“What do you mean he’s gone?” Rella asked.

“He wasn’t in the bathroom, ok?” Geno replied. “You think he’s gone home?” he asked Aubrie.

“It’s not like I know him well enough to know that,” Aubrie replied. “It’s a bit of a social faux-pas, but… I think we’ve established he’s not so good at those. So who knows where his limits are?”

“True. So, Geno, d’you see any cracks?” Rella asked. Geno looked at her blankly.

“Say what?” he asked.

“Don’t you know anything?” Rella asked incredulously. She then noticed Aubrie looked just as confused by the question as Geno. “Do either of you even know how the Monster in the Mirror’s story got started?”

When both Aubrie and Geno were unable to answer, Rella let out a dramatic sigh, throwing her hands in the air. “You both! Need! To talk! To more people!” she loudly declared, earning her glares from the few other patrons and a working waitress. She paid them no mind. “Ever wonder where those hairline cracks in a mirror come from?” she asked.

“Nah,” Geno answered.

“Doesn’t it come from heat shock or something like that?” Aubrie asked.

“I don’t care what the actual science explanation is, according to the myth, those hairline fractures are all that’s left after the Monster in the Mirror has grabbed you,” Rella explained. “So if you see a tiny, itty-bitty, little crack in the mirror in the men’s. Then maybe our friend Liam got grabbed and maybe he’s in Soporifick right now and in danger right now.”

“Oh,” said Aubrie. She turned to Geno. “Did you check for that?”

“Well, no,” Geno started answering. He sat down.

“Geno, can you go and check? Now?” Aubrie asked.

“Why me?” Geno complained.

Rella laughed. “Eugene, my love, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but me and Aubrie here are women. Why in the world could we go to the men’s?”

He looked between his two team mates and frowned.

“We need more guys on the team,” Geno muttered, getting up.

“You going now?” Aubrie asked.

“Stop pestering me!” he retorted, with his back still turned to them.

When he walked into the men’s bathrooms, all looked as it did before. Pleasantly clean, well-lit, a distinct lack of annoying snob. He looked up at the open window in the back that Liam had to have climbed through. The teacher’s pet had taken his bag with him when he went to the toilet. What reason would he have to do that?

The girls probably just made him leave so they could steal more of his chips.

He walked over to the mirrors above the sink and started checking them for cracks. Just because, well, the girls had a point. It wasn’t like they could come and check the mirrors themselves and he couldn’t lie to Aubrie and claim he’d checked.

And, if he was honest with himself, he couldn’t lie to Rella either.

The two were the first friends, the first real friends he’d made in years. He hadn’t even realized how lonely he was until he and Aubrie had sat in the Luftmensh for the first time, badmouthing their older siblings and laughing over embarrassing tales at their siblings’ expense.

And maybe he resented Liam for invading a space that he had designated a location for friends-

There was a crack in the mirror.

It was bigger than he would have expected it to be. It was surprising he’d missed it. Had it been there all evening? He swore it hadn’t been there when they’d first arrived, back before they’d even placed their orders-

Liam was in danger.

He didn’t pause to think, climbing onto the sink and jumping through the mirror.

He landed in a parody of the Luftmensh. He ran outside, onto the streets. If Liam had been here, then he’d already run off. Soporifick had a way of slowly driving people insane. No one stayed where they were supposed to and when they did stay at their ‘spawning’ point, they usually died. So far, Rella had been the sole exception, having still been exactly where she’d fallen into Soporifick.

“Liam!” Geno called out.

Of course, he received no answer back.

“Ok. I definitely should have been nicer,” Geno muttered under his breath as he closed his eyes and focused on Liam’s location.

Liam was on the move.

Geno could teleport nearby. But there had to be a reason Liam was moving that fast. What was chasing him? He flicked through the andahts he knew, and it didn’t take long to land on Miss Me.

Miss Me was chasing him.

He bit his lip. Liam already had an andaht on him. Geno didn’t have time to change into Red Gent.

Oh, what the heck, who even cared?

In a spark of colours, the world shifted around Geno and he landed near Liam.

Liam screamed as Miss Me grabbed him and the two tumbled to the ground, with Miss Me on top.

Geno didn’t have the sledgehammer he’d picked up at Westend’s Workshop. He couldn’t teleport close enough to separate the two and-

The Red Gent had back-up in the forms of Bubbles and Lighter. But the girls were still in Luftmensh, probably eating his chips, unaware of the danger Liam was in. In the fraction of time it took for Geno to realize he’d run headfirst into Soporifick without back-up, he came to hate his power.

He wished he had Aubrie’s ability to protect. Or Rella’s ability to fry to a crisp.

He was sprinting towards Miss Me and Liam, knowing there was nothing he could do, reaching out for Liam.

The very colours that would engulf him emerged around Miss Me and violently blew her off Liam. The andaht screamed as it thundered in tumble rolls down the empty streets of Soporifick.

Geno didn’t stop to consider what had happened.

“Eugene?” Liam mumbled, as Geno grabbed the boy by the arms and helped him back to his feet. The world fell away in a rapid flicker of colours and they weren’t in Hermann Square anymore, but on the top of Tower Three. One of the safest locations Geno knew in Soporifick.

