“He’s only saying that because he and Blake bombed their first practice sim so badly that Callaway almost sent them back to the Academy,” Tess said with an exaggerated wink at her cousin Eliana.

“Don’t listen to a word Tess says,” Blake said, leaning forward conspiratorially. “Rumor has it that she landed face-first in a cow pie on her first sim test. BLAM! Face full of cow poop.”

Tess sniffed and took a bite of her toast. “It was horse poop,” she said.

“Right,” Blake said. “Because that’s so much better.”

“The point is,” said Corban with a smile, “we all have to start somewhere, and all things considered, you two did great.”

“So, do you actually like it here?” Elliot said. “Or are you just making the best of things?”

Corban shrugged. “It’s fine,” he said. “The food at the Academy was a bit better, but the mountain’s cool.”

“And you don’t hate being stuck with a partner,” Elliot said, making it very clear in his tone that he thought Corban was delusional.

“I’m right here,” I said, elbowing him in the ribs.

“Like I could forget,” Elliot muttered, and Corban laughed.

“You two are going to be fun to watch,” he said.

“Fun like a train wreck,” Elliot said, and Blake snorted orange juice out of his nose all over Corban’s shoulder.

The conversation turned into a debate about crunchy versus soggy bacon, but I was too preoccupied with replaying that paper dissolving right in front of my eyes to contribute. Did that mean that the future Elliot and Regan were still in the mountain? It must. The twinge of fear that always came from thinking about that letter curled up inside my stomach like a snake waiting to strike.

“Come on,” Elliot said a few minutes later, jarring me from my own thoughts as he stood up.

“What?” I asked, but a second later I saw that we were the last ones at the table and everyone else was emptying their trays and heading toward the far side of the atrium.

“Move it,” Elliot said. “I’m not going to be late.” I raised an eyebrow at him, and he narrowed his eyes. “If you’re late, I’m pretty sure that means I’m late too. Right, partner?”

“Quick question,” I said as we hurried across the main atrium toward the library section.

“What’s that?”

“Are you always going to say the word partner like it tastes bad?”

Elliot sighed, and to my surprise he turned to me, a grim look of determination on his face. “No,” he said. “I’m trying to be better.”

I couldn’t help myself; I snorted right in his face.

“I am!” he said with a grimace as he wiped the flecks of spit off his cheek. “But you don’t make it very easy, you know.”