Monday, January 3, 2022 - Greenwich Village, New York City, United States

Ella woke in the morning cuddled up with Charlie, which felt a bit suffocating since it was just a twin sized bed.

She frowned as she looked down at her clothes, rumpled and dirty. She should have changed last night. It was still quite early. A combination of waking up early to workout and never fully bothering to time adapt from Iceland had her up and moving without thinking.

She changed into some workout clothes and put on her new, awesome waterproof running shoes and pulled aside the hung sheet that separated her bed from from the dining table and exit to see Jade sitting at the table. She was working a hair pick through her hair.

“Hey, your hair is looking great. It has almost the same vibe as that pic you showed me.” Jade stopped and didn’t respond to Ella’s whisper. Ella looked at the hair pick and saw the literal tufts of hair that Jade had pulled out of her head. She reached over and grabbed Jade’s hand before she could put the puck back to her scalp.

“How do you do it? We got shot at yesterday and today you are about to go running. There is magic. And that crown.” Jade did not look at her and her whisper was anguished.

Ella looked at the shoes in her hand and went to put them by on the shoe rack by the door.

She sat down next to Jade.

“Look, it is hard for me. And for a while I think I was in a weird sort of denial. But eventually I just had to figure out what was going on. And I am all about forward momentum. As long as I feel like I am doing something, getting ready, then I can hold it together. If I stop?” Ella shuddered a bit, “I think I’d go crazy.”

“Plus, you know… magic! Like I am breaking laws of physics here. The Nobel Prize is mine for the taking if I can figure this out. I was planning on going back to the lab and trying to do some amazing experiments - like if i observe some Eigenstates with magic, does collapse occur? Do these powers fit into the standard model? Are there differences at different scales?”

Jade finally smiled a bit as Ella was going off on her physics thoughts almost oblivious to everything else.

“Hey. No talking physics in the morning!” A sleepy Charlie came out rubbing her head and yawning. She bent over and started stretching a bit. “You may be a hardbody but you are terrible to sleep with. So sore!”

“Hey. No inappropriate comments in the morning” Jade said.

“Or ever” muttered Ella.

“Come on, if I can’t objectify my friends, who can I? Besides Ella blushes. It is funny.” Charlie’s aristocratic Southern accent was on full display this morning, but the effect was marred by slept-in makeup.

“Way too early for this.”

“Yeah. So last night. Ummm… can you do that glowy finger thing again? Just so I can be sure I wasn’t dreaming?” Charlie was still moving kind of slow and rubbing her eyes as she head towards the kitchen. Jade, however, swung her attention back to Ella and began to watch her intently.

Ella held up her finger and concentrated. This time she was aiming for something by a bit different and her fingertip began to glow and rotate colors.

“Any crown?” She asked.

Charlie glanced over from where she was filling a coffee pot, “Nope.”

Jade still stared and then tentatively reached out. Ella held her hand still and Jade came closer and closer til their fingers touched.

“Huh. It is warm, like touching a lightbulb.”

“Yeah. I basically got this light and healing.”

“So what did you do yesterday? With that laser thing?”

“Dunno. Pulled out more light from wherever it is coming from?”

Eventually they all sat down and had some coffee. Quietly.

Which Charlie broke, “Awkward silences huh? Well shit. It is still break. Are we going out tonight?”

Jade looked at Charlie, “OK, I get Ella. But you? Just going back to things like normal?”

“Of course. Imagine being at the club and Ella pulls out that glowy thing. It will be amazing.”

“What! No!” Ella said loud.

Charlie started laughing again. “Like I said, too easy.”

Ella sat back. “Look guys. I know this is a lot to lay out on you. I… I can distance myself. You guys can wash your hands if this and, well, pretend it never happened. Just tell me what would be best for you.” She sat there as they both looked at her silently.

Charlie said quietly, “I never did mind about the little things.”

“What does that mean?” Ella asked.

“It means I’m in. For whatever. How can I help? We’ve been best friends since undergrad.” Charlie took a sip of coffee and her tone got serious, “I thought about it all last night and whatever this is, I wouldn’t be happy not knowing.”

That naturally led both of them to look at Jade. Who fidgeted a bit.

“I… I am still not sure,” she admitted. Looking guilty.

“Hey. It isn’t a problem. What I want to do is give you space to decide. Charlie, one, we are not going out tonight; and, two, can I crash at your place so Jade can have some her-time?”

“Sleepover! Fuck yeah.”

“Does they work for you, Jade?”

Jade looked up at Ella, “I do need time to think. But you don’t have to leave. I’m not sure I want to be left alone either. I’d just get wrapped up in my head or something. It isn’t like I can tell nduku .”

Ella figured it out from context, “You can totally tell Craig. But you may want me to be there to provide proof. Otherwise it sounds crazy.” Ella tried to give a reassuring smile.

“You serious?”

“Yeah, I can’t keep it bottled up anymore. You’ve seen the news. Crazy stuff is happening. Islands appearing and disappearing. Strange deaths and diseases.”

“Blood snow,” murmured Charlie.

“So at least the inner circle can know. That is you, Charlie, and Craig at least. Maybe a few other people.”

Charlie jumped in, coming to a conclusion, “Is that why Jae-Young and you broke up? And why he left?”

Ella stopped to think how she would put this, “In part. It is related. But it is his thing to tell. I really can’t say much except he did the right thing for him.”

Charlie said, “How about we all sleepover at my place. I don’t think you guys have ever been there actually.” She seemed a bit quiet as if thinking about something.

Ella thought about it, “You are right. We always just met you at a station and we would always come here after class since your place is far. Jade, go to class, it is the first day back. Focus on normalcy.”

“So what now?” asked Jade.

“Now?” Answered Ella, “now I am going for a run.” She walked over to the shoe rack to grab her Christmas gift waterproof running shoes.

She opened the door and turned back to tell them one more thing. “I lied earlier. I cope with it by exhausting myself out every day.”