The darkness lifted, and we were in a kit now.

  “Oh, it was like a like movie fade to bck transition thing,” I said. I zipped away from Oka when I caught that I was still ging to her. “Sorry!”

  “No, you’re fine,” Oka said. “I’m just trying to...get what we’re being shown here.”

  Kalei was sitting with Risa at a table as an older woman wearing sants, a t-shirt with an old singer on it, and flip flops.

  “Thank you fing her home, Kalei,” She said.

  “It’s nothing,” Kalei said. “You should have seen her.”

  Risa sniffed, haviher cried the entire night or started g right away when she woke up in the m.

  “And you carried her all this way so soon after your fangs came in too,” the woman said. “Do they still hurt?”

  “A little bit,” Kalei said, grinning to show off her teeth. “It’s nothing, though.”

  “She's very lucky to have a friend like you,” the woman said as she patted Risa's shoulders, prompting an “Ohhhh,” from Oka and I.

  “You know, this is a good thing, I think,” the woman said. “I don’t think people should be learning about...you know.”

  “Mom, it’s my passion,” Risa said. "Just because I lost my primary funder doesn't mean I 't start my sex-education business empire."

  "Her...what?" Oka asked.

  “I’ve said this before, but I’m putting my gosh darn foot down this time, Risa. I think it’d be best if you aren’t home schooled this fall. You're spending too much time on this."

  “But...public bathrooms...” Risa said.

  Oka and I snickered at that.

  “Kalei didn’t even ugh at that,” Oka said as she poi her. “She must really like this girl, right?”

  “Apparently,” I said. “But what’s Risa's deal then? This is so fusing."

  "It's almost...dreamlike," Oka said. "But like a dream where nothing makes sense...but you still feel the emotion of what's happening. If that makes sense."

  "Yeah, that's it exactly!" I said.

  “We just o find the right school for your specifieeds.” Risa's mother said.

  “I’d rather just keep w,” Risa said. “If I make enough money I just drop out of school.”

  “Well, hey,” Kalei said, fishing through her pockets. She handed Risa a piece of paper hastily torn out from an ad. “It’s a town away, but I’m starting my i job for the summer week. I see if they’d hire you too. Maybe they'd even fund your thing.”

  “i job?” I asked. Oka and I rushed to look at the ad. It had a picture of a hand grasping a bundle of sticks, with the text “Lonely? e work at BirchSceptre! We money and hire anyone!"

  “You know, like the ones we’ll have to do,” Oka said. “Our ‘civic duty,’ as they say.”

  “Who says that?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” Oka said. “It’s on the Benta though.”

  I knew i could get i specific jobs, but I had no idea what Kalei could be doing at a pce called BirchSceptere.

  “Whoa, look at her, though.” Oka said.

  Risa looked like she just had an incredible epiphany. She started sobbing, but like, joyously this time.

  “She's very dramatic.” Oka said.

  In a blink, we were outside a different house.

  “These fast shifts are making me nauseous,” I said.

  “Again, really missing your theater,” Oka said. “Sorry, Kalei, if you hear us. It's even like a dream having the setting randomly shift like that.”

  Risa and Kalei walked right through us, which did not help with my nausea. I thought of Oka’s “taste five things to ground yourself” thing and wondered if that would work in the void. Risa started searg through her backpack.

  “Fet something?” Kalei asked.

  “No, there’s just,” Risa said, pulling out a box of chocotes. “Ugh.”

  “Oh, a gift?” Kalei asked. They didn’t look like romantic chocotes, they had a pin ing.

  “It’s from…him,” Risa said. "An apology for not funding my project."

  “Ah,” Kalei said. “Chuck em! You’re doh that crap. I’ll take em if you don’t want them.”

  “Go for it,” Risa said, handing them to Kalei. She tore them open immediately and grabbed a handful.

  “Oh, these are awful,” Kalei said with her mouth full, grabbing another handful to eat. “Are these even chocote?”

  “Maybe stop eating them if they’re so bad?” Risa said.

  “No,” Kalei said. She wolved down the whole box the out a big burp.

  “Stop thinking about him,” Kalei said. “We have to do this."

  “I know,” Risa said.

  “It’s just an interview,” Kalei said. “Calm down. It might take your mind off ya know, too.”

  “But what if we don’t get the job?” Risa said. “What if you do and I don’t?”

  “We’ll be fine, dude,” Kalei said. She knocked on the door, which made Risa flinch.

  “Is this where her job is?” I asked.

  “We’re a town away then if it is,” Oka said.

  “Who’s there?” Someone asked from behind the door.

  “It’s Kalei, i job.” Kalei said. “And…”

  Kalei elbowed Risa. “Uh, it’s me Risa. I’m here for a job…the job interview.”

  “Do you know the secret of the order of BARLOK? Of the thousand shoeces of truth? The tris of wisdom?

  “No.” Kalei said.

  “Hm. Do you both really think you’re prepared to make fake sticks here?”

  “Uh...yes?” Kalei said.

  The door stayed closed for a few moments until nky guy wearing a tight pinstripe suit opehe door.

  “Well let’s go!” The guy said. “Yon all kinds in if you keep the door open too long. I introduced myself on the phone, right? Asteri Algeneo, of BirchSceptre!”

  I noticed Asteri didn’t offer his hand, which made me immediately distrust him due to my sister’s handshake training.

  “I suppose we’re all kinds,” I said as we followed the two inside.

  “Did he say they make fake sticks?” Oka asked.