Wattys shortlist 2021. One morning the sun rises a few hours early, striking levitating skyscrapers in Soliara ahead of schedule. People in the streets stop to look up at the sky and then down at their watches. Most of them, puzzled but disbelieving...
Carelessly Nova danced from her apartment in Potestas Tower with a light step, moving right off down the hall.
And so, when the glass chandelier plunged from the ceiling outside her room, she escaped its fatal crash with a careless grace. It wasn't until a hundred crystal lights broke against the floor but not before the last had shattered that Nova realized what was happening, but by then instinct and luck had saved her from destruction.
She sprung around instantly, even before the last bulb had broken, and looked without seeing the threat to her life.
"That could have ended badly," she said out loud, her eyes narrow as if squinting would bring an explanation into focus out of the shards of glass.
But it didn't, and she had to be going, so she went on her way, putting the death trap out of her mind. Custodians ran from all directions with brooms to sweep up the destruction, and Nova danced away without care.
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The shortest chapter of all time. I'm thinking of this as a deleted scene that I needed to add back in to connect to the next chapter, so, without further ado, I give to you, Chapter XLIII (43)!
