The hot water ran down my back, warm and steady, softening muscles I hadn't realized were tight. I leaned into it, letting the lavender scent swirl around me. Nadia hovered at the controls, checking the temperature every few moments as if I were made of spun glass.
"You like the lavender soap, huh?" she asked. "That's the shampoo."
Shampoo. The word felt clumsy but pleasant. "It smells… comforting," I said.
She lathered her hands and worked the foam into my hair, gentle but thorough. As the water rinsed it away, the brown faded from the strands, revealing my natural silver inch by inch.
Nadia froze. "Your hair… it's silver! I swear it was brown before!"
"It was a concealment spell," I said. "Just something to blend in."
"A spell," she whispered, eyes-wide with awe, like she was holding a secret forbidden fruit.
When she finally handed me a towel, I held it carefully at first, studying the texture, how it absorbed water, how soft it was. Everything here was designed differently… strangely clever.
The clothes were laid out on a bench: white pants with torn-out patches at the knees.
"They're broken," I said.
"They're fashion," Nadia corrected with a grin.
I pulled them on easily enough. Then she handed me a shirt with bold letters across the front: Linkin Park.
"What does it say?" I asked.
She paused. "You can't read it."
I shook my head. She replaced it with a plain black shirt—smooth, form fitting, slightly cropped. I slipped it on.
Nadia stared a moment too long. "…You look hot," she muttered under her breath.
She turned away quickly, reaching for her piercings soaking in a small cup of sharp-smelling liquid. Her outfit was all black—structured, sleek, with metallic accents. She put each piece of metal back into place with practiced precision.
My armor was shoved into my bag, which she placed in a locker. She typed a code, and I watched the metal door pop open. The whole thing felt like a riddle solved by numbers alone. Locks here weren't enchanted, but mechanical—precise, repeatable, clever. I couldn't look away.
Once everything was set, Nadia asked, "Want me to braid your hair?"
"Sure."
Her fingers wove the silver strands into neat braids. When she finished, I felt more like myself again—and also a stranger to this world at the same time.
⸻
Back in the classroom, Adam's eyes widened. "Wow… you look amazing." Then he cleared his throat as if embarrassed. "I, uh, contacted someone who can make you an ID. Birth certificate, documents… the things you need to exist here."
"I don't know what those are," I said honestly.
"I'll explain later."
But even with all the new concerns, one question clung to me like cold air.
"How… how can I get back home?"
Adam's face softened. "We'll figure that out." His tone was gentle, but his eyes betrayed him. He didn't know.
⸻
A while later, we walked through the campus toward the parking lot. Adam leaned closer. "For now, stay silent while I talk with Eugene… ah, never mind that. You didn't hear his name. And we were never here."
Something about the way he said it made my stomach tighten. Whatever we were doing wasn't exactly lawful. But I understood enough to know that from here, I just needed to follow.
We reached a building in a quiet row of nearly identical structures. Adam knocked. No response.
Two knocks. Pause.
Two knocks. One more.
A code? Interesting.
While we waited, I watched a group of people walk by, their faces obscured by low hoods. Near a crack in the ground, ants carried crumbs into a tiny hill. It was oddly comforting that some creatures existed in both worlds.
The door opened slightly, held by a chain.
"You followed?" a voice asked.
"No," Adam said. "Not on a rainy day like this."
I opened my mouth to point out that it wasn't raining, but he silenced me with a look.
The chain slid loose. "Come in. Don't touch anything. Mother's rearranging the living room and making cookies."
⸻
Inside, I was struck immediately by the smell. Sweet, warm, rich. My mouth watered before I even saw the source.
An older woman stood in the kitchen, stirring a bowl with a wooden spoon. Her other hand was wrapped in a cloth glove. On the counter sat a pile of warm, golden circles.
"Ah! Friends of Gene," she said with a bright smile. "Would you like some cookies?"
Adam glanced at Eugene—black hair styled stiffly, clothes sharp and dark like Nadia's.
Eugene shrugged. "Your call. As long as I'm paid, go ahead."
Adam grinned. "Sure would, madam. My, you look stunning today. Is that new nail polish?"
Her face lit up instantly. "Why yes! Me and the girls got them done this morning. You two take two cookies each."
I did not need to be told twice.
The cookie was warm and gooey, and tasted like childhood I never had.
⸻
Upstairs, Adam handed Eugene a large yellow package. Eugene opened it with practiced hands. "Alright," he said. "Step on the scale."
"The what?"
"The digital scale." He pointed.
I stepped onto it.
Calculating…
34 lbs.
Both men blinked.
"Adam. Step on it," Eugene said.
Adam complied.
Calculating…
234 lbs.
He looked at Eugene sharply. "Not a word. I'll double it."
Eugene swallowed. "Over a broken scale? Not my problem."
They moved on quickly. Height: 5'10". Eye color: blue, since amethyst was not acceptable on any registry. A bright flash captured my likeness for the photos.
"Almost done," Eugene muttered. "How old are you? Birthday?"
"Birthday?" I echoed.
Adam jumped in. "Just mark her as nineteen."
Eugene scratched it down. "Done."
He handed a stack of papers to Adam. "Full identity packet. No state license. That has to be done legally."
Adam nodded, tucking the documents away.
And just like that—
I existed on paper in this world.