Trish was waiting for me at the end of the corridor.
She stood in another circular chamber, smaller than the last, with a single pedestal at its center and no bookshelves, no windows, no doors except the one I'd just walked through. Her amber eyes found mine immediately, and something in her posture relaxed.
"You're late," she said.
"The other me was chatty."
"The other you?"
"I'll explain later. Or maybe I won't. Depends on how much I want to relive it."
She didn't push. Instead, she stepped aside and gestured to the pedestal. Resting on top was another book, smaller than the first, bound in what looked like white leather.
"Yours?"
"Mine," she confirmed. "The trial was... different from what I expected."
"What did it test?"
She was quiet for a moment, her fingers tracing the edge of the pedestal.
"Love," she finally said. "Or obsession. I'm not sure which. Maybe both."
"Did you pass?"
"I'm here, aren't I?"
