Rhodoreef

15. The Magic Trick

If there was one force that worked in mysterious ways, woven into the very fabric of nature, that was probability. It decided the position of a tiny particle of light—an event that no one could predict with certainty. Now, out of the wave of possible states Dea could be in right now, she had collapsed into this one by the roll of the cosmic dice.

She gawped like a grouper fish while a rainbow of emotions lit up her face. "What?"

"What was that, dear? I think you forgot to type it out in that little phone you've got hidden in your bag." Shiromi chuckled, her chest heaving with the motion. "Yes, it's exciting that we have a distinguished guest coming in today."

Breaking out of inertia, her fingers pecked an up-tempo beat on the ogi screen. "When is your guest arriving?"

Before the woman could respond, a gaggle of young girls rushed downstairs. The staircase groaned under the volley of patters, betraying its age behind a cheerful veneer.

"Ma'am, we were wondering," one started to say, but faltered at the sight of Dea. "Who is she?"

"This is Dea," Shiromi said with her ever-present smile. "She's a foreigner. She'll be staying with us today."

Dea barely had time to react before the girls flocked around her, followed by a barrage of alien words. They introduced themselves and admired the Cypod as if it were a shiny toy. They're not so different from the kids at school!

Shiromi shook her head with a wheezy laugh and ambled off. One of the girls trotted after her, asking something the ogi couldn't decipher.

Time flew by while Dea dodged some questions while answering others.

"Where are you from?"

"What app are you using? It sounds so weird."

"Why are you hiding your phone?"

"Your hair's so pink! Can I know what dye you're using?"

She flashed a smile and decided to answer the last question. "It's not dye."

Their exclamations tinkled in the air, and a tiny girl called Mihiri blurted out, "How?"

"It's from a pigment called astaxanthin."

"But that's not possible!"

Oh, wait, humans only come in a select few hair colors! Dea's smile broadened. "It's a rare genetic condition."

A buzz of bemusement greeted her statement.

Before the conversation could continue, she held up a hand. "Now it's my turn."

They fell quiet and watched expectantly as Dea composed her question, "When is Dilip coming?"

Mihiri scrutinized the clock hanging on the wall. "Two hours and ten minutes."

"Two hours?" Dea croaked before remembering that she had to type it out.

The revelation dragged her down like three Earths worth of gravity. Right when she thought the stars aligned to bless her momentous reunion with Dilip, they now mocked her with this nerve-wracking dilemma. It was as if she sank right back into the abyssal realm.

Setting aside time for the return journey, she only had half an hour left.

"Oh, you like him too?" a chubby girl asked with a grin and turned to her friend. "So he's popular everywhere then."

"He's got a lot of followers, Jee."

"Where is he?" Dea interrupted. "I need to meet him now."

The kids appeared taken aback by the urgency she exhibited.