As long as she had known Todd, though, she could see him try to pull back, but he could really have a shot at having a blast in school. Making a crap ton of friends, going out, and having a high school romance. So, she had worked on that with him. She wasn’t pushy or obnoxious with it, but subtle.

  They stopped in front of her house and she drew in a deep breath. “So that’s why I think you would be a dope for not asking her out.”

  He raised both eyebrows. “Wow, I feel like you put a lot of thought into that.”

  She shrugged and punched him awkwardly in the shoulder. “I want my best friend to be happy even if I have to force him to be.”

  Todd shook his head as he started to walk away. “So weird. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

  Stephanie’s smile faded and she turned and pushed her bag strap up her shoulder again. She pulled her key out and opened the door to walk inside. The AI fizzled and crackled, and she shut it off before it could hurt itself. She really didn’t feel like an exciting introduction anyway. Instead, she turned the computer on and plopped down to see the icon in the corner that let her know that she had mail.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Her initial instinct was to ignore the message. She had signed up for a lot of sites lately while doing research and assumed one of them had spammed her. Before going any further, she bounced into the kitchen and grabbed a muffin out of the cake holder and a glass of milk. She set her glass down and folded the edge of the muffin paper. She took a big bite and crumbs fell over her shirt as she opened the mail server.

  The first two messages were spam, but the third was from the testing agency. She had no idea why they would mail her again. She opened it and read slowly, and her mouth fell open as the muffin dropped into her lap. Bemused, she shook her head and read it again, not sure that she had actually seen it correctly. There had to be some kind of catch—a cost, something. Another way for the companies in NorAm to make more money off the poor saps who couldn’t afford prep school.

  When she had read it again, she hit the print button and waited impatiently for it to come through. She grabbed the paper with both hands, tore it off the reel, and read it aloud. “Dear Ms. Stephanie Morgana. You have been chosen as a candidate for furthering your education regardless of your pass or fail status with the government testing results. This project is new, in its first year, and will provide you with twenty hours of pod usage per month through an outside pod rental service at no charge. The pod is already set up and ready for you at the TimeWarp location directly outside the government-subsidized housing.”

  She put the letter down for a moment and caught her breath, unsure if she was even awake at that point. Had she stumbled over her own feet and bashed her head to send herself into a complete and total psychosis? Had she eaten a bad piece of fruit at school? Maybe someone had drugged her and she simply had no idea.

  Shaking her head, she raised the letter again and continued to read. “We are aware that travel can be an obstacle for many of those who live within the subsidized housing. Crime rates have continued to grow, and we take the safety of our students and future leaders of the Federation very seriously. Therefore, attached to this is the number of the car company that will send a self-driven vehicle to pick you up whenever you are ready to attend. It will then bring you home or to your desired location when you have completed your session for the day.”

  Stephanie sank slowly onto the chair at the breakfast bar and covered her mouth. She had spent days trying to come up with a way to get back into a pod and now, she was handed twenty hours a month to do so. It wasn’t a ton of time, but any time was better than none, and she didn’t even have to pay for it. On top of that, she would be driven back and forth, so her mom wouldn’t have to worry about it. She continued to read and searched for the catch.

  “This opportunity only requires that you work on certain ideas and prove that you can excel further than you already have shown through your time in school as well as your government testing. We are aware that funds are very limited for furthering education and that can be both disheartening and frustrating for the youth who work hard each and every day to build a bright future for themselves.”

  Stephanie snorted. “No shit.”

  “The reason that you have been chosen as the first to be enabled to participate in this brisk and new opportunity is due to your scores on the government testing. While you were not chosen to receive funding for prep school, your scores were exceptional and therefore highlighted in the test for further review. When we realized there were so many exceptional students who could one day provide a positive contribution to NorAm, the Federation, and all those in it, we understood that we needed to find additional ways to help. You show extreme promise, and we are excited for you to be part of this new step into the future of our society and abroad. Best wishes, The Agency.”

  Stephanie must have read the letter at least a dozen times and painstakingly dissected every sentence and every word in her search for the small print, where she had to promise something of herself in order to take the opportunity. But there wasn’t a single thing, and from what it looked like, everything was set up and waiting for her to begin. All she had to do was call for the car.

  A smile curved her lips and she thrust both her arms into the air. “Yesss! I don’t have to sell my soul to a Dreth pirate to use the pods.”

  She stood and put the letter on the table. Her feet were locked in place for several moments as she looked around the perfectly silent room. Suddenly, laughter seemed to take over, and she put her hand to her chest and let the joy come through. It had been a very long time since anything had gone her way, and between the relief and the excitement, she couldn’t hold it in any longer. She giggled and squealed and tapped her feet up and down as if she were in Footloose, minus the cut-off sweatshirt. Finally, she grabbed the counter and paused to catch her breath. She was elated and couldn’t even fully grasp the opportunity.

