At the start of summer two years earlier, a dry season had the effect of a geyser nosebleed on me stantly. Fearing that it was some kind of i thing, Stel demanded I go to the doctor about it. 3WMB said I robably dying, but not yet, so I wasirely an anxious mess about it. That day I was in front of a framed picture of a mountaintop and was wishing I was at its base reading instead of holding a towel to my nose, with my Raina Starlight book on my p, with a bit of nosebleed on it, as I was not yet good at blood to book avoidance.

  “Long day, huh?"

  A girl had sat down by me. I wondered why she wao sit by someone who looked like such a total mess. I just nodded since I couldn’t really say anything with all the towel in my face.

  “Is that a Raina Starlight book?” She asked.

  I nodded more eagerly. She knew Raina Starlight? Nobody ever talked to me about her books. Suddenly the girl broke into dramatics. She stood up and put one foot on her chair and struck a pose with an arm stretched forward. “I am a dream, floating from headache to headache in a foggy daze, never knowing what's really real but still feeling the empty gray, the color of sorrow, the ohat is seeping into all facets of our lives.”

  I was floored for a few moments. That was a big spee Raina’s first book. This girl knew one of my favorite parts off the top of her head. She looked a bit embarrassed by my silend got off the chair, and I wished I could finish the quote.

  “Sorry, that was so dorky,” She said. “I’m Jeans, by the way.”

  Jeans had a pink and white striped shirt and denim overalls on, and I knew if I had the immediate ability to speak, I would have blurted out something stupid asking if she only wore denim because her name is Jeans. I opehe front of the book where I had my name written in.

  “Zeta, huh?” Jeans said. “o meet you.”

  Jeans smiled, and I could see her i fangs.

  I felt a bit better with someone who’d already gohrough that there with me. Frequent nosebleeds were a i Potential Moment, as described by 3WMB.

  “Is that your mom?” Jeans said, pointing over to Stel. I shook my head and tried to figure out a gesture that expined sisterhood without looking like a total idiot. I probably could have talked too, but I had a few nightmare moments the st few nosebleeds where talking with towel to face resulted in catastrophe. Somehow Jeans uood my rapid bad forth pointing.

  “Oh, you two are sisters?” She said.

  I nodded. I peeled the towel away from my nose, and mercifully it seemed the bleeding had slowed down enough. I could actually say things again!

  “I’m Zeta,” I said. “You read that, but I feel like I should say it out loud too. I’d shake your hand but as you see, I have bled all over myself.”

  Jeans ughed. “You don’t o shake my hand,” She said. “That’s so business-y.”

  “My sister said I should always shake someone’s hand if I meet them,” I said. “She said it sets the dynamics of the retionship or something weird like that. She drilled it into me, so I guess I do it on and.”

  Silearted to set in, and I assumed I’d ruined a friendship already with how much of a dweeb I was.

  "You’re oddly chill about talking to someone covered in blood,” I said.

  “It’s not that weird.” Jeans said. “If you were like in immediate danger, I would probably just call somebody over. It’s just a nosebleed, right?”

  “Or a i Potential Awakening Moment,” I said.

  “It probably would have happened by now if it was,” Jeans said. “Hey, I actually have to go…”

  “Oh, well it was nice meeting you, Jeans.” I said.

  “But there is ohing I wao say,” Jeans said. “There’s a reason I came to talk to you.”

  “Oh,” I said. “The boht?”

  “You’re the cutest person I’ve ever seen in my life.” Jeans said. I don’t know if she ran off or if I just sat there stunned until a old me to proceed to the examination room, but I robably as red as my nosebleed when they did.

  The stage went dark. We opened again on me in my apartment.

  It was the start of that summer still. I had spent a week feeling fluttery about my brief enter with Jeans. I obviously didn’t tell Stel, but I did make some searches ohat I had to immediately clear my history about that just made me more fused. Other than that, it was a regur summer night, and I was in the middle of my routine of refreshing browsers and flipping through els oV.

  “Ashli ‘Kitty’ Kinder has e under fire for her treatment of her hometown, but you believe someohis cute could be capable of mass assaults? We don’t think so.”

  “A startling new report suggests that hair length is tied to higher risk of…”

  “The Order of Terina swears vengeance against those who don’t follow the path of Endora…”

  “We have aing interview with the i prodigy Jeae Dusk after beginning her void experiment…”

  “Tower of Hate and Love’s new season premieres in just a few weeks. Last season’s fi critical accim. Who won’t this guy kill? Not the show’s ratings, that’s for sure…”

  It took me a sed to catch it. While I did love Tower of Hate and Love, I flipped back to the el before.

  “el 2400 is proud to say we ducted one of the first interviews with Jeae Dust before she ehe void to begin her 'Harmony' project.”

  It cut to an interview with Jeae Dusk, and I nearly flopped off the couch when I saw her. Jeans.

  Jeans looked just like she had at the hospital. Her eyes were almost hypnotizing even on TV.

  “Jeae, you’re only fifteen, and you’re already off to a legendary career. you tell us anything about this Harmony project you’re venturing into the void for today?” The interviewer asked her.

  Jeans looked a bit sheepish.

  “Well, I think it’s something that’ll bring a lot of people together,” Jeans said. “We look at the void world as a pce to train aronger, but it be so much more. It’s not ready yet, but I think it’ll be amazing.”

  “You certainly live up to that niame,” the reporter said. “Are you going to be able to bahis projed school?”

  “Definitely,” Jeans said. “I ’t wait to go bace summer’s over.”

  I had moved up close to the TV.

  “And which school do you go to?”

  “Wildfire Hearts!” Jeans said. “It’s the best i school going today.”

  “I won’t be surprised if teachers there will be asking you for help with the project there, Jeahe reporter said before a forced goofy ugh. “We’ll all be waiting for whatever you do .”

  I so my feet as the news report ehat was her. I just talked to her. And then she was on TV.

  “Hi, Zeta,” Jeans said behind me as I yelped and nearly flew through the ceiling from a mighty flinch.

  I hid in front of the couch. I was just dreaming that, right? I worked up the o slowly turn around to face her. And there Jeans was, in my apartment. Stel didn’t wake up, which to be fair I yelled in sudden shock a lot, so she was numb to that already.

  “I look awful in that,” Jeans said. “And they said my st name wrong. How’d your appoi go?”

  “It’s you,” I said. “How are you here?”

  Jeans just smiled as my words came out almost accusatory. I realized I ointing at her and bashfully put my hand down.

  “Maybe we should step outside a some fresh air.” Jeans said.