I don’t think I’ve ever noticed her eyes before, which are a bright shade of hazel with a dark outer ring. A certain energy courses in them, vibrant and alive.

I tend to avoid looking at people I don’t like talking to. That, and Glacia and I are rarely ever this close except for when she corners me in the dark Hologis arena, where the only light comes from the holographic spheres zooming around the place.

For several seconds, we stand in the doorway and say nothing. I thought she might’ve come to tell me Victoria was back, but the hall is empty.

“Cool place, huh?” Glacia finally says, breaking the extended silence.

“Yup.”

My fingers curl up tightly inside my pockets. Why, why is she here? Can’t she do something better with her time? Go bother Ellin. Or better yet, John. You guys could figure out how you’re going to annoy me next.

Glacia’s gaze lowers and she focuses on something behind me. Then she points.

“You like those?”

I glance backward: my books. They’re sitting on the desk.

“Haven’t read them.”

“Can I see them?”

Yes, anything to make her leave faster. I spin on my heel, slip to the desk, and grab the stack. When I turn around, I have to catch myself from crashing into Glacia. She followed me inside.

Teeth clenched, I hand the books over. Glacia ignores the fact that I didn’t invite her into my room and skims the pages of Earth as it Was.

“You collect these?” she asks, taking interest in a picture labeled CERN.

“No. They were given to me.”

“Ah.”

“You two ready?”

Glacia and I both look up and see Victoria at the door. I take back the books and slide them across the desk. Earth as it Was lands with a sharp smack off the other end.

Oh well.

“Your IDs are downstairs,” Victoria tells the five of us once we’re back in the hallway. “We’ll get those, take a tour of Threshold Tower, and get back in time for the opening banquet.”

She waves us forward and we walk back into the sun’s filtered glow. Our shadows line up: John’s is the tallest and Glacia’s is the shortest.

We return to the main floor. It’s lunchtime, so the Hall of Treatises isn’t as crowded as it was when we arrived. Good thing, too, because waiting in those lines would have sucked.

“Quick tip,” Victoria says as we approach the Services Department, “the more useful you look, the more interesting your life will be. Stay active, ask questions, and make friends. You’ll thank yourself later.”

She ushers us into the Services Department and stops in front of the main desk. A tawny-haired woman wearing a gray uniform pops up her head and greets us.

“Looking to get your IDs?”

“Cornell,” Victoria tells her.