Part 1: Lost in my own reflection

The ocean and outer space, two boundless realms, so beautiful, so dark, and so dangerous. Homes to depths untouched by light, domains where creatures dwell.

Each current carries secrets, and every wave brings disaster. A sea of stars stretches in infinity, consuming all who dare to cross it.

Untouched darkness, eternal solitude, and relentless dangers will await without warning for anyone bold enough to grasp their boundlessness. One wrong step, and a soul will be lost, pulled into an abyss with no end in sight.

And they… will never return what they have claimed.

Carena read the last line aloud, then set the book face-down on the grass beside the swing.

Zariah could only shake her head. “Ugh... You’d better read this book instead. I’m recommending it to you. I’m getting a headache listening to all that.”

Carena sighed, “Oh, come on, why? It’s exciting, you know!”

Zariah scrunched her nose, staring at Carena. “But it’s just so... complicated! Who cares about dark, dangerous places with, uh, creatures and waves that swallow things? I’d rather read about brave knights or, I don’t know, dragons that spit fire.”

Carena’s eyes sparkled. “But Zariah, don’t you ever wonder? Like, what if we could jump into space? Or swim down to the bottom of the ocean?” She put the book to the ground and continued swinging. “There’s so much we don’t know yet. It’s like… mystery treasure! You like money, right?”

Zariah sighed, then gave her a small smile. “You’re way too curious, you know that? If we ever got stuck in some scary, dark place, I’d have to pull you out.”

Carena laughed. “I wouldn’t need saving!” She said, swinging higher.

“Oh, really?” Zariah crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. “Then who was it who got ‘lost’ last month on our walk to the old tree?”

Carena looked away, cheeks a little red. “That… that was just because I got distracted by that butterfly!”

Zariah laughed and gave her a playful shove. “See? You always need someone to keep you from getting carried away. Besides, that butterfly doesn’t even exist.”

“It exists!! I saw it!”

“No you didn't!” As Carena and Zariah continue to play on the swings in the park and their feet kicking up dust, they saw Kailani jogging over, her pigtails bouncing with each step.

“Hey, Kailani!” Zariah called, waving her arms energetically. “You wanna try the slide again?”

Carena grinned. “That’s a good idea! We can do a race again.”

Kailani shot them a confident look, hands on her hips. “Of course, I’m not afraid of that slide. You two always scream like babies!”

Zariah rolled her eyes. “You wish. Last time you were the one who screamed.”

Kailani blushed, “It’s not my fault that it’s so tall!” She tried to be angry but couldn’t quite pull off the right expression.

Carena giggled, shaking her head. “You two are so dramatic.” She swung higher, almost as if she could fly. “Who’s ready to race to the top of the jungle gym?”

Kailani crossed her arms. “You know I’m faster than both of you.”

Zariah raised an eyebrow. “Says the girl who trips over her own feet when she’s not looking.”

Kailani scowled playfully, then took a running start. “Alright, race you there! Last one’s a rotten egg!”

Carena and Zariah immediately jumped off the swings, running after her with loud giggles and shouts. The three of them climbed the jungle gym with all the energy only 10-year-olds could have, pushing and laughing as they scrambled to the top. Kailani reached the top first, but she wasn’t stopping.

“I won! I’m the queen of the jungle gym!” Kailani declared, striking a dramatic pose.

Zariah playfully shoved her. “You just got lucky!” she said, already starting her descent down the slide. “Now let’s see if you can beat me down!”

Carena hesitated for a moment, looking down at the slide, then smiled mischievously. “I’m going last so I can watch both of you crash!”

The girls raced down, their laughter filling the air as they tumbled out of the slide at the bottom. As they sat in a heap of giggles and dirt, Carena exclaimed, “I swear, you guys are gonna be the end of me one day.”

Kailani flashed a bright smile. “You love it!” She stuck out her tongue. “Now, who’s up for round two?”

Zariah groaned playfully. “You know what? I’m not letting you win again!”

After hours of running, climbing, and endless laughter, the sun was starting to dip lower, a warm glow now cast over the park.

“Girls!” Zariah’s mom called from the edge of the park, waving her hand. “Time to come in and eat!”

Zariah’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Food!” She dashed toward her mom, leaving Carena and Kailani behind, still dusting off the dirt on their knees.

Carena jogged over, holding onto her hat that was too big for her little head. “Is it time for dinner already? It feels like we just started playing!”

Kailani shrugged with a grin. “Time flies when you’re the queen of the jungle gym.” She said with a proud toss of her hair.

