The swirling colors of the interdimensional corridor flickered and pulsed like lightning trapped inside jelly. Candace Tetravin and Linda Sherman landed hard on a metallic platform, tumbling in a tangle of limbs and gasps.
"Ow… Linda, are you sitting on my back?"
"Sorry! This place is… AWESOME!" Linda squealed, hopping to her feet. "Are we in a video game?!"
Before Candace could respond, they heard footsteps. Fast.
> "Wait—did you hear that?" Jake's voice.
Reggie spun around. His eyes widened. "Candace?! Linda?!"
The rest of the group turned, expressions of shock and horror spreading like wildfire.
Jake's voice cracked. "What are you two doing here?!"
Candace stood, brushing dust from her hoodie. "I could ask you the same thing."
Isabella looked like she'd seen a ghost. "Linda… you followed me?!"
Linda pouted. "Because you never let me help with your cool secret science stuff anymore!"
Vanessa crossed her arms. "Okay, this is bad. If anyone else finds out…"
Candace's smirk returned. "Relax. I'm not gonna rat you out."
Reggie narrowed his eyes. "What do you want, then?"
"Answers." Candace's tone dropped. "You've all been acting different. You vanished for an hour. Now you're popping through portals like it's a Saturday hobby. So either spill it... or I'll tell Mom."
Jake sighed. "Fine. You want the truth? Here it comes."
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🧠 Revelations in the Rift
In a corner of the dimension, the group huddled near a large glowing crystal platform while Reggie began explaining everything. The dimension, the time difference, the Phantom Bands, the Mythatrix, Arcanodrive, and Dimenswatch—and the mysterious forces that seemed to ripple through realities.
Candace's teasing expression slowly faded as she listened.
"So... you're basically sci-fi superheroes now?"
"Pretty much," Reggie replied. "And we need to keep it secret."
Linda clapped her hands. "This is the coolest thing ever!"
Candace crossed her arms, quiet for a moment. Then she looked at Jake and Reggie with an unusual seriousness.
"I'm proud of you both," she said softly. "But… this? This is way over your heads. You're kids. Even if you're smart—especially if you're smart—you can't handle this alone."
"We're not alone," Jake said. "We have each other."
That earned a slow nod from Candace.
> "Okay. Then I'm in. But I'm keeping an eye on you."
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