“You ok?” Geno asked, still holding Liam, stabilizing him. Liam just stared at him. “Oh man, was I too late? Did Miss Me get to you? Is a part of you already a missing person’s poster?” he asked. In his early days as Red Gent, before he’d even chosen the name for himself, Geno had failed to save people from andahts. Miss Me was the one the most victims fell to, because she was so damn efficient at turning humans into missing person posters.

“I’m ok,” Liam said. “I’m… I’m really tired.”

Geno sagged, letting go of Liam. “I bet you are, buddy,” he said, relief flooding him.

“You’re not antagonistic. You’re protagonistic,” Liam continued murmuring. “One of the archetypical humans, like me.”

“Liam, I really don’t think you realize how little sense you’re making,” Geno said, smiling, just happy to hear his nonsensical ramblings.

“I’m really tired, Eugene,” Liam repeated.

“Yeah. Yeah, I know buddy. Wanna go home?” he asked. The fight had been so quick, maybe Rella and Aubrie hadn’t noticed his absence yet and would still be in Luftmensh, waiting for him. So drop Liam off and-

“No, no,” Liam replied, insistent. He latched onto Geno, “I understand this world. Don’t send me home. Please. We’re connected.”

“What?” Geno asked, confused. “We are? How? Why?”

“Excellent and very pertinent questions,” Liam agreed. “Considering that I don’t like you.”

“Blunt and to the point, as always. Much appreciated,” was all Geno could say to that.

“Eugene, the point is, the universe has chosen us! And probably some others. The question is why? And against what? We’re part of the immune response.”

“Liam, I’m going to need you to calm down, because you’re making, like, little to no sense,” Geno replied. “First things first, we need to get you out of here.”

“Not back home,” Liam repeated.

“Fine, fine! How about- how about back to the diner?” Geno asked.

“The diner?” Liam echoed.

“Yeah, the diner,” Geno replied. “Aubrie can hook you up with something that’ll make you feel better- I mean a normal drink! Nothing weird, she’s just got- I don’t know. She can make drinks that stop Soporifick from effecting you.”

“Isn’t that just coffee?” Liam asked.

“What?” Geno asked, confused.

“Soporific means tiring, of inducing drowsiness, causing sleepiness. Isn’t a drink that stops you feeling soporific just coffee?”

“No, not- this place is called Soporifick.”

“What kind of imbecilic name is soporific? It’s an adjective. It’s not even a good adjective,” Liam argued. Geno just laughed at that.

“I couldn’t agree more. Come on Liam. Let’s get you back to reality.”

— 📀 —

As it turned out, the girls hadn’t even noticed Geno’s absence. Which hurt his pride a little. They immediately fussed over Liam’s disappearance, but Geno? Who even cared?

That being said, Aubrie had immediately hooked him up with one of her heavenly drinks upon learning what had happened, so he was happy to just sit in the booth and quietly sip, while Aubrie and Rella explained Soporifick to Liam.

Mostly, it consisted of getting the teacher’s assistant caught up with what the trio had been up to in Soporifick. For Liam’s part, he was listening attentively, only ever asking questions for clarification, never interrupting or interjecting or deviating from the topic at hand.

Liam was also drinking something Aubrie had prepared and rather unfairly, in Geno’s opinion, looking far too rested and alert for someone that had just had his first stint in Soporifick. In fact, of the quartet of teenagers, Liam was in the best shape after a first dip into Soporifick. Liam had also had the briefest first stint, with even Rella having spent at least a few hours trapped in Soporifick first.

Liam had barely been there fifteen minutes.

Of course, that had almost been enough time for him to die.

Geno was never going to complain about the girls nagging him, ever again.

Well, not for tonight anyway.

“This is so fascinating,” Liam said, after Rella and Aubrie had finished explaining. From his bag, he took out a thick folder. It thudded on the table.

“What- um. Liam, what’s that?” Aubrie asked.

“It’s some of my research,” Liam answered, opening it.

“I see, only some of it,” Rella muttered.

“First of all, thanks is in order,” Liam announced. He looked at Aubrie and Geno. “Sincerely. Thank you for saving my father that night.”

“Oh. You’re welcome,” Aubrie replied.

“Yeah, it’s what we do. No biggie,” Geno agreed, but still pleased about being thanked.

“Unlike you three, I currently have no powers, but I would like to help you,” Liam continued. “Am I the first victim of Soporifick that you invited to Luftmensh? That isn’t part of your team? After rescuing them from Soporifick?”

“Yeah, actually,” Rella answered. “Most people fall asleep after leaving Soporifick, especially if they haven’t had one of Aubrie’s patented drinks.”

“They’re patented?” Liam asked.

“She’s being silly by exaggerating,” Aubrie explained. “Although, I’m also surprised you’re still awake.”

“That, I can actually explain,” Liam answered, beaming. “It ties into what I’m studying.”

He held up his thick folder.

“Let me explain,” he repeated, so excited, Geno was pretty certain he could see the teen physically vibrating. If he got any more excited, he might vibrate through molecules. Aubrie and Rella looked at each other. They then looked at Geno, who made a don’t look at me motion.

“Well, with such enthusiasm,” spoke Rella. “How can we say no?”

Liam grinned and opened his folder.