Ravela sat across from Donna, drinking her soda in absolute bliss. She was almost convinced she had to be steaming out of the ears as the cold liquid made it down her parched throat.

Donna looked at her, almost as though she was studying Ravela. “Are you a professional rally driver, Ramiel?”

“No, not that I know of. Not really my field of expertise.” Ravela answered between two big sips.

“You know, I have trouble believing that since you’ve beaten Kahli’s record, and by almost half a minute, as Jocul saw fit to tell me.”

Ravela shrugged. “I can only tell you what I know. Whether you believe me or not is entirely your purview.” She reached for the fries and started eating her first meal of the day, reminding her how wrong her day had started.

The order she had placed went well beyond her initial idea of a soda and fries. After stepping inside the fast food joint, the smell of grilled beef and spices invaded her senses and canceled her need to get a soda, replacing it with a yearning for a proper meal with that soda. She had two huge burgers that looked amazing on the trays of other customers, two cheeseburgers without the disgusting pickles, some chicken wings, and an extra large fry box in front of her.

Comparatively, Donna had ordered two small cheeseburgers and a small soda. Alarmingly, she had left the pickles on, which was very concerning to Ravela’s peculiar sensibilities. ‘Why were people insisting on pickles on a perfectly fine burger? Do they dislike having a good time? Something must be wrong with the tastebuds of this planet’s humans.’

She reached for one of her proper cheeseburgers, giving it an appreciative squeeze with both hands before taking a bite, closing her eyes, and enjoying the texture and taste.

“You somehow are great at everything so far, yet you play it off as though it just happens to be the case. What’s up with that?”

Ravela looked at Donna, disturbing her intimate moment with banalities. “You overestimate me. For example, when all of you figured out the connection between the evidence Detective Gell showed us and the photo. Everybody raised their hand except for me. Believe it or not, I lacked the knowledge to realize that the matches weren’t some known brand but some special hotel gimmick. So, you shouldn’t rule out the possibility of me breezing through that course on sheer luck.”

The woman stopped herself from biting into her pickled cheeseburger and raised one eyebrow at him. “If you think I will follow your jump from you being a bit cloistered to you making it through the course on luck AND beating Kahli’s time, you don’t know me at all. That’s a pile of steaming dung, and you know it.” Then she bit into her contaminated cheeseburger with a smug nod.

Ravela took the measure of her while taking a bite of her pleasantly unpickled burger. Ravela chewed slowly and contemplated what information Donna was trying to get from her.

“You expect me to pour my heart and soul over a shared burger? Sorry to disappoint you, Donna, but with those pickles on your cheeseburgers, you got zero chance of becoming my confidant.” Ravela rebuffed her. “Best, I can do is you tell me something about yourself, and I share something about myself.”

Ravela took another sip from her gigantic soda. She had been amazed at how big the cups could be. The momentary distraction subsided after one sip.

Donna, for her part, had gathered her thoughts. “You know that Jocul and I are the commissioner’s kids. Kahli isn’t just some random recruit, either. We grew up together. By together, I mean our fathers hated each other's guts, and we soaked that up as children. Somehow, Kahli only ever seemed to channel that toward me. Jocul and her were thick as thieves, for a while at least.” She ended that tale with an expectant look and took another bite from her pickled cheeseburger.

Ravela didn’t understand why the pickles irked her more than someone trying to get her to share about herself.

“Don’t get me wrong, that’s a fascinating story. I can’t remember asking you about it, though.” She took a long sip from her cup before adding. “Fine, then what do you want to know about me? Since I have no clue what could possibly be interesting to you.”

Donna pursed her lips. “You aren’t good at sharing about yourself out of your own volition, right? So, I think you were a single child or had terrible siblings.”

Ravela broke eye contact with Donna. For a moment, Ombia’s face mirrored in the pond beside her own flashed through her mind. “No, that’s not it. I don’t remember my life before I came to Gradjia. I had to relearn to speak. I learned to drive there, too. So, in earnest truth, I can’t tell you whether the skill you saw today came purely from muscle memory or was genuine spur-of-the-moment driving.”

That truth caught her fellow recruit off guard. She lowered her cheeseburger, baffled. “Wait, you aren’t serious, right? When did that happen?”

Ravela made a throw-away gesture. “It’s been over a year by this point. I think I made a remarkable recovery. Especially in the speech department, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Bull,” Donna said, looking completely dumbstruck.

“What do you mean, bull? I’m telling you the truth. I had to relearn to speak, I had to be recertified as a citizen because the police weren’t able to find out who I was before I lost my memory, and I got my driver’s license and high school diploma just before I applied for the police academy. Don’t believe me? I bet you one hundred bucks. It is true.” She stretched out her hands and gave her a sharkish grin. “Go ahead, take the bet. I love winning money.”

Donna’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t like betting money.” She looked past Ravela for a moment. “Oh, is Jocul done already?”

Ravela turned her head to scan the entrance area but didn’t spot Jocul anywhere.

“I don’t see him.” She said, confused while double-checking. Ravela turned around and saw Donna was already finished with her burger.

