Because science would tell you it isn’t. Science has no explanation for any of The Hum’s physical manifestations. The heat, the pressure, the tingling, the pleasure, the pain, the nosebleeds, the headaches. But you have felt it.

Yes.

Did you? he asked Kyle. Kyle nodded. He asked the rest of the circle, and they all replied yes. Except Nora. She was poured into her chair, looking disconsolate.

I want to, she said.

You will, Jo said, placing her hand on Nora’s thigh.

I really do.

Just give it time.

It’s nuts the whole world doesn’t know about this, Damian said, sitting forward on his chair.

In time, hopefully they will, Howard replied.

It’s because it’s been kept from us, Howard. There’s no way this is the first time anyone’s ever felt this. This is a phenomenon of the Earth, right? Others must have felt this at some point.

Howard made to answer but Damian continued—Like how come everyone isn’t doing this all the fucking time?

No one has shown them, Mia said, pulling out her scrunchie and raking her hair with her fingers.

It doesn’t make sense unless it’s been kept from us. Systematically.

Damian, around the time I met Howard, I was really struggling, Jo said, using her calming voice on him. A whole number of reasons. Anxiety. Depression. I was on this regime of meditation and trance as a way of centring myself. And then when Howard became my supervisor, and the work we began doing with the Resonance, it all kind of clicked into place. Discovering we could tune to it—

It changed everything, Howard said, looking at everyone except Jo.

But then a researcher tells the university we’re running a sex lab and that Howard’s using mind control on them and the whole thing gets shut down.

Emily looked horrified—What?

It terrified people. If there are two things that terrify WASPy bourgeois academics it’s sex and spirituality, Jo said.

So they just turfed you out? Shawn asked.

Howard sighed. It was clearly still painful for him to talk about.

We found ourselves outcasts, he said. And anytime we did try to talk to someone about it we were shunned. People had all these wild stories about us.

Oh god, Leslie said, and on campuses these things take on a life of their own, right?

Jo nodded—Which is why Howard and I have been so trigger-shy to go to that place with you all. We’re both still scarred from what happened at Virginia Tech.