’s one more thing, though.” They both looked to see Alec standing in the doorway, looking apologetic and a little worried. “There’s a catch.” Rowena’s brow knitted. “A catch? What sort of catch?” “Your mind as it is won’t be able to handle the 5th dimension,” he said, and at her quizzical look, added, “The dimension we’re from, where you can see the different worlds, and travel to them.” “We’re going to have to change you.” Rowena looked at Brandon, who was once again serious and determined. “Change me how?” she asked warily.

The fact that they actually had a make-shift laboratory in their basement would have been hilarious if it wasn’t so terrifying. Medical machines and computers surrounded an odd contraption that reminded Rowena of a combination of a dentist’s chair and an electric chair. The top of the back had a round device that she imagined attached to a person’s head, and several leather bindings hung loosely from its sides. Amongst the machines she spotted a heart monitor and a defibrillator, which she only recognized from shows like House, M.D. Every machine seemed to attach to either the round, metal headband or had nodes or other means to attach to its patron. Me, she reminded herself with a nervous swallow. Through the entire experience she hadn’t wanted to run more than now. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest and she was feeling nauseas, trembling at the bottom of the stairs. The lighting was dim and poor except for the work area, which was flooded with stark light. She felt like she was in Frankenstein’s lab.

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Beta C. Baker “Brain surgery?” she choked out, gripping the handrail for support. “You never mentioned that any of you were doctors.” “We’re not,” Brandon said, and Rowena’s head snapped to look at him in stunned alarm. “Well, not technically. But we’ve all studied and developed this procedure very thoroughly.” “And what exactly is this procedure?” she demanded shakily. “It’s still sorta experimental,” Alec, who was standing on the stairs behind them, admitted calmly. He grinned. “But we’re sure it’ll work. It’s years and years in the making! Oh, and you can’t forget the most important thing.” Rowena raised her eyebrows as Alec leaned down to her, looking delighted. “And what’s that?” His eyes twinkled. “We’re all brilliant!” Brandon smiled amusedly, and gently stroked Rowena’s arm. “We don’t expect you to make this decision now,” he assured her. “We know how huge it is.” As they headed up the stairs, Rowena thankful to be getting away from that horrific contraption, Alec bounded in front of them and added, “It’ll also give Darren time to cool off.” “Well, maybe Darren has a point,” Rowena said, and shifted uncomfortably under Brandon and Alec’s surprised gazes. “I mean, aside from the almost-killing-me part. Maybe I’m not smart enough for this.” “Ohhhh, Ro-we-nah,” Alec intoned teasingly. “Don’t you worry one bit about what Darren says. He just expects everyone to be tiny Einsteins. But tiny Einsteins are just all wrong for this. Don’t you agree?” “Sure,” Rowena agreed weakly. *****

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Beta C. Baker Brandon drove her home in the black sedan, his eyes focused fixedly on the road. According to the car’s clock, Rowena had been with him for over two hours. She watched him quietly, pondering what she was going to tell her mother about being late. The drive was quiet, but as they pulled up in front of her house, she couldn’t resist asking one more question. “Why me?” Brandon put the car into park and looked at her curiously. “I mean, I know you said before that I’m the right type of person or whatever, but… There must be other people out there that fit the mold just as well. Why did you pick me, specifically?” He tilted his head and seemed to deliberate for a long moment, looking at her but not really seeing her. “Do you remember when I told you that you’d never affect anything in this world?” he asked, and when she nodded, he continued, “That’s only partly true. There’s one more thing you’ll do here that will have an impact on the people around you.” His eyes met hers, contrite and sorrowful. “You’re running out of time.” “Running out of time?” she asked, quirking an eyebrow. “What does that mean?” He looked away and shifted the car into drive. “I’ll come back in a week. Think about what you want.” “But—“ The doors unlocked with a loud, resolute click and Rowena took that to mean go, now. Watching him with a slight frown, she grabbed her knapsack and opened the door, climbing out. He drove off without another word. She watched him leave and continued to stare into space even after the car disappeared into the distance. Running out of time for what? With a tired sigh, she turned and walked up the driveway, preparing herself for a scolding from her mother.

