Kylian sat in Moyenne’s cubicle at the research offices of the National Laboratory. Together, they stared bleary eyed at a computer monitor trying to make sense of data which Viviane left for them after she took a leave of absence from graduate school leaving her projects unfinished. The research offices had not been the same since Viviane Fox, the smart and pretty Ph.D. candidate was discovered and went on to become a famous fashion model. When she still worked at the research office, she attracted attention. People knew when she arrived on the floor and people knew when she left. Colleagues became friendlier around her and to each other. Her secret admirers found any little excuse to say “hi” or to visit her at her desk. Since she had been gone for over a month, some of the life drained out of the office. People kept to themselves and chatter and buzz which used to fill the air quieted somewhat. To say that Viviane added life and a bit of fun to the office would be stating the obvious.

Kylian Bouche, a postdoctoral researcher hired earlier this year, missed his occasional encounters with Viviane so much that he gave up ironing his clothes and sometimes did not even bother to comb his hair. At least that was what he did before the increased security at every campus building following the outing of a spy working for the Order of One Justice a few days ago. Now, he tried at least to look presentable so he would not arouse suspicion and be subject to a whole-body cavity search every morning. Nevertheless, Kylian appeared listless and weary of work. His gaze still fixated on the computer screen, he asked Moyenne about something other than work.

“Do you miss Viviane, Moyenne?”

Moyenne could not make sense of the data either. She welcomed this shift in gears. “Yes, I do. It’s boring without her around and since the men don’t go out of their way to speak to me, I have a lot fewer victims to toy with. You’re still crazy about her, aren’t you?”

“Yes…I mean no!” Kylian corrected himself. “I mean sort of…I mean not really.” Kylian was as indecisive as ever.

Moyenne giggled a bit for having made Kylian squirm. He tried to explain himself.

“I mean, it’s like she never existed in the first place, like I’ve been living in a dream for the past several months and now I’ve woken up to the real world and she was nothing but a hallucination.”

Moyenne seized on this opportunity to mess with Kylian’s emotions. She teased him with tantalizing information.

“I can tell you where she’s rehearsing!” Moyenne said in a sing-song manner. “Maybe you can work up the courage to go visit her.”

Kylian was now wide awake. “How do you know where she is?” he demanded.

“Stupid. Don’t you remember I share an apartment with her?”

“Oh, that’s right! What’s she been up to?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, huh?” There was that sing-song voice again. “I can tell you if you really want to know. Or maybe you’re not that interested in her and don’t care?”

Kylian looked down at his laced fingers while he twiddled his thumbs. “Well, it’s not like we were seeing each other or anything like that. Maybe there’s no reason I should know. It’s none of my business after all and we were just friends, right? Maybe she doesn’t want to see me again.”

“Oh, you big idiot!” Moyenne was frustrated with Kylian’s indecisiveness. “She’s rehearsing at Sommet Studios on Sound Stage 19 at the eastern edge of the city where all the studio lots are.”

“How do you know?” asked Kylian.

“She stopped by our apartment once to pick up some things, but she’s staying at the Saisons Suites nearby there.”

“So, she doesn’t live with you anymore?”

“Nope! But she’s the best kind of roommate. She always pays her share of the rent and she’s never there!” Moyenne grinned. She liked having the apartment all to herself.

Armed with this new piece of information, Viviane did not seem so ethereal anymore. Kylian plotted a way to visit Viviane where she was working now just to see her again and prove that she was real.