By Any Other Name

  ~James"

  Novellana gaped at the letter. Like every other letter James sent, she read it several times over. After the fifth read, she still couldn't wrap her baffled mind around the idea of it.

  And she would have to wait. The sound of rock music in the distance signaled Melonie's hasty arrival. Novellana shoved the letter back in her messenger bag, gathered her baggage, and made her way to the end of the driveway. Novellana could have sworn she saw two wheels of the small red car come off the ground as it turned the corner onto her street. Melonie came to an abrupt stop just in front of her. Novellana leaned in through the window.

  "I'm not getting in unless you promise Little Red will not take flight."

  Melonie grinned, "You know I don't make promises like that. You want a ride or not?"

  Novellana rolled her eyes and threw her trunk and suitcase in the back. Melonie's things took up the rest of the car. This would explain Jason's absence: there wasn't enough room in Melonie's tiny car, Little Red, after Melonie's things had been loaded up.

  "So is my step-brother in one of these suitcases?" Novellana asked, tightening her seat belt before take-off. She barely got it on in time.

  "No, he ran off to Chad's last Friday." Melonie threw her arm across her head, "Abandoning me in my time of need!"

  "What need?" Novellana smirked.

  "I needed to take a few more rides. I'm still not quite tired enough to go into school-bernation."

  "At least you know what you'll be going back to."

  "You have got to be kidding me! You still haven't heard anything? You applied to like five different programs!"

  "You think I don't know? I've been checking the mail every day and almost nothing any good."

  "Almost?" Melonie inquired mischievously.

  Novellana realized her mistake too late. Now there was no escaping it, she had to tell Melonie about James. "Well... I kind of... have, like, a pen pal.."

  "A pen pal." Melonie looked sternly at her friend. "And who is this 'pen pal'?" She mimed quotation marks in the air, taking her hands off the wheel, which at eighty miles an hour made Novellana's stomach turn.

  "His name is James, we met by accident, and we mostly talk about books."

  Melonie gave a curious side-glance, "I see. Now, if I was talking to a boy about books, we'd call it a pen-pal. When you're talking to a boy about books, I have to wonder. What books?"

  Novellana held back a sheepish grin, "He recommended some sci-fi books." She said, hoping the subject would end there. Melonie would somehow know everything if she knew more.

  "Right. And what did you recommend? Anything by, say, Jane Austen?"

  Novellana blushed.

  "I knew it!" Melonie shouted pounding her hands on the steering wheel, "You're not writing to a pen pal, you're writing love letters!"

  "Oh, calm down. And watch the road!"

  Melonie swerved back into the lane. "Don't change the subject," She insisted, "Now, how long has this been going on?"

  Novellana sighed, "Since the day I got home. He sent a post-card to a friend, it was misdelivered to me."

  Melonie shook her head, "Love letters. And you've been worried about Jochawk."

  "Wow, almost forgot about that until just now. Thanks." Novellana shook her head and started sifting through the rest of the mail she had in her bag. She'd apparently been preapproved for a few credit cards, was specially selected to get a great deal on quality window installation, and she'd been...

  "OH MY GOD!" Novellana's yell caused Melonie to swerve and pull over.

  "What?! What could possibly be worth that big an exclamation? Hello?" Melonie waved her hands in front of Novellana, who gave no response. She took the letter from Novellana's hands and read aloud,

  "To Ms. Novellana Douglass,

  It is our great privilege to welcome you into our program. We feel that you will make a great asset to our team. We sincerely apologize for the late notification of your acceptance, but we do not send our letters until the latest moment we can. We also regret freezing any other applications you may have submitted to other Jochawk programs. Assuming you accept our invitation to join us, please report to Lengle Lab at 8:00 PM tonight. Yes, tonight.

  Regards,

  Professor John Harshaw

  Professor Allen Whimwell

  Physics Department

  Classifieds"

  Melonie and Novellana looked at each other and screamed. They jumped out of the car and jumped and screamed together, drawing much attention from passing spectators. They finally calmed down enough to get back in the car, looked at each other and screamed again.

  The next few hours were filled with talk of the Classifieds. Melonie insisted that Novellana would have a fully functioning time machine by the end of the month and that she would be weaving tales of meetings with Benjamin Franklin and other historical greats. Novellana did not believe that even the Classifieds were that advanced.

  "Why would they keep it so secret if they weren't doing something incredible?"Melonie argued.

  "The only reason they keep it secret at all is to be sure their findings are used to benefit society when the research is complete. If the results are released early, the information could be misused. Untested ideas could hurt people. Just imagine if the automobile wasn't introduced until all the safety features had been added. It would have been much safer."

  "But not nearly as fun..." Melonie muttered.

  Novellana rolled her eyes and sighed. She stared out the window as acres of farmland flew past in a blur, wishing she could tell James that he was right and she was in the Classifieds.

  Melonie noticed the change in mood. "Okay, spill. What's got you all quiet? And by quiet I mean not lecturing me on safe driving practices."

  Novellana grinned, "Just wishing we were already back at school."

  Melonie grinned, too, "Well until you get that time machine up and running, I know one way to make that happen." And she pushed Little Red faster than Novellana had ever experienced. "Oh, no." Melonie suddenly said quietly

  "What's wrong?" Novellana asked, hoping it had nothing to do with the gut wrenching speeds they were reaching. "Please don't tell me the brakes went out."

  "Love letters, the Classifieds," Melonie muttered.

  Novellana didn't understand, "What's wrong with that?"

  "Well after all those amusement parks and rides..." She muttered on, "You're summer was still more exciting than mine!"

  Novellana looked at her friend a moment, and they both laughed.

  They arrived on campus just after six, along with the rest of the student body. The closest parking space to Melonie's dorm was a good half hour hike once they were loaded up with her bags and suitcases. Her new roommate was already unpacking when they tumbled in the door.

  "Hi, I'm Georgianna." She immediately came over to greet them, helping to take some of the load.

  "Melonie. And this is Novellana."

  "I'm just here to help with the bags." Novellana added.

  "That's so nice of you." Georgianna smiled.

  "Well, I do have ulterior motives. Now that we've got all your stuff to your dorm, Melonie, do you think you could give me a ride over to Lengle Lab?"

  Georgianna's jaw dropped. "You're in the Classifieds?" She whispered excitedly.

  Melonie and Novellana glanced at each other, neither having known that Lengle Lab housed one of the Classifieds' studies until that day.

  "My old roommate just got accepted." Georgianna explained. "Her name is Olivia in case you run into her."

  "I'll remember that." Novellana smiled.

  "Actually I was about to go meet her at the Bean Barn. Do you want to come?"

  "Sure." They both agreed. The Bean Barn was the campus coffee house. It was an old red barn that had been converted to have two levels. The lower level was open selling coffee at all hours of the day and night every day of the week. The upper level was only open on weekends, but any of the campus clubs could rent it to host eve
nts. It was the smaller of two barns on campus. The second, known as the Big Barn, also had two levels, but the upper level only went halfway across. It was the home of four major events every year: the Halloween Festival, the Winter Ball, the Spring Celebration, and the Summer Luau. No group ever took credit for hosting the events, leading everyone to believe it was the Classifieds, giving the events an air of mystery that made them very popular.

  The girls found that the Bean Barn was another popular idea that evening. The place was packed. They found Olivia while waiting in line, but by the time they got their drinks it was 7:30 and they had to get going to Lengle lab.

  Novellana's baggage consisted only of a rolling trunk and her messenger bag, so she didn't need any help moving her things. She said goodbye to Melonie and she and Olivia made their way across a short grassy lawn to an nondescript brick building with only the letter 'L' over the double wooden doors. There was already a small crowd gathered in front of the building, looking unsure. Novellana checked her watch. Eight o'clock exactly. She wondered what was supposed to happen. It didn't look like anyone who knew what was going on was there. She was just beginning to wonder if they'd all been somehow involved in an elaborate prank when an elderly man with a blue tie and a white lab coat appeared as if out of nowhere in front of the doors.

  "If I could please have everyone's attention," He called over the crowd. Everyone looked up, several shaking their heads as if wondering how he got there. "I am Professor John Harshaw. Just as a formality, I need you all to remain silent and form a single file line starting at the door here. I'll remain here to supervise the line and my associate, Professor Whimwell, will be inside to ask you a few routine questions. You'll be entering the building one at a time. Please trust that all questions will be answered in time, if you'll lend your patience."

  No one was quite sure what to make of it, but they did as they were told, standing quietly and slowly filing into the building, each waiting patiently for their cue to enter. Finally Novellana reached the doors and after waiting a moment for the person in front of her to be settled, she was allowed to enter. She found herself in a dimly lit lobby, an identical set of double wooden doors opposite the ones she'd just passed through. Another slightly more heavy set man in a green tie and white lab coat stood before her.

  "Letter of acceptance, please." He spoke very formally.

  Novellana pulled the slightly crumpled letter from her pocket and handed it to the professor.

  "Good, good," He nodded, "And your password?"

  She was baffled. When was she supposed to have gotten a password? There was nothing about it in the letter. Was she supposed to have done something with the letter? Was this some sort of test to determine her eligibility? Was she supposed to guess?

  She decided to be honest. "I didn't get a password..." She mumbled, ashamed.

  He looked up at her sternly. She knew she'd be out now. She looked down at her feet, accepting the cool reality that it all really was too good to be true.

  "I see. This way," He motioned her through a door to the left that she hadn't even noticed before. She did as she was told, shuffling through the door and into a room much larger than she was expecting. Inside were more than two dozen lab tables surrounded by stools and nearly every student she'd seen waiting in line ahead of her. Novellana couldn't believe how selective they were, dismissing this many of them from the program before it had even begun. She still hadn't bothered to move herself away from the door when the next declined applicant came lumbering through, toppling both of them to the floor. She gathered herself up, apologizing for having been in the way. Her fellow toppler said nothing, just gathered himself up and moved to the back of the group. Novellana decided this wasn't such a bad idea, but she moved to the opposite side.

  As she waited with the rest of them for the professors to come seal their fate, she couldn't help stealing glances at the boy who had run into her. He sat quietly, looking away from everyone, his dark brown eyes focused intently on a lone beaker sitting on the corner of one of the tables. His light blond locks fell in his face, but he didn't even toss his head to move them, just continued to embody stoicism. But his quiet, anti-social mannerisms did not take Novellana's notice. Nor did the fact that he'd run into her. Something about this distant boy seemed familiar to her, as if she'd known him before.

  The sound of another rejection ambling through the doors stole Novellana's attention. It was another tall boy, but this one was much skinnier with jet black hair trimmed into a crew-cut. Both Professor Harshaw and Professor Whimwell, followed behind him. "Careful, Victor." Professor Harshaw said, as the boy stumbled into the room.

  Professor Harshaw cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the few that hadn't already looked up at the sound of the door opening. "We apologize for the inconvenience. Our precautionary measures may seem almost silly at times, but without them, we could have an information leak. In case you still had any doubts, there was no secret password, and you have all been accepted into the program." A sigh of relief swept over the room, and suddenly it seemed everyone was wearing a smile.

  "If I may,"' Professor Harshaw continued, "As to the specifics of our study, you will receive a briefing later this evening after you've settled into your rooms. For now, we have only a few administrative matters to attend to and then you'll all get your keys and room assignments. First of all, we do try to maintain a fairly relaxed environment here in the lab. Between studies and keeping a secret of such grandeur, we all have enough stress. Our rules reflect only a requirement of safety and secrecy. That being said, we will not tolerate negligence of safety protocols, leaks of information, or a disturbance of the research we are trying to conduct. The bottom line is, use common sense.

  "Second, while Professor Whimwell and myself will be leading this study, we do have other studies to attend to. Therefore, we have chosen two students to be the project heads here. Any questions or issues you may have in our absence should go to them. While all of you have shown academic talents that far surpass your peers, these two students have shown some of the greatest potential we have ever seen. They are Ms. Novellana Douglass and Mr. Jamison Doyle."

  Novellana hardly recognized her own name, suddenly realizing with the others why the stoic boy looked so familiar. She stood as she was supposed to and stared with everyone else at the cold Jamison Frost. Some looked with confusion, still not quite placing the name with the face, some actually looked respectful, but most, like Novellana, stared in disgust.

  The cool demeanor of the Ice King before the class did nothing to change the perception of him as an emotionally damaged hollow person. Novellana gaped as she tried to comprehend how this born and bred monster could be worthy of the Jochawk Classifieds.

  "I didn't think you could really buy your way into the Classifieds," A girl towards the front of the room whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear.

  "Trust me when I say," Professor Whimwell spoke sternly and everyone turned to listen, "No one can buy their way here."

  The girl swallowed and mumbled something that may have been an apology, but no one was really listening. They had all turned inward to reconcile their own thoughts.

  "Well, let's get on with the room assignments," Professor Harshaw continued. "Ms. Douglass will be in room one on the girls' floor and Mr. Doyle will be in room one on the boys' floor." They both made their way to the front of the room and took their keys from the professor without a word, but Novellana gave perhaps the worst evil eye she'd ever given. She went back to her seat and glared at Doyle, along with the rest of the class, wondering how she could ever work with this awful person.

  One by one, the rest of the students got their room keys and all were dismissed to Lengle apartments. No one spoke until they were out of earshot of the professors, then a torrent of disbelief and outrage erupted from the students.

  Novellana shared their discontent, but wanted most of all to get to her room and relax with her own thoughts for a bit. She felt like sh
e had a few things to sort out in order to believe any of it. Upon reaching the apartments, however, she realized she wouldn't be having her alone time just yet. Several of the girls were having issues finding and getting into their rooms. Novellana would never get over how many of the best and the brightest had trouble with a simple lock and key.

  Though it seemed to take a life time, everyone was eventually settled and Novellana dragged herself and her things to the end of the hall and set her eyes on her new room. An astonished "Oh" escaped her lips. The large room, if such a large space could be called only a room, was a white wonderland, accented with light grey stone and maple wood. The floor was covered in fluffy white carpet, with a modern white loveseat set facing the window in the middle of the room. Along the left wall were several rows of bookshelves set in stone, shelved in dark mahogany, and fully stocked with many of her favorites and many more she'd never read. Where the bookshelves ended, the carpet turned to light maple hardwood floors with an island counter in the middle. Novellana crept closer to find that around the corner, behind the island was a small cooking space, complete with a stove, dishwasher, sink, and refrigerator. She turned to look around the room. She wondered where the bed was. Could the loveseat fold out? But then she noticed a doorway at the end of the opposite wall. She stepped through, passing a set of sliding glass doors that led onto an outdoor patio that stretched the length of what she could no longer deny was a full sized apartment. Inside this second large room, she found the bed. It was a queen size canopy bed, covered in luxurious white sheets and comfy looking blankets. She nearly jumped in at that instant, but a large mahogany desk in the corner caught her eye. She'd never even dreamed of such a desk, with enough space to lay at least fifteen sheets of paper without a single one touching another, a second level of shelving, and two sets of drawers on either side. She looked back to the bed and noticed a nightstand to the left and a large walk-in closet beyond that. At the back of the closet, she found the door to the half-bathroom, which could have been called a full bathroom as the sink alone was nearly big enough to sit in.

  Novellana couldn't believe this was all hers. She couldn't decide what to do first. The kitchen almost made her want to cook and she didn't even like cooking that much. She thought she might want to read, but choosing a book from that collection would be like finding the nicest flower in a field of roses. She finally just threw herself into the loveseat and tried to collect her thoughts enough to remember this day. She didn't want to lose a single detail as it was quite possibly the best day she'd ever had. She thought about all of it, but her mind kept wandering back to the letter from her mystery boy. She wondered if she'd seen him on campus and not even known it. As she tried futilely to imagine what he could possibly look like, she heard footsteps in the hall. She felt like a rock had fallen into her stomach as she imagined someone about to knock on the door and tell her it all really was a dream, or that there had been some mix up and that not only was she not a project head, but that she had not actually been accepted into the Classifieds. She sat up and watched as the shadow of a pair of feet stopped in front of her door, but what she hadn't anticipated was that a space in the center of the door would wobble like jelly and open up, just enough to let a large, thick envelope fall through, then close up again and solidify as if the hole had never been there at all. The shadow feet moved on.

  Novellana gaped at the door. She got up and felt around the space where she'd just seen it open: solid wood. She picked up the envelope and opened it to find a packet at least 400 pages thick. The first page was nearly blank except for a few sentences:

  "Welcome to Lengle Lab. Here is your briefing. This should remain in your possession at all times that it is not in your room.

  -Professor John Harshaw

  -Professor Allen Whimwell"

  Novellana didn't waste a second. Now she knew exactly what she wanted to read. She flopped back into the loveseat, briefing in hand and began to read.

  JAMISON

  Jamison Doyle found himself sprawled across the the ash-colored couch in the entrance of his grand suite, that he didn't know was nearly identical to Novellana's, only dark grey instead of white and mahogany instead of maple wood. He was going over the day in his head. He'd had yet another argument with his father before he left that morning, but he was trying to push that out of his mind. Being here at school and far away from the old man made it much easier for Jamison to concentrate on the things he actually cared about. One of which was the letters he'd been exchanging with a mysterious girl named Ana. Jamison had been very alone, both literally and figuratively, ever since his mother's death, but at least he'd always had Paul. Everyone thought Paul was the butler, when actually he was actually Madeleine's brother, but even uncle wouldn't be the right name for Paul, for he had become more like a father to Jamison than Henry could have ever been. He tutored him, taught him everything he knew, and cared for him when no one else did. In England, without Paul, Jamison felt completely alone. At least when he was at school, he had classes and projects to take his mind off his solitude a bit. And yet somehow, he returned home to Paul and a new friend, something he hadn't had in over a decade. Ana was smart, funny, interesting, and she was just about the only person in the world who would take the time to get to know Jamison for who he was and not what his parents were. Jamison spent most of his summer thinking about her, which helped him not to think about the applications he'd submitted to several of Jochawk's graduate programs. Paul told him not to worry, and Paul, as Madeleine's brother and himself an alumnus Jochawk, would know, so Jamison believed him, but he couldn't help worrying as the days flicked by and he still had no word from Jochawk. Ana's letters saved him from possibly losing his mind. They wrote back and forth so consistently that he could mark his calendar by the arrival of her letters. It was the greatest thing that had ever happened to him and then, somehow it got better.

  When he read her letter, asking if he'd heard of Jochawk he laughed out loud. He'd been sitting in one of the gardens of their twenty-five acre property, and somehow Paul heard the commotion all the way from the house.

  "What's the matter?" Paul called out, as he got close.

  Jamison looked up and called back, "She wants to know if I've heard of Jochawk!"

  They both laughed and Jamison hurried back up to the house to write back to her. On his way to the mail, he nearly ran over his father, as he rushed down the stairs.

  "Where are you running off to?" His father was slouched in his wheelchair, as if he was falling asleep.

  "Just putting something in the mail."

  "Why do you look so happy? What's there to be so happy about?"

  Jamison frowned at the alcohol his father reeked of. "Come on, dad, it's not even noon."

  "Oh shut up," His father swung at him, but Jamison stepped out of range and ran out the door. "I can out run you, old man!" He'd called over his shoulder, and after he dropped the letter in the mail, he went for a run around the entire property twice. When he got back, his father had gone to his room and passed out.

  Jamison sat up from the couch, shaking the memory from his mind. Soon his thoughts drifted back to Ana. He couldn't believe he had been going to the same school as this amazing girl for four years and they'd never met. Reconsidering, though, he hadn't met much of anyone there. He kept to himself as much as possible and hoped no one would recognize him, but everyone did. Most people would just give him dirty looks, refuse to work with him on projects, and overall keep their distance; he preferred the isolation to the ones that made a scene. He'd been verbally assaulted, had his room ransacked, had several unidentified messy substances dumped on him. He never reacted to any of it, knowing that no reaction would help. When a group of freshman chose him for their sociology project, dumping 30 gallons of something blue and sticky on him, and running up to him with a video camera to get his response on tape, he blinked at the camera and kept walking. Behind him he heard them whispering, 'Well what do you expect from Jamison Frost?'


  As he wondered what kind of grade they got on that project, his mind wandered on to his project co-head. She had an air of sweetness that reminded him of something. He tried to remember what it was, thinking of her long, brown locks, those starry blue eyes fixed curiously on him, until his name was announced. No teacher had ever forced another student to partner with him on anything before. It would really be nice if the one time they did, his partner might actually be able to tolerate him. And if this Novellana Douglass was the first person to tolerate him, he had no complaints.

  He imagined this beautiful girl actually being his friend for a moment, but the illusion was shattered when he heard footsteps coming down the hall. He sat up and looked around the room. It was a shame someone had gone to such trouble to make this room so nice when he was going to be staying in it. The footsteps had him braced for someone to break down the door, duct tape him to his own wall and destroy everything in sight. There was no escaping it: at least three dozen people now knew exactly what room he was in and normally by the time even five knew he would be the subject of someone's political statement. He always felt sorriest for his books; as he'd watch their pages being torn out, it was like witnessing the destruction of his only friends. He looked up at the enormous wall of bookshelves beside him and sighed, standing to face the door. He braced himself as the footsteps came to a halt at his door, ready for anything, or so he thought. He was expecting either the lock to be picked or the door to simply be knocked down, but he wasn't prepared for what he saw. It was as if a mouth were opening in the center of the door, he could see through the expanding hole into the hallway. Then, a package slid quickly through, landing with a thump on the floor, the mouth closing behind it. He was thankful for the privacy of his own room, unable to hide his astonishment. He picked up the package and pulled out the thick pack of paper within. On the first page was a short note:

  "Welcome to Lengle Lab. Here is your briefing. This should remain in your possession at all times that it is not in your room.

  -Professor John Harshaw

  -Professor Allen Whimwell"

  Jamison grinned, tossing the envelope aside, he took the pack to the bedroom in order to spread out on the enormous maple desk. This was going to be a long night.

  NOVELLANA

  The soft light of the moon left a trail across Novellana's bed. She stared longingly at it, pondering the enormous document she'd just finished reading. Already sorting out inconsistencies with the preliminary research in her head, she shook herself out of it, knowing that if she let herself start, she'd never leave her room.

  For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Novellana's mind quieted down enough for her to hear the ticking of the clock across from her bed. She turned off the desk lamp and turned on the overhead light, squinting at the contrasting brightness as she did, and doing a double take at the clock, unable to believe that it was already 4:00 am. She was supposed to be back in the lab in six hours, and while she didn't feel like she needed to wait that long, she knew she'd regret it if she didn't get some sleep. Staring listlessly at the bed, she debated a moment longer and finally, she opted for a shower, knowing there was no way she could fall asleep now.

  At four in the morning there was no worry of anyone else being awake, so Novellana donned a towel, collected her soap basket and made her way to the elevator to go to the shower room floor, or so she intended. Instead of opening to the shower room floor, however, the elevator doors opened to the boys' floor and standing in the doorway was none other than Jamison Doyle.

  They stared gaping at each other for a moment, until Jamison's gaping expression slid into a slight grin. Novellana tightened her grip on the towel around her with one hand and she cursed herself for being so careless, while her other hand flew to the close door button.

  "Wait!" Jamison said, grabbing the doors before they could close.

  Novellana glared at him a moment, but the poor boy looked almost desperate. She suddenly wondered if this was the first anyone had heard him speak since his mother's passing and her compassion got the best of her. She resigned herself to hearing his plea. "What?" She still put as much malice in the word as she could.

  "Look, I've never had to partner with anyone on a project before. I know you have no reason to like me, but I would really appreciate a level of civility between us. At least enough to work together. I don't know about you, but this is one of the most amazing opportunities I've ever had and I want that to be my main focus, not loathing my lab partner. What do you say? Truce?"

  Novellana considered this. She really was grateful to have this opportunity. And it would be a lot harder to focus on the science with social hostilities looming over them. She looked up at Jamison Frost, the representation of evil she'd abhorred for years, the perfect son for his loathsome father. She tried to see something else there. A hint of some emotion, any emotion, but the nick-name fit. His tanned face was stone cold, with no sign of anything, except in his eyes. She looked closer into his eyes, his mother's eyes, and there she saw sincerity. Novellana could no longer help herself, she extended her had toward him. "Truce." She agreed and they shook hands.

  "But if you'll excuse me," She continued, "I'd really prefer to discuss this further during daylight hours and in proper attire."

  Jamison grinned as the door was closing, "I like what you're wearing now."

  The nerve of him! Novellana stomped around her room. How could I have thought he was anything but a sick, miserable.... Ugh! How am I going to work with him? I'll just ignore him. That's what I'll do. I won't waste another thought on that miserable sleaze.

  And in keeping with that line of thought, she immediately turned her musings away from Jamison Frost and back toward someone worth thinking about. She decided to answer the letter from James.

  What should she tell him? What could she tell him? Would it be a breach of secrecy to tell him she was in the Classifieds? They weren't even supposed to exist officially, though there was no doubt in even the most skeptical mind that they did. She decided that to tell anyone who went to Jochawk simply that she was in the secret studies should not cause a problem. After all, Melonie and Georgianna knew. She took a breath and began to write.

  When she finished her letter was short.

  "James,

  You've predicted the future! I did get into the Classifieds, and I've taken your advice and read my briefing. I wish we could talk about it, but I think that might be considered a breach of secrecy. Did you hear back from any of your applications? I doubt it. If the Classifieds took me, they must have taken you, too.

  I wish we could have been together today! What an experience! The rooms, the labs!

  Maybe we did see each other. I can't believe it either, that we've been going to the same school all this time and never met. Maybe we should meet.

  Awaiting the day.

  Love,

  Ana"

  Novellana took a breath, but the words were already written and the sentiment couldn't be more true. She sealed the envelope, addressed it, and rested herself in the loveseat, falling asleep into dreams of meeting James.

  Novellana awoke with a gasp, jumping up and scrambling to find the time. It was only 6:30 am. She decided that a run may quiet her restless mind. She pulled on her sneakers and headed out, very careful on the elevator to select the correct floor this time.

  As she ran, she took the route she'd taken since she was a freshman. She had to go a little farther now that she was in the Classifieds' apartments, but she didn't mind the extra distance with everything she had fluttering around inside her head. Her mind began to focus more on the small pond she knew was up ahead and the beautiful trees on the right fork of the path just past it. She never took the right fork into the woods, preferring the left, as it was more open and she always ran alone. As she passed her former dorm area, she got the feeling that she was being followed. As the pond came into view, she began to turn feeling the presence more than ever. Just then, a flash of black blew past and
she watched a dark figure continue jogging into the woods. Novellana wasn't sure what to think of it, but as the dark figure disappeared into the woods, she decided it was probably just some sort of fluke accident and she continued on her run, a little shaken by the surprise, but becoming more settled the farther she ran.

  When she got back, it was 7:30 and she was definitely ready for a shower. She decided she would change in the shower rooms, not wanting to risk another incident like the night before.

  The shower room floor had two doors, one for boys and one for girls. Inside, the girls shower room was incredible. It was definitely cleaner than any shower room she'd ever seen before. The walls were painted varying shades of lavender and the doors to the individual showers were each labeled with a scent. Novellana noticed several of the girls huddled around an informational notice on the wall. As they each finished reading, they stepped away and soon Novellana had a turn.

  "A Note on Scented Showers:

  As you've probably noticed, each door is labeled with a scent. Behind that door is a shower infused with soaps with that scent. All of the soaps are specially formulated by the chemistry department to clean and moisturize better than any soap you've ever used. Another note, you may rinse off afterward, but there's no need, the soap is meant to soak in, so there won't be any residue on your hair or skin if you don't rinse.

  Enjoy!"

  Novellana was a bit skeptical, but she decided to try it anyways. There were over thirty doors to choose from, but Novellana chose a simple French Vanilla. She opened the door to find a small changing area, with enough space to set down her clothes, towel, and soap basket. Behind the second door was the shower, with enough buttons and levers to replicate a flight simulator. Looking closer, though, it was fairly simple to understand. A digital pad on top was used to adjust the temperature to the exact desired degree. Four knobs could be pulled out or pushed in to select shampoo, conditioner, body soap, or plain water. At the bottom was a simply switch to turn off and on. Novellana fiddled with the knobs and switches, amazed at how well the contraption worked. When she was finished she felt completely refreshed and cleaner than she'd ever felt before.

  She dried off, and went to check herself in the mirror before she left. She noticed a girl pointing at the walls and mumbling calculations under her breath.

  "What wrong?" Novellana asked her.

  "This shouldn't be here." The girl said. A few of the other girls looked over to see what she was talking about. "The dimensions of the building, compared to this room. And there's a boys shower room next door. But even if there wasn't, this shouldn't be here."

  "It's because they adjusted the physical space the building uses inside, but left it alone outside. It's all in the first few chapters of the briefing." Novellana explained.

  All the girls looked at Novellana. The girl that was mumbling clarified, "You finished the first chapter of the briefing?"

  Novellana shrugged, "I finished the whole briefing."

  The girl shook her head, "That must be why you're project co-head."

  Novellana looked at the other girls, "You mean none of you got through the first chapter?"

  Olivia poked up, "I'm on chapter two!" She grinned.

  Novellana smiled, thankful for the bit of humor.

  A tall blond girl turned to walk away, "Let's just hope you're as skilled at dealing with Frost," She mumbled.

  Novellana blushed a little, but hardly had time to feel self-conscious before the girls were exploding with questions about things they didn't understand so far.

  "Okay, okay," Novellana said, "We're all going to be in lab in a couple hours, I promise, I will help all of you then. For now, let's just relax and enjoy what we've got here."

  They all started chattering together and Novellana made her way back to her room, suddenly feeling much more confident in her ability to be a project co-head.

  After collecting herself, packing her briefing, a notebook, and a few reference books, Novellana headed out to meet Melonie at the Bean Barn. Finding her already at a table with Jason and Chad, Novellana quickly ordered a cup of coffee, the line being much shorter than the night before, and sat down with her friends.

  "So," Melonie prodded, "What are the Classifieds like? Make any pigs fly yet?"

  "You're in the Classifieds?" Jason and Chad asked in unison.