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Beta C. Baker Sure enough, as soon as she opened the door, Ellis pounced like a hungry cat, her eyes wide and her lips pressed thinly together. “Rowena Alice Dekker!” she barked, her arms crossed tightly across her chest. “Just where have you been? It is almost nine-thirty! Your shift ended at seven o’clock and I know from the bus schedule that it should only take you half-an-hour to get home!” Rowena blinked at her. “A few of the girls invited me to go out for drinks.” “You’re only nineteen, Rowena,” Ellis scolded her. “You have no business drinking.” “I know. I had Pepsi,” she said calmly. “But I was thinking I’d go out for lunch with Anna tomorrow. She’s one of the other maids. Do you think I could borrow the car?” Ellis frowned. “You should have called to let me know where you were.” “I thought you wanted me to be more independent,” Rowena shot back. “I didn’t know that included calling my mother to check in every twenty minutes.” Obviously miffed but with no real firepower, Ellis glared and snapped, “You can take the bus like usual,” before stomping upstairs to go to bed. Rowena sighed and reached into her pocket, pulling out Anna’s phone number. She had actually intended to just use her as an excuse to get out of the house for a while without Ellis demanding to know where she was (for someone who wanted to her to get out more often, she sure was picky about what she was doing). But now that she thought about it, she could use some advice, and maybe Anna was the right person to talk to. As she trotted up the stairs she pulled out her phone and punched in Anna’s number. Voicemail picked up as Rowena slipped into her room. “Hey Anna. It’s Ro, from work. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out tomorrow for lunch. Say, Christie’s Café at 12:30? You can bring the little one if you want. Let me know.” She rattled off her number and hit the End button, before peeling out of her clothes and flopping onto her bed for another restless night of tossing and turning.

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Beta C. Baker ***** Anna did bring her daughter with her, a small, polite blonde girl named Abigail who swung her legs while she drank her chocolate milk through a straw and quietly scribbled into a coloring book. Rowena smiled gently at her and was thankful that she wasn’t a screaming, crying little brat. She already had enough stress to deal with without a headache in a pinafore, but she would’ve felt bad calling Anna on such short notice and making her find a babysitter. But Anna had been more than willing to join Rowena for lunch. On the phone she’d said that she probably would’ve just lazed around the house all day if Rowena hadn’t called, and it was nice for both her and Abigail to get out for a while. “So what was it you wanted to talk about?” Anna asked, stirring sweetener into her iced tea. Rowena looked up from her menu, surprised. She hadn’t mentioned wanting to talk about anything in particular. A sly smile curved Anna’s thin, dark lips. “Oh, come on, Ro, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out this isn’t purely a social lunch,” she said, lacing her fingers and propping her chin up on them. “You called the same night I gave you my number. And let’s not forget your blonde friend at the motel.” Embarrassed, she looked back down at her menu and reached for her soda, taking a long, slow drink. She had hoped it wasn’t so obvious, and she didn’t want Anna to think that the only reason she had invited her to lunch was because she needed something from her, even if it was the truth. “What’s on your mind, honey?” Anna pressed lightly, bringing her straw to her mouth. Rowena sighed and decided it would be best to just jump right into it. Still, she knew that Anna was no where near believing a word of the truth, so she was going to have to be fairly vague. “Alright, well…it does have to do with the boy at the motel,” she admitted, and looked away when Anna’s eyes brightened mischievously. “He’s not, y’know, my

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Beta C. Baker boyfriend or my ex-boyfriend or anything like that. I only met him earlier this week. But I was talking to him last night and...” The waitress approached and interrupted politely. “Do you know what you’d like to order?” They did. Rowena ordered a large cobb salad, and Anna ordered a half BLT with extra tomato, fries, a dill pickle on the side, and a cup of yogurt for herself, and chicken strips and corn for Abigail. “Continue,” Anna gestured at Rowena, looking over when Abigail tugged at her sleeve to show her the drawing she’d made and quietly ooh-ing and aah-ing. “His name is Brandon, and he took me to meet some friends of his, and they…” She struggled for the right words. “They’re offering me a tremendous opportunity. You really can’t imagine how amazing it is, but you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Anna looked up at her curiously, her brow knitting. “So what’s the problem?” “It’s dangerous, Anna,” Rowena said quietly. “Life-threateningly dangerous. And I have to trust them if I agree to…take them up on their offer.” “What is this opportunity, Rowena?” Anna asked cautiously. “Is it a job offer?” “…Sort of.” “And why is it so dangerous?” Rowena’s shoulders drooped. “It’s just that… Well, the whole thing is dangerous.” Anna thought for a long time, looking past Rowena and humming thoughtfully. Rowena waited patiently, asking Abigail about her drawings and listening aptly to her shy answers. Their food arrived, and Anna broke from her thinking. “Rowena.” “Yes?” “I figure there’s a reason you’re being so vague,” she said carefully, salting her fries. “I don’t know if it’s embarrassing for you, or if it’s illegal, or what. But I also figure it’s none of my business.”

