The interrogation proceeded in a sealed white space made of hard light. A constant buzzing sound filled the backdrop; it screamed like cicadas in May. Caroline kneeled with bands of light around her body, sealing her in pce. She could only move her head at the moment. Her other friends were completely still and unresponsive. It looked like they were frozen in time. Caroline turned her head back to Scale and the conversation continued.

  “They say history repeats. It constantly moves in a circle, like a wheel, turning over and over forever—”

  “What does this have to do with why you tried to kill Harper?”

  “I’m getting there. Be patient.” Caroline scoffed and tilted her head to the side. Her expression remained perfect. It was as murky as stagnant water. “As I said, time is a wheel.”

  “It’s not. Time isn’t a wheel.” Scale quipped.

  “Would you let me finish my story?”

  “Fine, fine.”

  “Time is a wheel. My ability lets me see the spokes. Everyone thinks that my ability is reted to bck magic or mental corruption, but it’s not. I can see future timelines and overp versions of someone with an alternate future version, often causing mental strain.”

  “That makes zero sense.”

  “I’m telling you that’s how it works!”

  “Time is linear. You can only reverse or forward it. Reaching into branching paths isn’t possible.”

  “But I can do it.” Caroline smirked. “And how is it any different from reversing time and then making changes, creating a new path? Is that not a branch?”

  “Ah.” Scale frowned. “It’s hard to expin but they’re not the same. Let's move on. For the sake of argument, let's say you can predict branching timelines—which you can’t—that still doesn’t answer my question. Why did you kill Harper?”

  “Technically, I haven’t killed her. A future version of me did, but that was written out of the timeline.”

  “Don’t get coy with me.”

  “I’m not being coy. You’re punishing me for a crime I haven’t committed.”

  “Ah.” Scale pinched her forehead in exasperation. The conversation wasn’t moving. She decided to py along. “Why did you want to kill Harper?”

  “Revenge.”

  “Gonna add any context, chief?”

  “No.”

  “Gonna expin how your whole ‘time is a wheel schtick pys into it, chief?”

  “Maybe.”

  Scale’s hand opened and closed a few times in succession and her nose wrinkled. Her eyes gnced towards the other two girls currently still frozen in time, considering waking them, before returning to Caroline.

  “I really don’t want to torture a kid,” said Scale.

  “Then don’t.”

  “Ah.” Scale’s foot pressed down and cracked the white space beneath it. The sound was enormous and the broken floor looked like shattered porcein. “You’re really fucking annoying.”

  “Should a Judge be so quick to anger?”

  “...” Scale furrowed her brow. She looked down at the kneeling girl. A thousand thoughts blipped through her mind in an instant, and a thousand questions followed. She picked the best one. “What is your Consteltion’s name?”

  “The One Who Fights Fate.” Caroline reyed the name of her sponsor with a careful articution. Her voice never faltered. Her eyes never wavered. Her stoic and impassive demeanor seemed almost transcendent.

  “You’re not afraid to out them?”

  “Why would I be?”

  “You seemed to know a lot about me...”

  “Of course. I already told you. Time is a wheel and I can see the spokes.”

  “It’s like trying to reason with a brick wall,” said Scale in a whisper full of exasperation.

  “I also know you’re the only Consteltion to descend in their true body. And I know how you did it.”

  “Now that’s interesting,” said Scale. Her expression lightened for the first time during this conversation. “You know these secrets but not that I’m able to get your Consteltion killed?”

  “Oh! No. I knew that, too.”

  “But you said you weren’t afraid—”

  “Why would I be afraid? It’s my Consteltion that’s at risk, not me.”

  “Ah.” Scale tilted her head to the left. “Why are you so certain you’re not at risk too?”

  “A Judge values justice. You wont kill me.”

  “You have a lot of confidence in me.”

  “No. It’s not confidence. I’ve seen the spokes. I already know how I will die—”

  “I don’t think your ability works like you think it does.” Scale interrupted the girl.