Zariah’s mom chuckled as she watched them approach. “You all look like you’ve been rolling around in the mud! Kailani, would you like to join us for dinner? We have plenty of food.”

Kailani’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Really? Thank you, Mrs. Zariah’s Mom!”

Carena stifled a giggle. “That’s not her name, Kailani!”

Kailani stuck out her tongue, unbothered. “Whatever, it works!”

As they walked back to Zariah’s house, Zariah’s dad appeared, holding up three towels. “Ah, look at these scruffy little adventurers! You three look like you just came back from conquering the world.”

Zariah took a towel and wrapped it dramatically around her shoulders like a cape. “I have! I’m the queen of the swings!”

Carena and Kailani burst into laughter, each grabbing a towel to copy her.

Once inside, the dining table was set with plates of steaming Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, lingonberry jam, and a fresh salad. Carena’s mouth watered, and she gave Zariah’s mom a bright, grateful smile. “It looks so good! Tack så mycket!”

Zariah’s mom patted her head. “You’re very welcome, sweetheart.”

As they ate, Kailani and Zariah got into a playful argument over who won the most races at the park, their voices getting louder and sillier. Carena listened, giggling as she quietly ate her food, but soon, Zariah leaned over with a mischievous grin. “Hey, Carena, how come you’re so quiet? You’re supposed to be the smartest one here, right? Who do you think won?”

Carena scrunched her nose, pretending to think hard. “Hmm… well, let me calculate…” She tapped her fork on her plate, then finally announced, “I think… I won!”

Kailani gasped, laughing, “You didn’t even race that much!”

Carena giggled, then shrugged innocently. “Exactly. I used my brains and saved all my energy for food.”

As they dug into their plates, the conversation naturally drifted to school. Kailani, who was munching on a meatball, perked up first. “I’m always wondering, how come you get to go to that fancy international school, Carena? Don’t you want to go to the same school as me and Zariah?”

Carena shrugged, nibbling at her mashed potatoes. “I like it. I get to learn about all kinds of different countries and meet kids from all over the world. And, um, the teachers don’t really speak Swedish, so I just have to stick with English.”

Zariah’s mom smiled warmly. “But we know you can still speak Swedish when you want to, can’t you, Carena?”

Carena looked a little shy, then replied in Swedish, “Ja, men bara lite.” (“Yes, but just a little.”)

Zariah’s parents exchanged a proud look. Zariah’s dad gave her an encouraging nod. “You’re already so good at it, Carena. And one day, you’ll be able to use all those languages together.”

Kailani nodded enthusiastically, joining the conversation in her own way. “Yeah! I know some Hawaiian too, so if we all learned each other’s languages, we could have a secret code! Like, we could say ‘aloha’ instead of ‘hello,’ and only we would know!”

Zariah gave her an amused look. “Pretty sure everyone knows ‘aloha,’ Kailani. But I bet Carena would be the best at learning new languages. She already sounds super fancy when she talks in English.”

Carena blushed, but smiled proudly. “Maybe… but you’re both really good too! And besides, it’s fun to have a mix of all the languages. It’s like having extra ways to talk about… everything!”

Zariah’s dad chuckled, patting Carena on the head. “We’ll keep it that way, then. Our little scientist may be too good for this world.”

Carena chuckled, “I know.”

Zariah and Kailani smiled, “There it is again, your arrogance.” Zariah said.

“Well..., It’s not my fault that I’m perfect.”

As they completed their meal, Zariah’s parents’ voices were filled with pride as they couldn’t help but admire Carena.

As she reached over to brush a lock of hair out of Carena’s face, Zariah’s mother said, “But you’re right, Carena, you’re so bright. It’s rare for someone your age to pick things up as fast as you do.”

Zariah’s father agreed with a nod, though his smile was tinged with a thoughtful concern. “That brilliance is a gift, Carena. Just remember that it can be lonely at the top. Be kind to those who are still climbing.”

Kailani beamed. “He’s right! You’re brilliant, Carena! A lovely little genius!” Carena smiled at the praise, but her father’s words echoed in her ears, a quiet warning she didn’t fully understand yet.

Carena smiled shyly as her cheeks reddened from their compliments.

-ooo-

“Compliments, huh…”

The thought was now a tasteless word on her tongue. Carena, 14, now known as Neptune stood at the rooftop’s edge, the 2 a.m. wind a cold slap against her skin. Below, the campus was a grid of disciplined shadows.