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Beta C. Baker She paused, and then continued, “A lot of things in this world are dangerous. Hell, just eating fast food or crossing the street can be life-threatening. If we don’t take risks, we won’t get anywhere in life. And, you may have heard this one, life passes by in an instant. We’re all running out of time.” Rowena blinked. “Running out of time?” she repeated slowly. Anna glanced at her, popping a French fry into her mouth. “Yeah. We’re all going to die one day, aren’t we?” Rowena stared, stunned. Realization settled into the pit of her stomach and suddenly she wasn’t hungry anymore. Brandon had said she was running out of time, and she was. Oh god. That’s what he meant. I’m going to die. It’s going to happen soon, that’s why he’s been so insistent, that’s why he’s only giving me a week. I’m going to die soon and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. Nothing, except… “Geez, Rowena, are you okay?” Anna asked suddenly, ripping her back into the real world. “You’re like, hyperventilating.” Taking a few deep breaths, Rowena nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine, sorry. Um, go on.” “Okay… Well, the real question you need to be asking yourself is how badly you want this job or whatever it is you’re talking about,” Anna went on, watching Rowena carefully. “You need to figure out if it’s going to make you feel like someone before one day you wake up and realize you’ve wasted your youth away and gotten yourself stuck in a dead-end job with no way out.” As she grabbed her dill pickle and dipped it into her yogurt, Rowena realized that Anna hadn’t been talking about her at the end, there. She frowned slightly. Anna crunched into the pickle. “Anna…you’re expecting again, aren’t you?” Rowena said softly. Anna looked up at her, slowly chewing and then swallowing. She smiled feebly. “That obvious, huh?”

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Beta C. Baker “I just don’t know of many un-pregnant people who eat pickles with yogurt,” Rowena pointed out. Anna nodded and sighed, looking down at her belly. It was protruding very slightly, and might have passed for just a bit of pudge if Rowena didn’t know better. “I’m four months,” she said, a mixture of fondness and sadness in her voice. “I thought about getting an abortion, you know. I mean, I’m having trouble with just Abby. But I just…I just couldn’t do it.” Tears were beginning to well up in Anna’s eyes. She forced a smile and stroked Abigail’s hair. “Do you know where the father is?” Rowena wondered delicately. “Can he help?” She shrugged. “He was just a one-night stand in a cheap hotel. I don’t even remember his name.” Rowena took a slow breath. Suddenly Anna didn’t look so hungry either. “Rowena, if you really want to know what I think,” Anna said slowly, looking at her again. “You should go for it. Working at the motel isn’t going to get you anywhere except broke and depressed. If it weren’t for Abigail, I might have given up a long time ago.” She turned to Abby and ruffled her hair. “But she’s my wild cherry lifesaver. Aren’t you, baby?” Abigail giggled happily. Rowena smiled, curious about how Anna’s spirits were lifted only by the reason she was struggling so hard to make ends meet in the first place. “Are you going to be alright Anna?” “Oh, yeah, I’ll be fine,” she said confidently. “My mother brought me up with religion. ‘All things work together for good for those who love God and work according to his purposes.’ And I have faith that God won’t let anything happen to my little girl.” Rowena watched Anna play with her daughter for a few minutes, pondering the advice she’d been given. She would never end up like Anna, a single mother struggling to stay afloat in a bad economy; she didn’t have the time to make such large mistakes. In fact, she really only had two choices.

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Beta C. Baker Certain death, or almost-certain death. Well, one thing was for sure; she wasn’t going to just lie down and give up. Anna was more right about taking risks than she knew. “How’s everything going over here?” their dark-haired waitress asked cheerfully. “Oh, you know what?” Anna said apologetically. “I don’t think I’m so hungry after all. Can I get a box for all this?” “Yeah, me, too,” Rowena said sheepishly. “Are your orders okay?” the waitress asked, looking confused at the amount of uneaten food. “Oh, yeah, it’s fine. We’re just…” She gave a small, understanding smile. “I see. Well, I’ll bring your check over with those.” “Mommy? Can I have ice cream?” Abigail pleaded, folding her hands and holding them up under her chin. “Please?” The waitress paused, looking questioningly at Anna. Anna’s face fell. “Abby, I don’t think mommy can aff—“ “Oh, of course she can get some ice cream,” Rowena said, waving Anna’s feeble excuses away. She turned to the waitress. “What kind of ice cream do you have?” “Well, there’s a banana split, hot fudge sundae, root beer float, a warm brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream—“ “Brownies!” Abigail said delightedly, grinning widely and clapping her hands. “I want brownies and ice cream!” Rowena smiled at the waitress. “Well, we’ll have that then.” “Alright, miss,” she smiled back, scribbling the order down and heading off. Anna looked a combination of slightly uneasy and amused at Abigail’s happiness. She sighed. “Anna, I was planning to pick up the check,” Rowena said calmly. “I thought you knew that.”