  “... How do you think it works?”

  “Something like probability manipution. At least based on my observation of you desperately using it this entire time to no avail. The magic seals on your body are stopping all your meridians. It’s a waste of effort.”

  “What’s the difference between altering probability and seeing the future?” Caroline’s impassive face and steady tone made this question seem genuine even while she continually tried to move her blocked mana, beating a brick wall with a soft sponge.

  Scale leaned close to Caroline and grinned. “Because if you really could see the future then you’d have seen me interfering and capturing you.”

  “That’s not fair,” stated Caroline.

  “How so?”

  “You’re not mortal. Of course you can easily intervene in fate. How can my power possibly see through a god?”

  “Not a god, but that sounds like an excuse.”

  “It’s not.”

  “Ah. Think whatever you want. That’s fine.” Scale waved her hand dismissively. “I’m getting bored of this. You’re clearly not going to tell me what I want to know.” Scale could tell that torturing the girl in front of her wouldn’t change anything. It was frustrating. There was clearly a lot of enmity between Caroline and Harper, and it seemed like neither would tell Scale the story.

  Scale turned around and walked towards the shimmering exit.

  “Hey!” Caroline yelled, raising her voice for the first time. “Aren’t you going to refreeze my head?”

  Scale ignored her and walked out of the subspace. “Nah, don’t feel like letting you sleep. Why don’t you take some time to think about what you’ve done—Err, think about what you were about to do.” Her voice lingered behind after she vanished.

  Quiet returned to the white void. Caroline’s chin fell towards the floor. But when she raised her face, it became clear she wasn’t expressing disappointment. Her mouth was twisted into a genuine, mad smile. Her right eye shined with bck light.

  “I’m tired.” Her voice grew dim. Her perfect expressions sank beneath the tide of exhaustion. Dark circles spread under her eyes. Her Cheshire smile didn’t falter.

  Caroline coughed and then spoke to the void, finally answering the question she had refused to answer when asked earlier: “I killed her because Harper is the protagonist…”

  She paused. Her glowing eye took in the entire subspace with its bck light. Ominous magic twisted through the white world.

  “And I am the vilin.”

  Scale looked up at the approaching dawn. She cracked her neck to the side and leapt forward, crossing the city in a second.

  Arriving at the roof of a rge apartment building, Scale made her way down the elevator and used her copy of the key to enter the apartment. Booming snores greeted her. Her father had fallen asleep in his recliner. Scale sighed. She turned off the television and picked up the old man with gentle hands. She took note of how light he felt as she carried him. She tucked him into his bed and cast a powerful spell to ensure he slept well. He probably wouldn't wake up until noon based on the smell of alcohol on his breath.

  “Hey.” Alyssa spoke from behind her in a quiet voice, having arrived at the doorway. Scale turned around.

  “Hey.” Scale repeated the soft greeting. The two sisters smiled.

  Alyssa pulled two beer bottles from behind her back. “Drinks?”

  “Gods, yes.”

  “Let’s go to my room so we don’t wake dad.”

  Scale followed Alyssa and soon found an odd sight. In Alyssa’s room there was another person waiting…

  “Why is Sarah kneeling in the corner with her hands up?” Scale asked.

  “Revenge,” Alyssa replied curtly.

  “... Just give me the beer,” said Scale with a frown at hearing the familiar line. A vein bulged on her forehead.

  “Catch.”

  The two popped the bottles. Escaping fizz sounded like a hissing cat. They tapped the necks of their drinks and each took a swig. The small drinking party was unpnned, but it felt natural. The fancy beer Scale couldn't pronounce the name of tasted like apples.

  Outside the window the morning sun started its long rise, breaking up the night gray. The city sparkled as skyscraper windows caught the nascent light. Below, thousands of workers were starting their day, but from up in the apartment those workers looked like little ants marching. No one said anything. They just sat for a moment and watched the pink sky.