Ultraviolet Catastrophe

If I had to go to this school, at least things might be looking up.

“That would be really great. You have no idea how nervous I am at starting.”

“I bet. Just a friendly warning? Our classmates take themselves very seriously.”

“Oh? How so?”

“Succeeding at QT is a matter of life and death to most of these kids. They think the work they do here will determine their futures. They’re not going to go out of their way to be friends with you, especially if you can’t keep up.”

That was the problem. I didn’t know if I could keep up. Sure, I had weird, freaky moments when I knew something I shouldn’t have or my brain made some crazy leap to find an answer, but now that I knew I’d never really used my full potential, how did that translate to learning physics and robotics and engineering?

I squared my shoulders and looked Asher in the eye, sounding a hell of a lot braver than I felt. “Then I don’t need them as friends.”

His smile was almost proud. “I like you, Lexie Kepler.”

5

Monday morning, I stared up at the friendly, brick manor that held the Quantum Technologies facility. The windows glowed in the late August sunlight, but I was too busy trying to remember how to breathe to admire it. I forced the air in and out of my lungs. The last thing I needed was to have a panic attack my first day of school.

I’d gotten a text from Mom that morning. She said she was safe and not to worry, she just wanted to wish me good luck today. She’d apologized again for lying. For leaving me with Dad. I hadn’t forgiven her yet, but I couldn’t help but miss her. She was my mom. She’d been there for every first day of school. It didn’t help that Dad and I were still barely talking. Every time he opened his mouth, all I heard were more lies.

Fear and doubt had kept me awake most of the night, circling through my head like hungry vultures. Most of my classes back home had been Advanced Placement, but these kids were geniuses. They’d probably learned particle physics and quantum mechanics in kindergarten.

I pushed those thoughts away and focused on not puking up my breakfast.

“Coming, Lex?” Dad held the door open for me.

I stepped through the door and the crisp, air-conditioned breeze made me glad I’d grabbed a sweater, although I shivered despite it, wrapping my arms around my waist.

“Good morning, Dr. Kepler. Lexie.” Sam, the guard at the desk, waved us through, and Dad punched the call button for the elevator.

“Classes at QT are a little different from what you’re used to. We don’t have grades exactly — we have levels. And because Quantum High is so small, each level only has around thirty students. They’ve put you in Level Two — so really, you’re still a sophomore.”

Dad flashed me a smile, like he thought it was a good thing. Frankly, I wouldn’t have minded starting out at Level One with how stupid I felt.

“That’s not exactly helping. I don’t even know how to compete with these kids. Are they college level? Beyond?”

He furrowed his eyebrows. “I suppose most of these students would be at a graduate school level, but the QT school is different from most, so it’s hard to judge. You might be behind for a little while, but I’m sure you’ll catch up in no time.”

The elevator opened, and we stepped inside. “Good morning, Dr. Kepler. Good morning, Lexie.”

The voice almost made me jump out of my skin and I glanced up at the ceiling, but Dad didn’t even blink. “Good morning, Ellie. Two, please.” Dad frowned and shifted his weight. “Your advisor for the year is Dr. Michael Avery. He’s very smart, but he can be…eccentric. Just stand up to him and you’ll be fine.”

The name rang a bell, and I remembered he was the same guy Dad and Dr. Rosen had been talking about the other day. The one in trouble. I raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t elaborate.

Instead, he said, “In the meantime, I’ll see what else I can come up with to help you get caught up.” Dad put an arm around my shoulders and squeezed. “You’ll be fine Lex. I promise. The kids here are all nice. Nothing to worry about.”

Tell that to my stomach.

But I wanted Dad to think everything was fine. That I could handle it. “Nah, I’m sure everyone will welcome me like a long-lost friend. We’ll be one big, happy nerd herd.”

We got out at the second floor, and Dad tilted his head to stare at me. Evidently, I needed to tone down the sarcasm.

“Want me to walk you to your classroom?”

I shook my head. “I’ll be fine.” Everyone already knew I was Dr. Kepler’s daughter. I didn’t need to rub it in.

“I’ll meet you in the library after your classes are over. We’ll grab dinner.”

I turned down the hall and raised a hand. “See you tonight.”

Dad nodded, but I could feel his gaze on me as I made the trek toward my classroom. The door seemed further and further away with each step, and I let out a sigh of relief when I finally turned the corner out of his sight. The weight of his worry was rubbing off, and I didn’t need to feel any worse than I already did. I adjusted my messenger bag on my shoulder and wiped my sweating palms on my jeans before I stepped into the room.

The blank stares of twenty other students greeted me. They looked like any other kids at any other high school, but I knew they were smarter than most of the world’s population. I sat down at the long conference table filling the room. Nervous laughter bubbled to my lips, and I shifted in the chair to pull my tablet out of my bag. Freaking out was not an option. I needed to focus on something else before I embarrassed myself.

I pretended to check email while sneaking glances around the room to get my bearings. The place looked more like a boardroom than a classroom. There was a huge whiteboard at one end, and a buffet table with orange juice, water, and coffee set out at the other.

A few more students trickled in, looked curiously at me, and took a seat as far away from me as possible. My hands trembled, and I clenched them together. Asher was right. These people didn’t want anything to do with me.

But I’d learned early on at my old high school to show no fear or they’d eat you alive. So I pasted a bored expression to my face and played a game on my tablet. That way I didn’t have to meet anyone’s gaze.

A pretty girl with dark skin and springy curls slid into the chair beside me, and hope made my pulse speed up. Her backpack was almost bigger than she was, and she kicked at it so it would fit under the conference table before turning to me. “You’re the new girl.”