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Beta C. Baker Her eyebrows shot up. “I can’t let you do that! Really, let me pay for mine and Abby’s food.” “I can afford it more than you can.” “We make the same amount of money.” “But I don’t have bills to pay.” Frustrated and embarrassed, Anna looked away. “I can manage.” Rowena considered Anna’s situation, her stubbornness and insistence to take care of her daughter and herself. It wasn’t something she had time to break through, but she wanted to help. “Well, at least let me pay for the ice cream, since I insisted,” she offered. Anna raised an eyebrow at her. “Well, that was a given.” Rowena smiled, and for a moment, wished she’d be able to stick around and form a real friendship with Anna. But she had a journey ahead of her, and it was time to start getting ready. As she spent the majority of her evenings getting the few affairs she had in order, Rowena recognized with an amused curiosity that she was behaving sort of like a suicidal person would. She’d read once that people who were planning to kill themselves often did things like straighten their houses and give away belongings. She had considered giving things away or writing a will, but then she considered the possibility of returning one day, granting she survived the change. Besides, she couldn’t think of anyone that would be interested in her things, anyway. But that didn’t keep her from obsessively attacking dust bunnies and throwing out wouldn’t-be-caught-dead items. Work shifts were somehow more enjoyable during the rest of the week with Brandon’s revisit to look forward to. Several times she’d considered hunting down the house herself, but decided it would be best to use the time he was giving her to make sure she didn’t leave behind a complete mess. Although, Anna was clearly confused as to why Rowena hadn’t resigned yet, and often teasingly pressed her for information.

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Beta C. Baker "All in good time," was all Rowena would tell her. And just as he’d promised, one week later Brandon was waiting patiently outside of the motel. He stood beneath a floodlight in the parking lot, leaning against his black sedan and looking boyishly well-to-do. His white shirt was crisp and clean, his pants were pressed, and his satin tie and waist-coat glimmered ever-so. Rowena greeted him with a smile for the first time, which he returned pleasantly, his eyes twinkling behind wisps of light blonde fringe. "You’ve been in a good mood lately," he observed. Rowena pursed her lips. "Stalker." He grinned, and then raised his eyebrows, looking over her shoulder. She turned to see Anna approaching them with a look of consideration. "Ah, the mysterious Brandon," she noted, quirking an eyebrow. "Nice to see you’ve learned to wait until after her shift’s up to talk to her." Brandon smirked at her. "Yes, well, I suppose I’m a little eager for Rowena’s acquaintanceship." "I guess so," Anna agreed. She looked him over again, then turned to Rowena. "Will I be seeing you tomorrow?" Rowena glanced at Brandon. "I don’t know." "Well, in case I don’t, you take care, alright?" "I will. You, too, and the babies." They hugged tightly, like old friends, and Rowena felt her heart break just a little. Anna would have been a fantastic friend. As they pulled back, Anna pointed at Brandon, warning him, "And you, mister, better take good care of her. Understand?" "Yes, ma’am," Brandon nodded seriously, and then smiled. After a moment, Anna smiled back, and waved goodbye to Rowena as she walked to her car. Rowena turned slowly to face Brandon, who looked extremely pleased. "Well, I guess we all know what my decision is," she said, rolling her gaze away from his almost-smug grin.

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Beta C. Baker "Yes we do," he beamed, then opened car door for her. "Come on, then, there’s lots to do." As she slid into the passenger seat, something suddenly occurred to her that, for some reason, hadn’t cropped up in her forethoughts all week. "Brandon," she said urgently as he got into the driver’s seat. "I didn’t say goodbye to my parents." "Was that something you wanted to do?" he asked, sounding slightly confused. "Well, no, it wasn’t. Not before," she admitted, a little puzzled herself. "But, I mean, either that brain thing is going to kill me—" "It won’t." "Or…I’m going to disappear into another universe. And either way I’m not going to see them again." He was quiet for a moment, and then he nodded. "Well, we’re going to stop by to pick up your things, anyway, so you can say goodbye then." "My things?" she blinked. "Yeah, you know. Anything you want to bring with you." She thought about the wad of cash she’d stolen her mother’s ATM card to get, which Ellis wouldn’t even notice until next week; the locket around her neck that Eric had given to her before he left that had never held a picture; the small stuffed bunny her parents had given to her as a child; and the ancient, battered copy of Anastasia, all packed into her knapsack. There really wasn’t much else that was practical to bring that she cared about. "I don’t have anything else to bring," she shrugged. Brandon looked at her small backpack, surprised. "Really? Are you sure? No clothes or anything?" "I’m going to buy new clothes, after," she explained. "I’ve got enough money to get a couple of cheap outfits." He stared at her. "Rowena. We’re going to provide funds for you." She stared back. "You are?"