  Novellana blushed, "Yes I'm in the Classifieds. No flying pigs. And you know I really can't talk about any of it."

  "So if there were flying pigs, you couldn't tell us right?" Jason asked.

  Novellana eyed her step-brother, his grey eyes focused intently on hearing and distorting her answer. She reminisced for a moment about how unusually similar they looked for not actually being related. His curly brown locks and ivory skin matched hers to a tee. She tried to form her answer in a way he couldn't twist to meet his desired ends. "Well, no, but--"

  "So if there were flying pigs, you'd have to say there weren't right?" Chad clarified, his own straight, dusty brown locks falling over his green eyes as he spoke.

  "Okay, that's--"

  "Shh!" Melonie waved Novellana closer and whispered, "Blink once if there really are flying pigs."

  Novellana stared at her and couldn't help but blink.

  "Oh!" All three cheered together.

  "No." Novellana laughed. "There really aren't any flying pigs! Ah! I'm going to lab."

  "Oh, let me walk with you." Melonie said. "See you this afternoon." She kissed Jason on the cheek. Chad held out his cheek and Jason slapped the back of his head.

  Novellana laughed. She loved how ridiculous her friends were at times.

  "So," Melonie said, as they got farther away, "Heard anything else from your mystery boy?"

  "What, since yesterday? No, we're writing letters, not e-mails."

  Melonie shrugged, "I was just wondering if maybe there was anything else you'd like to share? I know you didn't tell me everything." She gave a sly grin.

  Novellana smiled bashfully, "Well..."

  "Well?"

  "Well, I guess I didn't mention that I found out in his last letter that he goes here."

  Melonie stopped. "Here?! Like here, Jochawk?"

  "Yep," Novellana smiled, "Apparently he's been going here as long as we have."

  "No way!" Melonie exclaimed, turning a few heads. She suddenly looked around, as if she might recognize James if he happened to wander by. "So do you have any idea who he is?" She asked.

  "All I know is his name is James. I don't know what he looks like or anything." Melonie was still looking around. "And I don't think you're going to find him that way." Novellana added.

  "Who knows?" Melonie smiled, "I might."

  "Look out!" Novellana warned. Just then, Melonie backed into someone.

  "Sorry," She said turning around.

  "Looking for someone?" Jamison Doyle asked.

  "Not you." Novellana practically spit the words out. "Come on, Melonie."

  Melonie obliged, "Who was that? Why does he look familiar?" She whispered to Novellana.

  "That is my project co-head, Jamison Doyle." Novellana answered icily.

  "Seriously? Sheesh, aren't you a drama magnet this year."

  Novellana was in Lengle Lab at 9:40. She spread out her books, then explored the room, becoming acquainted with where everything was. She was familiar with the layout and the organization after about ten minutes, right about the time that Jamison walked in, and she was all too satisfied to sit down alone, and begin working on the discrepancies she'd noticed earlier. Everyone quickly filtered in after him and began trying once again to get through the first chapter. Novellana gave them about half an hour to try to work it out on their own before she stepped in and started clarifying questions everyone had. She broke a few of them into groups and had them try to work together to figure out their problems. Olivia was able to help several of them, as she'd finished the second chapter since that morning. Novellana was very grateful for her help, and as much as she didn't want to a
dmit it, she was appreciative when she noticed Jamison on the other side of the room, helping the other students. By about 1:30 everyone had made it through the third chapter and they decided to break for lunch. Neither of the professors had been by, but everyone was working so well together, they barely even noticed. When they returned at 2:00, everyone dove right back in, and by the end of the day, they were through about a quarter of the briefing. Most of them were mentally exhausted and ready to go relax for a bit, but a few had some questions.

  "Novellana," A girl who'd introduced herself earlier as Hannah asked. "Most of what we've been talking about today was manipulating the physics of space, but I peaked at the end of the briefing and there's some mention of manipulating time and even time and space together. Do you really think we can do that?"

  "Well, a lot of the information towards the end of the briefing still has a lot of flaws. Most of the research on time manipulation is based on speculation. After what I've seen already done with space manipulation, I don't want to say anything is impossible, but time manipulation just seems more like science fiction than unexplored reality."

  "You just don't like to believe anything is possible until you see it." Jamison interrupted.

  "Well, that's not a bad way to say definitively if something is real. And I don't have to see it, I just need some evidence that it could be. The trees moving is proof there's wind. What proof do you have that time manipulation is even possible?"

  "I don't have proof, but I'm willing to look for it." Jamison answered.

  "For what? We don't even know where to begin. There's almost no research that even suggests the possibility except the last few chapters of the briefing and the calculations aren't even complete."

  "Well maybe we should work on that."

  "No, we should be exploring something we know will work. We should be exploring the practical uses and implications of space manipulation."

  "That's so bland!"

  "Oh, just shut up!"

  "ENOUGH!" Neither of them saw Professor Harshaw enter, but the stern word silenced them both and the few students that were still lingering, observing their arguments, scooted out the door. "Ms. Douglass, Mr. Doyle. What kind of example are you setting?"

  "Conflict sparks creativity?" Novellana offered shyly.

  Professor Harshaw grinned. "I can't argue with that, but the only emotion you'll be needing in this room is passion for the subject matter. I suggest you check your anger at the door."

  Novellana thought back to the truce they'd discussed earlier.

  "A truce would be an excellent idea." Professor Harshaw nodded. Novellana and Jamison stared at him. "Oh, dear," He muttered, "Suppose I've been spending too much time in the psych lab. Well, good luck." And the professor left.

  "Did he just..?" Novellana couldn't quite form the question, but it seemed like Professor Harshaw had read her mind.

  Jamison smiled. "Anything's possible. It is the Classifieds. So, what do you say? Truce?"

  Novellana sighed. "Truce. Just please don't talk about how I look in a towel."

  "I--"

  Novellana held up her hand to silence whatever Jamison was about to say. "Enough."

  He smiled and they shook hands.

  "So, dinner?" He asked. Novellana rolled her eyes and left.

  The rest of the week flew by in a flurry of redundancies. Novellana felt like she had to repeat everything she said a hundred times. She was truly grateful for Jamison being there to help, especially when she found out he was the only one besides her to have finished the briefing the first night. Despite her gratitude, however, she just couldn't stop getting in arguments with him. Something about him drove her crazy and she couldn't help but call him on every mistake he made, while stubbornly defending herself when he returned the favor. The class seemed to be entertained by their squabbles, but the professors always seemed to step in, just before it got too heated. By the end of the week, they were all finishing up the briefing and several small groups had formed with proposals for further research they wanted to conduct and calculations that would clarify some of the finer points.

  Novellana was feeling quite satisfied with the work they were doing, but her morning runs were putting her on edge. The same mysterious dark jogger had run past her and into the woods every morning. She was starting to become suspicious, and even considered quitting jogging, but since he never actually did anything, she figured she was probably just stressed from the studies and having to work with Jamison. He was seriously getting under her skin on a daily basis. Nonetheless, she decided to start carrying pepper spray with her on her runs.

  When she got back to her room on Friday afternoon, she found a pale blue envelope in her mail slot, and as exhausted as she was, she still managed to read it four times through before falling asleep on her love seat.

  "Ana,

  You were right, too. I did get into the Classifieds. This is starting to get freaky. As lucky as it is that we're at the same school and we're both in the Classifieds, it's still not very likely that we're in the same department. I think you're right, we shouldn't discuss details, especially not through the mail like this. But the Halloween Festival will be coming up soon. Maybe we can meet there.

  I know we're not discussing details, but without even knowing the topic, I know you loved reading your briefing. So did I.

  I can't wait to meet you in person.

  Love,

  James"

  JAMISON

  The second Friday after the studies had started, Jamison and Novellana had to present a progress report to the professors. They decided to meet in the lab Thursday evening to prepare. Jamison was hoping some one-on-one time might warm Novellana up a little. Their constant bickering, while entertaining both to the class and secretly to Jamison, was getting in the way of their research. He was doing his best to be friendly with her, but she continued to be very curt with him as they filled each other in on various details to complete the report.

  Jamison couldn't be too upset, though. He'd gotten another letter from Ana.

  "James,

  Of course I loved reading my briefing, without giving away any details. And I'm not surprised you enjoyed yours. I feel like I could sort every book in the world into whether you'd like it or not.

  The Halloween Festival will be perfect to meet at, it just seems so far away. I'll be looking forward to it every day.

  Love,

  Ana"

  "Well, that wasn't nearly as awful as I was anticipating." Novellana said to him, pulling him out of his musings.

  "Sorry to disappoint." Jamison mumbled through his hand his chin rested on.

  Novellana looked at him confused, "You're especially happy this evening." She noted as she began gathering her things.

  "Just thinking of someone special." He explained, sitting up and combing his hair back with his fingers.

  "Well, maybe you should do that more often. Lab would be so much more tolerable if you were like this every day."

  "You're the one always being rude."

  "Oh, Mr. Frost. I was wondering where you'd gone. There was this nice boy filling in for you, but now he's gone and here you are. Well, I have a letter to write. Good bye." Her words were harsh, but she gave a small smile as she left.

  Jamison rolled his eyes, but couldn't quite wipe the stupid grin off his face. He wasn't sure what to do with himself. He'd expected preparing the progress report to take much longer. He wasn't much in the mood for more studying. He decided to go to the Bean Barn for a drink.

  It was an average week night. The tables weren't packed, but a lot of students cramming for tests the next day or desperately trying to finish papers, were scattered throughout. Jamison stood in line, trying to decide between a caramel macchiato and a caramel latte, though in all honesty he did not know what the difference was. Stir it up and it's still milk, coffee, and caramel. He had just decided on the caramel macchiato when Victor, a rather skinny boy only an inch or two shorter than Jamison, got in
line behind him.

  "Hey, Jamison." He said in an overly friendly voice.

  Jamison looked around, not used to people addressing him directly. "Are you talking to me?"

  "You're the only Jamison here that I know." Victor's smile looked like a menacing grin, but with his jet black crew-cut hair, and Jamison's predisposition to feel threatened by just about everyone, he could have imagined it.

  "Right. So what's up?" Jamison asked.

  "Oh nothing. Just figured I'd come say 'Hi'. Never really talk about anything but 'You know what' in lab. You're up." He motioned to the register, Jamison was next in line.

  "Oh, sorry. Uh, can I get a caramel macchiato?"

  "What's that?" Victor asked.

  Jamison shrugged, "Caramel and coffee."

  "I'll have the same." Victor told the cashier.

  Jamison paid for both and they talked as they waited for their drinks.

  "Grande caramel macchiato." The barista called, then looked at the other drink. "And a second grande caramel macchiato."

  Jamison took the first cup and was about to take a sip, but Victor stopped him. "Let's switch." And he took Jamison's cup, handing Jamison the second one.

  "Wait," The barista called before Victor took a sip.

  "Yes," He raised an accusing eyebrow at the barista.

  "I... I think there might be something wrong with that one."

  "Meaning you spit in it." Victor clarified.

  The barista didn't say anything.

  "That wasn't a question. Here," Victor handed the cup back. "Get me a regular coffee and if I find out you spit in his drink again, I'll be talking to your manager."

  The barista glared at Victor, but obliged.

  Jamison had no idea what to say.

  Victor shrugged. "I used to work in a coffee shop like this. I saw the look he was giving you and I know what some people do. So are you here with anyone?"

  Jamison got the feeling that Victor was a bit of a brown-noser, but it was about the closest thing he'd had to a friend in... well, ever, and he was impressed at Victor's attention to detail. Jamison shrugged, "I'm never anywhere with anyone."

  Victor got a laugh out of that. "Well come on, I know a few people that wouldn't mind having you at our table."

  Jamison was confused. No one had ever really spoken to him like he was a human being before. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but he decided not to question luck. He followed Victor to a table with two boys. They were about the same height as Victor, but much stockier. Victor introduced them as Malcolm and Brock. Jamison hoped he wouldn't be expected to remember which was which, they looked almost identical.

  "You two related?" He asked.

  They looked at each other and laughed. "Everyone asks that, but no," Malcolm (Jamison thought it was Malcolm anyway) said. "He's from Washington, I'm from Delaware. Just happen to look alike and hang out."

  "So this Novellana chick." Victor changed the subject, "When is she coming down off her high horse?"

  "Ah, she's not so bad after a while. She gets along with pretty much everyone else." Jamison was starting to get confused. Victor was like the opposite of everyone else. Most people seemed to like Novellana and hate him.

  "You know what I think we should do? Pull some kind of prank on her." Malcolm and Brock both rolled their eyes, but said nothing. "I know where we can get some glue and feathers."

  "I don't know..." Jamison had had enough "pranks" pulled on him that he never wanted to do it to anyone else. And besides that, he didn't think pranks would help move their research along.

  "Jamie!" A high-pitched voice squealed from behind him.

  Oh, no. Jamison thought. Not...

  "It's me, Jamie! It's Hillary! Oh, how much did you miss me. You're lucky, I've decided to forgive you for not taking me to England with you."

  "How did you even know I went?" Jamison asked.

  "Your dad told me." She giggled.

  Jamison groaned.

  "Now don't pretend you're not happy to see me, Jamie--"

  "Don't!" Jamison interrupted, "Don't call me Jamie."

  "Well!" Hillary gasped. "I'll give you some time to think about how much you love me, but I expect you to take me out this weekend." And with that Hillary marched off, at least as well as anyone can march in three inch heels and a mini skirt.

  Victor, Malcolm, and Brock stared wide-eyed at the whole scene. Jamison looked back at them. "Don't ask." All three burst out laughing and Jamison groaned again.

  "What was that and where do I get one?" Victor asked. Jamison couldn't imagine what Victor would want with a girl like Hillary. She was very petite, the heels only brought her up to about five foot five, but she was skinny in a sickly way. Her blond hair always had too much spray in it, and once she decided she wanted something, she did not let it go no matter how much it begged. She'd decided she wanted Jamison freshman year, and at first, he was just happy to have someone to talk to, but soon he realized she didn't care about him, she wanted his money and his fame, even if it was infamy.

  "You can have her." Jamison said.

  "Oh, no," Brock said, "That lady is all yours."

  "Don't remind me." Jamison groaned. "If only I could trade her in."

  "You have someone else in mind?" Malcolm asked.

  "Oh," Jamison shook his head, "It's no one."

  "Oh, come on." Brock prodded. "Who is the lucky lady?"

  "Please don't tell me you have a thing for your project co-head." Victor said.

  "Yeah, right." Jamison laughed. "She goes to school here, but we haven't officially met. We've been writing letters to each other all summer. Her name is Ana."

  Malcolm and Brock looked constipated with the laughter they were trying to hold in.

  Victor simply nodded, "Ana, huh? I'll keep an ear out, let you know if I hear anything about an Ana on campus."

  "Thanks," Jamison acknowledged. He glanced around the room, as if talking about her might summon her to the Bean Barn at that very moment. He saw a few familiar faces, some other students from lab, Novellana and her friend were in line, and, "Oh, no." He saw Hillary making her way back. "Look, guys don't take this the wrong way, but I have to go. Thanks for the drink, Victor. See you tomorrow."

  "Yeah, man. Want me to stall her for you?" He grinned.

  Jamison smiled, "I'll owe you one." And with that he slipped out as quickly as he could.

  Jamison escaped without notice and decided to retreat to the safety of his room alone, loneliness having become a familiar friend he'd much prefer to the company of that harpy.

  He found himself laying in his bed, re-reading his last letter from Ana. As he thought about what she'd be like, he heard a scuffle out in the hall. He poked his head out the door to see what was wrong. Outside he saw Novellana and Professor Whimwell standing over Victor and Hillary who were on the floor by the elevator covered in glue, feathers, and a variety of other sticky messes. Jamison let out a small laugh when he saw them. No one seemed to hear him but Novellana, who gave him an angry look, but quickly turned back to the professor to finish telling him how she caught them sneaking onto the elevator with several suspicious buckets and bags, which they somehow managed to get all over themselves.

  "Okay, you two, you're coming with me." Professor Whimwell said to them.

  "But we didn't do anything." Hillary whined.

  "We'll just see what you were going to do and then we'll decide your punishment in Psych Lab." He told them.

  Jamison had seen enough, and he shut the door. After that first day when Professor Harshaw had seemingly read his mind, Jamison had asked the professor about Psych Lab. The professor had simply answered, "Psychology will no longer be considered a soft science when their findings are released."

  Jamison decided to work some more on his own lab's research, suddenly in the mood for academia again. After a few hours of study, his mind began to drift back to Ana and he wrote a reply to her last letter. He found himself about to fall asleep on his desk, so he
dragged himself to bed, only to find her in his dreams. They were standing in torrential rain and she told him she could give him the secret to time travel. He asked what it was, but she was silent and he awoke feeling chilly, having slept above the covers. He pulled them over himself and fell back asleep, dreamless the rest of the night.

  VICTOR

  Victor was not in the best mood. He now understood how Jamison could repeatedly turn down a girl like Hillary. He could overlook the fact that she was too skinny. And the fact that she was so shallow she made the Sahara look deep meant nothing to him. It was the fact that the girl could be outwitted by a rock that made her unbearable. It was her idiocy that got them caught, and Novellana's obnoxious moral code that sealed their fate. As punishment for their attempted prank they were sentenced to three weeks of getting up at the crack of dawn to collect and sort all the mail on campus.

  Victor arrived in the mail room just after six in the morning, still blinking the sleep out of his eyes. Hillary was already there, and by the look of her, she wasn't much of a morning person either.

  "So what do we do?" Victor asked her.

  She shrugged.

  "Pretty simple, really." A young-looking boy answered, walking in the door behind him. "You," He pointed to Victor, "Deliver the mail that was sorted yesterday, and bring back the outgoing mail. And you," This time he pointed to Hillary, "Sort the mail as he brings it back. You scan it on that computer and it will tell you which bin to put it in."

  "Scan what? The address?"

  "Yep. The computer reads the address, searches if there's a forwarding address, and tells you whether it goes back to campus, to the local office, or to the regional office."

  "So if a computer can do that, couldn't a machine also collect, sort, and deliver the mail, too?" Victor asked.

  "It could." The boy agreed, "But then they wouldn't have an inconvenient task to punish you with."

  Victor rolled his eyes and folded his arms.

  "Well, what happens if we don't finish and we have to go to class?" Hillary asked.

  "You come back after class." The boy smiled. "But there's no reason you shouldn't finish in a few hours."

  Hillary groaned.

  "Good luck." And with that, the boy left.

  The minute he was out the door, Hillary had a hundred and four things to say about how awful he was, but at six in the morning, Victor was in no mood. "Hillary," Victor interrupted, "Start dumping those bins in the sacks." He motioned to the bins across the room, each labeled with what building it went to. On a table by the bins were a pile of delivery sacks. Victor dumped the first bin in a sack and took an extra sack to collect the outgoing mail in, "I'm off. I don't know about you, but I have no desire to come back here after class."

  He happened to pick his own apartment building, and decided to start with the girls floor. He went to the box outside the door and tried to pull it open, but it was jammed. He fidgeted with it for a while, but he just couldn't get it. He was about to take his shoe and knock the box off the wall when Novellana stuck her head out the door.

  "Careful." She warned. "Look, if you just lift it gently, it opens smoothly." She demonstrated and the box opened easily, as if taunting him.

  "Thanks." He grumbled, taking the letter out of the mailbox.

  "Did I get anything?" She asked.

  "Did I hand you anything?" He retorted, and turned to go to the next door. He heard the door close behind him.

  Who would want to get a letter from her anyways? Victor wondered, glancing down at the starch white envelope, but he quickly dismissed the thought as he decided he didn't care who Novellana exchanged mail with.

  The rest of the floor went off without a hitch. He found that being gentle really did make it easier to open the boxes. On the next floor, he started with Jamison's room. Jamison nearly ran over him on his way out.

  "Oh, hey. So, mail duty your punishment for that mess you got in last night?"

  "Why didn't you warn me your number two was such a moron?" Victor asked. He'd really looked up to Jamison. He followed the stories in the news and he was completely on Henry Doyle's side, just like he knew Jamison must be, but he couldn't believe Jamison would just let him get in trouble like that.

  "I tried." Jamison grinned. "So how long do they have you on this for?"

  "Three weeks."

  "Ouch. Well, just remember, no matter how bad it seems, it has to end."

  "Right. Anything going out?"

  Jamison handed him a letter. "It's to Ana. Did I get anything?"

  "Nothing today."

  "Oh, well. Keep an eye out for a white, handwritten envelope for me, would you?"

  "Sure." Victor nodded.

  Jamison headed off down the hall and Victor continued his route through the building.

  It hardly took him any time at all to finish and get back to hand off the letters to Hillary. He grabbed the next bag to deliver and escaped as quickly as he could, Hillary chattering away about how bored she was the second he walked in the door. When he got back from the second sack of deliveries, Hillary was complaining that he missed some letters on his first run.

  "I didn't miss any letters." Victor insisted.

  "Well there's two here that go to the building you just came from." She handed Victor the pale blue envelope from Jamison and the starch white envelope from Novellana.

  Victor's jaw nearly fell off his face. "Move." He pushed Hillary out of his way, ignoring her protests as she tumbled to the floor, and scanned the letters to see their forwarding addresses. He stared at the screen a moment as a smile spread across his face.

  "What is wrong with you?" Hillary demanded.

  "Oh, you're gonna love it!" Victor grinned, and put his arm over her shoulder.

  Hillary must not have had any idea what he was talking about, but grinned dumbly right along with him.

  JAMISON

  Jamison woke up early the next day as usual and went out for his morning run. As he approached the pond, he saw Novellana ahead of him. He had rushed past her and into the woods every morning for the last couple of weeks, but he thought today he might try to talk to her.

  As he approached, he called out, "Hey." But Novellana didn't turn. In fact, she ran faster. "Hey wait up," He called running after her, but she kept running faster. He kept running after her until, just as they reached the pond, she suddenly stopped and turned, spraying him in the face with pepper spray. It happened so fast he ran smack into her and they toppled together down the short hill and landed with a splash in the pond.

  "What the heck was that? I try to say 'Hi', you spray me with pepper spray?" He yelled at her through burning, squinted eyes.

  "I thought you were attacking me!"

  "No, this is attacking you!" He pushed her back in the water.

  Novellana screamed, "Hey!" And hurled a gob of mud at him.

  They had just gotten each other completely covered in mud when Melonie came by.

  "Novellana?" Melonie wore an expression of disbelief as she took in the sight of her quiet mellow friend in the middle of a mud fight with Jamison Doyle.

  Novellana dropped the gob of mud in her hand, "I have to go." She told Jamison quickly as she hurried up the hill.

  "Nice seeing you!" He called after her.

  The pepper spray was still blurring Jamison's vision, but his hearing was perfect as Melonie whispered to her friend, "So, do we have some office romance going on?"

  Novellana didn't answer, but kept her head down as they made their way back towards the main campus.

  NOVELLANA

  Novellana was sure it had been the weirdest morning she'd ever had. She wasn't sure if knowing Jamison was the mysterious jogger made her feel better or worse, but she definitely did not want anyone in lab knowing what she'd been up to. She went back to Melonie's dorm to get cleaned up, and dish about what had gone on since the night before.

  "I don't care about a failed prank, I want to hear about your new found career as a mud-wrestler!" Me
lonie joked as Novellana tried to tell her about catching Victor and Hillary in the hall the night before. Novellana gave Melonie her signature stern face and Melonie surrendered, "Okay, so what happened with them?"

  "Well, it turns out they were trying to set a trap for me to get covered with their sticky mess."

  "Why you?" Melonie wondered.

  "Who knows? Anyway, they've been sentenced to mail duty for three weeks. Doesn't look like they'll have time for any more pranks for a while."

  "Alright, well now that we've covered that, what were you doing with Jamison Doyle this morning?"

  Novellana told her friend about the last two weeks, how a mysterious jogger had been making her nervous, how she'd started to carry pepper spray, and how this morning Jamison scared her into using it.

  "So is that when you decided to mud wrestle?"

  "No! We just... fell in the water. And I guess it was kind of... fun."

  "So it's just the beginning of an office romance."

  "Shut up!" Novellana threw a pillow at her friend and they laughed and carried on until Novellana had to go back to her own apartment and prepare for the day.

  Lab was quieter than usual that day. Novellana and Jamison had no big arguments, no one in class had any big arguments, and it seemed that no one had any ideas to move their projects forward either. Everyone was more focused on their weekend than the task at hand. Novellana herself was more preoccupied with her odd encounter that morning. She wasn't sure what, if anything, to say to Jamison. It just felt awkward to even be around him. By the time two o'clock rolled around and everyone was getting up to go to lunch she told them all they didn't need to come back when they were done, they would simply pick back up on Monday. There was no point wasting everyone's time, when clearly nothing would be accomplished that day.

  She and Jamison were the last to leave. Before he walked out the door, she pulled him aside.

  "Listen, Jamison," He looked at her expectantly, "You want to have lunch here?"

  "For what?"

  "We can go over our progress report and present it to Professor Whimwell early."

  "Oh. Yeah, sure. So you wanna go grab lunch and meet back in fifteen minutes?"

  "Sounds good. See you in a bit."

  They went over their report again quickly, leaving only their lunches to finish.

  "So what did you get?" Jamison asked.

  "Just a sandwich." Novellana wrinkled her nose at the awkward small talk.

  "Any good?" He pressed on.

  "It's a sandwich." She said. "It tastes like a sandwich."

  Jamison rolled his eyes, "Okay, I get it. I won't talk to you about anything but physics from now on."

  Novellana laughed. "It's not that. It just seems weird trying to force a conversation like that."

  "It's not so bad when both sides are trying." Jamison pointed out.

  "Okay, okay." Novellana surrendered. "Let's try again. So what did you get?"

  "It's just a cheeseburger." He answered. Novellana laughed, making Jamison smile. She thought it would be nice to see him smile more, but then she wondered where the thought had come from. She looked up and caught him staring at her.

  "What are you looking at?" Novellana asked.

  "Sorry. Nothing. Just thinking how it would be nice if we could be friends."

  Novellana tilted her head down, making a strand of hair fall on the table. "We do seem to make a pretty good team." She agreed. They both smiled.

  Just then the door swung open. They both startled and turned to see Victor walk in. He stared at them, confused at the look they were giving him. "Forgot my bag." He mumbled, as he picked up a dark backpack laying on the floor.

  "Right. See you later." Jamison waved and went back to his sandwich.

  Novellana followed suit, focusing on her lunch, so neither of them saw the accusing look Victor gave as he walked out the door.

  They finished their lunch in silence and just as they were cleaning up, Professor Whimwell made his way in.

  "I thought you might be ready early." He said, making himself comfortable. "I saw several of the other students heading off across campus. It's fine." He answered their apologetic looks, "If the mind won't focus it's often best to let it stray a while before reining it back in. So your progress report? Go ahead whenever you're ready."

  Novellana and Jamison glanced at each other, and dove right in. Professor Whimwell was impressed.

  "Excellent progress. You've definitely exceeded expectations. Professor Harshaw will be pleased. You'll see him tonight, of course."

  "Sir?" Jamison inquired.

  "Oh, did I not mention? Every month there is a meeting of all departments for professors and student project heads. Of course you're both invited. It's tonight at eight in Psych Lab. I'm sure you'll enjoy it, lots of mingling and sharing information. Very educational. Well, I've got to get going. Still have a few reports to hear before tonight. See you this evening."

  Novellana collected the rest of her things and slipped out the door before another word was said.

  Melonie had decided that she wasn't quite finished mocking Novellana for her run in with Jamison, so she stopped by after class. After gawking at her enormous apartment for a while, she forgot what she'd come over for, so Novellana took the opportunity to tell her about the meeting that night and hopefully distract her from her taunting mission.

  "So you're telling me about this to stop me from making fun of you? Or were you just trying to figure out what to wear?"

  "Why would I need..." Novellana trailed off, suddenly realizing she really didn't know what to wear. In class she tended to follow the old rules of long pants, discrete jewelry, and closed toe shoes, which generally allowed jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers. This meeting sounded like kind of a big deal, though, so she wasn't sure if she should dress more formally.

  "Just go with some black slacks and a polo." Melonie answered Novellana's musings as if she were a member of Psych Lab, too. "And you can borrow a pair of my dress shoes, since we both know you don't have any."

  Novellana grinned gratefully at her friend knowing her so well. "Well how will I ever repay you?"

  "You will put down your over-bearing research tomorrow night and come hang out with me. We are going to a drive in movie with Jason and Chad and then to the historic district."

  Novellana bowed, "As you wish," And they both laughed.

  Melonie ran back to her own dorm, returning fifteen minutes later with the shoes. While she waited, Novellana made some dinner, in thanks for Melonie's help. They ate slowly, wasting the time away with chatter about school, friends, and romances, until Novellana had to go to her meeting. Melonie left to watch a horror movie marathon with Jason, Novellana thankful she had to miss it.

  She arrived just a little early, and by the looks of it, she wasn't at all over or under dressed. She saw a few students she'd taken undergraduate classes with and went to see what they were up to.

  She spent the next hour listening to other project heads talk about their research, talking about her own, and generally being astounded by how advanced the studies were at Jochawk.

  "It's funny," She told her friend William, "As I hear you explain the science, it's so simple and it makes perfect logical sense, but the rest of the world still thinks dragons are an impossible myth."

  "Well no matter how far science comes, anything that we haven't done yet will always be considered magical. Before someone explained the rise and fall of the sun, Helios was the explanation. Before someone explained rain, a dance provoked it. Now we can explain dragons from a biological standpoint and one day people will look back and think how silly we all were for thinking they weren't real."

  "I guess anything must be possible."

  "From what I've heard in this room tonight, I'd have to agree." William nodded.

  "You know what I'm wondering now?" Novellana asked, "Do you really have flying pigs in the genetic study lab?"

  William opened his mouth to answer, but Professor
Harshaw was tapping a spoon on a glass calling for everyone's attention. "If you can all make your way to the chairs set out in this section here," He asked, "We'd like to begin our formal meeting."

