Twenty minutes? I’d been cooped up for weeks. If I didn’t get out for a walk, I’d snap. “One hour in the gardens and a chocolate cake.”

She shook her head. “Half an hour and new box of charcoal pencils.”

My fingers twitched. I did need a refresh on my drawing supplies. “Forty five minutes, the pencils, and a cupcake. You pick the flavor. Plus the reason I got sprung early.”

Akua’s brown eyes narrowed. “Only if you handicap me your pawns.”

“Done.” I didn’t even smirk as I swept all eight pawns off my side of the board. The holographs flickered and died. As soon as I reached for the future, potential outcomes layered the air over the board and the most solid ones showed exactly which moves Akua would probably take.

Every time she made a move, more potentials fizzed out. Who needed pawns when I already knew what she’d do?

Akua was scowling and I was five moves to check—plus my info and prizes—when the pressured door whooshed open again. I smelled him before I saw him. Thick, woodsy cologne tainted with a hint of ammonia.

Darren Waldman: geneticist, asshole, and sleaze.

As soon as he stepped into the room, creepy crawlies scrunched my shoulders. From here out, the future yawned blank and terrifying.

“Who’s winning?” Darren rested his hand on the back of my chair. I slid closer to the table, putting as much space between us as I could without leaping to my feet.

“Who do you think?” Akua’s voice tightened with irritation.

“Then I’ve got good news,” Darren said. “I need Quanta in the holo room.”

My breath hitched, but I kept my face and posture neutral. “Later.”

“Now.” Darren yanked back my chair, and I could either stand or fall on my ass. I considered taking the fall. I wasn’t ready to have my brain picked on the big screen, and getting dragged would give me the time I needed to cook up some good lies.

But I couldn’t bear letting him see me struggle. Not when I could help it.

I stood gracefully and reached for Akua’s knight. She gaped as I moved her pieces, then mine. Each move sparked another view of the future board and I copied the moves Akua would’ve made. Finally, I flicked the holo of her king, knocking it off its square. Her eyes widened.

It was a neat trick, but pawns and knights weren’t going to keep me alive. “I still want the cupcake.” I had a feeling the rest was off the table. I was about to find out what was up from the source—and that wasn’t a good thing.

Darren chuckled. The sound slipped over my shoulders like a bucket of ice, ripping figures from my past. A timeghost blotted out the present.