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Beta C. Baker "Of course," he said with a short laugh. "Did you think we’d really dump you in a parallel universe with no money, no home, and no identity? Trust me, all that’s taken care of." "Oh," she said, and sat back, staring ahead as Brandon pulled out of the parking lot. "So just the farewells, then," he declared. They pulled up in front of the house fifteen minutes later, and Rowena suddenly realized that she had no idea how she was going to go about this. Brandon put the car into park and turned to her. "Are you going to tell them the truth?" he asked. "Or are we going to be more subtle than that?" "I dunno," she mumbled, the reality of her decision really sinking in. "I didn’t even think about it. I mean, what do you say in this situation?" "I don’t know," he admitted softly. Rowena gave a short laugh and said bitterly, "That’s a first." Brandon let out a slight chuckle, then fell silent. Rowena was staring worriedly at the house when he spoke up again. "What if you don’t say goodbye?" he suggested. "What if you just say goodnight?" Now there was an idea. She turned and looked at him, and he smiled sweetly. "Yeah," she whispered, nodding and unbuckling her seatbelt. "I’ll be back at midnight," he said in a hushed voice, and pulled the car away quietly when she shut the door. Surprisingly, Ellis had changed her dinner schedule, and was just setting the table when Rowena came in through the door. "Hello, dear!" she said cheerfully. Rowena raised her eyebrows, pausing in the doorway to the dining room. "You’re serving dinner kinda late." Normally, when she came home Ellis had already put

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Beta C. Baker away the dishes and her dinner was plastic wrapped in the fridge, still lukewarm. It didn’t bother her, though. It just gave her more time to think and to plan. "Yes, well, your father and I decided we could wait one teensy little hour to spend dinner with you," she explained, walking over with graceful, delicate strides. She brushed Rowena’s hair from her face lovingly. "We’re so proud of you. You’ve been acting so grown up lately. Going to work, socializing with your new friends, doing chores without whining. And you’ve been so polite. I only hope this trend of behavior continues, don’t you? Aren’t you happier this way?" Rowena looked back at her for a long time, and then finally nodded. Ellis beamed. "Very good," she murmured, and hurried back to the kitchen, calling over her shoulder, "Fetch your father, will you? He’s in his study." The study used to be Eric’s room, and while he had moved most of his things out part of her had never forgiven her parents for changing it. What if he wanted to visit? What would he think when he saw that his bed had been replaced with a desk and his ice skating trophies were shoved into boxes? "Mom wants you to come down for dinner," she said in the doorway of the office, a bit colder than she’d meant to. Richard looked up at her from the desk, confused and surprised, having obviously picked up on the tone. He smiled uncertainly. "You okay, pumpkin?" Forcing the bitterness from her thoughts and her voice, she painted on a smile and nodded. "Yeah, sorry. It’s just been a long day." His smile warmed and he stood, setting his pen on the desk. "Well, then, let’s go see what mom’s cooked up, shall we?" Dinner was surprisingly pleasant. Richard and Ellis asked her about her day and about Anna, and Rowena talked and listened to their comments, and for a little while, it felt normal, in the happy, non-oppressive sense of the word that Ellis had never really understood.

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Beta C. Baker The evening was going along wonderfully, and Rowena had begun to consider returning the money she’d taken from her mother’s account, when the Classifieds joined their dinner party. She had just returned to the dining room from taking the dishes to the kitchen, and was puzzled to see Richard and Ellis bent over a newspaper spread across the table. "What’s this, guys?" she asked hesitantly, walking over. Ellis smiled. Richard pretended to inspect an ad very closely. Rowena frowned, peering at the paper. It was apartments for rent. A few of the ads were circled in red marker. She felt as though she’d been slapped in the face. Were they seriously doing this to her right now? Were they actually going to force her out like this? "We thought now might be a good time to see about finding a place for you," Ellis said gaily. Rowena stared at her like she’d grown an extra head. "A place?" "Well, seeing as you have a job now, you should be able to afford a small apartment," she explained. "I’ve only had this job for a week." "Well, your father and I will pay the deposit and the first month’s rent, so you won’t have to worry until next month," she said breezily. Rage boiled up inside her, along with disgust at the lengths Ellis was going to to get her out of the house. How stupid she’d been to think she might be able to have one honestly happy evening with her mother before she left, to think her mother might actually be in a good mood without some scheme to shove her daughter out of the house. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides, she turned and stomped out. No. Wait. Ellis wasn’t the only one in the wrong here, and if this was going to be her last night here, she was ripping off the blinders and making herself heard. She pivoted stiffly and walked back in. Ellis only looked lightly confused. "Dad, is this what you think I should do?" she asked sternly. "Do you think I should move out this month? This quickly?"

