They stood quietly, staring at Vinci's house.
Everything was still. The sky dimmed with early evening light, and the world felt untouched. It was as if time had hit pause. Inside, the snacks they left before their journey were exactly where they had been. Not a crumb had moved.
It was surreal.
They had just accomplished the impossible. This was something the world only theorized and debated about.
They had traveled through time.
Wearing soft robes from ancient Greece, they stepped into the quiet street. No one spoke. One by one, they changed back into their everyday clothes, folding the ancient garments and slipping them into their bags. As much as they tried to return to normal, something had shifted inside them. After everything they had seen, "normal" didn't feel the same anymore.
A whole month had passed for them.
But here, barely a second had gone by.
They grabbed their backpacks. Vinci stayed behind; it was his house, after all. The others lingered a bit longer at the kitchen table, picking at leftover snacks and quietly discussing what they had just experienced.
They talked about Aristotle's wisdom, Alexander's passion, the scent of scrolls, and the chaos of the arena. They laughed at how easily they had fit into a time they were never meant to be part of.
Eventually, they stood up.
Einstein, Hawking, Eliza, and Maria headed out, carefully tucking away their ancient robes and gifts. But the real souvenirs were unspoken—the memories they now held deep inside.
When Maria walked through the door, her parents barely looked up from the couch.
"You're home early," her mom said, smiling. "Everything okay?"
Maria smiled back. "Yeah. Vinci's was fun."
Einstein went straight to his room. After a quick goodnight, he dropped his bag, plugged in his phone, and scrolled through their photos. Each one captured a moment pulled from history.
Eliza kissed her parents on the cheek, poured a glass of juice, and headed upstairs. She set a small silver pendant Alexander's gift ;on her nightstand. It caught the light just right as she climbed into bed.
Hawking walked into his room, set down his bag, and opened his notebook. He flipped through pages of notes and theories. Alexandria. Hypatia. He scribbled a few more lines, then leaned back and closed his eyes.
And Vinci sat alone, holding a sketch. Katerina was drawn from memory. Her smile, frozen in time. He traced the lines gently, his eyes lost in the fading light outside.
That night, they all slept deeply. Their dreams filled with glowing scrolls, echoing temples, and memories that stretched far beyond the present.
Monday Morning
The Geniuses woke early, back in their uniforms, bags packed again. Alongside textbooks and notebooks, they carried small reminders of the past ;folded robes, old coins, and the faint scent of parchment.
At school, the boys gathered under their usual tree. Maria was already there.
Early.
Sitting at her desk, flipping through a history book.
Focused.
Not scrolling. Not chatting. Just different.
Her friends walked in, expecting the usual. Maybe a TikTok rant or some drama. But Maria didn't even look up.
"I'm trying to learn something," she said calmly. "Please, girls."
They blinked. This wasn't the Maria they knew.Then she stood up.She turned to the class."Hey, Einstein," she called out.
Silence.
Last week, Maria and Einstein barely looked at each other.
Now every eye turned.
She smiled slightly. "Einstein, Hawking, Vinci, Eliza… they're my friends now. That's all."
Then she walked over and sat beside them. No drama. No explanation.
Just belonging.
They welcomed her in without hesitation. It already felt natural.
They pulled out their notebooks, laptops, even scrolls. Hawking shared his timeline. They debated whether to meet Hypatia as a young scholar or after she rose to fame. They scribbled ideas, passed notes, and quietly planned.
Then the teacher walked in.
The lesson began.
Break Time
The five of them walked the school grounds together. They laughed and whispered about Alexandria. They joked about lions in arenas and how hard it was to keep scrolls from unrolling.
All around them, students stared.
Whispers floated:
"Wait, is Maria hanging with them now?"
"Since when?"
"She's gone full brainiac…"
But the Geniuses didn't care.
They sat by the baobab tree, passing around dates and ideas. The past had changed them—not just what they saw, but how they saw themselves.
It wasn't about popularity anymore.
It was about purpose.
As the bell rang and the day wound down, Eliza leaned in with a smirk.
"So… when's our next trip?"
Hawking tapped his pen, thinking, then smiled.
"Tomorrow," he said. "We're going back."
"To meet Hypatia?" Vinci asked.
Hawking nodded. "To meet the legendary Hypatia of Alexandria."
They exchanged excited, focused, fearless looks.
Another chapter of history was waiting.
And they were ready...