  Professor Harshaw was on a small stage set out before a group of simple folding chairs. It was one of the most normal looking things Novellana had seen in the Classifieds, but as the others began taking their seats, she realized that like everything else, the chairs were not as they appeared. As each person took their seat, the chair wrapped around, offering armrests and cup holders on an as needed basis. Novellana shook her head, wondering who had the time and desire to make such an extravagant folding chair.

  Behind Professor Harshaw on the stage was Professor Whimwell and seven others. When everyone had taken their seats, Professor Harshaw began, "In case we haven't been formally introduced, I'm Professor Harshaw, this is Professor Whimwell, Professor O'Briarn, Professor Schmidt, Professor Thomas, Professor Pincknea, Professor Pollek, Professor Leaf, and Professor O'Hern." The each gave a small wave at the mention of their name, but Novellana wasn't sure she'd remember them all. "There are seventeen departments in the Classifieds and nine of us, so on behalf of all of us, I'd like to thank all of you here for your exceptional efforts in the last few weeks. You've all proven that our decisions to make you project heads were in good judgment."

  There was a brief pause for everyone to give each other a soft applause, after which, Professor Whimwell continued, emphasizing the importance of secrecy of subject matter. Each of the professors went over various topics for the projects heads to keep in mind during the course of their respective studies. Novellana wished she'd brought a notepad.

  Finally Professor O'Hern stepped up. "All of these are important to remember, but the cost of these studies bears on us all, which is why we try to make our Big Barn events as profitable as possible. What that really boils down to is making it as much fun as possible and keeping the secret of what you're doing or even that you're doing it. We'll be sending out more details, but essentially each lab study group will be responsible for some part of the upcoming Halloween Festival, depending on the number of students in your lab study. We're open to suggestions and welcome volunteers, so go ahead and innovate."

  Professor Harshaw had a few closing remarks, and then they were dismissed with a reminder that they were not to repeat what had been discussed outside of lab. "Next meeting will be four weeks from today. Same time. Same place."

  Novellana nearly knocked her own door down on her way back to her room. As she suspected, an orange envelope already lay on the floor awaiting her inspection. She tore it open and read as fast as she could. The date for the Halloween Festival was set for the Friday before Halloween, only six weeks away. Her lab group would be in charge of decorations and assisting with the other groups' efforts. They had one of the larger groups in the Classifieds. Everyone was invited to dress up for the event and participate in games and refreshments.

  Novellana tossed the card in the air and ran for her stationary. This would be the perfect opportunity to meet James!

  "James,

  I don't know if you've heard, but the Halloween festival is coming up. I was thinking, maybe we could meet there? I just can't think of how we'd recognize each other? I want us to be a surprise when we meet, so it can't be what we look like normally. Everyone is supposed to dress up, though, so maybe by our costumes? What do you think?

  I'm so excited. I hope we finally get to meet!

  Love,

  Ana"

  Novellana sealed the envelope, deposited it in her mail slot and returned to her room, unsure of what to do with herself. She decided to experiment with her own research. She took a shoebox and adjusted it so that the outside remained the same, while the inside became large enough for her to sit in, which she did. Then she decided to try a larger scale. She made her bathroom the size of the bedroom, but returned it to normal, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the space.

  Suddenly she had an idea. She decided that on Monday she would take small groups back to their own rooms to adjust the dimensions and get some practice with their research.

  Quite satisfied with herself, Novellana flopped in bed, dreaming of finding her prince at a masquerade ball. She was intent on sleeping in the next morning, but woke of to the sound of Victor fidgeting with the mail slot again.

  "Gently!" She called into the morning air. She heard the satisfying slide of the mail opening and closing, and she went back to sleep.

  She awoke again a few hours later to Melonie banging on her door.

  "Wake up, lazy!" She teased.

  Novellana blinked, the sleep heavy in her eyes. "You said we were going to a movie tonight. It's ten. I was trying to sleep in."

  "And you did." Melonie smiled, "It's ten."

  Novellana sighed. "Okay, well what are you doing here so early?" She made her way to the kitchen and started brewing a pot of coffee.

  "Well mostly I'm just really hyped up from watching that horror movie marathon last night. So I figured I'd come over here and you'd think of something to do." She smiled.

  Novellana lifted an eyebrow. "Well I could show you an experiment I did last night. The only thing is I can really only show you what I did. I can't go into specifics on how I did it."

  "That's the only part that's cool!" Melonie was getting excited. "Where is it?" She started looking around the room.

  Novellana went to the coffee table in the living room and brought back the shoe box.

  "That's it?" Melonie was disappointed.

  "Get in." Novellana told her.

  "What?"

  "Get in." Novellana repeated, opening the top and setting the box on the floor.

  Melonie shrugged and put her foot in the box. Novellana had to catch her as she misjudged the depth of the box. Her eyes grew wide, "Whoa!" And she put her hands on the floor and lowered herself into the box, so as she stood inside, her hips were at the level of the floor. "This is crazy!"

  "It is pretty cool, isn't it?" Novellana said.

  "It's amazing, but now I'm bored again. You need to think of something to do that will take longer. We have eight hours to whittle away before the movie."

  "We could drive out to the beach. It's still warm enough for another couple weeks."

  "Perfect!" Melonie whipped out her phone, calling Jason and Chad, telling them to bring Chad's SUV so they could all fit with all their stuff. "Can we bring this?" Melonie asked Novellana about the shoe box she was still standing in.

  "I don't know." Novellana hesitated. "It's not even supposed to exist."

  "Fine, fine." Melonie said, "Yes, Jason," She said into the phone, "We're definitely going to need your car for all of us to fit."

  Novellana smiled, Melonie always over-packed. Probably because she was always anticipating taking things to the extreme.

  Saturday was a good day. They spent most of the day at the beach, saw the movie, and found themselves wandering around the historic district until the early hours of the morning. Melonie was excited to hear about the upcoming Halloween Festival and was already starting to come up with costume ideas for herself and Jason. She also insisted that she and Novellana go back to the historic district the following weekend for their costumes.

  On Sunday, Novellana made another go at sleeping in. She woke up feeling refreshed, despite her sore muscles from over exertion the day before.

  After breakfast, she went for a walk down her usual jogging path. As she neared the pond she gave a slight smile and suddenly turned around. No one was in sight and she was glad. She remembered she hated Jamison and didn't know what had come over her. Thinking about him, though reminded her of the idea to bring the students back to their own rooms to practice altering space. She wondered how difficult Jamison would be about the proposal. Nothing seemed to go smoothly with him.

  When she got back to her room, she spent the rest of the day working on her research and trying to think of a way to present her idea to Jamison so that he'd agree.
/>
  On Monday morning, she had finished everything she meant to do with her research, but still had no idea what to say to Jamison.

  When she walked into lab, she decided to just spit it out and brace herself for an argument.

  "So, I was thinking about taking the students back to the apartments in groups to get some practice altering space on their own rooms."

  "Sounds like a good idea." Jamison said, "What do you say you take the girls and when you get back I'll take the boys?"

  Novellana made a great effort to close her open mouth. "Who are you?" She asked him.

  He laughed a little, "What?"

  "You never agree that easy."

  "It's a good idea." He argued.

  Novellana gave him an inquisitive look.

  Jamison smiled, "Okay, so maybe I'm just in a good mood. Do you really want to stand here wondering, or do you want to get to work?"

  "Okay," Novellana conceded. They told everyone their plan and broke up the class into groups of boys and girls. Novellana left with the first group, confused, but satisfied.

  They worked for a few hours and by the time they finished everyone's room had doubled in size, though from the look of the building, no one would know it. Novellana was quite satisfied with everyone's progress and after having explained the concept so many times, the simple explanation was starting to give her an idea, though she couldn't quite grasp it yet.

  When they returned, everyone gathered their things and headed off to lunch. Afterward the boys went with Jamison and the girls stayed and continued their research, many having gotten new ideas from the experience.

  Novellana went over and over her own notes, trying to figure out what it was she was thinking of.

  When she got home that afternoon, she checked her mail and was delighted to find a letter from James.

  "Ana,

  I don't know if you've heard, but the Halloween Festival is coming up. I was thinking, this could be the perfect opportunity for us to meet! Everyone is supposed to dress up, so I was thinking we could go as Elizabeth and Mr Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. What do you think?

  Hope you say yes!

  Love,

  James"

  Novellana couldn't believe how fast word traveled. She decided that James must have been close friends with one of the project heads to know so soon. She took no time in writing back to him.

  "James,

  Yes! You must have gotten my last letter by now, so you must already know I was hoping to meet you there. Elizabeth and Mr Darcy would be perfect. I had thought of Antony and Cleopatra, Romeo and Juliet, and Lancelot and Guinevere, but they're all doomed! Your idea is much better, but how will we recognize each other?

  Too excited to wait six weeks!

  Love,

  Ana"

  Novellana was so excited she forgot her research for the night and reread Pride and Prejudice twice. On her third time through, she fell asleep midway and dreamt of meeting James in early nineteenth century England.

  JAMISON

  When he got the letter from Ana inviting him to the Halloween Festival, Jamison realized she must have written to him at the same time he wrote to her, so he decided to wait a few days to write back. Sure enough, he got her response to his invitation two days later. He read through her distraught list of doomed romances and chuckled to himself, pleased that she liked his idea. He was a little unsure of how they'd recognize each other, though. He decided to go into the historic district the following weekend and see if he could find some inspiration in one of the shops.

  He wrote back to Ana, telling her he'd get back to her as to how they'd recognize each other, but for now he was very excited and agreed six weeks felt like a very long time.

  The rest of the week he had to put all his effort into focusing on research. He was caught several times lost in his own thoughts. On Friday afternoon, he agreed to meet Victor at the Bean Barn.

  "So, what's been at you all week?" Victor asked as they sat down with their drinks.

  "Well, I guess you've heard by now that the Halloween Festival is coming up."

  Victor nodded, "Seems like everyone's heard."

  "Well, I asked Ana to meet me there."

  "really?" Victor sounded surprised, but something in his voice sounded a little off, then he coughed a little and Jamison dismissed the odd tone.

  "Yeah," Jamison ran a hand through his hair. "So we're going as the main characters from Pride and Prejudice."

  "What's that?"

  "A romance novel. It's by Jane Austen."

  "Never heard of it." Victor shook his head.

  "Well Ana really likes it." Jamison smiled, remembering his own comments about the rest of Austen's work. "So I'm trying to think of something to send her so we can recognize each other. I was thinking there might be something in the historic district, but it's been eating at me all week trying to think of what I'm looking for."

  "Well, what are you doing now?" Victor asked.

  "Nothing, I guess." Jamison shrugged.

  "Then let's go." Victor suggested. "It's Friday. The shops are open late. I'll help you look. We can take my car."

  "Seriously?"

  "Yeah. Why not?"

  "Alright. Let's go." Jamison felt a warm comfort as they made their way to Victor's car. He had a girl that liked him, loved him, and he would meet her in only a few weeks; he had a friend that would spontaneously drive out to the historic district with him; and no one had attacked him since school started. Life was good.

  Parking was always miserable in the historic district. It was designed before cars were popular. They managed to find a space in a lot several blocks out and decided they were tough enough to walk the little extra distance. The first shop they passed was a stationary shop called "The Write Place". Jamison knew instantly what he was looking for in the store-front window.

  He nearly knocked his head on the low door frame as he pushed through, but he caught himself just in time. The clerk at the counter was a short, plump old man with glasses that sat nearly at the tip of his nose. He tilted his head up when Jamison and Victor walked in, greeting them and offering assistance.

  "Yes," Jamison accepted graciously, "I was interested in the journal set you have in the window."

  "Ah, yes!" The clerk answered, "That one's a favorite of mine. Took three months to make. Based on a design from medieval times. Can never remember what the rose is supposed to symbolize. I personally hand stitched the binding and encrusted the pages with gold edging. Been sitting up there for nearly a year."

  "If it's so great, why hasn't it sold?" Victor pointed out.

  The clerk looked at him as if he'd asked why the sun comes up. "No one can afford it." He stated plainly.

  Jamison grinned a little. He never used his father's money, one more thing no one expected to hear about him. In order to put himself through college, he'd started writing technical manuals in high school. He'd actually made a lot of money from that and soon his savings account was so large it appeared that he was using his father's money.

  "How much?"

  "Two hundred. With the pen." The clerk answered, seeming to expect a shocked reaction.

  Victor's eyes widened a little, but Jamison simply asked, "Do you have a spare ink cartridge for the pen?"

  The clerk looked a little confused, but answered, "Ah, yes, yes. Right here. That's another-"

  "Price really isn't an object." Jamison waved a hand.

  "Well then." The clerk said. "Did you want a better look at anything?"

  "Yes I would, but you can start ringing it all up." He said.

  The clerk nodded, smiling. He happily collected the journal and the pen and laid them out before Jamison, though he held the journal a moment longer as if to say good-bye. Jamison inspected it closely, admiring the handy work. He also looked closely at the ink cartridge, remembering something Professor Whimwell had been telling him about a project Chem Lab was working on. Then he handed everything to the clerk who wrapped it
very neatly in bright white tissue paper. Jamison was glad for that, knowing Ana's favorite color was white.

  He paid and got a business card from the clerk, Charles Wilde. Jamison was impressed with his craftsmanship and planned on coming back next time he was looking for very fine stationary.

  As they left the shop, the smell of fresh coffee was in the air and they decided to go next door for a drink. As they stood in line, Victor suddenly mentioned he was missing his wallet and thought it might have fallen out in the shop.

  "Order me a regular dark roast, will you?" He asked Jamison, "I'll be right back."

  Jamison was so pleased with his find, he barely noticed how long it took Victor to get back. While he waited, he pulled out his pocket knife and inscribed on the spare ink cartridge "To Ana, From James".

  "Wasn't in the shop. Went all the way back to my car and found it under the seat." Victor explained when he got back.

  "Better in your own car than on the ground somewhere, right?" Jamison nodded.

  "That's what I was thinking." Victor agreed. "So you want to get your costume while we're here?"

  "As long as I'm not holding you up from anything."

  "Please. If it makes you feel any better I'll get mine too."

  As they stepped out of the coffee shop, they nearly ran into Novellana and Melonie on their way in.

  "Can't seem to get away from each other." Melonie whispered to Novellana, who blushed and ducked inside the shop.

  "Please," She mumbled as she passed them, "Like I'd want to be around him." But she smiled just a little and Jamison grinned back.

  "Always a pleasure." He said to her.

  Victor gave one of his evil looks as they disappeared inside, but once again, Jamison didn't notice, as he'd suddenly become quite focused on diverting his attention away from the girls.

  NOVELLANA

  It was Melonie's idea to go to the historic district after lab on Friday. She apparently had a very full weekend ahead of her. Novellana didn't mind the distraction. Ever since the previous Monday she'd been going over every facet of how to manipulate space that might be giving her a bigger idea. It was like trying to find a light switch in the dark, and when Melonie suggested taking their shopping trip early, Novellana was glad she could think about something else for a while. She wasn't counting on running into Jamison, though.

  Melonie's teasing had been embarrassing enough without Jamison actually being in earshot. She didn't even like him, but when Melonie teased her she felt her cheeks brighten, and ducked away as fast as possible.

  "Did you have to?" She asked Melonie when they were inside.

  "Couldn't help it." Melonie shrugged. "You make it so fun."

  Novellana shook her head, hoping the heat in her face wasn't as noticeable in the dimly lit coffee shop. She stared at the menu, deciding on a caramel macchiato, while Melonie ordered her quad espresso.

  "So what is your costume supposed to look like?" Melonie asked.

  "I was thinking a simple looking dress and maybe some old looking paper and pens."

  "Mine will be easy." Melonie said, "We're going as zombies! I ordered the costumes months ago."

  Novellana smiled at her friend's enthusiasm for the holiday. "So where do you want to go first?" She asked.

  "There's a little shop down one of the side streets. You mind if we pick up my costume first?"

  "Sure." Novellana agreed as they got their drinks.

  It turned out the side street was an almost impossible incline. Even with her daily jogs, Novellana was panting by the time the store front came into view. She knew instantly which one it was. The shop itself looked like something out of a horror movie, with a sign hanging near the top "House of Horrors". Inside was cramped, but Melonie seemed to know exactly where she was going. She pushed past goblins and vampires and found the register counter attended by a boy with more piercings than Novellana thought possible, wearing khaki pants and a green polo. The contradicting attire made Novellana do a double-take, but Melonie was unfazed.

  "Hey, Tom." She said. "I got a call that my order has arrived?"

  "Yeah we got them. They're amazing, but Frank only ordered about ten sets after yours. I have a feeling that these bad boys are going to go fast. Good thing you pre-ordered."

  "Have I ever been one to delay my Halloween shopping?" Melonie asked.

  "This girl was in here last January buying skulls for this Halloween." Tom told Novellana. "The only reason they came out with these new zombie costumes is she called the manufacturer and badgered them into it!"

  "She is persistent." Novellana agreed.

  "Okay, okay. You can keep talking about how awesome I am after I see the costumes." Melonie interrupted.

  Tom motioned them to follow deeper into the store. Melonie was silent as she carefully removed the costume from the cellophane wrap. She examined closely the hand stitching and grinned at the durable material.

  Novellana couldn't believe her friend could be so quiet as she whispered, "This is awesome."

  The cost of the two costumes combined gave Novellana a bit of a shock, but Melonie had a special Halloween savings account for precisely that type of expense. They left the store with Melonie grinning in satisfaction.

  "Okay, so now where are we going for your costume?"

  "Well I saw a shop--"

  "Oh!" Melonie stopped her. "I know just the place!"

  "Okay." Novellana shook her head. "Let's go."

  Melonie led them through the labyrinth of the small town until Novellana wondered if they were still in the same city. She finally stopped in front of a small house with no sign on it. They stood in the small alley way and Novellana asked where the shop was.

  "Right here." Melonie pointed to the house.

  "That's not a shop. There's no sign." Novellana argued.

  "Things aren't always what they seem." Melonie told her and pushed her through the door.

  Inside was a wonderland of color. There were racks upon racks of dresses and jewelry.

  "Carol!" Melonie called out.

  A thin gray-haired woman popped out from under one of the racks.

  "Melonie!" She smiled, "How's your mother?"

  "Fine." Melonie answered.

  "She'll be so happy to hear you stopped by!" Carol said.

  "Actually," Melonie said, pushing Novellana up closer, "My friend, Novellana, here is looking for a Halloween costume." Melonie smiled innocently.

  "Oh." Carol pursed her lips as she let the word out. "And what will you be going as, dear?"

  "Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice." Novellana answered, hoping she didn't offend the woman.

  Carol instantly melted. "Oh, wonderful! I have just the thing! Wait! Lavender or white?"

  "I like white." Novellana answered.

  "Oh, perfect, perfect." Carol danced off between the racks and reappeared with a very finely stitched white dress. Novellana hardly got a chance to look at it before she was pushed into the dressing room.

  When she came out, they both gasped. Novellana caught a look of herself in the mirror and could see why. The dress had short sleeves that just went over Novellana's shoulders, the top was covered in lace, and the skirt dropped straight from her ribs to the floor. It was a perfect fit for her figure.

  Carol looked more than pleased with the fit, but then suddenly thought of something else. "You know what you need?" She went behind the counter that was mostly covered in fabrics and thread, and pulled a drawer out from underneath. Inside were hundreds of little trinkets, it was a wonder they didn't get tangled up. Carol found what she was looking for and handed it to Novellana. "Put it on, put it on!" She insisted.

  Novellana obliged and was taken aback by the beauty of the ensemble. The necklace was just longer than a choker, set on a silver chain. The pendant was a pearl white tear-drop with a tiny diamond just off center. "It's perfect." Novellana was stunned, having expected to search for a while and settle for something half decent.

  "Well," Carol sighe
d, "Let me just get a picture for my memory book and we'll get you all settled up."

  As she bustled off to get her camera, Novellana raised an eyebrow at Melonie.

  "She hand-stitches every dress herself and when she let's them go, she likes to have something to remember them by. And what better way to remember them than worn by their new owner?" Melonie rolled her eyes.

  Novellana made a mental note to hound Melonie about how she knew of this shop.

  "Alright," Carol said coming back, "Stand just like that. No, put your hands here. Perfect." She took the picture, then pushed Novellana back in the dressing room to change back into her clothes. When she was done, Carol carefully folded the dress into a clothing box and tied it with a white ribbon. "You can use this," Carol pointed to the ribbon, "To tie up your hair when you get dressed up." She rang up the total and Novellana was surprised how inexpensive it was.

  "That's it?" She asked.

  "Friend of the family discount. But you have to promise you'll try to get Melonie here to come buy herself a dress some day."

  Novellana smiled, "I'll do what I can."

  Melonie rolled her eyes as Novellana paid for her things. They waved good-bye to Carol and the minute they were out the door, Novellana turned to her friend and asked, "So how did you know about this shop?"

  "Carol is a friend of my mother."

  "I gathered that."

  "And they both want me to be more girly."

  "That too."

  "So my mother brought me here a lot when I was in high school to try to get me to like dresses or shopping or... I don't know, can we drop it?"

  "I don't think so." Novellana said and gave an apologetic look. "Carol gave me a discount and it is now my duty to get you to buy yourself a dress."

  "Oh, great!" Melonie threw her hands in the air and marched off. Novellana chased, and continued to tease her, thankful that she now had something to tease Melonie with in case Melonie brought up Jamison again.

  They were both so busy thinking about their costumes and teasing each other, that neither noticed they'd been followed since they left the coffee shop.

  Right after they left, Carol had another customer.

  "Hi. My name is Hillary and I'm looking for a dress just like the one she just bought."

  "Well Hillary," Carol smiled, "You've come to the right place."

  JAMISON

  Victor and Jamison found themselves in a shop called "All Ages Attire". The name fit. There were men's and women's clothes in all sizes from every period in history. It took Jamison no time at all to find the perfect Mr Darcy costume. Victor looked at it curiously before Jamison took it to the counter and paid.

  "So what kind of costume were you looking for?" Jamison asked Victor.

  "Oh, I don't know." Victor said, looking around. He picked up a random piece off the rack. "What's this?" He asked the clerk.

  "That's a women's tunic." She answered.

  "Oh." Victor quickly hung it back up.

  Jamison snickered a little.

  Victor pushed him lightly. "How was I supposed to know?" He defended himself.

  Just as the clerk handed Jamison his receipt, the bell over the door rang and they both looked up to see Hillary coming in. Jamison automatically dropped to the floor and ducked behind one of the racks, the clerk eying him curiously.

  Victor looked down at him. "You're pathetic." He grinned.

  Jamison grinned back, "Stall her for me?"

  "You bet." Victor smiled.

  Jamison crawled out of the shop on his hands and knees, the clerk watching with a slightly tilted head. As he slipped out the door he heard Hillary greeting Victor.

  "Hey, I thought you might be here. I got the dress. Just like the one I saw her buy. You want to see? You know I was thinking we should get some masks. Just really simple ones." She babbled on and Victor seemed to be trying to hush her. A wasted effort, in Jamison's experience.

  Jamison didn't realize Victor and Hillary had become friends. He figured being stuck on mail duty together must have helped. He didn't have a problem with it.

  Maybe they'll fall madly in love and she'll leave me alone. He chuckled to himself, making his way to the transit bus stop. He stopped when he saw a mask shop, and stepped inside to buy himself a black feather mask with silver edging. He knew it really didn't go with his costume, but he liked the idea that Ana wouldn't know who he was at first and he'd at least get a few moments with her in person before she could run off if she hated him like everyone else.

  As he waited for the bus, he let his mind wander back to his research. He'd started to think of something the previous Monday, but couldn't quite put a finger on what it was. Now that he had everything he needed for the Halloween Festival, he had nothing else to think about and he let himself obsess for a while.

  When the bus arrived, he started thinking about Ana again. He wondered what she was thinking about.

  NOVELLANA

  Novellana's mind was bouncing back and forth between thinking her research and thinking about meeting James at the Halloween Festival. Before she and Melonie headed back to campus, they stepped inside a mask shop, where she bought a white feather mask with gold edging. At first she hesitated, insisting that it didn't go with the costume, but as Melonie pointed out, it would give her the feeling of a little more security when she met the boy she'd been falling in love with over the last few months.

  She decided to hang her costume in her closet and shut the door. The Halloween Festival was still several weeks away and she didn't want to be constantly reminded and worrying about it.

  After dropping Novellana off, Melonie told her she would be unreachable until Monday, her big weekend starting early the next morning. This wasn't unusual for Melonie, but this particular weekend Novellana was frustrated trying to figure out what she'd been thinking about her research.

  She still had Pride and Prejudice laying on the coffee table, but she knew staying in her apartment would only draw her mind back to the study, so she grabbed her keys and the book and went to read at the Bean Barn.

  No one was in the elevator when she got on, but it stopped on the second floor and the doors opened to Jamison. Novellana's mind suddenly flashed back to their first night in the apartments, and the slight twitch in the corners of Jamison's mouth suggested he may have been remembering the same thing.

  He stepped on and the doors closed. There was an awkward silence. Novellana would normally have said nothing and hurried off as soon as the doors opened, but she was in a good mood and decided to make small talk.

  "Big weekend?" She asked.

  "Oh, yeah." Jamison affirmed. "I have to do nothing for about twelve hours tomorrow. Then when that's done I have to do nothing. And on Sunday I'll probably have to finish nothing. Hopefully I'll have accomplished nothing by Monday morning."

  Novellana smiled. "Yeah, me, too."

  "So where are you heading now?"

  "Just going to the Bean Barn."

  "Mind if I join you?" Jamison asked almost inaudibly.

  Novellana looked at him, but his gaze was focused away from her. She hesitated, but then thought, How bad could it be? "Sure." She answered.

  He turned and made eye contact. "Okay, then." He said.

  The doors of the elevator opened and they stepped off and headed out. They couldn't quite walk together properly. They kept walking faster or slower than the other and more than once they nearly ran into each other or tripped.

  When they got to the Bean Barn, they both held the door for the other, then both tried to walk in at the same time.

  "Ladies first." Jamison offered.

  "Okay," Novellana nodded, laughing awkwardly, and went in.

  They both ordered caramel macchiattos and sat down by the window. For a few minutes neither said a word, they just listened to the hum of chatter in the coffee house.

  "So," Jamison started, "That was a good idea you had on Monday."

  "Yeah," Novellana agreed, "Seemed to help everyo
ne start wrapping their minds around the ideas."

  "Sounded like a few groups were inspired."

  Novellana nodded, her mind coming back to the idea she almost had.

  "What's wrong?" Jamison asked. Novellana realized she must have been making her frustrated-at-her-own-thoughts face.

  "Oh, nothing." She answered. "Just thinking about what everyone was practicing on Monday. One of the girls said something. What was it? Oh, it was Maria. She said, 'If we can make a shoe box bigger on the inside than the outside, does that mean we can make it smaller on the inside, too?' I told her we could, but I couldn't see why we'd want to."

  "Yeah, one of the guys said something like that, too. It seems like a weird question, but I keep feeling like there's something to it."

  "Me, too. I've been going over it all week, but I can't make heads or tails or what I'm thinking."

  "You know, what I've been doing is visiting some of the other labs. Everyone gets really excited talking about their research, since everyone in their study already knows about it and we're the only other people they can talk about it with. You know, what if--"

  "Jamie!" Jamison was interrupted by the hideous squeal of his apparent keeper. "Who is she?" The girl put so much malice in the word, her voice was distorted into a kind of growl. That and her accusing finger with red manicured nails pointed at Novellana, gave her an impression of some sort of infernal beast. Novellana presumed that this must be Jamison's girlfriend. She looked a little familiar, but Novellana couldn't quite place her.

  "I'm his lab--" She started trying to explain, but the girl hushed her with a single finger in the air.

  "I was not talking to you, Hussy!" The girl practically spat.

  "What did you just call my sister?" Jason came stomping up to the table, Chad and Melonie in lock step behind. He stared down the beast who suddenly appeared much smaller. "I was talking to you." Jason said menacingly.

  "I- I-" She began to stutter,"I caught her with my boyfriend." She insisted.

  Jason looked at Jamison, who had his face buried in one hand, concealing a very frustrated look. Then to Novellana, who was staring in disbelief at the scene before her. "I don't think you got the whole story." One corner of his mouth tilted up just a little.

  "I don't need their stories!" The girl was regaining confidence.

  "Look," Melonie stepped up, "If you choose to associate with the scum of the earth, that's your business, but the rest of us, including my friend here, have better things to do. In fact, we're off to do them right now. Come on, guys."

  Melonie took Novellana by the hand and practically dragged her out of the coffee shop.

  "What a piece of work!" Chad exclaimed when they were outside.

  "Seriously," Jason agreed. "Have you seen a more perfect match?"

  They both started joking around together. Novellana was about to start feeling bad for Jamison, but glanced back inside and saw the two of them hanging all over each other. Maybe they were a perfect match.

  "Hello?" Jason waved a hand at her. All three were staring at her.

  "What?" Novellana shook her head, trying to remember what was asked.

  "What were you even doing with that loser?" Jason repeated.

  "He's the other project head in lab. Didn't you tell them, Melonie? We were talking about the project."

  "That desperate for ideas?" Chad asked.

  "You can't imagine." Novellana answered honestly, though she felt as if she were being deceptive.

  "Well, we just saw you heading in with him and wanted to make sure you were okay." Melonie smiled, giving Novellana a look that neither Chad nor Jason could catch. "You want us to walk you home or are you alright from here?"

  "I'm fine." Novellana answered. "Guess I'm staying in tonight."

  "I think you'll survive." Jason said.

  "See you Monday." Melonie waved as they made their way back to their own dorms.

  Novellana suddenly missed her room and had no problem reading her book in the comfortable solitude. She started where she last left off and read through once more. When her eyelids began to feel heavy, she lay down and tried to imagine what James looked like. Just before she drifted off completely she thought she might go visit some of the other labs some time.