Her special-issue ID had parted every lock and blinded every sensor on her way up, a silent accomplice in her pilgrimage to the roof.

She wasn’t here to jump. She was here for the idea of it. The morbid curiosity of a physicist wondering about the terminal velocity of a human body, her body. But fear, a primal and unwelcome instinct, kept her feet glued to the concrete. So she had compromised, positioning herself directly over the web of scaffolding that clung to the building’s face. A safety net for a thought experiment.

Her phone felt heavy in her hand. Her thumb hovered over the chat log with Nerei. She had already retrieved her forgotten data drive from the computer lab; the excuse was ready.

Neptune: Nerei, hope you’re having a good night, but I think I will go back to the school building. I forgot something.

She typed another line, a half-hearted flare sent into the digital darkness.

Neptune: Just in case something happens.

She watched the message deliver to Nerei, who was miles away at her family’s home. Laome was much closer, asleep in her room in Kashiwa House just across the quad, but Neptune couldn’t bring herself to disturb her. Nerei was different, she had always been her anchor.

The reply was almost instant.

Nerei: No, you don’t. I will go there with you. Just wait a sec.

Neptune read the words but didn’t reply. She slid the phone into her hoodie and looked down again. The scaffolding was a promise that she wouldn’t fall too far. It was funny, she thought with a detached sort of irony. Her entire life here was a scaffold. This prestigious, secretive school, the demanding coursework, the quiet respect from her teachers, it was all an elaborate structure designed to hold her up, to keep the shattered parts of her from plummeting into the abyss.

But it didn’t fix the cracks. The praise she received now for her programming and math skills felt hollow, the same as the compliments that had once led to her ruin. At home, being a “genius” had meant love. At her old school, it had meant hatred. Here, it just meant… utility. She was useful. It was better than being a burden, she supposed. It was just empty.

The wind howled softly, a lonely sound. She wondered if the fall would be loud or quiet. Would it feel like flying, just for a moment? Her mind was now applying its cold logic to her own despair.

She wasn’t sad. Sadness was sharp. Hot.

This felt cold.

With a final, quiet sigh, Neptune turned her back on the precipice. The cold logic of her mind had won.

It was time to go back.

She took her first step away from the edge.

And then the wind stopped.

The silence it left behind felt wrong in a way she couldn't calculate.

She paused. The hairs on the back of her neck rose before her brain could name why.

But as she began to turn, she felt it.

A touch.

Cold and unnatural right on her shoulder.

She froze, every muscle locking in place. A primal terror she hadn’t felt in years seized her, overriding thought. Before she could even draw a breath to scream, a firm, deliberate pressure was applied to her back.

She slipped.

The world upended. The chaos of the fall slowed into a terrifying slow motion. Her perspective tilted, the city lights streaking into a dizzying smear below as her body spun through the night air. Her gaze was wrenched upwards, back to the rooftop from which she had been cast.

Against the stark, cold light of the moon stood a lone silhouette. Its features were completely obscured by shadow, its form a black void against the night sky. It was perfectly still. No face. No discernible form.

Her mind, ever the observer, noted the distance. It would calculate until the very end. She had always known it would.
“Genius…? If I really was one… I would have seen this coming.”

Time, which had seemed to slow, snapped back with a vengeance. The steel web of the scaffolding now lunged at her. She saw the specific cross-section of a steel beam rushing toward her head.

Instinct took over. She closed her eyes.

The impact was a combination of sickening noises, all happening at once. First, the wet, heavy crunch of her skull connecting with the steel beam. It was followed instantaneously by the sharp, resonant crack of her own bones and the high-pitched shriek of metal deforming under the force of the collision.

Her body collapsed into the structure.

Her neck snapped past any angle the cervical vertebrae were engineered to survive, a force her mind registered with detached clarity even as everything went dark.

Her left arm, threaded through the lattice of the scaffold, hung limp and useless. Her right leg was caught and twisted beneath her, shattering the bone with an audible snap that echoed briefly in the night. The momentum threw her limp form against another pole, and then she was still. Utterly, unnaturally still.

A dark, viscous pool began to spread slowly from beneath her white hair, staining the cold, galvanized steel a deep crimson. In the horrifying silence that followed the violence, the only light, the only sign of a world still moving, came from the phone lying inches from her mangled hand. Its screen glowed with a new, desperate message, a digital plea against a backdrop of ruin.

Nerei: NEPTUNE, DONT LEAVE ME ON READ. TALK TO ME