The woman spoke, her mouth still full, one hand covering the mouth, “Maybe I was wrong. Oh, well, I should probably go now. I have some research to do since I can’t believe that wild story without looking into it.”

Ravela shrugged as Donna got up, taking her remaining burger with her. “Do as you please, but you can take my word for it. My word is trustworthy. You ought to learn that eventually.”

“Nothing is as trustworthy as the facts. Have a good day, Ramiel.”

She wondered if she had angered Donna but dismissed the idea. A grown woman surely wouldn’t think her story of arriving in Gradjia is some kind of slight against her. Not that it mattered to Ravela much. After all, Donna would find that Ravela had told the truth, as far as Donna could figure out when digging into her ‘past’. There was only what Ravela had told her.

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Finishing the first of her cheeseburgers, Ravela moved on to the two big specials, devouring them in no time. She shook her soda cup, the straw rattling in the empty cup. A great sadness befell her. Then she quickly remembered that these cups came with a free refill, and off she went, securing a full cup of sparkly cold goodness. ‘God bless the USA.’

She returned to her table and scooped up the last burger from her tray. Ravela left for the exit without looking back at the staff coming by to clean the table, drinking from her soda to quench her ever-present thirst before she bit into her cheeseburger while walking to her car.

There was a pause in her step. Ravela stopped mid-chewing. There was a crunch paired with a sour taste she did not appreciate. She looked down at her burger with a frown.

She spotted a half-bitten pickle in her burger. Throwing the rest of the burger into a trashcan and spitting the spoiled bite she had taken out as well, Ravela realized that it wasn’t the fast food chain that had wronged her, but instead the long-since-gone Donna.

Ravela got an idea why Kahli didn’t like Donna that much. The mischievous pranks must have been worse as a kid, so it didn’t surprise her that Jocul was the preferred twin of both. Ravela took big sips from her soda to wash away the pickle taste.

It took a few big gulps before the horrid taste no longer bugged her tongue. There would be payback for this, Ravela vowed.

Leaning against the car, she had to actively stop her thoughts from only revolving around getting back at Donna. Laena would be waiting at the hospital for her arrival. Getting roped into her obsession should be her foremost concern.

After finishing her soda, she got in the car, determining that she wanted to get busy in the hospital. She felt her pocket for the two rings: Michael’s ring and the black ring with its orange stone.

The roads were clogged. The lunch rush in the inner city was no joke. Ravela used the time in the stop-and-go to prepare for the outrageous teenage nonsense that she would be asked to entertain.

Parking opposite the hospital, Ravela spotted Laena pacing the sidewalk where they had met in the morning.

Laena spotted Ravela’s car parked at the side of the road and began shifting her weight from left to right, waiting for Ravela to come to her instead of just running over in an attempt to show some restraint.

Ravela thought it a pathetic parody of discipline, but she appreciated that Laena didn’t run into traffic to get to her faster. Unlike Safora, who recklessly ran head-first into danger, she was more controlled.

That didn’t mean the girl wasn’t prone to overestimating her own competency.

The teenager looked even more riled up than she had in the morning. Ravela walked slowly, not in a hurry to get into this mess.

Laena overruled her strategy of a slow approach by just meeting her halfway.

“You’re finally here. Things happened. In school, I mean. More people changed. At least three more throughout the day had some sort of incident.” Laena threw her the hot potato as a conversation starter.

Ravela stopped, and her mind started to go over the odds she had assumed before. ‘Three more in one day, just among the students!?’ She remembered the big crowd, and goosebumps spread over her body. It would appear that her expectations for human alteration chances and survival rate were a severe underestimation.

“That is too much. I have to look into this myself.” Ravela decided out loud.

Laena still shifted her weight nervously. “Erm, yeah, sure, but about Beth. Can you help me to check on her?”

Ravela narrowed her eyes. “You're just going to ask if she’s okay. You won’t tell her you got powers too or anything rash?”

Laena shook her head vigorously. “No, I just want to make sure she is okay. I won’t break her out, I promise. I will stick to the plan even if I feel it would be justified. So, will you help me?”

Ravela began slowly walking toward the main entrance of the hospital. “Tell me why you need my help. I mean, you could just visit your friend, right?”

“It isn’t that easy. A police officer stood before her door, and I asked around a bit. It is a quarantine room for infectious diseases.” Laena said.

“They think this alteration originates from some diseases? That’s silly. So you need someone to distract one police officer, right? That’s all?” Ravela inquired, a bit puzzled.

“Yes, I don’t know how I’d get the officer to leave long enough to get in and out without being spotted, and….you see, they have put the other patients in the same hallway. Now there are more officers, and I got no clue how to distract them properly.” Laena reluctantly supplied more information.

Ravela nodded. “A distraction that gives you enough time to get to your friend to make sure she is okay and leave without being caught. Am I getting that right?”

“She isn’t my friend, exactly.” Laena jumped in unhelpfully.

“Oh, alright then. This means we don’t have to check on her at all. So, anyway, how’s Markus?” Ravela bit back.

