Just then, a willowy African-American woman ascends the stage. Murmurs of excitement zip around the ballroom. The Young Scientist Award. The one we’ve all been waiting for, the one that will distinguish one student scientist above the rest.

Archie has always downplayed his chances to win this award, but he’s a shoo-in. I know it. There’s no one smarter than my brother. I put down my camera and poke my brother in the side. Archie jerks awake. His glasses are askew, and there’s a crease along the side of his face where it was pressed against his arm. Honestly, he looks awful. Just how little sleep did he get last night?

“And the Best Young Scientist Award goes to…” The presenter pauses dramatically as a drumroll is piped over the loudspeakers. “Zeke Cain for his cutting-edge research on cell modification!”

Zeke. Not Archie.

Our tablemates stand and cheer. Stunned, I push to my feet, clapping even as I try to puzzle out how he managed to beat my brother. But that’s selfish of me. If Archie can’t win, Zeke’s the next best choice.

Zeke shakes hands with Archie and Cristela, then heads around the table. As he passes my seat, I grab his arm. ”Congratulations!”

“This moment is pivotal,” he says, his voice dazed. He looks into my eyes a moment longer than necessary. “For the rest of my life. For the future. Everything changes because of this.”

My excitement teeters just a bit. Is it just me, or is everyone suddenly fixated on the future?

Zeke continues his path toward the stage, and I shake off my uneasiness. Words. Just words. They don’t make him any more likely to be the Maker. He’s still the same Zeke who’s constantly looking out for my brother. But then he walks by Bandit and Charlie’s table. And stumbles. Or—more accurately—trips.

I swear that Charlie stuck his foot directly into Zeke’s path. That flash of movement couldn’t have been anything else. But why? He’s a grown man, not a little kid.

Zeke catches himself on the edge of Charlie’s chair. The moment is over before I can take my next breath, and my friend continues toward the stage.

I shiver. The Voice told me to keep Dad away from Charlie. Dad. Not Zeke. And yet, in the original timeline, Zeke watched the altercation between Dad and his old lab partner from the sidelines.

Did I just mess up? Does Zeke and Charlie’s “accidental” meeting mean that I failed?

Everything changes because of this, Zeke said.

If he’s right, what will be the consequences?

…

Finally, the ceremony ends. As soon as the lights brighten, our tablemates take off, leaving Archie, Dad, and me.