  JAMISON

  The second Novellana and her friends were gone, Hillary turned back into the clingy little harpy she usually was, acting like none of her temper tantrum had just happened.

  "Jamie, I haven't seen you in so long! Doesn't it feel like it's been ages? How much did you miss me? Be honest."

  Jamison had learned long ago that Hillary did not speak standard English. "Be honest," In Hillarese was a phrase that meant, "Tell me what I want to hear." He rolled his eyes, but then had an idea.

  "You know," He said, pulling her arms off his shoulders and pushing her into the chair Novellana had just vacated, "I was hoping you'd go somewhere with me."

  "Really?" Hillary instantly brightened. "Where?"

  "I was about to go to the library."

  "The library." Hillary's tone was like lead. "Well, I guess we could find something to do there." She grinned in a way that might seem mischievous on someone else, but it made Hillary look like a cross between a skeleton and the Cheshire cat. "You know, my friend Izzy used to go there all the time with her boyfriend until he found out that she... Well, I love her to death and I'd never call her a sl---"

  "Right." Jamison interrupted, not in the least bit interested in Hillary character assassination of her "friend". He picked up his bag that he'd dropped on the floor by his chair and avoided eye contact with Hillary as he headed out. "Well, come on."

  She jumped up and wrapped herself around his arm. Jamison felt less like a guy with a girl on his arm and more like a prisoner being man-handled. As they made their way to the door, he saw Novellana glance back at them through the window. He didn't know why it would matter, but he hoped Hillary's scene didn't make her think there was anything going on with them.

  Over the last few years, he'd gotten used to Hillary telling people she was dating Jamison Doyle. He usually didn't care since no one would have liked him anyway. Somehow, it felt different when he saw the look Novellana gave him through the glass. He supposed it was because she was the closest thing he'd ever had to a real friend, excluding Ana, because they'd never met, and Paul, because he was more like a father. Jamison was grateful for having Victor around sometimes, but he was having a hard time figuring out what his deal was. He had an odd mannerism at times that made Jamison wary, though in his defense, he'd never done anything to hurt Jamison.

  "Jamie! Aren't we going in?"

  Jamison shook himself out of his musings. They had arrived at the library, but they were just standing out front. "Oh, yeah. Let's go." He nodded, leading the way in.

  The library had ten floors. The first was split between a computer section and a communal section where people could talk. Hillary was scoping out the communal section, but Jamison had other ideas. The next eight floors had a strict no talking policy, though the top three were off limits to students not in the Classifieds. The tenth floor was a communal space for only Classifieds students to talk. Jamison lead Hillary onto the elevator, and selected the fourth floor, which was the science floor. It had books on Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geology, Astronomy. Jamison moved into the section on Botany. He'd been talking to a student about some plants they'd been genetically engineering, and he was curious to get a little more grounding in the roots of the subject.

  He selected a book entitled, "Genes in Your Salad". He grinned at the title a little, then found a table in the middle of the room, with small, uncomfortable wood chairs. He sat down, opened the book, and began reading.

  Hillary stared at him, but quickly realized his game and started playing one of her own. She came around the side of him and tried to put her arm around his shoulder. When he felt her fingers creeping around his upper back, he sat straight up suddenly, making her jump, trip, and fall to the ground. J
amison held in a satisfied grin. Everyone around turned to look, but no one said a word, and they all quickly turned back to their books. The librarian at the desk, gave a long stern look, then went back to sorting books.

  Hillary tried again. She sat down in the chair next to him and leaned in. He slowly began leaning the other way, until the only thing she could reach was his elbow.

  "Jamie!" Hillary whisper-whined. "Is this really all you're going to do?"

  The librarian marched up to the table, waved at Hillary and pointed an angry finger at the "No Talking" Sign. She held up the same finger, symbolizing a one, and marched back to her desk.

  Hillary rolled her eyes and tried to give Jamison a sad look, but he was already starting to really get into the book.

  She made a last ditch effort. "Jamie I'm bored, let's go somewhere else."

  He held up a finger with the "Hang on a second" gesture, and continued reading.

  "Jamie!" Hillary's whine was now vocal.

  The librarian marched up, grabbed the back of Hillary's shirt and pulled her out of the chair, pointing to the elevator. Hillary looked at the woman, shocked. She didn't often get that kind of treatment. She turned to Jamison, but his nose was still buried in the book. Hillary turned and stomped off into the elevator.

  The librarian watched with folded arms until the doors shut behind her and then she gave Jamison a small pat on the shoulder.

  He gave a grateful smile and shaped one hand into an "O", pointed at her, and made a "one" symbol with a finger, while mouthing, "Owe you one."

  She nodded, smiling, and returned to her desk, giving a short sigh of satisfaction and returning to her sorting. Jamison continued to read about plants and their standard genetic structure. He went through several books before the lights flashed, signaling fifteen minutes before closing time.

  He finished up the last few pages of the book he was on, and headed for the elevators, waving good-bye to the librarian.

  Back on the first floor, he got a little sound shock, going from the silent fourth floor, to the silent elevator, to the chattersome first floor. He shook his head, trying to accept the noise, when he noticed a copy of Pride and Prejudice laying on the checkout counter. He picked it up, checked the call card and saw that it had just been returned. He decided to check it out and take it home to read.

  He read the book three times through before he fell asleep, trying to imagine what Ana would look like.

  As he slept, he dreamt of Elizabeth and Mr Darcy arguing with each other on the dance floor. Then Mr Darcy turned into Jamison and Elizabeth turned into Novellana and suddenly they were in lab arguing with each other. He awoke suddenly to the sound of Victor fiddling with the mail slot. He dragged himself up, and went out to help him. It was Jamison's fault. He'd altered the space inside his mail slot to fit the package for Ana inside and forgot to alter the mechanisms for the latch so it jammed.

  He managed to get the package out unharmed and apologized to Victor, who looked peeved, but answered, "No worries. It's fine," And continued on his way.

  Jamison sat down on the edge of his bed and rested his head in his hands. He had a feeling he'd been having a dream that would have answered a lot of questions if he could just remember it. He hoped it wasn't about what he couldn't think of for his research. Forgetting something like that would be awful.

  He closed his eyes and concentrated, but all he could remember was something about Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy arguing on the dance floor. He groaned, quickly calculating in his head the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until he'd meet Ana. If only there was a way to shrink...

  Suddenly Jamison grasped the elusive idea that had been taunting his subconscious all week. He settled himself at his desk and began hammering out calculations.

  NOVELLANA

  When she returned from lab on Monday afternoon, Novellana found a package stuffed halfway in her mail slot. It seemed that Victor had tried to manipulate the inside size of the mail slot, but didn't quite get it right and gave up. Novellana shook her head and removed the package, watching her mail slot sag like wet bread without the package holding it up. She fixed it, making a mental note to have Jamison work on space manipulation with Victor, and took the package inside to see what it was. She hadn't even thought that it might be from James, so used to his blue stationary, so when she opened it and found the blue envelope on top, she nearly squealed.

  Under the envelope was the most magnificent journal she'd ever seen, along with a pearl white pen. Novellana gasped and touched each of them carefully, as if they might vanish beneath her fingertips. Then she opened the envelope and read her letter from James.

  "Ana,

  I told you I'd get back to you about how we'd recognize each other. Elizabeth was a writer, so I thought you'd have to have a journal and a pen. They might not be quite accurate, but I tried to get something you'd like. The pen is definitely not accurate, because I took the regular ink out and replaced it with something unique. If you weren't already sure I was in the Classifieds you will be now. The ink is a concoction from Chem Lab. It's essentially mood ink, but it's a little more perceptive than what you might find at the mall. When you're close to someone you love it turns red, when you're not near anyone you love it turns yellow, when you're near someone you hate it turns blue, and when you're alone it turns green. But what's really amazing is you don't have to know who's there. If you were alone in your room and someone you hate was standing outside the door, the ink would turn from green to blue even if you had no idea they were there. I'm sure you'll want to go test it out immediately, so I finish up quickly.

  My idea is that we'll recognize each other by our costumes and I'll see you have the journal and pen. We'll meet under Big Jack at exactly eight o'clock. Now go play with your new toy.

  Love,

  James"

  Novellana smiled at his last comment. She was desperately curious to go try out her new pen, but still read through her letter a few more times. Big Jack was an enormous Jack-o-Lantern that hung towards the far end of the barn. It reminded her of all the good times she'd had at past Halloween Festivals. Novellana couldn't think of a more perfect place to meet James. She couldn't tell whether her excitement was more from the gift or the shear anticipation of now knowing exactly when and where she would finally be meeting James.

  Finally she jumped up, threw the pen and a notebook in her messenger bag, not wanting to scribble away the first few pages of the journal with little experiments, and ran off to find Melonie.

  She nearly ran smack into Jamison when the elevator doors opened on the bottom floor. It was a feeling she was quickly getting used to. The boy always seemed to be in her way.

  "Whoa, there." He put his hands out to slow her down before they collided. "What's the hurry today?"

  "Nothing." She told him, frustrated, "I'm just off to see Melonie. I've got something she'll want to see."

  "What's that?" He asked.

  Novellana didn't know why she'd stop to tell Jamison about her wonderful gift, but she was about to pull out the pen and show him how it wrote blue with him near her and green when he went away. Before she even found the pen in her bag, though, she saw Melonie walking past the building outside. "I'll tell you later!" She called to him as she ran out the door to catch up with her friend.

  She caught up to Melonie quickly, who told her that she and Jason were just having a leisurely walk across campus.

  "What?" Novellana was more stunned by this news than anything in the package from James.

  "Yeah," Jason confirmed, "We were just taking a little walk to discuss our costumes for the Halloween Festival."

  "Oh," Novellana understood. The idea of her brother and Melonie doing anything leisurely was like the sun taking a hundred and four hours between rise and set, but the fact that they were discussing their costumes explained it. Halloween was one of the things they put a lot of time and thought into planning. "Well, do you have a minute? I just got something from James and I was thinking
you might want to help me test it out."

  Melonie and Jason glanced at each other.

  "It's from one of the Classifieds studies." Novellana added.

  "We're in." They answered immediately.

  They decided to try to be discreet about it at the Bean Barn. Novellana wrote with it while sitting with Melonie and Jason and found that it wrote red because she loved her brother and best friend. They each tried standing alone in a corner and getting it to write green. Novellana saw Hillary and Victor come in and tried to stand near them and write without them noticing, but the pen wrote yellow.

  "I guess I just can't hate them." She told Melonie and Jason when she got back to the table.

  "Let me try." Jason said, and went and stood near them, while writing in the notebook. He returned to the table and presented the notebook with the words, "Don't talk about my sister," Written in blue on the page.

  "Let me try!" Melonie jumped up, repeating Jason's move, and returning to the table with the words, "And my best friend," Also written in blue below.

  Novellana smiled, turning to a fresh page, when Victor and Hillary came up to the table. "Would you freaks stay away from us?" Hillary said. "Your smell is unbearable." She grinned at Victor and they walked away.

  As soon as their backs were turned, Novellana presented the notebook to Melonie and Jason with the words, "Did you really just call us freaks?" Written in a very faint blue. Melonie and Jason cracked up laughing, and Victor and Hillary turned to see what it was that was so funny, but seeing that their attempt at intimidation had failed, they left without another word.

  Novellana and her friends continued to experiment with the pen for a while, but Novellana had other work to do and Melonie and Jason needed to sort out the details of Halloween.

  They said good night and went their separate ways. Novellana smiled at the fun she'd had with her gift and couldn't wait to introduce James to her friends after they met.

  When she got back to her room, she realized she had a lot to do for her study and she could hardly believe how much time she'd wasted just playing with a pen. She loved exchanging letters with James, but she realized that she couldn't let herself forget everything else she'd worked for just to daydream about a boy she hadn't even met.

  She put the pen and the journal in the closet with her costume and shut the door. She decided that until the Halloween Festival she would not let herself be distracted from her work again. She quickly answered James' letter, thanking him for the gift and telling him how much she'd enjoyed it.

  She sat herself down at her desk, determined to focus on her work, but once again found herself grasping for an idea that hadn't quite solidified. She sat back, staring at the ceiling, and started thinking about the first post-card she'd found in the mail from James. Thinking about England, she couldn't help but consider the distance that would have to be traveled to get there. If only there was a way to...

  Novellana sat straight up, thought for a moment, then began scribbling notes and calculations, and continued until the early hours of the morning.

  She woke up for her jog a little earlier than usual the next morning. She arrived at lab earlier than usual. And she kept her promise to herself, allowing herself to be distracted just long enough to read letters from James and respond. She did not let herself daydream for the next several weeks, too focused on her new idea to even begin to think about anything else.

  She nearly forgot she even had a social life until three weeks later, when she finished a calculation and couldn't figure out where to go from there. She stared at the half-blank page for the rest of the time in lab. A few of the other students noticed she had inexplicably stopped her scribbling for the first time in weeks and asked if they could help. She explained where she'd gotten herself stuck at, but they couldn't even understand how she got there, let alone what to do next. She glanced at Jamison, knowing he'd be the only one who would understand if she explained it, but she saved that as her last option, not wanting to talk to him if she didn't have to.

  She got back to her room and continued to stare at the blank page. She wished she could tell James about it. She knew he'd understand.

  Novellana sighed deeply and sat back, wondering what to do. She didn't want to let herself get distracted again, but she needed some other perspective to figure out what to do next.

  She decided to go for a walk. Outside it was already dark, as she strolled down her usual jogging path. The moon and stars lit the way, and she pulled her light jacket tighter around her, the nighttime air beginning to get a slight chill as the seasons made the shift into fall. When she got to the fork by the pond and had yet to be inspired she stopped, staring into the woods and debating whether to take the dark path and possibly find some inspiration among the trees.

  From behind her, she heard footsteps. Her hand dug in her pocket and her fingers wrapped around her pepper spray. Finding out that Jamison was the mysterious jogger didn't stop her from taking this small precaution when she went out alone. She held completely still, waiting for a concrete sign of danger. She didn't want to spray someone for just trying to say "Hi" Again.

  "Hello?" The person approaching called out. "Who's there?" Novellana heard their footsteps stop.

  She turned around and squinted at the shadowy figure, still several paces away. "Novellana." She answered. "Who are you?"

  "Victor." He stepped closer so she could see. "What are you doing out here at night?"

  "I could ask you the same question."

  Victor shrugged, "I'm not a morning person, but I like to go for walks. I always walk at night, but I've never seen you out here before. So I ask again, what are you doing out here at night?"

  Novellana glared at him. So far she had no reason to like Victor, but she couldn't be sure if she had reason to dislike him. He seemed a little off at times and he definitely didn't seem to like her at all, but when Novellana thought about it, all the times he'd done something she really didn't like he was with Jamison's girlfriend. She wondered if it was really Victor that was so bad or if it was Jamison's influence that made him seem so.

  "I'm stuck." She answered grudgingly.

  "Like..." Victor hesitated, looking around her feet, "Literally?"

  "No!" She took a few steps, to show him. "I'm stuck in my research. I got to a point and I can't figure out where to go next, so I'm looking for another perspective."

  "I could help with that." Victor said.

  "There's no point." Novellana said pessimistically. "I've already tried to explain where I'm at to half a dozen people in lab, and no one gets what I'm talking about."

  "I was just going to give you a general perspective, but I don't have to if you're not looking for help." Victor turned to go.

  "Wait!" Novellana called after him. "What were you going to say?"

  He turned back and folded his arms.

  "Please?" Novellana smiled a little. She hoped he really had something worth begging for.

  Victor nodded. "You have to realize that while you are probably on the short list of the smartest people in the world, you do not know everything. You must accept the idea that some of your ideals are at least questionable, and at most wrong. Some of your conceptions are fantasy. Some of the truths you hold dear are lies. When you accept all that you consider real to be mere possibilities, you make room for all other possibilities to come into existence and there you will find a truly new perspective."

  Novellana hung on every word, too caught up in the ideas he was giving her to wonder where the profound musing had come from or notice that he closed his eyes while speaking, as if recalling the speech from memory.

  Victor grinned at the the effect his words had caused. "Good luck." He turned again and left her.

  She stared at the stars for a moment and suddenly gasped, knowing exactly what her next calculation should be. She ran back to her room as fast as her legs could carry her and resumed her scribbling for another couple of weeks.

  She finally finished all h
er calculations and had only to check her work before she could begin experimenting. As she wrote her last calculation and looked up from her work, everyone was walking out of lab.

  "Where's everyone going?" She asked. A few students looked back, surprised to hear her voice again after such a long term of silence.

  Olivia smiled. "Welcome back to reality." She said to Novellana. "We missed you while you were lost in that notebook."

  Novellana laughed. "Well I think I'm finished. I just need to verify the calculations and we can start testing."

  Olivia looked at her strangely. "You mean next week right?"

  Novellana frowned, "What is it Friday?"

  "No," Olivia said. "It's Tuesday, but we're on our way over to the Big Barn for an hour to get our assignment for preparing for the Halloween Festival and then the rest of the week we'll be getting that all set up."

  "Oh." Novellana couldn't believe how much time had passed. "Wait, how did you know that? I thought Jamison and I were supposed to go over that with everyone."

  "Professor Whimwell stopped by yesterday morning. Don't you remember?"

  Novellana vaguely remembered him looking over her shoulder at her research and asking if she was busy. She thought she must have nodded, because he left her alone and talked to the rest of the group. Is that what it was about?

  "Wow." Olivia's eyebrows were raised, "I envy your focus."

  Novellana smiled as she felt her cheeks heat up. "I can't believe I was out of it so long."

  "Well you're back now." Olivia smiled. "So come on. I bet this will be a nice break."

  Novellana gathered her things and walked with Olivia to the Big Barn. On the way she noticed Victor walking with Jamison. He smiled at her and she smiled back. She was grateful for his help and wondered if she'd have ever finished without him.

  JAMISON

  Jamison had been consumed by his studies for the last several weeks. He didn't go anywhere but lab and his room. He'd been so focused that Monday afternoon on his way from lab to the apartments he didn't see Hillary standing in front of him. In fact, if he hadn't just finished his final calculation on the idea that had taken over his mind for the last several weeks, he probably would have run over her. Luckily, he smiled at his final calculation and looked up just in time to stumble to a stop right in front of the girl.

  "Whoa, what are you doing there?" He asked her, a little shocked.

  "What am I doing here?" She demanded. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you since you verbally abused me---"

  "Wait!" Jamison interrupted. "If you're talking about when I told you to stay out of my room after you broke in and stole my journal---"

  "You didn't even notice it was gone for a week!" Hillary squealed.

  "You had it for a week?" Jamison probably wouldn't have even realized it was gone except Victor told him he saw her reading it at the Bean Barn. She'd apparently been reading something he'd written right after his mother died.

  "You have to realize that while you are probably on the short list of the smartest people in the world, you do not know everything."

  It was the only time since their trip to the historic district that Jamison had let himself pay attention to the real world for a little while. He'd devoted himself to his studies except for responding to Ana's occasional letter, in hopes of not driving himself mad in anticipation of meeting her. Hillary probably could have moved in to his room and if she broke the laws of nature and kept quiet, Jamison may not have noticed.

  "Well, what do you expect me to do?" Hillary started her fake crying act. "You've been avoiding me for weeks."

  "I always avoid you." Jamison pointed out.

  Hillary ignored the comment. "And here it is only a few days before the Halloween Festival and you still haven't asked me to go with you." She pouted.

  "What are you talking about?" Jamison rolled his eyes. "The Halloween Festival is still a ways off."

  "Halloween is this weekend." Hillary's eyes were suddenly dry. "The Halloween Festival is Friday night."

  Jamison pulled out his planner, mentally trying to remember the days. He couldn't believe it. It really was the week of the Festival. "You're right! Sweet! I have to go!" Jamison told her and ran off to his room.

  "Jamie!" Hillary squealed as he disappeared.

  He got his costume out of his closet and hung it on the door. He couldn't believe how much time had passed.

  It was only Monday, though, so he went back to the work he was doing and started trying to check his calculations, but suddenly the focus he'd found in the last few weeks was lost and he was daydreaming about Ana again.

  He spent his time in lab on Tuesday trying to recheck his work, but still losing himself to daydreams of Ana. He noticed Novellana was scribbling in a notebook and wondered how long she'd been lost in her own world, too. On their way to the Big Barn he saw her exchange a smile with Victor.

  "What was that about?" He asked Victor.

  "Just gave her some advice a few weeks ago." He answered. "I guess it helped."

  Jamison was a little surprised that Victor and Novellana were now friends, but he figured a lot must have changed while he was lost in his head.

  NOVELLANA

  When they got inside the Big Barn they all just stared for a while, having never seen it so empty. Professor Harshaw waved them over to the far end of the barn and went over all the decorations they'd be responsible for setting up. Looking at the size of the place Novellana could easily see the project taking the better part of two days to complete. He also went over what the other groups would be working on, so that whenever they had a free hand or if they finished early, they could help.

  They all left, some of them already coming up with ways to make this year's decorations better than they'd ever been before.

  The next two days they all worked harder than they had since school started. A few of the student were into robotics and actually got most of the decorations to move, giving them a wall of spiders creeping around, a skeleton that would fall down towards the students at varying intervals, and a mummy whose casket door would swing open for him to step out. Novellana knew Melonie would be pleased when she saw that her costume was much more realistic than the fake mummy. All the same the decorations were looking amazing and were nearly finished by the end of the day on Wednesday.

  By lunch time on Thursday, they were done, two students adding the finishing touches to Big Jack. Novellana stood beneath them, looking up at the enormous pumpkin as she imagined meeting James at that spot in just two days.

  "Novellana, you have to see this!" Olivia pulled her away.

  She led Novellana to where Bio Lab was demonstrating how dinner would be prepared. They had a raw chicken propped up so it looked like it was standing. Then the stabbed it with a fork and it fell over and right where it was it spontaneously cooked all the way through right before their eyes in only a few seconds.

  "That's amazing." Novellana said.

  "The trick is, though, to spice it before you stab it." One of the students was explaining.

  Novellana went around to see what the other groups were doing. Botany Lab had a pumpkin vine growing around the whole room. One of them demonstrated that when a pumpkin was picked, another grew back in its place. They also had centerpieces for every table, producing smells of cinnamon and nutmeg that filled the room. Math Lab had constructed a labyrinth of games to play, but just navigating it was a game itself. Psych Lab had a mind reading table that worked far better than anyone would have expected. Professor Harshaw brought out an old contraption that looked like a copier.

  "What's that?" Novellana asked.

  "It's a copier." He answered as if that should be obvious. "See?" He placed a fork on the screen and pressed "Start". The machine made some odd noises and out popped a sheet of paper with an identical fork printed on it. Professor Harshaw picked up the paper, reached into the copy, and pulled out the fork. "Now we don't want to waste paper, so try to print as much silverware on a single page
as possible. But don't reuse sheets. I can't tell you what a mess we made when we tried that one year." He handed Novellana the two forks and walked off.

  Novellana suddenly had an idea. She remembered that in previous years this enormous space had been filled to capacity, making dancing difficult and pushing people into tables and each other. She got a few of the other students in her group together and they expanded the space on the dance floor. The room looked exactly the same size, but the dance floor was suddenly twice as big as it had been before.

  They spent the remainder of Thursday tweaking the decorations, copying plates, napkins, and silverware, helping set tables, constructing game booths, filling fridges with spontaneously cooking chickens, and cleaning up the inevitable messes from everything they'd done. By the end of the day, everything was finished. Novellana walked to the far end of the Barn and stood under Big Jack. She closed her eyes and imagined James being there with her. She felt a tap on her shoulder and spun around, but it was just Jamison. He stared at her for a moment.

  "What?" Novellana asked.

  "Just, letting you know everyone's leaving." He said.

  "Yeah, I know." Novellana smiled. "Thanks."

  They began walking to the door together. "So, our next next progress report is due tomorrow at one." Jamison started.

  "Oh, yeah!" Novellana slapped her head, she'd really forgotten about everything for the last few weeks.

  "So, you want to meet in the library at nine tomorrow? Then we'll have plenty of time to prepare."

  "Yeah," She smiled, "That sounds good."

  "Alright, then. See you tomorrow." They waved good-bye and Novellana took the long way home, enjoying the cool air, until the sky clouded over and all at once it was pouring. She hurried home as lightening lit up the dark sky. As she passed the field where her jogging path broke off into her route and Jamison's route she noticed Professor Harshaw hurrying away, back to lab. She squinted into the distance and could almost make out two people standing in the rain, but at such a distance she couldn't recognize them. Suddenly a bolt of lightening came down right by where they were standing. Novellana gasped, but when the lightening faded, there was nothing there. She hurried closer, but there was no trace of anyone having been there. She shook her head, deciding that she must have been seeing things and hurried back to her dorm to escape the fate of her hallucinations.

  JAMISON

  They were the first students to arrive at the library the next morning. The bright sun quickly dried the rain from the night before and outside everything smelled clean and fresh. Jamison thought he had given them much more time than they would have needed to prepare, but he hadn't taken into account how distracted they'd be with the Festival nearly upon them. He knew why he couldn't keep his mind on the task at hand: he kept thinking about Ana. What he couldn't quite figure out was why Novellana was so distracted. She'd been completely focused on the research for the last several weeks, but ever since they'd started preparing for the Halloween Festival, she'd been wearing the same stupid grin he wore whenever he thought of Ana. As other students began to fill the library, he decided to mess with her.

  "Why are you smiling like that?" He asked her.

  "I'm not smiling." She insisted, still smiling.

  "I think you're looking forward to the Festival tonight." He said.

  "Like you aren't. You're getting just as distracted as I am!" Novellana accused.

  "Well," He explained, "I happen to be meeting someone very special there."

  "Well," She retorted, "So am I."

  "Really?" He made the word sound scandalous.

  "Really." She answered mockingly.

  "So who is it you're meeting?"

  "None of your business. Can we please try to focus?"

  "No." He answered simply. "Is it someone from back home?"

  "No." She mimicked his reply.

  "Someone who goes here?"

  "Like I said, it's none of your business." But she was reddening in the face.

  "So it is someone who goes here." He grinned mischievously. "Can I get a name?"

  "No, but you can tell me about the progress your group has made."

  "My groups are all very progressive. What's his name? Do I know him?"

  "Well, who are you meeting?" Novellana asked.

  "Secret admirer." He answered slyly.

  "Yeah, right. Who would admire you?"

  "Ouch, Douglass! Mean much?"

  "I can be meaner if it would help you focus."

  Jamison put his hand on his chin and looked at her. "No," He shook his head. "I can't see you being mean."

  "And I can't see you helping me get this report ready."

  "Come on, I promise I'll focus if you tell me. Just one little name." He begged.

  Novellana glanced side to side, as if to make sure no one was listening. Jamison looked around, too. It didn't look like anyone was paying any attention to them. She leaned in close and whispered, "Victor."

  "What?!" He yelled in astonishment.

  Everyone in the room turned and went, "Shh!"

  "Where is he at with the project you gave him two weeks ago?" Novellana laughed at Jamison's misconception.

  Jamison rolled his eyes, realizing she'd tricked him. "He's about a week behind where he should be. He needs to focus more on the project and less on whatever it is he does in his off time."

  Novellana nodded, making a note. "So what do you want to do about him?"

  "How about we have him report his progress once a week, see if that gets him to keep himself on track."

  "Alright, are you going to handle that?"

  "Sure, no problem."

  They continued exchanging little updates on what everyone else was doing until they finally finished at about noon, and Jamison resumed his efforts to get Novellana to spill a name.

  "You know you want to tell me." He prodded.

  Novellana rolled her eyes. "You know I don't."

  "Come on, it's not like I'd even know who it is."

  Novellana shook her head and looked around the room, as if searching for something.

  "What are you looking for?" Jamison glanced around, confused.

  "A diversion." She answered.

  "Oh, no. You're not going to find one."

  "Sure I will."

  "Nope. The only way to escape is to give me a name."

  "Fine!" She sighed. "His name..." She grimaced, embarrassed, "Is..."

  "Jamie!" Hillary squealed, stomping up to the table.

  Everyone turned and shushed her.

  "Don't shush me!" She told them. "Jamie, what are you doing with her again?"

  "Well, Hillary, I work with her." Jamison answered.

  "Well," Novellana was smiling broadly. "This has been fun, but I have just got to go. Told you I'd get a diversion. See you in an hour!" She waved good-bye to Jamison and scooted out the door before he could get another word in.

  Jamison grinned after her at her slyness.

  "Wipe that grin off your face and explain yourself, Jamie!" Hillary demanded, sitting in the chair Novellana had been sitting in. "You like her, don't you?"

  "Not that I need to explain anything to you, but no I don't like her. We work together and that's it."

  "Then what was all that about, you two laughing and carrying on."

  Jamison smiled at the fun Hillary had spoiled. "We were just joking around. It's fun bugging someone. Now I see why you do it so much."

  "Jamie, you tell me the truth." Hillary folded her arms. "Tell me what is going on between you two this instant!"

  "Okay," Jamison put up his hands in surrender. "The truth is..." Jamison sighed.

  Hillary leaned forward to listen.

  "We..." He looked over Hillary's shoulder and squinted. "What in the..."

  Hillary turned to see where he was looking. "What? What is it?" She looked around.

  While she was distracted, Jamison leapt from his seat and made a mad dash for the door.

  Hillary turne
d back to see his chair empty and barely caught a glimpse of him making his escape out the door.

  "Jamie!" She squealed again.

  "SHHH!!!"

  Jamison shivered. I hate it when people call me Jamie.

  NOVELLANA

  The presented their progress report to Professor Harshaw quickly. He was pleased.

  "Excellent. You two have been keeping things in line quite well. But what are you working on? I've noticed you both scribbling away in notebooks for a while. Have you got anything exciting brewing?"

  Novellana hesitated, but Jamison answered first.

  "I'm nearly to the point of experimentation with what I've been working on, but if you don't mind, I'd like to wait until it's done before I present it."

  "Are you at a similar point in your research?" Professor Harshaw asked Novellana.

  She nodded.

  "Very well. You can wait until your next progress report, but I expect to hear something impressive next time."

