Chapter 2

Powder felt her despair dissolve, giving in to a fury had never encountered before. Her mind swirled in chaos, brimming with contradictions. She knew she was capable of building some sort of replica, but not the exact same device. She didn't fully understand its mechanism.

She spent hours working on the crystals. She had to start somewhere, but they were dangerous, volatile and, most of all, letal—she could never forget that day.

The only solution, she decided, was to refine them until they stabilized—transforming them into perfect, marble-like spheres. She didn't even feel the time passing, she just kept enhancing them, perfecting them. To be honest, the first couple of tries didn't go well and she ended up with her face charred and her nose bleeding from the crystals' erratic surges.

This is worth it. I know it. She thought every time she got up again, feeling annoyed.

By the end of Gods knows how many hours, she had two flawless blue gemstones. Each, the rough size of a fist. So immaculate that under a microscope she couldn't find a single edge or flaw.

They were perfect, but they still felt deadly. Holding them in her soft hands, she tasted a bitter sting of iron in her mouth. They were incredible, yet they also felt alive and ominous, humming with some dark energy. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled as if something was lurking, watching her. Heart racing, she dropped them onto the table with a loud clang and staggered back, her breath coming in short gasps.

I'm imagining things, I've been up all night, my synapses are fried. She tried to calm herself down.

Vander must be worried sick, I need to stop for a bit before he or Ekko decide to show up here.

She stumbled home, her mind still racing through all the possibilities, trying to deny a voice that told her this was ridiculous, impossible.

"Hey, kiddo. Burning the midnight oil for the competition?" Vander's voice greeted her as she stepped into the bar. He was behind the counter, drying an old stained glass with an even older rag. His expression shifted when he saw her. "What the hell happened to you?!"

"Nothing, I… I…"

"Oh, I get it," Vander interrupted, grinning. "You got caught in one of the crazy pranks that kid Isha keeps leaving everywhere, didn't you? Too embarrassed to admit it, huh?" He chuckled. "You know what, I think she took onto to you, keeps following you around like a lap dog. Reminds me of someone." Powder rolled her eyes as Vander smirked.

She really is annoying. Why does that tiny pest keep tailing me everywhere?

"Well, no point denying it, you caught me." She said with mock defeat. "Just don't tell the guys, I'll never hear the end of it. I'm going up, need to sleep a bit."

"Not so fast." Vander's tone turned serious as he gave her a once-over. "Have you eaten anything? You're pale—and your eyes look… off." Ge analyzed her with a puzzled look.

"I'm fine, just tired, dad." She grabbed a tiny apple from behind the counter. "Here, see? I'm eating. Now I'm going to bed."

Before he could argue, she darted upstairs, biting into the apple. Her body ached when she slammed onto the bed. She'd been a mess all day, frantic and fueled by adrenaline, but now the day was catching up to her. She closed her eyes for a second and drifted, vivid images of Ekko—swirling her on the dancing floor, his smile mingling with the haze of blue gemstones.

The next morning began with Vander catching her leaving early and forcing her to eat a proper meal.

"This doesn't look like you, kiddo, where's my usual jolly Powder? The one who can devour a whole pie in one sitting?" She shrugged. "You seem on edge. Is it the competition? You were fine just a few days ago." She kept munching, barely listening, her mind elsewhere. "You know, Ekko stopped by and also looked a bit off." Vander continued, "He said he'd met you at the lair".

"What?!" Powder jumped up, her chair clattering to the floor as she bolted for the door, not looking behind to say goodbye.

The gems! I just left them there. Stupid! I should've just brought them with me. Maybe he's not there yet.

She sprinted through the streets, her body complaining from the effort—and lack of exercise, which she never did. She was gasping for air by the time she finally saw him, holding the gems.

"Jinx, what is this?" Ekko said, his voice uncertain.

Huh?

"Powder, where did you find these?" He looked perplexed, absent even.

"It's nothing. Just a side project. Hand them over." She reached for them but he took a step back, shaking his head, trying to make sense of something. His brow furrowed as he stared into their depths.

"Are you… okay?

"Yes, it's just… You're gonna think madness finally won, but when I picked them, I saw something, glitches."

Powder froze. "Things aren't adding up. I think I'm going insane. I don't remember the last few weeks and when I tried to talk to Enzo, he just looked worried. I thought maybe you could help me." Powder looked absolutely mortified. Her eyes mirrored his.

How can I even begin to explain this to him?