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Beta C. Baker Ellis scoffed. "Well of course he—" "I didn’t ask you," Rowena cut her off. Her tone was short and even. Ellis looked at her and opened her mouth as though she were going to scold her, but Rowena’s eyes must have been burning with anger, because she kept her mouth shut. Rowena turned back to Richard, who was still examining the paper, trying to avoid confrontation. But he’d avoided confrontation all of her life and she wasn’t going to let him anymore. "Dad. Look. At. Me," she commanded, and when he reluctantly did, she repeated slowly, "Do you think I should move out now?" "Well…your mother—" "I don’t care what she thinks. I already know what she thinks because she’s been hammering it into my head for the past year. I want to know what you think, Dad." She tried to hold his gaze, to get him to say what he really thought, to voice his true feelings about the situation. But inevitably, his gaze wandered to Ellis, and when he looked at Rowena again, she knew that wasn’t going to happen any time soon. "I just want what’s best for you," he said compliantly. Rowena took shaky, deep breaths through her nose, then stepped towards him. "You want what’s best for me? You want to help me?" she growled. "Then do me a favor, Dad, and grow a pair!" Richard gaped at her, and Ellis gasped, "Rowena!" and got up to follow her as she stormed out of the room. "You show your father and I some respect, young lady. We —" "You know what, Mom?" she said coldly at the bottom of the stairs, trying very hard not to scream. "You don’t have to worry about it anymore. I’ll be gone tomorrow." Ellis blinked, and Rowena stomped up the stairs. "You found a place?" she asked in a small, surprised voice. "Yep!" Rowena shouted back, and slammed her door shut. Breathing hard, she sat down on her bed, pressing her hands to her mouth. She had so had it with all of this crap, and she didn’t care if her last words to her parents were

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Beta C. Baker harsh. At least they were the truth, and everything was out in the open now, and she wouldn’t leave behind a lie. Sure, they both talked real nice, but Ellis’ actions spoke for themselves, and Richard was so passive he barely existed. She fell back on her bed and looked up at the ceiling that she’d slept under for 19 years. This house had been hers for a very long time, but it wasn’t her home anymore. It hadn’t been since she turned 18, when Ellis began asking what she was planning for the future, growing less and less subtle over the past year about what she really wanted. She sat up and reached for her backpack, yanking it open and dumping out its contents. For a long few minutes she seriously considered throwing out that rabbit, wanting nothing to do with her parents when she started her new life. But she loved Mr. Wigglenose, and it wasn’t his fault that her parents were awful. So, instead, she seized the money she’d almost returned and crossed to her desk, grabbing an envelope. She dug under her piles of papers and miraculously found a phone book, and the address she needed was just as miraculously listed. But she wasn’t going to mail it. Too risky. However, MapQuest would give her directions, and she was sure Brandon wouldn’t mind one small detour.

"It’ll take ten minutes, tops," she promised, showing him the printout. "Please. I mean, if you’re providing funding for me anyway, right?" Brandon shrugged. "If that’s what you want to do." At 12:07, she tip-toed up to the duplex and slipped a thick envelope holding $300, marked "Anna & Abby", under the door. And at 12:23, they reached Brandon’s house, and Rowena felt the need to move quickly so that she wouldn’t chicken out or puke from the nerves. Alec was obviously excited, and just as pleased as Brandon, if not more so, about Rowena’s decision. He seemed to be putting a lot of effort into keeping himself

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Beta C. Baker calm so as not to make her more nervous, fluttering about her every once in a while and frequently offering to fetch her a drink or something to eat. Darren was silent and impartial to their presence as they entered the basement, working quietly at the main computer, a fancy-looking machine with three screens and a keyboard with twice as many keys as a normal one. He didn’t so much as glance up at them, apparently absorbed in his work as he studied the screens with a knitted brow. Neither Brandon nor Alec bothered to greet him, respecting his concentration as they led Rowena over to the chair. The laboratory had gotten a slight upgrade in its lighting, which somehow made her feel a bit better. All of the brain scanning and vitals monitoring machines were turned on, beeping and humming with life, and the headband glittered under the bright lights. "Your IVs are connected to some chemicals and potions meant to ease and relax you," Brandon was saying as Alec helped him strap down her legs, and then her arms. "What are the bindings for?" she asked uneasily. "Your mind is going through tremendous changes," Alec explained, a -- of thrill bubbling through his business-like tone. "There’s no telling how hard your system will fight it. Even though you’ve agreed to this, you might panic or become overwhelmed and struggle. This is just a precaution." "Oh. Okay," she breathed. Darren came over and silently began checking her vitals, speaking only to tell her to take a deep breath, or cough, or follow his finger. Then he smeared a cool jelly-like substance onto her temples. Apparently satisfied, he turned to Brandon and nodded once. "Alright, Rowena," Brandon said gently, lowering the thick metal band and tightening it firmly. Thin nodes were pressed to her temples. It held her head in place with no room to move. She was attached to so many computers and machines she felt like one herself. "Here we go." They disappeared from her sight. Her breath hitching, Rowena pulled against her restraints. "Wait!"