  They both nodded in agreement.

  "Well, alright, then." Professor Harshaw got up to leave. "I'll see you both at the Festival tonight." And he left the room.

  Novellana and Jamison gathered their things and walked back to the apartments together.

  "So, I think you were interrupted earlier. Wasn't there a name you wanted to tell me?" Jamison joked.

  "Are you sure you're allowed to be talking to me like this? I think your girlfriend might be upset with you, Jamie."

  "Don't call me that."

  Novellana was a little taken aback by his serious tone. "Okay. Only your girlfriend can call you by your nick-name. Got it."

  "It's not that." Jamison answered. "And that.. that.. Hillary is not my girlfriend. I hate it when anyone calls me Jamie. I've told her a million times, but she just won't get it through her head." He glanced at Novellana. "Sorry, don't mean to throw all that on you. I guess you can't really get an annoying nick-name with a name like Novellana."

  Novellana blushed a little. "Banana."

  "What?" Jamison grinned curiously.

  Novellana couldn't believe she was admitting this to him. "When I was in kindergarten, someone started calling me Novellana Banana, then just Banana. I never got why it was funny, but the name stuck for years. It drove me crazy."

  "Wow." Jamison smiled. "But I've never heard anyone here call you that."

  "You, Melonie, and my brother are the only people here that know about that nick-name."

  "Well, I'm honored." He put a hand on his chest.

  "You don't have to feel special, just don't go spreading it around."

  "Your secret is safe with me." He grinned. "As long as we're sharing names, any others you'd like to throw out there?"

  "Bye." Novellana walked away, but her smile didn't fade.

  Melonie arrived at Novellana's room at five o'clock for them to get ready. Novellana had to expand the size of her bathroom again so Melonie would have room to spread out her extensive make-up collection and costume.

  "I remember when I first started buying make-up." Melonie laughed. "My mom was so happy, she thought I was starting to be more girly and less of a tom-boy."

  "And then you told her it was for Halloween." Novellana finished.

  "Exactly." Melonie nodded. "Though I have gotten really good at applying it." She said as she put just a tiny bit of liner and mascara on her eye.

  Novellana's jaw dropped, "You look like a movie star!"

  "So can I do your make-up?" Melonie smiled, wiping the make-up off her own eye.

  "Two conditions."

  "I hate conditions. What are they?"

  "One, I don't want a lot of make-up. It makes me feel fake."

  "I can work with that." Melonie nodded. "It's not like you need much anyway."

  "Thanks." Novellana smiled. "And two, please don't make me look like a monster."

  "Oh, you just have to take all the fun away, don't you?" Melonie laughed, but agreed.

  Melonie applied Novellana's make-up quite easily, just a little on her eyes and some lip gloss. Novellana went to change into her costume while Melonie got started on the daunting task of applying her own make-up.

  "I did Jason's make-up this morning." She called to Novellana from the bathroom. "He's been walking around looking like a zombie all day!"

  Novellana laughed. She could imagine her brother doing something like that. She could also imagine Melonie doing something like that. "Why didn't you dress up today?"

  "I had a presentation." She answered, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

  "Well, that just means you get to get ready with me." Novellana pointed out.

  "I suppose that makes up for it then." Melonie laughed, turning to see Novellana in full costume. She gasped.

  "What's wrong?" Novellana asked.

  "Not one single thing." Melonie answered, smiling.

  Novellana hoped James would share the sentiment.

  JAMISON

  The Halloween Festival was scheduled to begin at six, but Jamison wasn't supposed to meet Ana until eight, so to avoid running into anyone he didn't want to see, mainly Hillary, he decided to wait a while before going. He'd only been to the Halloween Festival once before. Someone tripped him and he fell into the caramel apple table, getting himself covered in caramel and nuts. Since school had started, it was as if everyone had forgotten about him, though. No one had attacked him, broken into his room, verbally assaulted him, or dumped anything gross on him all year. Jamison wondered if it had anything to do with him being in the Classifieds.

  He thought about it while he lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. The minutes on the clock seemed to take hours to pass as he waited to get himself up and get ready to go meet Ana. Finally the clock reached seven and he got up, got dressed, and headed out. He'd never been so nervous in his life.

  NOVELLANA

  When they arrived at the Halloween Festival just after six, it appeared that the whole campus and more people from the surrounding towns had already arrived. The Big Barn was packed and even with Novellana's expanding the room, the dance floor was already full.

  She, Melonie, Jason, and Chad played games for a while. They had some apple cider and wandered the room, but Novellana kept glancing at the clock on the wall, the minutes seeming to take hours to pass. Melonie noticed, and took her hand.

  "Relax. Enjoy yourself a little. We're here to have fun right?"

  Novellana smiled. "Yes. Yes we are."

  She tried to make herself forget about the time and have fun, but when it got to be 7:45 she told Melonie she was going to start making her way to Big Jack.

  Melonie smiled and squeezed her hand, "Good luck!"

  Novellana thanked her and began making her way across the room. It was a good thing she started when she did. Between the expanded space of the room and the huge crowd filling it, she didn't get to the space below the pumpkin until 7:58.

  The music was playing a fast, paced song, but just as the clock hit 7:59, it changed to a slow song. All the couples paired up and Novellana swayed to the music, waiting for her own better half to come find her. She looked around, wondering where he could be.

  The clock reached 8:00 and she didn't see him anywhere. Novellana was getting nervous, but it was still 8:00.

  8:01. Only a minute after, he could be looking for her. She looked around wondering where he could be. The area that could be considered under Big Jack was rather large, he could be having trouble finding her.

  8:02. The song changed, another slow song. Novellana hugged the journal close to her. She hoped he was still coming.

  8:03. She felt more alone than she'd ever felt before. She wondered where he could possibly be.

  8:04. She couldn't take it anymore. She decided to go find Melonie. He obviously wasn't coming and she wasn't going to--

  "Miss Elizabeth?" A voice asked from behind her.

  A smile spread across Novellana's face. She turned and saw Mr Darcy standing before her. The costume didn't look qui
te right and his mask looked like something for a child to finger paint, but Novellana couldn't care less about his costume. "James." She whispered.

  He put his hand out for her. "Shall we dance?"

  She took his hand and they wrapped up together, swaying to the music as one.

  JAMISON

  When he got to the Festival at 7:40, the place was so packed he wasn't sure he'd be able to make it to Big Jack in only half an hour. He pushed through the crowds, but with Novellana's idea to make the dance floor larger, it took even longer to get across the room. The enormous pumpkin was in sight at 7:55, but the crowd below was even more dense. He pushed through, looking for the journal and pen. After five minutes, he hadn't had any luck. He hoped she would still be there.

  He had nearly made it to the exact center below Big Jack when a voice behind him asked, "Mr. Darcy?"

  He turned and there was Ana. Her dress was more lavish than would be accurate, but he recognized the journal and the pen. She looked more like a princess than the character from the story, but he couldn't protest. Here was his Ana.

  "Miss Elizabeth." He offered his hand out to her. She took it and they began swaying together through the crowd.

  NOVELLANA

  James put his arm around Novellana's waist, leading their steps, but he didn't seem very practiced. Novellana hadn't fallen in love with him because she thought he could dance, though.

  "I can't believe we're finally meeting." She said to him. "This feels like a fairy tale."

  "Yep." He answered.

  Novellana waited, but he didn't add anything. "So, your costume. Where did you get it?" She asked, trying a new subject.

  "Thrift store."

  "Oh." Novellana looked at it again and realized that was why it didn't look right.

  "What?"

  "Nothing. It's just, I thought you said you were trying to make it really accurate. It doesn't matter."

  "I think it's fine." He said. His voice sounded familiar as he spoke. "Besides," He lifted a piece of the fabric of her dress and dropped it as if it were used tissue, "We can't all be rich."

  "I'm not--" She started, but he stopped her.

  "It fine. Come here." He pulled her closer and she tried to cuddle in, but his embrace just didn't quite fit.

  She tried again at conversation. "So, how many times have you read the book?"

  "How many? Just once was enough. I really only skimmed it. Not much to read."

  "What? I thought you liked it."

  "What's to like about it? They like each other, they get married, and they're so proud of themselves they start that romance prejudice."

  "What? That's not what happened at all. Why did you even suggest these costumes if that's how you felt about the story?"

  "Because it's Halloween. I thought it would be scary. I even thought about going as zombie Mr Darcy."

  "Huh." Novellana didn't know what to make of this. James wasn't anything like what he seemed in his letters.

  "Look," He said, "Why are we bothering with small talk? Come here." She felt his hand sliding too far down her back. She immediately pushed him back.

  "Who are you?" She demanded.

  "Don't you recognize me?" He laughed, the sound of it made her nauseous. "It's me, Mr Darcy!" Victor lifted his mask, still laughing.

  "Victor?!" She couldn't believe it. "You're James?"

  "Who were you expecting, Sweet Cheeks? Prince Charming? Come on, give me a big old smooch. I've been waiting years to meet you."

  "Years? It's only been a few months."

  "Really? It sounded longer."

  "Sounded?" Novellana was filling with hurt and confusion.

  "Oops." Victor smiled. "Blew my cover."

  "You... You... You disgusting piece of scum!" Novellana didn't know what to do, but she felt tears welling up. There was one thing she would not do and that was cry in front of such a jerk. She turned and pushed her way out through the crowd.

  She could still hear Victor laughing behind her.

  The tears started falling before she even got to the door. Melonie saw her and pulled her aside.

  "What happened?" She asked, concern showing through her ghoulish make-up.

  "Exactly what I should have expected." Novellana sniffled. "It sounded too good to be true and it was. I have to go." She made it out the door and started making her way home, the night air suddenly feeling much colder than it had before.

  JAMISON

  Jamison danced with Ana, neither saying a word, simply enjoying each other's company, until the song ended and another began. He shifted a little and whispered in her ear. "I'm so glad we finally get to meet."

  She didn't say anything, just nodded a little.

  They kept swaying through the crowd together, lost in their own world.

  "So your costume looks nice." He said.

  "You like it?" Her voice sounded familiar, but she spoke softly and with the music playing so loudly he couldn't quite place it.

  "Yeah, it's a little fancy for what Elizabeth would have worn, but it's nice."

  "So, what, is there something wrong with it?"

  "Well, no, it's just Elizabeth wouldn't have had a dress like this, it's a little too modern and... you know... nice."

  "Well, excuse me for wanting to look good when we finally get to go to a dance together. Would you rather I just throw on some rags and smear dirt on my face?"

  "What? No. I just thought we were trying to get really accurate costumes. I didn't think you'd be the type of girl to value vanity over meaning."

  "And what is that supposed to mean?"

  "It means what I just said. It means--- Wait, Hillary?"

  She ducked her face away, "No. It's me," She laughed, "It's Ana."

  "Hillary, why are dressed like Elizabeth."

  "I told you, I'm Ana. We're here to meet."

  Jamison laughed. "No, there is no way you could be Ana."

  "What does she have that I don't?" Hillary put her hands on her hips.

  "Well she's smart for one. Brilliant, actually. And funny. And cute." He smiled thinking about her.

  "Excuse me, but I'm all of those things."

  "No," Jamison said, "You're not."

  "Well it doesn't matter anyway, because you're not going to meet her tonight, so you might as well just enjoy your time with me."

  "I'd rather be alone forever than with you for a single night. And how would you know anything about her? Why wouldn't I meet her tonight?"

  "You don't even know if she's real!" Hillary yelled. "I could have had someone else write the letters for me."

  "You're not Ana!" Jamison was getting angry. He grabbed the journal and pen out of her hands and wrote in bright pink letters, "You're not Ana!"

  He threw the journal and pen on the floor and stormed out. His long enraged gait carried him as fast as most people jog. As the apartments came into view, his pace slowed and his anger faded to disappointment. He'd meant what he'd said to Hillary. Solitude was preferable to her company, but he'd give anything to find Ana.

  He heard someone running up from behind him and turned just in time to catch Novellana as she tripped, dropping her things everywhere, and knocking both of them to the ground. In his arms she shook with sobs, breaking down on his shoulder.

  He patted her back. "I guess your night didn't turn out the way you wanted, either."

  "Why do people have to be so cruel?" She wept into his shoulder.

  "I don't know." He sighed. "I guess they just---" He stopped mid-sentence, noticing the light reflecting off the gold encrusted pages of the journal she'd dropped.

  He pushed her off and left her sitting on the ground. He picked up the journal and inspected it closely.

  Novellana picked herself up and wiped her eyes. "Nice, right?" She said as he ran his fingers along the hand-stitched binding. "It was a gift from... Well, I guess it doesn't matter now. There's a pen that goes with it around here somewhere. Oh, here it is." She picked the pearl white pen up off the groun
d.

  Jamison grabbed it out of her hands.

  "Hey! Give that back!"

  Jamison ignored her, popping the ink cartridge out of the casing.

  "What are you doing?!" Novellana yelled at him reaching for the pen back. "You broke it!"

  Jamison held it out of her reach and found inscribed on the outside of the cartridge, "To Ana, From James".

  Novellana squinted at what he was looking at. "How did you know that was there?" She asked.

  Jamison looked at her, suddenly noticing her perfectly accurate Miss Elizabeth costume. "Elizabeth." He whispered.

  "What?" She looked at him, unable to comprehend what was going through his head.

  He popped the pen back together, opened the journal and wrote in the most vibrant red he'd ever seen, "Ana".

  Novellana gasped. She looked at Jamison and back at the page. She took the pen and journal from him and wrote in russet letters, "James?"

  Jamison gently stroked her cheek, pushing a lock of hair away from her starry blue eyes as they glassed over with tears. "Ana" He whispered.

  "James." She whispered back.

  He wrapped his arms around her and she buried her face in his chest.

  Jamison had never felt bliss like this before and he had no intention of ever letting go.

  NOVELLANA

  They stood, wrapped in each other's embrace for what felt like an eternity. Finally Novellana pulled back a little.

  "James?" She asked.

  "Yes, Ana?" He said, gently wiping the tears from her face and brushing her hair back with his fingers.

  "I think I might have sprained my ankle when I tripped."

  "Oh." Jamison released her, to take a look at her ankle. She held it up for him to see. "It does look swollen." He gently touched it and she winced.

  "Yeah, that's not helping." She grimaced.

  "Okay, okay. Come here." And in a single motion he lifted her into his arms and began carrying her back to the apartments.

  "Oh, come on, I can walk." She protested. "I just need a little support."

  "This way is faster." Jamison insisted. "Besides, you're light as a feather."

  She smiled, looking up at him.

  "What?" He asked.

  "I just can't believe it's you."

  "What's me?"

  "You're James."

  "And you're Ana." He said, his tone and his eyes betraying emotion, but the rest of his face stone cold as he turned to look straight ahead.

  "Is something wrong?" She asked, confused by his apathetic look.

  "Your ankle is sprained." He said, keeping his focus ahead of him as they reached the apartments and entered the unusually vacant lobby. He carefully reached out to push the elevator button for going up.

  "I mean other than that." Novellana tried to clarify. "I mean, were you hoping I was someone else?"

  "What?" Jamison finally looked back down at her, emotion starting to poke through his apathy mask. "No. I mean, for one I already know I love you no matter who you are, but if you were anyone else, I'd probably be wishing you were you." The elevator doors opened and he carefully stepped in, the emotion that had been in his face disappearing again. "I guess that doesn't really make any sense." He said as he pushed the button for the boys floor

  Novellana thought about it. "I think I know what you mean."

  Jamison nodded, still looking away. The doors opened to the boys floor and they found the hall empty as well. It seemed that everyone else in the world was still at the Festival. Novellana was thankful that no one was around to see the two Project Heads of Lengle Lab going off to Jamison Doyle's room together. She wanted a chance to get to know the real James before those rumors started floating around.

  When they got to his room, he shifted to hold her in one arm as he opened the door and inside he carefully set her on the couch. She sat straight up hovering her foot just above the floor. Her ankle was beginning to throb with pain.

  Jamison wasted no time at all. "Get that shoe off while I get something for the swelling." He instructed, going off to the kitchen. Novellana did as she was told and in no time at all he was returning with a steaming pot that smelled like peppermint tea. He set it on the floor and dipped in his finger to check the temperature. "It's not too hot. Here, put your foot in."

  "Um, I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure you're supposed to put cold on it to reduce swelling." Novellana said.

  Jamison looked at her. "Ana, since you got into the Classifieds, hasn't anything you'd believed was a law of nature been proven wrong? You yourself have disproved and broken the laws of physics more than once."

  Novellana thought about it, but still hesitated.

  "Just put your foot in the pot." Jamison insisted. "I promise it will help." He gave her a look of sincerity she couldn't deny.

  She slowly dipped her foot in and instantly felt a stinging sensation. She grimaced, "You promised it would help!"

  "Give it a second." He told her, rubbing her arm.

  She relaxed a little and soon the stinging went away and the pressure in her ankle began to be relieved. She sighed and lay back on the couch, closing her eyes. Jamison sat down next to her.

  Novellana opened her eyes and looked around, suddenly noticing the layout and color scheme of the room. "This is weird." She said.

  "Is it?" Jamison scooted away, giving her space, "Sorry."

  "No, not that." Novellana corrected. "I was just noticing your room. It's like the shadow of mine. All the colors are just opposite."

  "Hmm." Jamison nodded.

  Novellana looked at him. "Something wrong?" She asked again.

  "I was just wondering," Jamison was looking at his hands, then got up and strolled to the window, looking up at the stars, "Were you hoping I was someone else?"

  Novellana didn't know how to answer. "Well, no. I mean... I wasn't hoping you were anyone. I already know you, really. I never would have guessed you were you, though." Jamison was still looking out the window. "I'm really glad we met the way we did. I'm glad I got to know you." Novellana said softly.

  Jamison finally stepped away from the window and came back to check on her ankle. He gently lifted it out of the pot and lightly pressed on different areas. "Does this hurt?" He asked.

  "Just a little."

  "Can you move it?"

  Novellana moved her foot up and down and side to side. "It aches to do that." She told him.

  "We'll give it some more time." He set her foot back in the pot and stood up. He put his hands in his pockets and looked around the room.

  "Care for a seat?" Novellana motioned to the spot next to her.

  Jamison nodded and sat down.

  They sat quietly for a while. Novellana broke the silence, "Can I ask you something?"

  "Sure."

  "Why do you hide your emotions?"

  Jamison finally looked at her, seeming a little surprised by the question, but shrugged, "Why do you wear your emotions on your face for all the world to see?"

  "To share my feelings with the people around me." She answered simply.

  "I guess I'm just not used to having people around me that care what my feelings are."

  Novellana hesitantly took his hand in hers. "I do." She smiled.

  Jamison stared at their hands clasped together. He looked at Novellana and stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. She closed her eyes and they leaned closer together, but as they twisted to face each other they slipped and the pot fell over, spilling minty water everywhere.

  They looked at the mess and both started laughing. Jamison went off to get something to clean up with. Novellana picked up the pot with the little bit of water that was left and tried moving her ankle again. The pain was completely gone. "Amazing." She said as Jamison returned with a towel. "What was in that pot?"

  "Some herbs from Botany Lab. I found out about it when you pushed me in the pond." He grinned.

  "Excuse me, but I did not push you in the pond. As I remember it, you attacked me and
pushed us both in the pond." She smiled at the memory.

  "Well, whatever revisionist history you want to say happened, I twisted my wrist on the way down the hill."

  Novellana grimaced, "I'm sorry. Why didn't you say anything?"

  "Well, I would have, but if you remember, after pushing me in the pond, you started throwing mud at me."

  Novellana laughed. "Okay, fine. So what did you do after that?"

  "Well after I got cleaned up, I was talking to Professor Whimwell and mentioned that I hurt my wrist. He gave me these," He held up a baggie of what looked like tea leaves, "And told me how to use them. I have no idea how they work, but they sure work."

  Novellana took off the other shoe, stood, and took a few steps around the room. "They sure do." She smiled.

  Jamison was watching her, smiling.

  "What?" She asked.

  He held out his hand, "Miss Elizabeth, would you care to dance?" He offered.

  She smiled, "Why Mr. Darcy, I'd be delighted."

  They fit perfectly in each other's arm and danced around the room together to music all their own.

  "Ana?" Jamison spoke softly.

  "Yes, James?" She looked up at him.

  "I told you I'd get a name."

  Novellana smiled broadly and returned her head to resting on his chest. "You're a much better dancer than---" Novellana stopped, pushing herself away a little. "Wait. I have to know something. Why did you have Victor play that awful prank?"

  "Victor?" Jamison looked confused.

  "You and I were supposed to meet under Big Jack at eight. I waited there and Victor showed up, in a horrible costume. Why did you have him do that?"

  "I didn't. I went to find you and Hillary found me, but she had a fake journal that looked like the one I gave you. Did you tell anyone we were supposed to meet there?"

  "Well not Victor or Hillary. The only person I told was Melonie."

  "Okay, well Victor was with me when I got the journal and pen and my costume, so he could have told Hillary, but I didn't tell him when or where we were supposed to meet. And I only found out who you are half an hour ago, so how did he know?"

  "It's almost like he somehow managed to read---" Novellana slapped her head. "Mail duty!"

  Jamison looked confused for a moment then remembered. As his mind processed, his fury began to show on his face. "That jerk! He's been playing me this whole time! Oh, I'm going to kick his---"

  "Wait." Novellana said. "Victor and Hillary don't know that we figured out who we are. And we know they like pranks, so why not give them what they like?" She smiled mischievously.

  "What did you have in mind?" Jamison grinned back.

  JAMISON

  They discussed several routes of revenge on Hillary and Victor, nothing seeming to be adequate.

  "Okay," Jamison said, taking his jacket off, "If this is going to take this long, I'm changing. Accurate clothes are so uncomfortable."

  "Okay, then I'll go change, too." Novellana said as he disappeared into the bedroom area. "Meet in my room in fifteen minutes?"

  "Sounds good." He called.

  He heard the door close as he pulled on a t-shirt and a pair of old jeans. He went in the bathroom and looked at himself.

  "What a night!" He said to his reflection and threw some water on his face.

  He waited about five minutes before leaving his room. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to knock on her door or just go in, so he erred on the side of caution and knocked.

  "Come in!" He heard her faintly call from behind the door.

  He went inside and immediately understood what Novellana meant when she said the opposite decor was weird. He couldn't see her, so he assumed she was in her bedroom area. He went to the bookshelf to see what works adorned her shelves. He had just picked a book off the shelf when there was another knock at the door, making his head jerk up.

  "I said come in!" Novellana called from the other room.

  Jamison looked toward the bedroom area, then back to the door, and in walked a zombie.

  "What the---" Jamison said more loudly than he'd meant to, dropping the book in his hand.

  "Oh, wow!" The zombie saw him and immediately stopped. "I'm so sorry! I must have the wrong room!"

  Jamison stared, wide-eyed.

  The zombie stopped backing up and asked, "Do you maybe know which room belongs to Novellana Douglass?"

  Just then, Novellana came around the corner in a much more relaxed tank top and jeans. "Melonie?" She said to the zombie.

  "Ohhh." Jamison didn't mean to say it out loud and Novellana and zombie Melonie stared at him for a second, then turned back to each other and laughed.

  "What are you doing here?" She asked Melonie, going to meet her at the door.

  "I came to check on you. You seemed pretty upset when you left, but it looks like you're a little better now." She said, glancing sideways at Jamison.

  "Yeah," Novellana tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "About that."

  They both turned to look at Jamison, who was standing dumbly, watching them talk. "Oh, I get it. Girl talk. I'll just be over here. In the kitchen. Checking out your fridge."

  Novellana turned back to Melonie and they whispered together giggling every so often and glancing over at Jamison. He stared intently at the milk in Novellana's fridge, holding back a smile as he heard bits and pieces of what they were saying.

  "...prank...dropped everything...Jamison Doyle...ankle...tomorrow..."

  "And he really..."

  "...get them back..."

  "...looks like you're busy..."

  "Okay," Novellana finally spoke at a normal volume and Jamison nearly jumped. "See you Monday."

  "Bye, Jamison." Melonie waved, before Novellana pushed her out the door. "Okay, okay, I was just saying bye." She laughed.

  "So," Novellana started, coming to meet him in the kitchen, "Anything good in there?"

  "Well, there's milk. Very good for you. Builds strong bones and all."

  "Sounds delicious and nutritious, but I think I'll just have some water." Novellana got a cup from the cupboard and filled it in the sink.

  Jamison followed suit. He took a sip, and looked toward the door.

  "What's on your mind?" Novellana asked, noticing the direction of his gaze.

  "I was just wondering if she's the only one that will know what we are for a while."

  "Whatever we are." Novellana added.

  Jamison looked at her, waiting for an answer.

  "Don't you think that's for the best?" She asked. "I mean for now."

  Jamison thought about it. The discovery that Victor was not really his friend left him with no one he really wanted to tell, except, "What about Paul?"

  Novellana smiled, "Of course Paul." She agreed.

  "Alright." Jamison nodded, "Now where were we?"

  "Well, I had proposed we get the merry pranksters caught in Psych Lab and spill the truth vapors on them, but you didn't like that idea."

  "Because," Jamison finished, remembering his line of thought, "They deserve so much more. Don't you think?"

  "Okay, then what did you have in mind?"

  "Well, Psych Lab has a few other projects that could prove to be useful. Have you heard about their 'Fabric Hated'?"

  "I have" Novellana affirmed, "And that would be perfect. But how will we get them to go to Psych Lab willingly?"

  "Oh, that's just a matter of getting them to do what they do best."

  "Which is?"

  "Make assumptions."

  VICTOR

  Victor had been very pleased with himself for the prank he'd orchestrated at the Festival. Hillary told him all about how Jamison had fallen for her as easily as Novellana had fallen for Victor, but she complained that he left after only a dance or two and he seemed upset. The whiny girl continued to complain until Victor couldn't stand it anymore and he left, too.

  He spent the rest of the weekend with other things on his mind, primarily online gaming. By the time Monday rolled
around he'd gotten so caught up in various virtual worlds that he'd nearly forgotten the Festival. When he walked into lab, though, he remembered instantly. Novellana was seated alone across the room, but when she looked up and saw that he'd arrived she gave a slight smile and began making her way over.

  He considered leaving, but then figured there wasn't much she'd be capable of that would really bother him anyways, so he stood his ground and waited.

  "Hi, Victor." She greeted him, tucking one of her chocolate locks behind her ear. She almost seemed nervous.

  "Hi." Victor replied, a little confused.

  "Look, I just wanted to say I'm sorry." She said.

  He stared blankly at her, not sure what she was playing at.

  "About the festival." She clarified to his blank expression. "I realized how rude I must have been, calling you those names and running out like that. I guess I just got myself so worked up about meeting you that my expectations were beyond reason. Do you think you might give me a second chance?"

  Victor was so stunned he wasn't sure what to say, but suddenly realized that the stupid girl must still have it in her head that he was James. It seemed that his fun wasn't over quite yet.

  "Well," He started, trying to seem convincing, "You were pretty rude. And uh... I was looking forward to that night, too, you know. I don't know, I guess maybe we can... start over."

  "Great." Novellana smiled. "Think you can meet me in Psych Lab at six tonight?"

  "For what?" Victor's brow furrowed.

  "It's a surprise." Novellana smiled. "To make up for the other night."

  "Right. Yeah, okay. Six tonight." He nodded.

  "See you then." She turned and made her way back to her seat.

  Victor watched her retreat, suspicious of why she would choose such an odd meeting place. Then he noticed Jamison look up just before she passed him. They gave each other a slight nod and she brushed up against him as she walked by or did he imagine that? Did they know?

  Victor wasn't sure what he was going to do. If she didn't know, he didn't want to give up such an excellent opportunity to continue to mess with her, but then again, if she did know or if she and Jamison knew... but how could they know? If they hadn't figured it out before, they wouldn't figure it out over the weekend. There was just no way.

  Was there?

  Everyone left lab at four that afternoon. Victor still wasn't sure what he was going to do, but Jamison left early and Novellana lagged behind everyone else to tell Victor, "See you later, James."

  There was no way they knew.

  Victor was pleased with himself as he strolled along in a relaxed sort of way, but his calm state was shattered when Hillary found him.

  "OH MY GOSH!!" She squealed.

  He massaged his ear, hoping there wasn't any permanent damage from such a high decibel at such close range.

  "You are not going to believe it!" She continued, shaking him to be sure he was listening. "Jamie still thinks I'm that Ana girl!"

  "He what?" Victor was suddenly concerned again. Novellana might not have figured out that Victor wasn't James, but she barely knew Victor. Jamison had known Hillary for years and there was no way that five minutes on the dance floor had changed his opinion of her in any way.

  "I know! Isn't it amazing? Your plan actually worked!"

  "No, no, no."

  "Yes it did!" She beamed. "He asked me to meet him in some Psych Lab at six. By the way, what's Psych Lab?"

  "He said to meet at six?" Victor looked up. "Then where did he go?"

  "He went to his apartment I guess. He went in the building anyways."

  "So," Victor began thinking aloud, "They must be planning to meet each other at about five. So if we show up at five, we'll catch them setting up whatever they're planning and they'll be totally busted."

  Hillary stared dumbly at him. "Who?" She asked.

  Victor looked at her, considered explaining, but then decided there wasn't time. "Just come with me." He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her along with him.

  The perimeter of Psych lab was covered in bushes that were perfect for hiding in. Victor tucked himself and Hillary in behind on so they were hidden, but they could see everyone that went in or out of the building.

  "Victor!" Hillary whispered loudly. A passerby turned at the sound, but kept walking.

  Victor rolled his eyes, "What?"

  "Is this Psych Lab?"

  "Yes."

  "Well, shouldn't we be inside?"

  "No, we're waiting for Jamison and Novellana to show up. When we see them go in, we go in after them and catch them setting up whatever prank they were going to play on us."

  "So..." Hillary frowned, an unflattering look on her sickly face, "Jamie didn't really want to give me a surprise?"

  Victor turned back to watch the door, "Oh, he wanted to give you a surprise all right."