  Somewhere in her mind, she was still upset about not being prep ready. She had dreamed of attending a prep school her whole life and had spent her school years doing exactly what her family had told her—learning as much as she possibly could through school, online, the faux virtual tablet, and even the old books she had rescued from the falling-down library in the city. She had snuck in there about four years before and was almost caught by Federation ground surveyors, but it had been more than worth it to get her hands on some of the greats. Libraries essentially no longer existed.

  This opportunity, though—how could she not jump at the chance? Even if it didn’t last forever. Even if she didn’t get to go to Meligorn, it would be a way for her to increase her knowledge and set up steps to get where she wanted to be. And she would be able to do the research on the energy and the magic in order to tweak and refine the equations she had drawn up for different real-world applications. From everything that she read, it was a no-lose situation.

  She forced herself to focus and gather her thoughts, put the letter on the counter, and retrieved her handheld tablet from her backpack. Calmly, she opened all her files on the computer and placed the tablet on the stand beside it. One file at a time, she swiped them from the computer to the tablet. She wanted all her notes on there so that each time she was done with a session, she could pull them up and update them on anything new she had learned or discovered. It was vital that she kept very specific notes so that even if she had to add to them over time, she would constantly move forward with the correct, tested, and researched information, not simply equations and speculations.

  When all had been moved across, she waited as the tablet downloaded them to her system. She tapped her foot excitedly and smiled broadly as she shook her head. Todd would freak out. Who else had been given the opportunity, or was she the only one? If she was the only one, how did they select her out of every kid in NorAm? Surely she wasn’t the smartest out of everyone.

  When the tablet dinged to confirm completion, she put it in its case and replaced it in her bag. She looked around once again and startled slightly when she realized her parents had no idea. Stephanie dragged in a deep breath and tried to push her excitement down as she sat in front of the video phone and pressed her finger to the picture of her mom and dad on the screen. It rang a couple of times and then the image came up. Her mom and dad were both smushed into the screen, excited to hear from her.

  Her dad waved goofily. “Well, something must be on fire if our teenage daughter has actually called us.”

  Her mom shook her head. “No, she loves us. But for real, is something on fire?”

  She laughed. “Everything is flameless. Unlike the casserole a couple of nights ago.”

  Dad wrinkled his nose. “And I thought that was chicken flambé.”

  Stephanie giggled and then cleared her throat. “I wanted you guys to know that I will be home late.”

  They both looked at each other and back at the screen. It was evident that they were both curious and concerned. “That’s not really like you. What’s going on? You haven’t given up, have you?”

  Stephanie chuckled. “Actually, no. I received a letter from the testing agency today. They have a new program and I am the first to be invited. I get twenty hours a month in a full immersion pod at TimeWarp and a car to pick me up and bring me home when I go. All I have to do is learn and show aptitude in what I am researching. It’s so crazy! I can’t even believe it.”

  Her mom gasped with genuine pleasure. “Oh, honey, that’s so wonderful. See? Not all is lost. I knew that you would find that silver lining.”

  Her dad gave a thumbs-up. “Good job, kiddo. I’m proud of you. This could be a really great opportunity and if nothing else, you can continue to learn as much as possible.”

  She nodded, her grin wide and excited. “I wanted to let you guys know so you wouldn’t worry about me. I sent the message for the car to come so it will be here any minute. I’ll tell you all about it when I get back!”

  They said their I love you’s and she hung up when she heard a small beep outside. She opened the door and grinned as the door to the self-driven coupe opened. Quickly, she locked the house and skipped out with her bag on her shoulder. The car took her straight to TimeWarp and dropped her off at the door, then it pulled into one of the electric car charging stations out front.

  She was greeted with friendliness when she arrived, and she showed them the letter that she had received. The woman behind the counter was excited, having never heard of the program before. “This is really special. So many of us lost out when we didn’t receive prep school funds. Let’s see if you are in the system, shall we?”

  Stephanie smiled. “Stephanie Morgana is my name.”

  The woman typed her name in and pushed several buttons while Stephanie stood there, picked at her nail, and twisted her foot back and forth nervously. After a few moments, the woman’s eyes widened and she pointed at the screen. “And there you are. You have a surprise account already set up with the credited hours. Twenty hours that expire at the end of the month. Then, from what it looks like here, they will start over next month.”

  Another woman walked up with a smile. “Hello.”

  The first assistant turned to her. “This young lady has been given twenty hours a month to use the pods. Isn’t that neat? Apparently, it is with The Agency.”

  The newcomer clapped her hands excitedly. “The new owners must have a deal with the government to help fund the debt. That’s so awesome of them. Did you do well on the tests?”

  Stephanie nodded. “I believe I got ninety-eight percent or somewhere around there.”

  The women looked at one another and back at her and the first one frowned. “This is what I have said for years. So many brilliant minds are wasted because of this class war. I’m sorry you weren’t given the funding that you deserve for school. But this is a really cool thing and I hope you learn a lot from it.”

  Stephanie breathed deeply, held it for a moment or two, and exhaled slowly. “Thank you. Of course, I am disappointed about the prep school funding, but I’m looking on the bright side. This is an opportunity no one has been given before so I don’t want to complain. Besides, the testing was my first time in a pod and I have tried to figure out every way I could get back into one since that day.”