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Beta C. Baker Alec and Brandon popped back into her vision, eyes wide and concerned. She glanced between them. "Can someone stay?" she asked weakly. "Just so I can see someone?" They exchanged a look. She swallowed a whimper. "I don’t think I can do this alone…" "I’ll stay," Alec offered, smiling. The machinery around her began to bleep and drone responsively as Darren’s fingers typed commands at alarming speed. She couldn’t see him, he was behind her and above her and she couldn’t move her head, but she could hear the rapid clack-clackclacking. Alec grabbed a chair and sat beside her, smiling and stroking her arm. "Ready?" Brandon said. "All systems go," Darren confirmed. "Okay, Rowena. This is going to sting…" Understatement of the year. Roaring pain seared through her brain, ripping her head open and filling it with knives. She screamed, struggling wildly against the leather straps and metal around her head, trying to escape the pain bleeding through her eyes, burning her nose and crushing her teeth. Alec disappeared into white and red and black and blue and so many colors that would have been so beautiful if they weren’t blinding her and rushing through her eye sockets. Fluid rushed into her veins, chemicals that were at once boiling and icy, grabbing her heart and her lungs. She gasped desperately for air, fighting against the straps and trying to cry for help, to explain, but all she could do was sob and howl. And then the pain began to fade, leaving a throbbing echo behind. She became aware of warm fingers just below her temples, and she struggled to catch her breath. Her senses were still foggy, her hearing distant and her vision blurred and edged in white. Alec looked sympathetic and pulled back from her. "You okay, there?"

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Beta C. Baker All she could do was whimper, struggling to stay conscious. Above her she could hear Darren and Brandon talking faintly, their voices dipping in and out. "…only seven percent…" "…isn’t nearly enough…" "…again…" "…handle it?" Their voices broke through the fog, clearing and coming in fully, though her vision was still a bit blurred. "Alec, if you can begin your part, it should relax her mind more and make it easier to expand. The potions and chemicals aren’t working well enough." "Alright," he nodded, then looked at Rowena. "I’ll be right back, okay?" She whined, but still couldn’t find the strength to speak. Alec disappeared from view as she pulled hopelessly at her bindings. She didn’t want to be tied up anymore and she didn’t want them to poke around in her brain and pump her full of weird chemicals but she couldn’t seem to form words to tell them. The desire to break free swelled in her chest but she was still spinning from the pain. Alec returned with a large messenger bag, and he began pulling things out of it. She couldn’t see everything, but she did spot candles, crystals, and jars of various ingredients; oddly cliché witch-type items. As he began to set up, her will strengthened, and she took a deep breath. "Bran...Brand...I don’t..." she panted, then groaned. "Stop...please...." "Don’t you tell me she’s trying to worm out of it now," Darren grumbled. Brandon came around into her vision, his fingertips brushing her cheekbone. She whimpered fearfully. "Hey, hey, hey, shh... I know, I know it hurts," he said soothingly, cupping her cheek. "But just remember what this is for, right? Remember why you’re doing this...." She tried to, she really did, but it was so hard for anything to seem worth it. She took deep, shaky breaths and searched for that feeling she’d had before, for the reason she was doing this.

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Beta C. Baker You’re running out of time. We’re all running out of time. Certain death or paralyzing agony. If nothing else, she couldn’t let herself die without doing something with her life, something meaningful or important in whatever small or big way. And this was her only chance left. "Okay," she breathed, nodding. "Okay." Brandon smiled, his eyes full of relief and compassion. To the right of her vision, Alec popped up again. "Good to go, Brandon." "Okay. It’s going to hurt a little less this time, Rowena," Brandon promised, and then vanished above her once more. Alec offered a small smile and leaned forward, tying something, a necklace of some sort, around her neck. Small noises of fear and suppressed sobs escaped her throat as the boys continued working diligently. The machines continued to beep and drone in response to Darren’s and Brandon’s keyboard clacking and button punching. Alec lit the branch of some flowery plant and waved it in a fanciful pattern around her. "Breathe this in," he instructed. "It’ll help you relax." She did. It relaxed her marginally. "Ready?" "Ready." If the pain was actually less, it wasn’t noticeably so, and Rowena screamed and struggled just as much as the first time. The smell of burning hair filled her nose and then her head was hot and searing and being ripped open again. Strong fumes clouded her nose and mouth and she choked on the unfamiliar scents, fighting for fresh air as the rush of chemicals gripped her heart and lungs once more. And then she felt like she was spinning and the room was spinning around her while other screams joined her own, and laughter and yelling and crying and whispering and it was too much, it was all too much and her throat was so hoarse from her cries...