  Hillary suddenly pushed him, "Move it! I want to see!" She insisted.

  "Hey! Stop it! Victor pushed her back. "There's not enough space here for shoving."

  "Victor?" Elijah, a boy from Psych Lab that Victor had met a while back, was peering down on him and Hillary wrestling to see from the bushes. "What are you doing?"

  Victor glanced at Hillary and then back at Elijah. "Well, to be honest..." Victor wasn't sure what to say, so for once he opted for the truth. "I think my project heads are trying to pull a prank on me and Hillary, here, so we were waiting to see if they go in the building."

  Elijah looked confused. "You mean Jamison and Novellana?"

  "I know. It sounds far fetched, but I really think---"

  "They've been here for a while." Elijah interrupted. "They're having a meeting with my project heads."

  "Since when?!" Victor couldn't believe he'd missed them.

  "I guess they've been here about twenty minutes or so."

  Victor jumped out of the bushes and barged in the doors, Hillary close on his tail. Inside it was darker than he remembered, but he saw Novellana and Jamison at the end of the hall and he went to confront them, but it was as if he was walking through quicksand, each step more difficult than the last. He pushed on, but then he couldn't see them at the end of the hall anymore. Then he saw a door and he knew they were behind it, plotting their prank against him, so he turned and reached for the door, but his arms were getting tangled in something. It was as if he was in a dream and every time he tried to get to them he got more and more tangled up. He struggled against the mysterious fibers until he tripped and fell to the floor. Everything was completely dark and he struggled to free himself, until someone pulled the cover away from his head. Light flooded his vision and standing over him were Novellana and Jamison. He heard shuffling behind him and twisted over to see someone pulling fabric away from Hillary's head, the rest of her body tightly wrapped in a dark red material.

  "Okay, what is going on?" Victor demanded. "What is this stuff?"

  Jamison smiled, "It's called Fabric Hated. The more you make assumptions, the more you get caught up in them and the fabric."

  "And by the looks of it," Novellana added, "You've been pretty caught up in your assumptions."

  Victor felt his face growing hot with rage and he shook and flailed himself, but that only seemed to make the fabric tighter.

  "Now calm down." Jamison told him. "It usually only takes, what? Three? Four hours to get someone out of this stuff?" He turned and Elijah was there, apparently an accessory to their stunt.

  "Well, to get both of them out might take longer." He spoke matter-of-factly, but wore a pleased smile on his face. "But it's never taken more than a day or two at the most."

  "Hmm." Jamison shook his head. "Well I guess we can excuse him if he's late tomorrow. What do you think, Ana?" He asked Novellana.

  "I think that's entirely reasonable, James." She agreed.

  "Oh, you just wait until I tell the professors what you did!" Victor threatened.

  "What did we do?" Novellana asked. "This stuff is always hung over the door in Psych L
ab to protect against intruders. Or were you planning on telling the professors that you were trying to bring a non-Classified member of the student body into a Classifieds lab?"

  Victor thought about it, realizing he really had nothing on them, then lay his head on the floor, accepting defeat.

  "So, we won't be having any more problems now, will we?" Jamison whispered, leaning in close.

  "No problems at all." Victor agreed.

  It seemed they weren't exaggerating when they said three or four hours to get the fabric hated off. By the time Victor and Hillary were both loose it was well after ten at night.

  Victor thanked the students that stayed all night to help get them loose.

  "No problem," One of the boys told him, "It's good practice. And I've never seen someone get so caught up in this stuff before."

  Victor didn't know what else to say, so he just left.

  Hillary chased after him. "Wait! What's our next move?"

  "There is no next move. I'm done." Victor told her. "I'm not getting anything out of trying to prank them again, so I'm not going to bother. Just accept they've made check mate."

  Hillary stared at him.

  "It's a chess term. It means they won."

  "I know what it means and they didn't win. I'm not done."

  "Well I am. Good luck to you, but I don't think you're going to get them."

  Victor walked away, leaving her standing alone in the cold night air, and he didn't hear her promise to the dark. "I will get her."

  NOVELLANA

  Novellana felt like she was leading a double life. In lab, it was as if nothing had ever happened. She and Jamison rarely exchanged words and to both it was as if the other did not exist. But at the end of the day, when everyone else had gone off to enjoy their social lives, Novellana would sneak off to the edge of the woods by the pond.

  The first time, she was a little nervous going into the woods alone, but Jamison found her before she'd taken even a few steps into the shadows. He took her by the hand and tugged on her to follow him into the brush.

  "Wait, why are we going off the path?"

  "Are you serious? Do you really think I'd take you to see the regular things anyone could go see?"

  He continued to pull her along and she stopped resisting. She wasn't sure how it was possible, but she trusted him.

  A few times she almost slipped, but he caught her before she fell into the thorny undergrowth. Still, the farther they went, the more she found herself covered in bristles and dirt.

  "Do we have a destination or is this one of those 'Enjoy the journey' and 'See the forest for the trees' things?" Novellana asked after a while.

  Jamison turned to look at her as if he was about to say something, but then looked her over, taking in the mess she was covered with and he just smiled. "Someone's impatient." He said.

  "I was just wondering," She started, but before she could finish the sentence he pushed away a few branches ahead of them and stepped back to reveal a small clearing. Tiny openings in the leafy roof above leaked in tendrils of light that reflected off a stream trickling nearby. Large rocks made up a border around the grassy patch, holding back the brush from the rest of the forest so a sort of wall was formed against the outside. Novellana stepped inside and Jamison followed, letting the branches close off the oasis behind him. She quietly took in the scene before her, the musty smell of earth, the stillness untouched by even the faintest breeze. She could faintly hear animals rustling through the leaves in the forest outside, but everything sounded very far away, drowned out by the sound of the water trickling through the tiny chasm.

  "What do you think?" Jamison whispered very quietly, but the sound still made Novellana jump.

  He grinned as she turned to face him. "It's beautiful." She said.

  Jamison leaned closer, but Novellana turned away. She chose a rock and plopped herself down, spreading her books out before her. Jamison spread his own books over the grass below.

  "So," Novellana began, "What have you been working on that's had your attention so captivated these last few weeks?"

  "You know, if I didn't know any better I might think that's all you're interested in."

  "Well we did both agree that we'd present what we have at our next progress report. I don't know about you, but I want something awesome to present."

  Jamison squinted his eyes at her, as if trying to read her motives.

  "Come on," Novellana said, "I trusted you."

  Jamison sighed. "It's not that I don't trust you, it's that I'm afraid you'll think I'm crazy."

  "After everything we've both seen here? Sometimes I wonder if I'm crazy. How far out there can it be?"

  "Time manipulation."

  "Huh."

  "What?"

  "Nothing."

  "What?" Jamison insisted. "You do think I'm crazy don't you?"

  "No, of course not. I know you must have the theory to back it up, it's just... If we put our minds together and get it to work, I'll have to admit that Melonie was right."

  Jamison laughed. "So what have you been working on?"

  "Space manipulation."

  "Like what we already have?"

  "No. The reverse of what we have. Instead of increasing the dimensions of a given amount of space, decreasing it."

  "Why would you want a smaller space?"

  "To travel great distances in no time at all. The main problem I'm running into is the logistics of getting it done."

  "Like making it temporary so it doesn't distort everything going on around it?"

  "That." Novellana agreed, "And being precise enough to not run into anything. And accounting for changes in terrain and curve of the earth's surface. It's like the more I solve, the more issues I find."

  "Well, what if you only changed small parts and immediately changed them back?"

  Novellana thought about this. "Okay, but how would you do that?"

  "You could create a vortex that automatically shuts if you don't hold it open."

  She considered it. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of that before. She looked at Jamison. "You're a genius!"

  He smiled. "I'm pretty sure we both are."

  JAMISON

  For the rest of the week they met in their forest hideaway, perfecting Novellana's travel vortex. They quickly assembled a rather bulky pair of gloves that would channel the electrical currents and allow them to grip and quickly adjust the vortex to go where they wanted it to. The biggest hurdle was maintaining balance and more than once they went only a few feet and found themselves stumbling to the ground on the other side.

  Jamison laughed as he lay on the ground after one such incident.

  "So I take it you're okay?" Novellana offered a hand to help him up.

  Jamison accepted and stood, brushing himself off. "I think the issue is that these gloves make it difficult to maneuver."

  "Okay, well let's try these." Novellana pulled another pair of gloves out of her bag that were much sleeker.

  "When did you make these?" Jamison asked, admiring their clean design.

  "Last night." She smiled at his admiration. "I was thinking the same thing about how bulky the old ones were. Want to try them out?"

  Jamison grinned. He slid the gloves on easily and tried again to cross the small clearing. This time he landed like a cat on the other side.

  "Excellent." Novellana smiled.

  "So," Jamison grinned mischievously. "You said you wanted to go to England."

  Novellana's eyes widened. "What? No, we can't. Not right now."

  Jamison looked at her from under his brow.

  "Maybe this weekend?" She smiled.

  Jamison considered a moment, then nodded. "This weekend." He agreed.

  "So what about your idea?" She asked.

  "What idea?"

  "For time travel."

  "Oh, yeah." He nodded. "The basic idea is a lot like manipulating space to shrink, but without the issue of running into things. The problem is finding somet
hing to produce enough energy without destroying the source of the energy."

  "What about lightening?" Novellana asked, remembering the power of the bolt she watched touch down the night before the dance.

  Jamison hadn't thought of this before. It wasn't exactly practical, but for the sake of experimentation it could work.

  They decided to test the idea during the next lightening storm. The plan was to try to get themselves to the last storm before that, so they'd only be going a few weeks, then reverse it to come back. If that worked they'd try a second trip: to June 15, 1752, when Benjamin Franklin supposedly flew his kite and harnessed the power of the skies.

  The next storm wasn't supposed to come until a week before Thanksgiving.

  In the meantime, they continued to experiment with Novellana's travel vortex, not only visiting England, but the rest of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and several scenic destinations within the United States.

  Jamison laughed to himself as they landed on the edge of the Grand Canyon. And my dad thinks his sports cars were fast.

  As they left lab on the Thursday before Thanksgiving, they looked up and saw the skies darkening. They looked at each other and ran to their rooms, gathering everything they'd need and meeting back at the forked path by the pond. Jamison and Novellana stood there in the dark for hours waiting for it to begin. They each wore protective gear to shield themselves from the innumerable hazards they could potentially run into and had packed in their backpacks supplies of food and water, oxygen tanks, and two pairs of travel vortex gloves, in case they traveled through space as well as time. Jamison threw his watch on the ground, so they'd be sure of their whereabouts when they got back, assuming they did.

  When the rain finally began to fall, Jamison took Novellana's hand.

  "In case this all goes terribly wrong," He spoke loudly through the torrents of water, "I just want you to know I'm glad my last moment will be with you."

  "Me too." Novellana smiled at him and he leaned in, but she pushed him away again. "I don't want our first kiss to be good-bye." She said.

  Jamison nodded and they both jumped at the flash of lightening, almost immediately followed by thunder.

  "I think this is it. Hang on!" Jamison raised the rod to their time machine into the air and Novellana wrapped her arms around him. For a split second he imagined how much better it would have felt under different circumstances, but his attention was reclaimed by the storm as a bolt of lightening connected with the tip of the rod and he watched the unbelievable power creep towards him, as if in slow motion, but suddenly it stopped creeping and spread out. In an instant Jamison and Novellana were bathed in light, and just as suddenly it was gone. They looked around and realized they were standing in the same place by the pond, but now there was someone walking up the path. Jamison turned to Novellana.

  "Are you okay?" He looked her over, making sure nothing had harmed her in their suicide mission.

  "I'm fine. Are you okay?"

  "Still in one piece." He shrugged. "So did it work?"

  Novellana pointed to the person coming towards them. "Let's ask whoever this is."

  They started walking to meet the shadowy figure and as they met, they saw that it was Professor Harshaw.

  "Professor!" Jamison was surprised.

  "What are you two doing out here? You should know how dangerous it is with all this lightning. I just saw a bolt of it come down right by where you were standing a moment ago."

  "We know, Professor." Novellana interrupted, "But we really need to know the day and time."

  "It's Thursday, the twenty-ninth of October and it's," He looked at his watch, "9:07."

  Jamison and Novellana looked at each other and simultaneously threw up their arms and yelled, "Yes!"

  "I cannot believe this!" Novellana starting scribbling in her notebook, trying to shield it from the rain. "Not even a minute off our target."

  "I know! It's incredible!" Jamison agreed.

  "I assume you'll fill me in later, then?" Professor Harshaw asked, eyebrows raised.

  "Of course, Professor. At our next progress report, like we promised." Jamison nodded.

  "Tomorrow?" Professor Harshaw asked, looking confused.

  "Oh, well I guess not." Jamison laughed. "The one after that. Promise."

  The Professor looked at Novellana who was grinning with pride.

  "Well alright then. I guess I'll see you tomorrow." And with that he left.

  "So are you ready to go back?" Jamison asked. "Or do you want to go see Franklin first?"

  "That's okay." Novellana shook her head. "I want to be sure we can go forward at least a few weeks before we go back a couple hundred years."

  "Good point." Jamison agreed, resetting the device. "Well, here goes nothing."

  He held up the rod and waited and in no time the lightning gripped them again, engulfing them in light and releasing them back on the path where they were before.

  Jamison found his watch covered in mud, but still ticking.

  "Well?" Novellana asked.

  "We've been gone thirty seconds."

  They jumped and hollered with joy once more, but both quieted fairly quickly, realizing the next test would have slightly more risk.

  "Are you sure you want to do this?" Jamison asked, feeling unsure himself.

  "Absolutely." Novellana nodded.

  They both grinned, resetting the device and preparing themselves for disaster. Lightning cracked in the sky above as Jamison lifted the rod once more.

  Once again the sky reached out to them and they were surrounded in light, but this time the light didn't fade. It got brighter and brighter until Jamison thought they would be incinerated by light alone and then all was dark.

  He could still hear the rain pattering down around them, though much quieter than before. He squinted, letting his eyes adjust to the dark again. He put a hand out and hit a tree.

  "Ow!"

  "Are you okay?" Novellana asked behind him.

  "Yeah, just accidentally punched a tree here." Jamison groaned.

  "Looks like we're in a forest." Novellana said.

  Jamison's eyes finally adjusted and he nodded. The trees were very thick here, they were lucky they didn't end up stuck in one. He made a mental note that more thorough historical research should be done before time traveling again. Especially taking a look at maps to be sure there weren't trees or buildings to run into.

  "Is the storm still going on?" He wondered aloud.

  "Sounds like it's coming down harder." Novellana answered. "Probably just starting."

  "So where's old Ben?" He asked.

  "Probably out there." Novellana pointed to the open field outside the forest wall.

  They made their way to the edge of the trees and looked around. They didn't see anyone, but apparently someone saw them.

  "Excuse me."

  They both jumped and turned to see Benjamin Franklin standing before them and in unison they gasped, "No way!"

  "What on earth are you doing?" He asked.

  Novellana just stared at him, jaw agape.

  Jamison laughed at her. "Well, actually," Jamison answered, "We're here to see you. We heard you were going to do an experiment with a kite and a key."

  "Who told you that? Who are you? How do you know me?"

  Suddenly Jamison realized he would have to choose his words carefully or risk changing history. "Well... I... We..."

  Novellana overcame herself and cut in. "We are students from down south. Professor Priestley told us about your experiment and we were curious, so we came to see."

  Benjamin Franklin looked at Jamison. Jamison nodded vehemently.

  "I don't believe a word of it." He answered. "And based on your queer accents and even more queer attire, I'd rather not like to know more." He began walking off with his kite in hand.

  "Wait!" Novellana called after him. "Is the year 1752?" She asked.

  "Of course it is." Franklin answered.

  "What are you d
oing?" Jamison whispered. "Do you want to disturb history?"

  "He's not insulated. If he flies that kite right now it will kill him. And he's not supposed to die in 1752." She whispered back.

  "Well? What do you want?" Franklin demanded.

  "I think you should be insulated."

  "What are you talking about?" He asked.

  "If you catch lightning with that thing, you'll get electrocuted if you're not insulated." She told him.

  He peered at her through squinted eyes. "And what reason do I have to believe you?" He asked.

  She shrugged. "I guess you don't really have a reason. Let's go James."

  Jamison got the idea. He lifted the rod, waved, and called out to Franklin as the light consumed them, "See you in the history books, Sir."

  The light once again got brighter and brighter and the heat became nearly unbearable. When the darkness returned and the rain came pelting down on them again, Jamison could hear steam coming off their jackets.

  They both collapsed on the ground and Jamison closed his eyes, letting himself relax for a moment.

  "James?" Novellana asked.

  "Yeah?" Jamison opened his eyes and faintly saw her looking up at him in the darkness.

  "What time is it?"

  He felt around for his watch and found it just a few inches from him.

  "9:08. We've been gone another thirty seconds."

  She smiled. Jamison lifted himself, then turned and offered his hand.

  Novellana accepted and he brought her to her feet. He wiped the mud from her cheek and smiled.

  "What?" She asked.

  "I'm just so happy I met you." He said.

  She smiled. "So, I think there was something you were going to do."

  Jamison wasn't sure what she was driving at. "What? Write the report?"

  "No, not that." Even in the dark, pelting rain he could see her cheeks flush as she bit her lip.

  "Oh." Jamison smiled, understanding. He leaned in, but she put her finger over his lips. "Okay, I fink I'm getting mixed signalf here." He said past her finger.

  "Sorry." She closed her eyes and looked away. "I just wanted to say..." She hesitated.

  Jamison lifted her chin and she opened her eyes. "I love you, too." He said, leaned in, and finally their lips met.

  NOVELLANA

  They canceled lab the following day. They were scheduled to present their progress report to both Professor Harshaw and Professor Whimwell at four that afternoon and they needed the day to prepare. Jamison had wanted to work in one of their rooms, but Novellana insisted they work in the library since no work would get done in their rooms. This time, however, they decided to work on the tenth floor, in hopes of avoiding interruption by Hillary. After two hours of incessant flirting, though, Novellana was beginning to wonder if there was anywhere they'd be able to focus.

  "We only have a few hours left!" She said.

  "Relax. We both have our reports finished and we don't even have to mention what the rest of the group is doing. Once we tell the professors that we had a little chat with Benjamin Franklin last night, they won't care what anyone else is doing."

  "Well I do. We were assigned to be project heads. That means keeping track of what everyone else is doing and our own work. Now did Victor finish that project you gave him."

  "Who cares?" Jamison grinned.

  Novellana gave him a very stern look.

  "You care." He sighed. "Yes. Victor has finished everything right on time. Ever since he stopped messing with our lives, it would seem focusing on his work has become much less of a chore."

  Novellana grinned as she jotted down a few notes. "What about Olivia?"

  "Our star? She's working on some sort of shoebox apartment complex. Having issues with weather resistance, getting into the shoebox, and disaster preparedness."

  "I think she'll figure it out pretty soon." Novellana thought about it. Olivia was probably the quickest student in the group. Novellana had no doubt she'd reach any goal she set for herself.

  She scanned over the notes she had jotted down. "Actually," Novellana was surprised to say it, but, "I think we're done. Did you want to go over anythi---"

  She cut off when she looked up. Jamison wasn't looking at his notes at all. He was looking at her.

  "Don't ask me to focus." He grinned. "It won't work today."

  "Jamison! Novellana!"

  Jamison jumped and sat straight up, glancing over the few notes he had as the professors approached.

  "Finishing up the progress report?" Professor Whimwell asked.

  "Just finished, actually." Novellana smiled at Jamison, who suddenly seemed very focused.

  "Wonderful." Professor Harshaw smiled. "I've been looking forward to it. Since you're done now, what do you say we push our appointment up to one? Give us all a chance to get some lunch and take away those last few hours of waiting."

  "Sounds fine to me." Novellana agreed.

  "Absolutely." Jamison nodded. "One o'clock."

  "Excellent." Professor Whimwell smiled. "See you."

  Both professors waved as they wandered off together.

  Jamison stared after them.

  "Jamison?" Novellana asked, "Do you want to go get some lunch?"

  "Yeah..." Jamison wasn't all there.

  "James?" Novellana whispered.

  "Yeah?" Jamison finally looked at her.

  "Focus."

  They had lunch off campus at a small deli Novellana never knew about before and returned just before one. The professors were chatting when they arrived, but immediately quieted when they saw Novellana and Jamison enter.

  Novellana was a bit nervous, but she and Jamison went over the group's progress as a whole, pointing out where they were a few weeks ago versus what they done since. Both professors nodded, but when they were done, it was clear that they were most excited to hear about their most recent experiments. Novellana began with her travel vortex gloves, telling about how they could travel across the country in a matter of seconds. The professors were impressed, but wondered what they'd been doing with time travel. Jamison then went over his time travel device, explaining the meeting with professor Harshaw a few weeks before and the short conversation with Ben Franklin.

  Both professors expressed concern that they may have altered the course of history, but Jamison explained that without Novellana, Benjamin Franklin would have died several decades too early.

  "It was as if we were supposed to be there."

  The professors considered the idea, and nodded.

  "We will of course have to conduct further research." Professor Harshaw said.

  "Of course." Jamison and Novellana both nodded.

  Professor Whimwell bobbed his head, thinking to himself. "Was there anything else you have for us?" He asked.

  Novellana shook her head. "That's it." She said.

  "Well, needless to say we're quite pleased." He smiled. "And I think we'll have some exciting plans coming up."

  Novellana and Jamison exchanged grins.

  "But if you two don't mind," He continued, "Professor Harshaw and I have a lot to talk about."

  "Yeah, sure." Novellana and Jamison collected their things and left.

  JAMISON

  After their report was done and bearing in mind that they had the following week off for Thanksgiving, Jamison found it easy convincing Novellana to hang out with him alone for the rest of the afternoon. They talked and read and relaxed in Novellana's room until Melonie arrived and nearly broke the door down. Novellana let her in, letting Jamison know he could come out of his hiding place, as she did. Melonie acknowledged Jamison with a quick, "Hello" And returned her attention to Novellana.

  "So?"

  Novellana looked confused. "So?"

  "So! Are you going to the drama club's party at the Bean Barn tonight? I hear it's going to be," Melonie flung her arm across her face and tilted her chin up, "Dramatic!" She said in a very breathy voice.

  "Oh, yeah, I almost forgot abo
ut that." Novellana smiled at her friend's open jaw.

  "Jamison!" Melonie turned to him.

  "Oh, no." Jamison was afraid of being dragged into the middle.

  "Make her come." Melonie ordered.

  Jamison wasn't sure what to do. He certainly wasn't going to make Novellana do anything and this tiny girl didn't exactly look intimidating, but at the same time he worried what would happen if he refused her will. "Um, well. Ana, don't you want to go to the party tonight?"

  "Ana?" Melonie scrunched up her nose.

  Novellana rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay. We'll be there."

  "Yay!" Melonie looked delighted and practically floated out of the room.

  "So what's this 'we' business?" Jamison asked.

  "Oh, did I say that?" Novellana grinned.

  "You did." Jamison edged up to her and ran his hand through her hair.

  Novellana closed her eyes and relaxed at his touch. "You don't have to go if you don't want to." She said.

  "Are you kidding?" Jamison smiled. "I heard it's supposed to be very," He suddenly wrapped his arms around her and swung her down into a tango bow, "Dramatic."

  Novellana laughed and he kissed her, lightly at first, but then brought her back to her feet and kissed her passionately.

  The whole place was crowded when they arrived, walking together, but not holding hands as Jamison would have preferred. He really didn't care who knew about them, but he knew Novellana did, so he tried to keep a distance between them and feign friendship instead of romance. In public, at least. Whenever they found themselves alone, though, Jamison had a much more difficult time keeping his feelings at bay. And so it was when they found themselves in the coat closet at the party that night.

  "James." Novellana whispered. "Someone could walk in any second."

  "And what are the odds that it'll be someone that cares what we do?"

  Novellana looked at him, tilting her head.

  "Right." He said. "Still, maybe if we just duck down here and if we're really quiet."

  Novellana smiled and Jamison leaned in to kiss her again, but never made contact. He suddenly found himself being pulled away from her and thrown against the opposite wall by two boys.

  "What do you think you're doing to my sister?!" The closer one yelled at him.

  "Get off him, Jason!" Novellana yelled back.

  Jason turned to Novellana. "Why? What is this? Are you with this guy? Are you kidding me?"

  "No I am not kidding anything. You don't know anything about him!"

  He raised his eyebrows, "Oh, I don't know about him? Are you out of your mind? Do you have any idea what Mom and Dad will say when they find out?"

  "Jason." Melonie came up from behind and put a hand on his chest. "It's her life."

  "What, so just let her throw it away on this loser?"

  "So let her live it." Melonie said.

  "Whatever." Jason threw his hands up and marched off, the other guy following.

  Melonie put a hand on Novellana's shoulder. "He'll come around. Let me talk to him."

  Novellana nodded and smiled, but even in the dimly lit room Jamison could see tears welling up in her eyes. She blinked them away and waved Melonie off. "I'm fine. Go. Enjoy the party."

  Melonie hesitated.

  "Go talk to my brother." Novellana insisted.

  Melonie nodded, glanced at Jamison, and left.

  Jamison and Novellana stood in silence for a moment. Novellana stared at the floor.

  "Look, if this is going to be a problem, I don't mind backing off. I mean, I don't know if he'd give me a chance. Maybe get to know me. But it's your family. I don't want to come between you." Novellana looked at Jamison as he rambled on. "Don't get me wrong. I want to be with you. There's nothing I want more, actually. I just want you to be happy." Novellana began walking slowly towards him, until she was standing right in front of him. "Are you going to say anything?" He asked.

  She reached out and wrapped herself around his waist and he cradled her in his arms. They stood there hugging for a while until Jamison pulled back and wiped a tear from her cheek.

  "Do you maybe want to go home?"

  Novellana nodded and they put their coats back on and left, holding hands as they made their way back to the apartments.

  NOVELLANA

  She decided she didn't care. If her brother or her friends or anyone had anything to say about her being with someone she loved, she didn't care. Melonie was right. It was her life and she was going to live it. And Jamison sat nodding silently in agreement on her loveseat as she ranted on about it for the next twenty minutes.

  "Tell me I'm not crazy." She said.

  "You're not crazy." Jamison told her. "I know. I had to question your sanity when you first started dating me and at this point I haven't seen any signs that you're clinically insane."

  Novellana smiled. "You know what I mean." She covered her face with her hands. "Rrrr! It's just so aggravating! You know I wasn't exactly thrilled when he started dating my best friend, but I was happy for them. They were right for each other and I left it alone. Why can't he do the same for me?"

  "Men!" Jamison nodded.

  Novellana turned to him with an inquisitive grin. "You know, if I didn't know any better I'd think you were trying to make me feel better."

  Jamison put a hand on his chest and scoffed. "Me? Why I'd never!"

  She shook her head and settled in next to him. "I guess I'll just get used to people being obnoxious about us dating."

  "I'm sure it will pass eventually." Jamison said, rubbing her shoulder. "And besides, no one hates you. They hate me. Maybe their love for you will make them a little more okay with me."

  Just then Novellana's phone buzzed. It was Melonie. She answered, "Hello."

  "Hey!" Melonie practically yelled into the phone, music blaring in the background. "Where did you go?"

  "Home." Novellana answered, holding the phone a little away from her ear.

  "What?" Melonie yelled.

  "Home!" Novellana said louder.

  "Argh! I can't hear you. Listen, I want to talk to you. Meet me in my dorm in ten minutes."

  "Okay." Novellana said.

  "What?"

  "Okay!" Novellana yelled.

  "Okay, sheesh. You don't have to yell. See you in a bit."

  "Bye." Novellana said, but Melonie had already hung up. "I guess I'm going to talk to Melonie." She told Jamison.

  "Want company?" He asked her.

  "Yes." She said. "But I think I need to talk to her alone. You don't mind do you?"

  "Of course not. You go talk to your friend. I have some reading to catch up on anyways."

  Novellana kissed his cheek. "I'll be back soon."

  "Be careful." Jamison said.

  Novellana shrugged. "What could happen?"

  "Please?" Jamison said. "You're all I've got."

  "I'll be careful." Novellana agreed.

  Melonie came running down the hall just as Novellana reached her door. "Hey!" She panted, unlocking the door and leading the way in. "So talking to Jason didn't work. He's all hot-headed right now and acting like a jerk."

  "Can't say I'm surprised. Is that all you needed to tell me?"

  "Well..." Melonie hesitated.

  "What?" Novellana did not like the look on Melonie's face.

  Melonie sighed. "He's telling everyone he sees and apparently it's pretty interesting news because people I haven't talked to in years were coming up to me, asking if it was true. So basically if your relationship was secret before, it isn't now."

  Novellana sighed. "It's okay."

  "It's okay?" Melonie repeated.

  Novellana nodded. "I knew it couldn't stay quiet long. I love him and I don't care what anyone else thinks."

  "I think it's great that he makes you happy." Melonie said.

  Novellana smiled. "Thank you."

  Novellana pulled her jacket tighter around her as she walked home, the chill of winter creeping up fast. There must have been an e
lectrical problem because all the lights that normally lit the path were out. After she passed the lights by the Bean Barn the dark became consuming. As the thumping sound of the music faded into the distance it was replaced by the sound of footsteps. It sounded like at least five or six people were approaching, but none of them said a word. Novellana wondered if they were coming to harass her about her newly disclosed relationship, but then figured that Melonie may have exaggerated the number of people who actually cared. Once they caught up with her, none of them passed her until, as if from no where, Hillary appeared before her. Novellana stopped abruptly. She turned and saw her pursuers were six boys that formed a wall around her so there was no escape. She turned back to Hillary.

  "Can I help you?" She asked.

  Hillary grinned. "I hear you're spreading rumors that you're dating my boyfriend."

  "I'm not spreading any rumors. All I'm doing is dating Jamison. And I don't think he'd like it if he knew you were referring to him as your boyfriend." Hillary's grin fell, but Novellana held firm. "Would you excuse me, please?" Novellana tried to walk past her, but Hillary pushed her back into the wall of boys.