“No, wait. Okay, she’s a friend, fine. Please, don’t be like this. Markus and Safora got picked up by their parents. She’s stuck to her brother for a week at home before they come back to school.” Laena peddled back nervously and seemingly worried that Ravela might back out.

“The other kids, where are they?” Ravela moved on, deciding she had teased Laena enough.

“Uh, in the same hallway. They each have a police officer at their door.”

There was a long pause when Laena realized by just Ravela’s facial expression that she should have said that upfront.

“I-I forgot to mention it.” Laena sputtered a bit.

Ravela crossed her arms. “Maybe next time you won’t. Alright, how many did you count?”

“There were five half an hour ago,” Laena said after a bit of hesitation.

Ravela stopped again. “Five? How many did you say changed today? Three?”

“Yes, three across the campus.” Laena agreed.

Her hand wandered to her chin. “Then, including Beth, there should only be four officers in that hallway.” Ravela began walking again. “What else did you notice?”

Laena followed a step behind, surprised by the sudden change in walking speed. “They’ve been moving patients out of their rooms in the hallway. Probably because they’re getting released.”

Ravela’s brows furrowed. “Wrong. If they are moving out patients from the hallway, it means more patients like Beth are coming. They are clearing that hall to contain them there instead of all over the hospital. You need to learn to read the writing on the wall better, Laena.”

She walked past the entrance, which seemed to trip up Laena, so she explained further. “We will walk in there once we have figured out the plan's details and the timing. Now come, we have to talk about how much time exactly I have to buy you and how you will leave and get yourself out of there elegantly.”

Ravela looked up at the building as they took a walk around. “Which floor is that hallway on?”

Laena looked up at the facade. “It’s on the third floor.” After a small pause, she started to talk on her own. “It is on the other side—the midsection of the building. It’s facing a small park.”

“Third floor. Alright, let me tell you how we’re doing this. I will cause a commotion in one of the other rooms. When all the officers are inside that room, I will lock them in and cause a stir in the hall. So you can sneak in. After that, I will keep that door stuck for five minutes. Have your talk with your friend. Meanwhile, I will investigate. Once the five minutes are up, I will cause another big commotion in the hallway. You’ll sneak to an empty room across the hall and take the direct way out of the hospital.”

Ravela looked up to the third floor. “I think you could easily jump that in on the go, but just be careful. Even with superpowers, you can still break your knees and ankles if you aren’t careful. So, stick to the landing or climb until you’re sure you can do it. You might want to cover your face with a scarf or something, just in case. We wouldn’t want people on the sidewalk to recognize you by coincidence, would we?”

“No worries, I got that part.” Laena declared way too fast, as if she remembered something similar happening to her.

She gave the teenager an inquisitive look, which Laena answered by shrugging. “Well, if you break your leg and never run without a cane, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Laena shuddered at the thought. “I got it. Just don’t put images like that in my head. You’re jinxing me.”

Ravela frowned. “What is jinxing?”

Laena looked at her for a moment. “You know, with all the things you handle well, so naturally, I sometimes forget that I helped you learn our language just a few months ago.”

There was an awkward pause before Ravela said. “Right. What alterations did the kids in school display to be taken here?”

The teenager pursed her lip. “You know, I’d rather call them powers than alterations. Makes me feel less like I am some kind of mutated human.”

Ravela took a deep breath. ‘Patience. Patience and understanding.’ “Fine then, what powers did those kids display?”

The new term placated Laena. “One boy’s head was smoking during class. A girl burst every waterpipe she passed, and the water kept flowing toward her. It happened near a drinking fountain. I think she might have some control over water, and her being more thirsty after PE triggered the activation.”

Ravela nodded along. The girl’s theory wasn’t half bad on that one. “That is a good theory, to be frank. What about the third?”

Laena hesitated. “That’s not so easily explained. I could say he turned invisible, but to be honest, when they took him in, it was more like he turned see-through. So, in a sense, he’s invisible, as much as a glass window is. I could still spot him, but he was almost impossible to see. It is hard to put in words.”

“Where are the changing rooms for the personnel?” Ravela switched the topic.

The girl had to think for a moment. “I think they’re somewhere on the ground floor, but I am unsure.”

“Where are the fire exits? Is there a way out through the basement? How do you access the roof? Are there any fire alarms you could pull to stir some chaos of your own?” Ravela continued her line of question.

“Uh, well, I know how the fire alarms look…” Laena’s confidence wavered.

“Rule one for infiltration: know the ins and outs of where you try to sneak around. Rule two: blend in. That starts with the right clothing.” Ravela stated. “If Safora is gone for the entire week, I could teach you some cool stuff on the weekend. That is if you don’t bungle up your first mission. Alright, let’s do this. And stick to the plan. You know how to return to school once you’re outside, right?”

Laena gave her another look. “I mean, I came here myself, didn’t I?”

Ravela looked at her for a moment before saying in a serious tone. “Getting somewhere isn’t the same as knowing the way.” Then she abruptly walked to the exit ending their pre-mission talk.