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Beta C. Baker Until finally the plethora of colors slowly blinked out to black and, mercifully, the pain ceased as she drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep. When she awoke, her entire body ached, but nothing more than her head. There was still an IV in her arm, but she was no longer tied down, and the softness beneath her suggested she was lying in a bed now. But these were not the first things she noticed. The first thing she noticed was the peculiar aromas permeating the room. Opening her eyes slowly, she tried to sit up, but the room suddenly swayed and gentle hands steadied her. "Whoa, whoa, hold on," Brandon said, pushing her back to lean on large, fluffy pillows. "You’re not going to be able to handle too many sudden movements yet." All three of the boys were in the room, though only Alec and Brandon were near the bed, while Darren was lurking in the far corner. A bag of clear fluid hung from a hook next to the bed and dripped into her IV line. She sniffed and frowned. "What’s that smell?" she mumbled, blinking away the blurriness in her vision. Alec and Brandon exchanged raised-brow looks, and even Darren looked reservedly interested. "What smell?" "Obviously I don’t know or I wouldn’t be asking," she said bitterly, then concentrated for a moment. "Well, it was sort of like...salty, I guess? But now it’s...sweeter. Are you guys cooking or something?" Smiles broke out on all three of their faces, bright and excited as they turned and grinned at each other. A sweet, citrusy smell filled the room, sharp and sudden, and harsh on her delicate stomach. She coughed, bringing her collar up to cover her nose. “Geez, what is that? Did you all bathe in cheap air freshener?” she groused, glaring at them. "No, no, no!" Brandon said excitedly, leaping out of his chair to sit on the bed next to her. "Don’t you see? It worked! We’ve expanded your brain enough!"

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Beta C. Baker "How do you know?” she said, a little startled at how quickly he’d moved so close, and at how Darren was moving closer and leaning on the back of Alec’s chair, looking the happiest she’d ever seen him. "That smell right now?" Alec said, leaning forward so far that he was in danger of tumbling off of his chair. "It’s happiness! Excitement, really! Triumph!" She blinked. “What, is that cologne or something?” "No! … Your sense of smell has been enhanced! It’s the emotions, like, the, the actual...” All three of them laughed and clapped and cheered and slapped high-fives while Rowena just stared at them in amazement, lowering her shirt from her nose and mouth. "Emotions have smells.” It was more of a slightly skeptical statement than a question. They all nodded vigorously, and Darren snickered, nudging Brandon’s shoulder. “Heh…tell her about fear, Brand.” Brandon let out a short burst of laughter, while Alec dissolved into girlish giggles. Darren joined in the darkish laughter as Rowena watched with a confused, slight smile. “No, no, come on, stop, tell her!” “Okay, okay, okay,” Brandon grinned, leaning towards her. “Get this, Rowena, fear…” He suppressed a chuckle. “Fear smells like chicken.” Rowena burst into laughter along with the boys, the cheerful noise echoing merrily through the room, accompanied by various sweet smells she couldn’t quite describe. “No way, no way! You’re lying, that isn’t true!” she howled, clutching her stomach. Alec, who was laughing so hard he was nearly silent, shook his head. “It gets better! It’s…it’s-it’s…HA! FRIED CHICKEN!”

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Beta C. Baker Rowena snorted gleefully. Darren was barely able to stay upright, falling all over Brandon’s abandoned chair. “That entire time in the basement,” he squeaked, his voice high from straining. “The whole place smelled like KFC!” Their raucous laughter grew, loud and almost obnoxious. Rowena clutched her sides as they ached from the force of it. Finally, the hilarity calmed and dissolved to happy sighs and the occasional snicker as they wiped tears from their eyes and tried to catch their breath. “Oh…oh wow,” Rowena said, leaning back against her pillow. Then something occurred to her, and she looked at them uncomfortably. “So…you can all…smell emotions then? Like, everyone’s?” “Yup,” Brandon confirmed, and they all nodded in agreement. “Guess not much gets past you, then, huh?” she said with a nervous smile. Darren smirked at her. “Nope.” Clearing her throat, she decided to steer the subject away from the smarmy train of thought written all over Darren’s face. “Doesn’t it bother you? I mean, you’re all happy, and I get one whiff and I wanna puke.” “It takes some time, but you’ll get used to it,” Brandon explained, his usual calm laced with echoes of amusement. “Besides, it’s totally awesome!” Alec said, grinning widely as he eagerly hopped onto the other side of the bed and sat on his heels. “It’s way better than being plain old regular human. It’s like you’re upgraded! Like...like, Rowena 2.0, beta version." He snapped his fingers and pointed at her. "Oh! Rowena Beta! How’s that for a nickname? Since it’s all experimental. Yeah?" Rowena giggled. "Not bad, I think I like it." "It’s a bit Star Trek, isn’t it?" Darren mused. Alec cast him a sidelong glare. "Do you have a problem with Star Trek, Darren?"

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Beta C. Baker Darren raised his hands in surrender, and Brandon took the pause as opportunity to cut in. “Being able to sense other peoples’ emotions is going to help you a lot with your job.” “Which you haven’t completely explained yet.” “Small doses, Rowena.” He smiled. “Alec didn’t quite finish his ritual. You need to rest a bit first, but once he does that, I’ll explain everything. And…I’ll take you to the fifth dimension.” She brightened, sitting up. “Really?” He nodded, getting to his feet. “Get some rest. You’re going to need it.” They shuffled out of the room, turning off the light and taking the thick citrus smell with them. She lay back, staring up at the ceiling, her mind reeling and her nose filling with the smell of her own citrusy, salty musk.

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