  "Not so fast." Hillary grinned again. "Jamison is my boyfriend and you are going to stop seeing him if you know what's good for you."

  Novellana pulled her arms away from the boys. "I will not break up with someone just because you're too deluded to realize he doesn't even like you."

  Hillary slapped her.

  Novellana put a hand on her slapped cheek. Hillary grinned again, but not for long. Novellana maintained her calm well, but she wasn't some weakling little girl. She made a fist and punched Hillary square in the nose.

  Hillary fell to the ground, hands over her face. The second she was down Novellana made a run for it, but the boys were already on her tail. She heard Hillary yelling, "Get her!" From behind and cursed herself for leaving her pepper spray at home. The apartments were in sight, but before she was even close she was caught and thrown to the ground. The rest of the boys caught up and joined in the beating. Novellana tucked her legs and head in close and hoped she wouldn't suffer any permanent damage, but as she was kicked and punched from all angles she doubted she would be so lucky. The little bit she could see started to fade away and the beating let up. She let herself relax a little as the boys stepped away and left, but Hillary wasn't quite done. She stood over Novellana and kicked her hard in the stomach. Novellana doubled over in pain and felt Hillary's warm oozy spit land on her cheek.

  Hillary leaned over and spoke quietly. "You will stop seeing him," She said, "If you know what's good for you." And with that she left Novellana alone and beaten on the cold dark path.

  She couldn't move at first and must have blacked out for a while because she didn't even hear Olivia approach when suddenly she was hunched over Novellana asking what happened.

  Novellana tried to tell her, but her injuries and the crippling chill she'd been laying in for who knows how long left her mute.

  "Can you walk?" Olivia asked.

  Novellana nodded and once again tried to lift herself. This time she made it to her feet with Olivia's assistance. She tried to take a step, but her ankle must have been sprained. Olivia moved herself under Novellana's arm to support her injured leg and they slowly managed to make it back to the apartments.

  As they opened the door, Jamison came to greet them. "That took a while. What did Melonie say? Anything---" He stopped when he saw Novellana. Before anyone could blink he scooped her up and lay her on the couch. "What happened?" He asked looking over her wounds. He turned to Olivia.

  "I found her like this on the ground halfway between here and the Bean Barn. She couldn't speak when I asked her."

  Jamison turned back to Novellana. She closed her eyes and summoned all the strength she had. "Hillary." She whispered.

  Jamison's expressed turned to stone. His cheeks flashed red and his nostrils flared, but he held it in. "Keep an eye on her for a minute." Jamison directed Olivia. Olivia nodded.

  Jamison disappeared out the door and Novellana faded out again.

  When she came to, she was propped up on the couch with both feet soaking in the minty water like the night of the Festival. She assessed herself over and found that she looked like a mummy, she was so covered in bandages.

  She looked around and didn't see anyone. She tried to sit up, but found that to be incredibly painful.

  Jamison came rushing over with an ice pack. "Okay, okay. I'm here. You relax. Lay back down."

  Novellana easily followed his command. She tried speaking again and found she was now able. "Where's Olivia?"

  "She left once she saw my first aid kit is packed with Classified's remedies. But she said she'd testify if you want to press charges."

  Novellana shook her head, but winced as she did. Jamison handed her the ice pack and she accepted graciously. "Don't bother. I can't prove anything."

  Jamison shook his head. "What happened? Who helped her? I know Hillary couldn't have done all this to you alone."

  Novellana closed her eyes, holding back tears. "She had a bunch of guys with her. I couldn't see their faces and I wouldn't be able to identify them later. If we call the police she'll just lie and get away with it and probably do it again."

  "Why? What did she want?"

  "What do you think? She wants you. She said I was spreading rumors that we're together and if I know what's good for me I'll stop seeing you."

  "And you said no." Jamison shook his head. "I'll take care of it."

  "What are you going to do?"

  "It doesn't matter. This never should have been your problem and I will deal with it. What matters now is how your ankles are feeling."

  Novellana lifted her feet from the water and tried twisting them a little. It wasn't nearly as bad as the walk home, but they still hurt. She put them back in the water. "A few more minutes, I think." She said, leaning her head back.

  Jamison lightly stroked her hair back away from her face and she fell asleep in his arms.

  JAMISON

  After a while, Jamison dumped out the water and dried Novellana's feet. He put the ice pack back in the freezer and tucked her into bed, careful not to disturb her sleep. He stepped quietly out and left the building.

  Outside he walked to Hillary's dorm, hoping the cold air would cool his temper enough that he didn't do anything too stupid. When he got to her room he knocked on the door so hard it was a wonder he didn't put a hole through it. Hillary answered it with a bright smile.

  "Jamie! What are you doing here?" She beamed.

  He stared at her trying to hold back.

  "Oh. I guess you got my present. Isn't it wonderful? Now there's nothing to stop us from being together."

  "Present?" Jamison spat the word. "What demented world are you living in? There's everything to stop us from being together. I love her and I hate you."

  A few doors along the hall were beginning to open to see what the ruckus was all about. Hillary glanced around to see the heads poking out.

  She smiled. "So what are you going to do Jamie? Are you going to get back at me? Are you going to beat me up?"

  "No." He answered.

  Hillary frowned. "Then why are you here?"

  "How did you convince those guys to beat up an innocent girl?" Jamison asked loudly.

  Hillary glanced at the growing number of heads poking out of dorm room doors. "I did a few favors." She said quietly.

  "Right." Jamison nodded. "Favors. Well how about you do yourself a favor and never try anything like that again."

  "And what exactly is supposed to stop me? You can't call the police. There's no evidence. No one can say they saw me do anything."

  "There may not be any evidence that you slept with a bunch of guys to get them to beat up a girl that did nothing to you, but your father will believe me when I give him the details of how you've been representing the family name." Jamison knew the one thing that would work on Hillary was the threat of losing Daddy's plastic.


  "He won't believe I had some girl beat up over you."

  "Hillary, you've sent me pictures of all the things you've been doing to disgrace yourself since freshman year. Any one of them would make him furious, but when I show him all of them and tell him how you act at school, your worst fears will be realized."

  Hillary stared at him, sizing him up. "You wouldn't." She said, something in her eyes Jamison had never seen there before. Was it fear?

  "Don't," He said, nostrils flaring, face heating up, "Test me."

  Hillary stared at him and in a cracking voice said, "You must really love her."

  "You cannot begin to imagine." He answered. And with that he turned and made his way down the hall, leaving her alone and beaten in a sea of judging faces.

  In the morning Jamison went down to check on Novellana early. It took her a while to get to the door. When she opened it, Jamison was disappointed to see that the night hadn't done much to improve her condition. Her limp was nearly gone, but her face was stained with tears. He reached out to touch her cheek, but she pulled away.

  "What's wrong?" He asked.

  "I've just been thinking. I mean, I know we can't let other people make our choices for us, but everyone seems to hate the idea of us being together and my friends are mad and probably want to kill you and obviously Hillary is going to be a problem..." Her voice started to crack and she covered her mouth with her gauze-wrapped fingers and looked away.

  Jamison felt like a hole was being ripped in his chest, but he wouldn't let it show. Hiding his emotions was one thing he was good at. "Hey." He smiled, "If you just want to be friends, we can do that. Okay?"

  She looked at him for a moment, then closed her eyes and nodded.

  "You know what? You could use some time away from this place. No reason two friends can't go on a trip together, right?"

  She stared at him and Jamison felt as if his life hung in the balance.

  Finally she nodded. "Let me just go change."

  "Okay, I'll pull my car around the front of the building and wait there." He wanted to kiss her cheek, but stopped himself and left.

  NOVELLANA

  In the short walk down the hall and out to the car, Novellana felt like all eyes on campus were focused on her. She wore a baseball cap to cover her face as much as possible, but it seemed like everyone knew every detail of her life at that moment. She was thankful that Jamison's car had tinted windows, but until they were off campus it still felt like everyone they passed knew she was in that car.

  They drove for nearly two hours, neither saying a word, until Jamison pulled over on the side of the road in the middle of the woods.

  "Please don't tell me we have to hike." Novellana said, stepping out of the car and motioning towards her leg.

  "It's not far, I promise." Jamison said. "And no thorns either. We're even staying on a path." He smiled and jutted out his lower lip pleadingly.

  Novellana smiled. "Okay." She agreed.

  Jamison led the way and in no time at all they were at the base of a waterfall. All around were large flat rocks, perfect for laying out in the sun. He helped Novellana up onto one and the both sat down, watching the water endlessly plummet over the edge all the way down to the small pool below.

  Out in the woods, away from all the chaos and pressures of school, Novellana felt her mind beginning to clarify.

  "I don't want us to stop seeing each other." She said, blinking away tears. "I don't care if Hillary beats me up a hundred times. I don't want to let this go."

  "Hillary is no longer a problem." Jamison told her, staring at the waterfall.

  Novellana looked at him. "What did you do?" She asked.

  "I threatened to give away the only thing she cares about."

  "Which is?"

  "Her secrets." Jamison turned to Novellana. "She'll never do anything to hurt you again."

  Novellana felt a lump growing in her throat.

  "Look," Jamison said, "If you just want to be friends for a while that's okay, but I don't want it to be for other people. We both know there are going to be hurdles, but if we face them together I think we can overcome anything. I mean we time traveled the other day! We can do anything."

  Novellana smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder, letting him wrap his arms around her. "Don't ever let me get away." She said.

  "I won't."

  "Promise?" She asked.

  "I promise." He told her and wrapped his arms tighter around her.

  When they got back to Novellana's room they found about a dozen bouquets of flowers in front of her door. She read one of the cards aloud:

  "Hope you're feeling better soon and know that you've got a great guy looking out for you."

  Jamison inspected some of the cards. "Most of these don't even have names on them."

  Novellana smiled. It seemed she had misjudged the state of mind of the campus.

  She and Jamison brought the flowers in and made a "Thank You" poster to hang on her door.

  While they were working, there was a knock on the door. Novellana answered it and found it was Melonie and Jason. Both wore an expression of disbelief when they saw her.

  "I didn't believe it when I heard." Melonie said. "This happened right after you left didn't it? I should have walked you home! Novellana I'm so sorry."

  "It's not your fault." Novellana insisted.

  "That's right." Jason said. "It's hi--" Melonie elbowed him in the ribs, but it was clear he blamed Jamison. He rubbed his ribcage. "Who are all the flowers from?" He asked.

  "Different people all over campus." Novellana answered. She noticed Melonie still staring at her bruises. "It's not as bad as it looks." She insisted. "It really doesn't hurt that bad anymore."

  "Well, I'm just glad you're okay." Melonie said.

  "So are you coming home next week?" Jason asked.

  "I don't think so." Novellana answered.

  "Have better plans?" He asked.

  "No, I just don't want Mom and Dad to see me like this. Not for Thanksgiving."

  "Right. Well, glad your okay." Jason didn't even wave before walking out the door.

  Melonie watched him go with her arms crossed, then turned back to Novellana. "We really are glad you're okay." She put her hand on Novellana's arm and she winced. Melonie's hand flew to her mouth.

  "Melonie, I'm fine." Novellana insisted.

  Melonie shook her head. "Well, at least Hillary is being punished."

  "What are you talking about?" Novellana asked. "We didn't report her. There's no evidence."

  "Well the Higher Court of Campus Mentality doesn't need evidence. She been sentenced to having raw eggs cover her door and possibly her face for at least a week. Word travels fast. And maybe a few friends helped it get around more." She smiled. "Anyway, everyone seems to hate her now, so she's being punished."

  "Huh." Novellana and Jamison smiled at each other.

  "Happy Thanksgiving." Melonie waved good-bye.

  Novellana continued to find "Get Well" bouquets outside her door and hear of shenanigans being played on Hillary until the campus was vacated for Thanksgiving break. She and Jamison stayed on campus, telling Novellana's parents she was bogged down with her studies and telling Paul the whole story. Paul wished Novellana well and insisted that they should come visit for Christmas. Both agreed.

  On Tuesday afternoon, Jamison and Novellana were playing cards in her room when they heard footsteps outside the door. A hole began to form in the door and Jamison opened it. They had learned since school started that the professors had their assistant, David, a short, stout, elderly man, deliver all their correspondence.

  "You could just knock." He told David.

  "I don't want to knock." He answered grumpily. "This is the proper way of doing things. You always have to ruin everything."

  "Calm down." Jamison told him. "Do you have another headache today?"

  David stared at him so long that Novellana wondered if he'd heard Jamison speak.

&nbs
p; "That's none of your business." David said finally. "And yes I do."

  "Well if you pass by Botany, tell them I told you to get some Ethania Root."

  David stared, frowning at Jamison for quite a while. "Thanks." He finally said, and walked off.

  Jamison closed the door. "He's a strange one, isn't he?"

  "Who's the letter for?" Novellana asked.

  Jamison glanced at it. "Both of us, actually." He read aloud:

  "To Ms. Novellana Douglass and Mr. Jamison Doyle,

  We would first like to wish Ms. Douglass a speedy recovery from her recent misfortune. We would also like to reiterate how impressed we were with your presentation last week. We have discussed several ideas for what can be done with the research you've been working on and finally we have decided that if your research is complete by the end of the year, we would like to start a company, using the research we have done here at Jochawk to create community outreach programs. We hope you are as excited about this news as we are because we would like the two of you to lead the company. All employees will be graduates of Classifieds Programs, but you would be co-Chief Operating Officers in charge of all major decisions. If you are interested, please let us know after the break and we will decide specifics in the Spring.

  Regards,

  Professor John Harshaw

  Professor Allen Whimwell

  Professor Timothy O'Briarn

  Professor Anne Schmidt

  Professor Jacquelyn Thomas

  Professor Mildred Pincknea

  Professor Anthony Pollek

  Professor Michael Leaf

  Professor Susan O'Hern

  Classifieds"

  Novellana and Jamison stared at each other completely dumbfounded, but their grins slowly spread across their faces until their exuberance could no longer be contained. They both jumped up and shouted in celebration.

  "I can't believe this!" Novellana said, "Can you believe this?"

  "I can't believe this!" Jamison agreed.

  JAMISON

  Novellana and Jamison cooked together for Thanksgiving. They chatted about the company while they cooked and sat at the breakfast bar to eat together. When they finished dinner they sat on the floor to eat pie, then lay back and relaxed in their gluttony.

  "I want to write some of these ideas down," Novellana said,"But I'm too stuffed to move."

  "I know the feeling." Jamison agreed, patting his stomach.

  They both smiled and fell asleep on the fluffy carpet.

  When Jamison awoke, his stomach had fully digested their feast and he was left feeling hungry and cold. He stood up and stretched, his aching back telling him the floor wasn't the best of all places to fall asleep. He was about to go get a post-feast snack when he noticed how angelic Novellana looked laying on the floor, the last bit of sunlight streaming in across her face. He smiled and counted himself the luckiest guy in the world.

  She turned a little and opened her eyes.

  "Hey." Jamison said. "Are you hungry?"

  "Actually yes." Novellana said. "Are there leftovers?"

  "Yeah, I was just about to go grab some." He said. He fixed each of them a snack plate and when they were done eating they cleaned up and snuggled in together on the couch.

  Novellana yawned and rested her head on Jamison's shoulder. "Best Thanksgiving ever." She whispered and only moments later she fell asleep.

  Jamison rested for a while with Novellana in his arms, but finally decided it was time for him to go, so he carried her to bed, kissed her cheek and went to his own room.

  He woke up in the middle of the night. Below him he could hear Novellana making noises in her sleep. It sounded like she was crying. He debated for a moment, but then made a hole in the floor and jumped through. Novellana sat straight up in bed at the sound of his landing.

  "What's wrong?" He asked.

  She relaxed when she heard his voice. "I must have been having nightmares." She answered laying back down in bed.

  "About what?" He asked, crawling in and wrapping his arm around her.

  "Hillary." She said quietly.

  He wrapped his arms tighter around her and kissed the back of her neck. "I'm here. Nothing can hurt you. I won't let it."

  She snuggled closer and after a moment her breathing slowed and she was asleep.

  "What are you still doing here?" Jamison landed with a thump on the floor. Novellana ran around the bed. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

  He rubbed his back. "Yeah, I'm fine. What was that about?"

  "You've been here all night!" Novellana said. "You have to go." She pulled on his arm to get him to his feet and pushed him out the door.

  "Wait, why do I have to go?" Jamison tried to ask.

  "Oh, my gosh. You were in my room all night." Novellana mumbled to herself.

  "Ana!" Jamison protested.

  "Don't 'Ana' me. Go away and come back at a decent time." And she closed the door before he could get another word in.

  He stood in the hall, donning pajamas and bare feet and finally decided to head back to his room. He wasn't sure what she meant when she said a decent time, but he figured he would just try back in a few hours. In the meantime he felt like he could use a jog and a shower.

  NOVELLANA

  Around ten, Jamison knocked on the door.

  "Is it a decent time?" He smiled when she answered.

  Novellana rolled her eyes. "Perfectly acceptable." She said.

  "So, what was wrong with what happened last night?" He asked, digging his hands in his pockets.

  Novellana thought about it, wrapping her arms around herself. It wasn't about what people thought, she'd gotten past caring about that. It was her own moral values. "It just doesn't seem right to be sleeping in the same bed." She said, feeling a little embarrassed.

  Jamison took her face in his hands and turned her to look at him. "If something makes you uncomfortable, just say it." He told her. "I promise I will not come in your room in the middle of the night again."

  "Thank you." She smiled, wrapping her hands around his arms.

  "Unless you have nightmares." He added.

  She looked at him sternly.

  "But I will not fall asleep in your bed." He grinned at her.

  She rolled her eyes. "Fair enough." She pulled his arms off and made her way to the kitchen. "Have you had breakfast yet?" She asked.

  "No, but I could definitely go for some pancakes."

  "Okay, I'll cook if you do the dishes."

  "Deal." Jamison agreed. "So, will we have to have separate beds when we're married or will it be okay then?"

  Novellana nearly dropped the bowl in her hand. She stared at Jamison.

  He sighed, "I mean if we were married."

  She eyed him for a moment, then answered. "If we were married, of course we could share a bed."

  "Okay." He nodded.

  "Okay." She said.

  For the rest of breakfast and the rest of break they kept conversation light, but Novellana couldn't help wondering where Jamison was going with his question. It wasn't that she didn't want to be with him forever, it just felt too soon to be thinking about those kinds of things.

  When everyone returned from Thanksgiving break, Jamison and Novellana announced to their lab group that at the end of the year they would be starting a company using their research, assuming it was done. Everyone was excited at the prospect, but, with the holidays coming up and trying to explain the projects Novellana and Jamison had just finished, it seemed like they were never going to get everyone on the same page. Olivia and, more surprisingly, Victor were a great help in that endeavor. Both seemed to understand how the travel vortex gloves and time travel device functioned the first time they were explained. The rest of the group was a different story. Some of them understood Novellana's invention, some understood Jamison's. No one seemed to understand both. After a week of trying to explain the same idea to the same people Novellana had had enough.

  "Why don't we just split the group up?"
She asked Jamison. "Just for now, so we can keep moving. Everyone that understands your idea will work on time travel and everyone that understands my idea will work on space manipulation. Then, once everyone really understands what they're doing we have them explain to each other."

  "Sounds good to me." Jamison said, rubbing his eyes. "How many times do you have to say, 'The negative reactor,' before people get that you're not talking about the positive reactor."

  Novellana patted his shoulder, "I know."

  The idea worked well. For a week, everyone studied the idea they understood. The next week, everyone paired off and explained their idea to their partner. By the time winter break arrived, everyone seemed to be caught up, but many were taking home notebooks filled with scribbles they were going to try to decipher during their time away.

  Novellana and Jamison spent Christmas Eve on campus and went to Novellana's house on Christmas Day. Novellana hadn't really thought about their holiday plans until she woke up Christmas morning. Jamison seemed to have anticipated that she'd be having a mini panic attack and arrived at the door of her room early that morning. He stood patiently by the door while Novellana paced the room.

  "You did tell your parents we were coming, right?" Jamison asked while she shook her hands and took several deep breaths.

  "I told them my boyfriend would be joining us for dinner and that his father and friend may also come. Did Paul ever call back?" She suddenly stopped mid-pace.

  "No, but if I know my father, they won't be joining us."

  Novellana felt bad for Jamison. As nervous as she was to introduce him to her family, at least she knew they loved her. It didn't seem like Jamison could say the same about his father.

  "It's fine." He must have noticed the look on her face. "After a lifetime of disappointments, not showing up to one more Christmas dinner isn't going to leave me scarred for life."

  Novellana gave a slight smile.

  "Now," Jamison put his hands on her shoulders, "If it gets too awkward for you, just tug on your ear and we'll make a run for it."

  Novellana laughed, "I have a feeling I might take you up on that."

  They arrived at Novellana's house early in the afternoon. She smiled at the familiar white paneling over brick as she reached for the handle of the dark green door. When they stepped inside Novellana's parents rushed out to greet them, but when they saw who their daughter had in tow they stopped mid-step and stared. Novellana and Jamison froze like deer in the headlights.

  No one moved until her step-mother announced, "I have to finish making dinner!" And left in such a hurry, it was a wonder she didn't knock anything over.

  "Well," Her father said, "I... am going to go wash up." And he exited the room as quickly as his wife.

  Novellana shook her head and leaned it against Jamison's chest. He patted her back. "Welcome home." He grinned. "So are they pretending we're not here or just avoiding the subject until reinforcements arrive?" He wondered aloud.

  Just as he finished the thought the door opened again. This time it was Melonie and Jason that came through.

  Jason looked around when he got in the door. "Are Mom and Dad here?" He asked Novellana.

  "They're hiding." Novellana smiled.

  "Huh." He nodded. He glanced at Jamison, "Hello." He said in a very neutral tone.

  Jamison looked at Novellana, then back at her brother. "Hello." He answered.

  They all glanced around at each other, until the silence was broken by their mother calling from the kitchen, "Jason? Is that you? Can you come help me in the kitchen?"

  "Jason is an excellent cook." Melonie explained as he left. "Really amazing with spice combinations." The second he was out of sight Melonie took Novellana's hand and dragged her into the living room, leaving Jamison standing alone in the front hallway.

  "So," Melonie started when they were alone, "I've been bugging Jason for the last few weeks and I think he's starting to come around to the idea that you are a big girl and capable of making your own decisions. And I think he might actually give Jamison a chance."

  "So that's what that 'Hello' thing was all about." Novellana said. "Aw, Melonie, you're the greatest." Novellana hugged her friend.

  "Wow." Melonie said. "Does that mean I don't have to get you a Christmas present?"

  They both laughed and went back to check on Jamison. They found him holding very still with his brow furrowed.

  "What are you doing?" Novellana asked as she and Melonie returned.

  "Shh." Jamison held a finger over his lips. "I think your mom is mad at Jason for not telling her about us." He whispered.

  Novellana and Melonie listened, too.

  "It's not that bad." They heard Jason say.

  "Not that bad?" She replied, much louder. "She's dating Jamison Frost!"

  "It's Doyle, Mom. Jamison Doyle. Look, I didn't like it at first either, but I'm starting to get the idea that he's secretly an okay guy. Melonie keeps telling me how happy little Ana is."

  "She's always been happy." Their mother dismissed the idea.

  "Not like this."

  "I just wish someone would have told me." She said quietly.

  Jamison turned around and wrapped his arms around Novellana, kissing her gently on the forehead.

  Dinner was tense, the awkward conversation doing nothing to improve the situation.

  "So how have things been around the house?" Jason asked his parents.

  Their father shrugged.

  "Fine." Their mother said.

  "How's the weather been?" Novellana asked. "Doesn't seem as cold as it usually is this time of year."

  "Fine." Their father mumbled.

  Their mother shrugged.

  Novellana looked at her brother.

  He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

  Novellana sighed. At least she knew they would come around eventually. Jason did, so her parents had to.

  After dinner Jason made hot chocolate and he, Melonie, Novellana, and Jamison sat in the living room and talked. The conversation was light, but enjoyable. Melonie recounted the time her chemistry class had erupted into a bottled water fight.

  "So the teacher wasn't there yet. He was this really old guy. Walked slow, talked slow. We all figured he had to be about ninety. And we're all running around, ducking under tables and getting everything soaked. So I get a couple people to team up with me and we corner three of the others and just drench them in water. And just as our bottles run out on top of them the whole class looks up and we see the teacher standing there and he just goes, 'Okay. I'll be back in about five minutes.' And leaves. Now everybody is getting nervous. Are we all going to get detention? Can a whole class get detention? And we start trying to clean everything up. We push all the tables straight and get some towels to dry the floor and everything else. So when he gets back, we're all sitting in our seats like perfect little angels, just waiting for class to start. He looks around, sees we cleaned it all up, and nods. Then he makes his rickety old way to the front of the room and starts his lecture. 'Now, class, one thing you have to remember about chemistry is that sometimes you will encounter unexpected reactions.' And he pulls out two bottles of water and drenches the whole class!"

  They all laughed at the story.

  Jason looked at Jamison. "What are you laughing at? You think that kind of misbehavior is appropriate?"

  Jamison's eyes widened and he looked to Novellana for support. "I... I..."

  "I'm kidding." Jason smiled and they all laughed again. He finished the last sip of his hot chocolate. "Refills anyone?"

  "I'll get it." Novellana said.

  "You sure?" Jason asked.

  "I think I can handle it. Pour in the packet. Then is it add water or throw water all over classroom."

  Jason smiled. "Add water." He nodded.

  Novellana carried the four cups into the kitchen and walked in on her parents talking about her. As soon as they saw her they went silent. "Hi there." She said. "Just getting some more hot chocolate.
" She set the cups on the counter and got the box down from the cabinet.

  "Ana, Honey," Her father started, "You know we love you. I just don't think you should be starting a relationship with this guy right now. You just don't know what he'll really be like and you don't want a relationship interfering with your studies."

  "Dad, I---"

  "Don't know what he'll be like?" Her mother interrupted. "We know exactly what he'll be like. He's Jamison Frost. He'll be just like his father. You know what his father did. Everyone knows. What will people think of you? Of us?"

  "He's not his father!" Novellana said. "People are going to think what they want to think. I may not have known him long, but I know I know him better than you. Just give him a chance."

  "Give him a chance?" Her mother repeated. "A chance to do what? To---"

  "Don't," Jason interrupted and they all turned to him in the doorway, "Do what I did." He finished. Novellana smiled at her step-brother. "Mom," He said, "I told you, I didn't like it at first either, but he makes Novellana happy. That has got to be enough for us."

  His mother looked at Jason and bit her tongue.

  They all stood in a sort of armistice, when Jamison suddenly walked in just getting off his phone.

  "Okay, I'll see you soon." He said into the receiver and hung up. "Thank you so much for dinner." He said to Novellana's mother. "It was exquisite. And I am so sorry, but I have to go."

  "What's wrong?" Novellana asked, seeing the strain in his eyes.

  "That was Paul." He said. "Dad's in the hospital."

  "Come on." Jason said. "I'll drive."

  "No," Melonie said, entering the room, "I'll drive. You're too slow."

  "My car. I'm driving." Jason insisted.

  Melonie squinted her eyes at him.

  "Okay, who cares who drives?" Novellana interrupted their staring contest. "Let's go!"

  They all grabbed their coats and rushed out to pile in to Jason's car.

  As they were thrown side to side every time they went around a curve, Jamison asked Novellana, "Melonie said Jason drives slow?"

  Novellana laughed. "You should see how Melonie drives."

  "Remind me to be nervous about you getting in car with these two." He said and she laughed again.

  "Hey!" Melonie called back to them, "I have been driving for seven years and not once have I been in an accident or even close. It's not speed that causes collisions, it's people not paying attention."

  JAMISON

  When they arrived at the hospital Paul found them quickly and filled them in.

  "He fell down the stairs. I could have sworn he was sleeping and all the sudden I hear this loud banging sound and find him laying at the bottom. They said he's going to be okay, but I just feel like I should have stopped it somehow."

  "Paul." Jamison could not let Paul beat himself up over this. He looked at his uncle and couldn't help noticing his dirty blond locks were fading to white, and his normally slim-fit frame was erring more and more on the side of slim. "The man is practically a child. What would you have done, put a little gate at the top of the stairs?"

  Paul nodded, his brown eyes turning back to focus on Jamison as he continued, "They said he broke two ribs and sprained a wrist, but the main problem is his blood alcohol is so high. I don't know where he's been getting it from. I try to hide what I find, but even in that chair he seems to be able to get into the most impossible places. And then when he can't find anything I think he's been having someone deliver it."

  "Is he still drunk now?" Jamison asked.

  "They didn't want him to detox so they put him on IV alcohol. They said he'll have to stay here a few days to get it fully out of his system." Paul answered. "But he's almost coherent now. As much as he ever his, anyways."

  "I think I'll go see him."

  "I'll come with you." Novellana said.

  "Are you sure?" Jamison asked. "He's kind of a jerk. I wouldn't think any less of you if you just wanted to wait out here."

  "I'll come with you." Novellana insisted.

  Jamison sighed and they went in to see his father. Jamison had gotten used to seeing the man in the chair. He'd gotten used to him drunk. This was different.

  When they walked in a nurse was giving him an injection and he was screaming bloody murder. Jamison noticed his hands and feet were tied to the bed. The nurse watched him and slowly he calmed down and looked over to see them standing there. "Hi, son. Sorry I missed your baseball game."

  The nurse came over to them. "Family?" She asked. Jamison looked past her at the flailing man on the bed. His thinning white hair weighed down by sweat, green eyes frantically searching the room. His pot-belly was the only thing that didn't seem to move as his skinny arms and legs struggled against the ties.

  "He's my father." Jamison nodded, feeling an odd lump in his throat.

  "He might seem a bit out of it. He's been having hallucinations and we've had to give him something to calm him down a few times."

  He nodded and she left. He approached his father. "Dad?"