  The first woman clapped with real enthusiasm. “Well, let’s get you in there, then.”

  They took her to the bay of pods and led her to her assigned one. The woman typed several things into the computer on the front and pressed the door handle in and to the right and opened it. “Here you go. This pod is probably way newer than the one you used for testing. It is only two generations old. Very nice, comfortable, and easy to relax into. If you need anything, we have stats monitors up front and you can always tell the AI you would like to call an attendant. We will see you when you’re finished.”

  Stephanie put her bag in the small locker next to it on the wall, climbed in, and shut the door. The lights lit up all over the ceiling and the chair inside immediately reclined to a horizontal position. The bed was comfortable and molded specifically to her body. The screens on the front were much nicer than those in the first pod she had been in.

  She relaxed with her hands on her stomach. A voice came on. “Welcome to total immersion, Stephanie. Your program has been uploaded. Let’s set up your avatar.”

  Chapter Twenty

  She stood in the avatar room as she had done in the testing, only now, she had free range to choose her clothing, hairstyle, and everything else. She walked down the aisles and touched each of the clothes in turn until she reached a rack of T-shirts. Smiling, she thumbed through them until she found a Hi-Fidelity shirt with a picture of Todd’s favorite actor, John Cusack, on the front. He wore his headphones and looked sullen, as always. From there, she chose a pair of black lycra pants and combat boots that laced up to her calves. She selected a zip-up hoodie for around her waist just in case and elected to have her hair done in a braid like the one her mom liked so much.

  Stephanie wasn’t sure what to expect, so she decided she could change her avatar clothes next time if these weren’t quite appropriate. When she was done, she stood in the middle of the floor. The AI spoke in a calming voice. “Starting program for Stephanie Morgana.”

  The room went black for several moments before a pinprick of light showed in the distance. It drew closer and closer and brought her to what looked like an outdoor amphitheater but definitely on Earth. A young man stood on the stage dressed in a tweed jacket, suspenders, bow tie, and brown pants. He looked exactly as she expected a professor to look.

  He turned and extended his arms in a welcoming gesture. “Ahh. Stephanie Morgana. Welcome to your first day. My name is Professor Heinrich, but you may call me…Professor Heinrich. I was told you might be hoping for Meligorn, but we like to bring you to a more educational environment to avoid the distractions of another planet. At least for now.”

  Stephanie simply stood there, unsure of what to do. The professor gestured airily. “Well, come on, come on. Time is precious, isn’t it? We are going to roll right into it.”

  He motioned and a table appeared before them. On it were several small magical batteries. “We hear you are quite good with these so we thought we would start from the beginning and do a review and then show you how to use them to do some small stuff on Earth.”

  She smiled happily. “That would be awesome.”

  The professor returned the smile. “Good. You are aware, and we can see from your testing responses, that Meligorn uses magic to power everything in their land. There is no electricity.”

  Stephanie nodded with a grin. “Yes. I learned that a long time ago. Until Meligornians came to Earth through the gates, they had never experienced energy like ours. In fact, it is not possible to use electricity or our type of energy on Meligorn. And until relatively recently, it was true here for their magic as well.”

  He nodded. “Very good. On Meligorn, if you were to take something that relied on electrical current to function, it would fail to do so. The radiant magical energy absorbs that electricity and turns it into magical fuel. It’s almost as if it feeds it. So, we had to learn how to work off their energy when we came to their planet. It was difficult at first. We had to set up buildings with the Meligorns, create bathrooms of course, and learn how to use their facilities even if we had humans there who were not as keen to pick up on the magic. Those humans were also the ones—the thirty percent—who cannot feel the energy of magic on Earth.”

  She ran her fingers across the battery and watched as the professor swirled his hand over the table to create a circle of what looked like Meligorn ground. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a phone, and winked. “This has a full battery. But watch what happens.”

  He set the phone down in the center of the turquoise grasses and she watched as it flickered for a moment and instantly went dark. Then—something she had never seen before—the electrical energy seeped out like a blue fog and twisted with the sparkling purple energy of Meligorn until it dissipated into the grass. He picked the phone up, put it on a charger, and turned it back on. “The battery will never be able to fully charge again, but it still works. Just not on the planet.”

  The professor waved the patch of grass away and reached down with his hand like a claw in a toy machine and pulled up from the table top. Instead of air, there was a small rendition of a docking station with spacecraft coming, going, and flying downward to Meligorn. Stephanie walked around it, her eyes wide. “These are NorAm ships on top to the left, Meligorn electric ships parked next to them, and then below, they are Meligorn ships powered by magic.”

  He put his hands behind his back. “Exactly. Because everything in Meligorn works on magic, their ships struggled to leave and come to Earth. Because NorAm ships run on electricity, they can only get within six units of height from the surface of Meligorn without crashing. Unfortunately, they found that out the hard way. To counter this, they created the docking station. Earth ships could dock on top, go through, and take Meligorn ships to the surface. And vice versa.”