I can feel it flowing through me. I can feel it building inside me. Now that I know, I cannot unknow.

Ada sat on her bed, cross-legged, hands on her knees, unconsciously flexing her fingers as she stared at herself in the mirror on the wall.

It isn't a bad thing. It isn't a good thing. It's just a thing, is all.

She slid forward to the edge of her bed and got up, walking closer to the mirror, looking into her own eyes—orange-gold, called amber by some, wolf eyes by others, sometimes Ada enjoyed having eyes of such an unusual colour, sometimes she wished people wouldn't make such a big deal out of them, but either way she'd never thought of them as being good or bad. They're just eyes, she thought.

Ada raised her hand, watching its reflection in the mirror as she spread her fingers wide. She smiled as a tiny spark jumped from her thumb to her index finger. She felt a faint tingle of energy, felt the thrill of control, but the overpowering urge that she'd experienced during her earlier experiments was almost entirely absent. I'm getting so good, she thought as she lowered her hand again, I just need to practise more, to do more experiments—and Dad shouldn't be trying to stop me, he should be trying to help me! Isn't this more interesting than animals? Than 'the squirrel who cried owl'? He's usually so rational, even in his obsession he's rational, but with this ... all right, yes, Ada thought, it's not all that rational a thing to happen, your daughter suddenly being able to shoot lightning from her hands, but even so ... he's had over a week to think about the situation now, but still he forbids me from leaving ... why can't he understand that I need him? That I'm doing my best by myself but with his help ... with his help...

Ada turned away from the mirror and walked to her dresser. She poured herself a glass of apple tea, stared at it for a while, then left her room. She could hear the animals in her father's laboratory acting up—he's probably doing some sort of experiment in there, she thought. Good.

Ten minutes later Pascal Greviste was mildly surprised, upon opening his door, to find Ada Hasard standing outside, the look on her young face one of firm resolve.

"Professor Greviste," she said, walking past him into his apartment then turning to face him. "I have a very important scientific matter that I need to discuss with you."