  Henry teared up. "I know that game was important to you. I just had so much to do at the office."

  "Dad I never played baseball."

  "Oh," He stared off into space for a moment. "These nasty drugs." He shook his head and tried to lift his hand, then realized it was tied down. He stared at it, then seemed to remember. "Oh, yeah. I thought I had gone to hell and all the nurses were demons. They were poking me with their pitchforks. That's when they tied me down."

  "Great story, Dad." Jamison said, his face going cold.

  Novellana put her hand on his shoulder.

  "What's that? Another demon?" Henry asked.

  "This is Novellana." Jamison said, pulling her forward.

  "She a nurse?"

  "No, Dad, she's my girlfriend."

  "Nice to meet you, Mr Doyle." Novellana said.

  "Ha!" The guttural sound made him cough. When he finished he asked, "What's wrong with you that you'd want to date a Doyle?"

  "I... I don't know." She glanced at Jamison and he shrugged. "I just got to know him and found out that James is so--"

  "His name is Jamison." Henry grumbled. "Nobody calls him James."

  "Mom called me James."

  "Your mother couldn't remember your name."

  Jamison's face went stone cold again and he said to Novellana, "Ana, would you please excuse us?"

  He walked her to the door, but just before she left she asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

  "No, it's not you. It's him. Even if he were sober he'd still be a jerk."

  "James, I'm so sorry."

  "There's nothing for you to be sorry for." She looked up at him and her sad eyes nearly broke his heart. "Look," He kissed her hand, "I'll be out in a minute. Okay?"

  She nodded and left.

  He went back to his father. "You don't have to be so cold to everyone."

  Henry teared up. "You know I loved you, Jamie." Jamison cringed at the name. "I loved you more than she did." He practically growled the last two words.

  "Dad."

  Henry wasn't listening. He was staring at the ceiling.

  "Dad!"

  "What?"

  "Do you remember Paul asking you if you wanted to go to Novellana's house for Christmas dinner?"

  "Who's Nola No Lanna? Who's that?"

  "Never mind, Dad."

  "What? What's wrong now? What did I do? Must be something I did right? Always me."

  "It's not..." Jamison hesitated. "It's not something you did. I just wanted to ask you..." He took a breath and spit it out. "I wanted to know if I could have mom's ring."

  Henry stared off into space again.

  "Dad?"

  "I sold it."

  Jamison stared at his father, waiting for more, but he didn't speak. "You sold it. Are you having money trouble? You had so much in savings and that house is paid off. Paul would have said something if you were getting desperate."

  "Oh, no, money's fine. I just di
dn't need it anymore."

  "And you didn't think I might want it?"

  "I never thought anyone would want it from you."

  Jamison stared at him in disbelief, then walked to the door. He paused and turned back to the miserable man on the bed, "And you wonder why you're alone." He slammed the door behind him.

  Paul was heading back to the house and he suggested they all come over for more hot chocolate. Jamison agreed. The house was much more pleasant without his father there.

  They all curled up in front of the fireplace and Paul told stories about Madeleine.

  "Let's see," He said, "The first act of charity I remember her doing... Oh, yes. We had a neighbor whose dog had puppies. And they were not cute. You'd think all puppies were cute, but somehow these runts were the ugliest puppies you have ever seen. Anyways, the neighbor was worried that no one would want these little things because everyone wants cute puppies. Well, Madde was four at the time, and she loved every one of those puppies. Who knows why, but she was determined that they were going to get homes. So she managed to convince three families to adopt them, showing off how loveable they were, but there was still one left. So another neighbor came by with their little boy who was just about Madde's age and he told Madde that he would just love a puppy. So she told him that puppy would just love him. He was so excited, but when he saw this poor ugly puppy, he took one look and said, 'Ew, I don't want that one.' But Madde took it personally. She turned that boy around and said, 'How would you feel if someone said that about you when you were a baby?! Now you are going to take this puppy home and love it and take care of it and tell it how pretty it looks for the rest of his life!' And she threw the puppy in the boy's hands and pushed him all the way home."

  "So did he keep it?" Melonie asked.

  "Oh, yeah. He had it fourteen years, and as soon as he hit six months he was the most handsome dog on the block."

  "So you knew Madeleine when you two were little?" Jason asked.

  "Of course." Paul said. "She was my sister."

  Jason, Melonie, and Novellana all stared at Paul.

  "We don't really talk about it." Jamison said.

  They all looked off in different directions, pondering the idea.

  "James," Paul said, "Would you come upstairs with me? There's something I wanted to give you."

  Jamison glanced at the others. The idea that Paul and Madeleine were siblings seemed to have distracted them enough that none of them would notice him leaving. "Sure."

  They made their way up to the attic, to one of the rooms Henry couldn't get to anymore. Jamison knew Paul used a few of those rooms to hide things he didn't want Henry getting to, though alcohol wasn't safe anywhere. Paul opened the top drawer of an antique-looking dresser and pulled out a small chest. From inside he removed a ring box covered in black velvet. He opened it up to reveal a white-gold ring with three diamonds: a larger one in the middle and two smaller ones on each side. It was beautiful, but modest.

  "Where did this come from?" Jamison asked.

  "This was your grandmother's ring." Paul told him. "My parents had a much happier marriage than yours. This ring will give you good luck and I have a feeling that Ana will like this ring better than that chunk of nonsense your mother used to flaunt around."

  Jamison laughed. He remembered his mother's ring and he especially remembered that showing it off was the only time she ever seemed vain. "Thanks, Paul."

  Paul shook his head. "You're the closest I'll ever have to a son. This was meant for you."

  When they came back downstairs, they found the topic of their familial ties had not run dry.

  "Can you imagine playing butler to the guy that killed your sister?" Jason asked.

  "We don't know he killed her." Novellana pointed out.

  "He didn't." Paul said as they re-entered the room.

  They all suddenly went mute.

  "It's okay." He said. "Without Henry here, no one will get upset about anything you want to ask. It's a tough subject for him, but I've come to terms with our loss. And the main reason I'm here is for James."

  "But how can you take care of that angry old jerk?" Melonie asked.

  Jamison glanced at Novellana as he snuggled in beside her again. She must have mentioned how his father was acting.

  "He's Jamison's father." Paul explained, "And while she didn't show it well, my sister loved him. Madde's problem was that she loved everyone equally."

  "I'm pretty sure that's a good thing." Jason said.

  "It's an excellent characteristic for volunteers and civil servants, but with Madde it's always left her family rather lonely."

  They were all quiet for a moment, considering the thought.

  "Even so," Jason broke the silence, "How could you let your sister be with Doyle?"

  Everyone stared at Jason. His choice of words made it clear that he wasn't looking for understanding, but advice. He held his gaze at Paul, refusing to make eye contact with anyone else until he got his answer.

  Paul answered simply, "Because she loved him. And I loved her."

  Jason finally looked away and sighed, "Sisters."

  Novellana smiled and Jamison hugged her closer.

  NOVELLANA

  When they finished their drinks, Melonie and Jason headed back to Novellana's house. She and Jamison decided to stay since his father wasn't home and Paul would otherwise have been alone in the huge house on Christmas.

  While Jamison made up the guest bedroom for her, Paul told her more stories about Madeleine as a child.

  "We practically had a veterinary office in our back yard. Every time she came across a wounded animal it came back to our house with her so she could nurse it back to health. After a while people called us before they called animal control."

  "Did she want to be a veterinarian?" Novellana wondered aloud.

  "At first we all thought she would, but as she got older it became clear her heart bled for everything. She set up lemonade stands every summer and donated every penny she made to the homeless shelter."

  Novellana shook her head, "She just sounds so perfect. I don't understand how Henry could talk about her the way he does."

  "She wasn't perfect." Paul said. "I loved her and she was wonderful, but she wasn't perfect. She was philanthropic to the point of callousness. When I was in third grade and she was in second, I entered a project in the science fair. It was a simple little thing where I made magnets out of lemons, but compared to the other projects it was pretty impressive and I won. Our parents were proud, my teachers were impressed, and everyone was congratulating me. Madeleine on the other hand told me I should be ashamed of myself. She said I ruined perfectly good lemons that could have been used at her lemonade stand."

  "Okay, but you said she was seven."

  "I did, but that was just how it was with Madde. She always helped the desperate, she begged the fortunate to help, and she never gave a thought to anyone in between. It was like she had a mission to save the world and she could never let herself stop until everyone was saved."

  Novellana couldn't imagine what Jamison must have gone through as a child. A father drowning in his own self pity and a mother consumed by philanthropy. She understood why Paul stuck around.

  "So how did she meet Henry?" Novellana asked.

  "It was right at the end of her post-graduate studies at Jochawk. She had just finished the first Classified study and during the summer afterward she was protesting at one of Henry's factories. He'd already heard of her and when he found out she was outside the gate, he had one of his assistants invite her in. They both told the story differently, but from what I can gather they were both captivated by how different the other's beliefs were. That night they went on their first date and soon after that they were married and had Jamison. And for a while I really thought she might settle down and be there for her family. But Madde always got restless when she wasn't helping anyone and as soon as Jamison was walking she was out volunteering and protesting again. At first Henry and
Jamison came with her, but soon it got to the point where Henry must have felt like her side-kick. He was just following her around with their son. So he stopped going and stayed home with James, but since she was out following her passions, he decided to spend more time at work, too. They were talking about getting a nanny for James and that's when I offered to watch him. And I haven't been able to leave since."

  "How did she die?" Novellana asked.

  Paul shook his head, "Family secret. Maybe James will tell you one day."

  JAMISON

  Novellana seemed contemplative after her talk with Paul, but Jamison didn't really want to know why. He figured it had something to do with his parents and he was tired of his life being centered around them. He knew she must have been curious, but he didn't want to stir up old ghosts.

  "Do you want a tour of the house?" Jamison asked, "So just in case you come to your senses overnight and decide to leave me, you'll be able to find your way out."

  Novellana shook her head. "I don't plan on coming to my senses any time soon, but I'd love a tour."

  "Okay, but be sure you don't wander away from me. You can get lost here."

  "Oh, don't brag." Novellana said. "It can't be that big."

  Jamison grinned. "We'll see."

  He showed her around, pointing out the various guestrooms, bathrooms, studies, and dens.

  "Now," He asked her, "Which way do we go to get back to the main hall?"

  "Left." Novellana answered as if it was obvious.

  "Are you sure about that?" He asked slyly.

  "Yes." She said. "Because this is that fancy bathroom you showed me first." She opened a door and revealed a closet. "Oh, maybe it was down there?" She pointed down the hall and started walking off.

  Jamison grabbed her and hugged her. "What did I tell you about wandering off?" He kissed her forehead.

  She smiled. "Okay, I'm lost. Congratulations, your house is disgustingly lavish."

  He smiled. "Thank you!"

  He showed her where her room was and how to get from there to the bathroom, to his room, and to the nearest exit. He figured she could get familiar with the rest of it all some other time.

  They sat in her room and talked until she fell asleep and he went to his own room. As he drifted off, he thought about his mother. He wondered what she would think of Novellana.

  NOVELLANA

  In the morning Paul showed off his cooking talents and made french toast with bacon and eggs. They ate until they were stuffed and Jamison offered to show her around the grounds.

  "Would you like to join us?" Novellana asked Paul.

  "Another time, maybe." Paul said, "I have some cleaning up to do. With Henry out of the house I can finally sanitize his room a little."

  "Well then," Jamison said to Novellana, offering his arm, "Shall we?"

  She took his arm and they started their walk. They went through the sliding glass doors in the dining room that opened onto a deck at least thirty feet wide. It was cloudy at the time, but Novellana could imagine it would be very pleasant in the bright light of summer. Standing at the banister, she could see a large pond nearest to them surrounded by paved paths and exotic looking plants, most of which were lying dormant in the cold. Beyond were several little ponds with their own surrounding rock gardens, bird baths, and stone benches, and several acres out was a small forest.

  "So how much of this is yours?" She asked.

  "Everything you can see from here plus about twenty acres more."

  Novellana's jaw dropped. She couldn't imagine that much land being owned by someone that didn't even go outside.

  "So," Jamison nudged her out of her shock induced trance, "Do you want to see it or what?"

  Novellana nodded slowly, still in awe of the concept.

  They walked around the larger pond first, Jamison pointing out where different blossoms would open when the weather warmed up. They weaved between the little ponds, and Jamison lead the way around the small patch of trees to what looked like an overgrown bush.

  "It's a gazebo, covered by an azalea." He informed her. "In the spring and summer it gets so lush it's like the gazebo disappears inside." Novellana could barely make out the gazebo as it was, she could hardly imagine it disappearing more. "I don't think anyone else even knows it's here."

  "Aren't there groundskeepers that might have seen it?" She asked.

  Jamison looked at her as if she had asked whether the sky could fall. "There aren't groundskeepers." He said. "We have a neighborhood boy cut the grass every other week, but Paul keeps up the plants and he never comes back here."

  Novellana was surprised. "So how did you find it?" She asked.

  "Well, one of the only things I had to do when I was younger was explore. I always liked finding beautiful hidden things no one else knew about."

  Novellana looked up at Jamison's blissfully happy face. "I know what you mean." She said.

  He looked down at her and wrapped his arms around her. The warmth of his body felt good in the cold, but after a while, they broke away.

  "Well?" Novellana asked, "Are we going inside or what?" She motioned towards the gazebo.

  "Sure." Jamison agreed.

  Inside it felt surprisingly warm. The thick vines of the azalea kept out the little light that was shed from the cloudy sky.

  "Ana?" Jamison said, digging in his pocket as he turned to face her. The look on his face made Novellana nervous.

  "Yes, James?" She asked.

  "You..." He grinned sheepishly. "You look really pretty in this light."

  She smiled. "Let's go inside." She said. "I'm getting cold."

  Jamison nodded and they huddled together to make their way back up to the house.

  JAMISON

  For a moment the gazebo seemed like the perfect place to propose, but just as quickly Jamison lost his nerve and decided to wait a while longer.

  They spent the next few days exploring the various rooms of the house and relaxing in the calm of winter break. Jamison enjoyed showing Novellana all the memories of his childhood. There were a lot of places that brought back memories of bad times he's had, but somehow having her there made it all seem like a far-off dream that couldn't hurt him anymore.

  On the fourth day after Christmas Henry was supposed to be coming home. They both decided it was better if Novellana went back to her house and Jamison would stay to be sure his father was alright before joining her.

  As he walked her to the door to wait for Melonie to arrive he suddenly stopped.

  "I don't want to let you go." He said.

  "I know," She touched his cheek, "But it won't be for long. Just until you get him settled in."

  "No." He shook his head. "I mean I don't ever want to let you go. I love you, Ana. I want to be with you forever."

  She smiled. "That would be nice." She said.

  He looked deeply into her eyes. "Ana?"

  She didn't say a word, just stared at him, waiting for him to speak.

  He dropped to one knee and pulled out the ring. "Will you mar--"

  Just then the doors burst open and Henry came in. Only moments out of the hospital and already he reeked of alcohol. "What's going on here? What's the nurse doing in my house?"

  They both just stared at him, not sure what to say.

  "Oh, I get it. You're asking her to marry you. Did she say no yet?"

  Just then, Melonie pulled up. Novellana turned to Jamison. "I have to go." She said, her voice cracking. She hurried out the door, jumped in Melonie's car, and before anyone could blink they were gone.

  "I told you no one would want any ring from you." Henry said.

  Jamison looked at him, more disgusted with the man than he'd ever been before. "Oh, shut up."

  "You can't talk to me like that!" Henry said. "I'm your father!"

  "You're a pathetic mess." Jamison said and walked away.

  NOVELLANA

  Melonie kept glancing at her friend. After Novellana remained mute for fifteen minutes, Melon
ie pulled over.

  She turned to Novellana. "What's wrong?"

  Novellana looked at her, opened her mouth to speak, but a lump in her throat kept her silent. She swallowed and tried again. "Jamison," She began, looking at her hands.

  "Did he do something?" Melonie asked, trying to understand her frustration.

  Novellana frowned. "He asked me to marry him."

  Melonie raised her eyebrows. "Oh."

  Novellana looked at her. "I really don't want to talk about it."

  "Okay." Melonie nodded. "But we better get you calmed down before we go back to your house or they're all going to make you talk about it."

  Novellana nodded. She took a few deep breaths and did her best to push the thoughts from her mind. "I'm okay." She told Melonie. "I'll figure it out later."

  Melonie eyed her friend and then started the car. As they continued their journey Melonie told her all about what had been going on at home the last few days. Jason and Chad broke a lamp wrestling in the living room and their mother actually put them in time out for it. Melonie had made fun of them for hours afterward.

  Novellana smiled at her friend's recounting of the tale, but the image of Jamison kneeling before her kept floating across her mind.

  When they got home, Novellana understood the anchovy's plight. Chad and a few of Jason's other friends had come over, making the house feel very crowded and loud. Novellana was usually a quiet person, but the noise helped drown out the thoughts she wasn't ready to contemplate. They all played board games for a while, but when things started getting rowdy, their mother sent everyone outside. They decided to play soccer in the back yard. Novellana was pretty good and her team won two out of three games.

  They all headed in for hot chocolate when the sun set and when they finished everyone went home, leaving Jason, Melonie, and Novellana.

  They sat in silence for a while until Novellana stood and stretched. "I think I'm going to go to bed." She yawned.

  "Good night." Melonie smiled.

  Novellana smiled back.

  "Any chance I get to know what's going on?" Jason asked.

  Melonie squinted her eyes at him and elbowed him in the ribs.

  Novellana laughed. "Good night." She headed up to her room.

  After such a long day she gratefully fell asleep quickly, but her sleep was plagued by nightmares. When she woke up she couldn't remember what they were about, but the image of Jamison proposing was burned into her eyes.

  She lay in the half-light of morning just thinking. She loved Jamison with all her heart, but she felt like there were so many things wrong about getting engaged. She wondered if she really did love him or if maybe she'd been making too much of their relationship from the beginning.

  She pulled herself out of bed and dug out the box she'd kept all his letters in. She started with the first one she got, smiling with the new understanding of why Paul wouldn't have believed Jamison had left his room for the whole trip. One by one she recounted their developing relationship and reading the last letter before they met at the Halloween Festival, she remembered the first time she found herself wrapped in his embrace. She rubbed her hands on her arms, suddenly feeling cold.

  A knock on the door startled her and she nearly dropped everything she'd had in her hands.

  "Can I come in?" Melonie called from outside.

  Novellana opened the door.

  Melonie looked at her. "You look awful." She said.

  "Thanks." Novellana smiled.

  "You know what would make you feel better?" She asked.

  "What?"

  "Hot chocolate."

  "Is that the drink of week?" Novellana asked.

  "It's just delicious!" Melonie smiled brightly.

  Novellana smiled. "Well alright then."

  Downstairs Jason and Chad were sitting in the living room talking. Melonie and Novellana joined them and the conversation slowly turned to Jamison.

  "I'm sorry for the way I acted." Jason told his sister. "I just didn't want you getting involved with someone that might hurt you."

  Novellana smiled weakly.

  "You were being a total jerk." Chad agreed.

  Jason turned to him, "You backed me up!"

  "Well, you started it." Chad said.

  "Point is," Jason said, rolling his eyes and turning away from Chad. "It seems like Jamison is actually a pretty good guy and if he makes you happy, I'm happy."

  Novellana tried to wear a neutral smile, but her brother's speech had her tearing up.

  "What did I say?" He turned to Melonie. "What did I say?"

  Melonie looked sympathetically at her friend. Jason noticed.

  "Wait, did he do something?" He kept turning between Novellana and Melonie.

  Melonie bit her lip. Jason turned back to Novellana.

  "Jason, it's nothing." She insisted.

  "What did he do?!" Jason demanded.

  They both remained silent.

  "What did he do?!"

  "He proposed!" Novellana yelled at him.

  Just then their parents walked in. "He what?!" Their mother looked like she was about to have a panic attack.

  "Novellana," Her father said in a calm, but stern voice, "You are too young to be getting married."

  "Who cares how young she is?" Her mother said, still sounding panicked. "What will people think?"

  "People will think she's too young to be getting married." Her father said. "Because she is. Jason, tell her."

  Jason was sitting silently, just thinking. "Sorry, what?" He asked, returning to reality.

  "Tell her." Their father repeated.

  "Oh, yeah." He nodded. "Congratulations."

  Their father put a hand over his eyes. "Not what I meant, Jason." He said. "Ana. You will not marry him. This can't be what you want."

  Novellana frowned. "And how would you know what I want? How can anyone know what I want right now when I don't even know?"

  "Because," Her mother started, "We---"

  "No!" Novellana stopped her. "This is my decision and I am going to make it." Suddenly everyone was staring at her and all she could think to do was run back to her room.

  Novellana lay on her bed with her face down. She'd never had an outburst like that before. She didn't know what she was thinking.

  A light knock came from the door. "Novellana, are you okay?" Melonie asked.

  "Come in." Novellana called.

  Melonie entered and closed the door behind her. She sighed. "Look, I know you said you didn't want to talk about it, but I was thinking maybe you'd just want a friend."

  Novellana hugged her. "How did I ever get such a great friend like you?" She asked.

  "Luck mostly." Melonie nodded.

  Novellana smiled and sat down on the edge of her bed. "What am I going to do, Melonie?" She asked.

  "Exactly what you just told everyone downstairs. You're going to do whatever it is that you want to do."

  "But how do I know if it's the right decision?"

  "Because it's what you want to do."

  Novellana groaned. "What do I want to do?"

  "Well, can you see yourself with him in a year?"

  Novellana thought about it. "Yes." She said.

  "What about five years?"

  Novellana tried to imagine where she'd be in five years. She figured she'd be working at the company the Classifieds would start. She would want to share that with Jamison. "Yes." She said.

  "What about twenty years?"

  Novellana couldn't even imagine where she'd be in twenty years. The company could take off or fail. She might develop new interests or still enjoy the same things. Maybe she'd have a family of her own. The possibilities were endless, but one thing she was sure of, whatever happened, wherever she went, whatever she did, she wanted to share it all with Jamison. "Yes."

  Melonie smiled. "So what do you want to do?"

  "I want to be with Jamison. Forever." She smiled, her heart pounding, adrenaline pulsing through her veins with her new
found clarity. "We have to go!" She looked at Melonie.

  They both jumped up and ran for the car.

  As they passed everyone still in the living room Jason called out. "Where are you going?"

  "Novellana has to go get engaged!" Melonie called back as they disappeared out the door.

  Everyone exploded into grumbling and loudly expressed opinions, but Novellana didn't care. She knew what she wanted and let their voices disappear behind her as Melonie peeled out of the driveway.

  When they arrived at Jamison's house it was early afternoon. Paul was out front, clipping some of the conifers that lined the walk. Novellana jumped out of the car the second Melonie stopped.

  "Where is he?" She asked Paul.

  The smile on her face was so broad it was contagious. Paul smiled when he saw her face. "Who?"

  "Oh my gosh, Paul! Joke later! Where's James?" She laughed.

  "He's out running. If you just wait here a minute he'll be back after his next round."

  "I'll catch him!" Novellana said, and darted off to find her destiny. She saw him just reaching the left side of the large pond.

  "James!" She called out, but he didn't hear her. She ran faster, going around the right of the pond.

  "James!" This time he heard her and turned, just as she tripped and slid down the edge of the slope, splashing into the muddy water.

  Jamison rushed down to get her. He pulled her out of the water and wrapped her up in his jacket.

  "What are you doing here?" He asked.

  "Ask me again." She said, still smiling.

  "What are you doing here?" He smiled queerly at her contagious grin.

  "No!" She laughed. "The other thing!"

  "What other thing?" It was clear he knew what she was talking about.

  "You know!"

  "I can't imagine what you're getting at."

  "Fine." She said. "I'll ask you!" She cleared her throat dramatically, pushed out of his warm embrace and dropped to one knee. "James, I love you more than anything---"

  "Okay, okay, stop." Jamison interrupted, drawing her to her feet and dropping to one knee himself. "You don't have the hardware to do this." He pulled the box out of his pocket. "Ana, I love you more than anything in the world. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" He opened the box and Novellana gasped when she saw the ring. She knew it wasn't the one his mother wore. It was perfect.

  She smiled even broader than before.

  "Well?" Jamison asked.

  She put her finger on her cheek. "Hmm." She pretended to think about it.

  Jamison's eyes widened a little.

  "Yes." She smiled.

  Jamison sprang to his feet and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her passionately.

  "Okay, now let's get you into some dry clothes so you don't freeze to death before the wedding."

  They hurried back to the house and entered quietly through the sliding glass doors, careful not to wake the sleeping Henry. Melonie and Paul stood in the kitchen waiting. When they saw Jamison and Novellana enter, they stared at their messy appearance. Paul rushed off to get some towels.

  "What happened to you?" Melonie asked.

  "I slipped." Novellana admitted, embarrassed.

  "And...?" Melonie asked.

  "And what?" Novellana smiled. Paul returned with towels and Novellana accepted with the hand she wore the ring on.

  "Oh my gosh!" Melonie squealed.

  "Shh!" They all hushed her.

  "Oh my gosh." She whispered.

  They all smiled.

  JAMISON

  When they arrived back on campus, Professor Whimwell and Professor Harshaw found them before they'd made it halfway to their rooms. They expressed their congratulations and believed that their marriage would be a wonderful union of two of the greatest minds Jochawk had ever seen. Jamison and Novellana thanked them for the sentiment and continued on to their rooms.

  For the rest of that first week back it seemed everyone learned of their engagement and everyone had an opinion. Many more than Jamison would have expected expressed congratulations, and many more than Novellana seemed prepared for were sickened by the idea. Whispers about them continued and Novellana confided in Jamison that she wasn't used to this many people caring about what she did with her personal life. He knew how she felt.

  "When I was growing up, it was like I didn't exist. After my mom died I suddenly became the center of attention. My dad never left the house, so the media seemed to focus on me. I figured out pretty quickly that people will say what they want to and reality won't change anything. If anyone really wants to know the truth they'll have to ask you for it. The hard part is being willing to listen."

  "James?" Novellana asked him.

  "Yes, Ana?"

  "How did your mom die?"

  Jamison's face went cold again. He hated thinking about it, but he had decided to share his life with Ana. "She killed herself."

  Novellana's hand flew to her mouth. She looked like her heart was breaking for him. "James, I'm so sorry."

  "Me, too." He took a breath. "I've never told anyone that before."

  Novellana looked at him like she was seeing him for the first time. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to."

  He took her hand. "I want to share everything with you."

  She nodded and gave an encouraging smile.

  "Paul told me she was really never happy with herself. That's why she was always helping others. It made her feel useful. When she found out Henry was cheating on her it made her take a look at her home life. She realized that she hadn't been there for us and that got her into a deep depression. We went to the summer house to try to help her recover, but after a few months Henry found her in the bathroom in the middle of the night. She had overdosed on some sort of heart medication. I can't even remember the name of it. I watched her die in his arms and there was nothing any of us could do. Henry has been furious with her ever since."

  Novellana was tearing up as he recalled the memory.

  Jamison blinked and felt something wet slide down his cheek.

  Novellana wrapped her arms around him and he wept into her shoulder. It was the first time he had ever allowed himself to mourn his mother's loss.

  January passed in a blur. February began with the winter ball and they celebrated their first Valentine's together. When they returned to lab the following week they realized their research could be complete by the end of March. They started thinking about how to start the company. Neither of them even knew where to begin. Jamison suggested that Paul would know.

  "He studied business while he was here. He'll definitely know what to do."

  He talked to Paul for an hour, going over as much as they could over the phone. Jamison had an idea, but he didn't want to say anything until he talked it over with Novellana.

  "Well, I have to go." He told Paul.

  "Oh, wait." Paul stopped him before he hung up. "How's Henry?"

  Jamison was confused. "You tell me. Isn't he there with you?"

  Paul didn't say anything for a moment, then continued, "He said he was going to visit you last week." Concern painting his voice. "He's been getting himself sober and he cleaned himself up. He said he wanted to be a good father for once."

  "I'll be there soon." Jamison said and hung up.

  Novellana didn't think twice before agreeing to go with him. They ran through pouring rain to get to his car. As they drove Novellana asked, "Has he ever done anything like this before?"

  "No."

  "Do you have any idea where he might have gone?"

  "No"

  She took a breath. "Everything will be okay." She said reassuringly.

  He took her hand and kissed it. "I know."

  When they got to the house they found Paul sitting in the kitchen. There were four letters on the table in front of him. Three were open, one was still in a sealed envelope. Jamison recognized his father's handwriting on the envelope addressed to "Jamie".
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  "Paul?" Jamison's voice shook.

  "He's alive." Paul sighed. "Wherever he is I believe he's alive." He picked up the envelope addressed to Jamison and handed it to him. "I think this will be more informative than I can be."

  "Where were these?" Jamison asked.

  Paul looked down at the other three letters in front of him. "Under his pillow. This one was to him from your mother, this one to me from your mother and this one was to me from him. It had my letter from you mother inside. I think you'll find a letter from each of your parents in that envelope as well." Paul went back to re-reading the letters before him.

  Jamison hesitantly opened the envelope. There were indeed two letters, the second in another envelope addressed to "James" in his mother's handwriting. He read the letter from his father first.

  "Jamie,

  I know I probably made the list of worst fathers ever. I'm so grateful you had Paul there for you all these years. I always thought you were as miserable as I was. I guess you were, but it wasn't because of her. It was because of me. I realized that when Paul told me about your fiance. I hope he told you good things about the way I was before I left. I'm not drinking anymore. I even shaved! I'm not dead or sick or anything. I'll be sure to have someone let you know if anything happens to me. I don't know if you'll care, but I'll make sure they let you know.

  I know you're going to be a great man. I've seen the things you've done. I know it didn't seem like I was paying attention, but I was and I'm proud of you.

  Alcohol has been poisoning my life for far too long and I've been poisoning yours. I won't do it anymore. I've put everything in your name and I know you'll do something great with it.

  I know it didn't seem like it, son, but I love you. I'm sorry I never learned to show it.