Zaire didn’t take off as soon as he entered the Hummer – as a matter of fact, he spent considerable time monitoring the displacement of the mud around his cottage.

There were his usual trails and then, there were Brenda’s trails – he could tell Brenda’s trail with ease because of her patterned, flip-flops.

After making sure nothing was amiss, Zaire double-checked the windows of the cottage… his figure flickered twice as he Jumped to one window, then the other.

WHOOOOSH

With another Jump, Zaire was back next to his Hummer, specifically, he was in the front seat but not to drive… he pressed the button to pop the trunk.

The trunk was his personal survival kit – it had everything he would ever need for an unexpected getaway.

Zaire examined the trunk of his hummer and retrieved a map carefully tucked into the corner of a case stuffed inside a replacement wheel.

He examined the map…

Zaire trusted computers but when it came to matters of Jumping, he could never be too careful – he mapped a route to Stanford University from his cabin.

He paid particular attention to alternate roads, natural land formations, and semi-public areas.

Ever since The Nazi attack in the morning, Zaire found himself growing more and more uneasy – there was a need for more precaution but that would also lead to a greater chance of being discovered.

The danger was proportional to the precautions taken, not the other way around.

“If I take Route 23, I should be there in ten minutes,” Zaire noted, but he inspected another route. “—but Route 23 takes me through the interstate… I would be blind to an ambush, but going through the road behind the stadium will give me a total view. People will be around – it’s perfect.”

“But do Nazis care if people see them?” Zaire wondered.

There were too many questions and not enough answers but he did understand a few things… there would be a war with an alternate dimension ruled by Nazis.

The war would be no time soon…

Quite possibly, it would take years before Zaire would encounter another Nazi, and during that time, he had the task of making Henry all she could be.

“And the other names on that list?” He recalled.

There were dates, locations, and ages… Zaire could not remember them all but he could recall most, including the subjects that couldn’t be found.

‘Complicated thoughts for another time…’

Zaire decided to take the more public route, then just to be safe… The Jumper placed both hands on his Hummer and concentrated on the backroad just adjacent to the cottage.

And Jumped…

WHOOOOSH

Space shimmered and Zaire pulled the hummer through – they both appeared on the backroad.

Zaire was quick to release the hummer and leap away, trying to see if there would be any explosion.

After all, the last time, the grenades Jumped alongside him – it was a guaranteed killing weapon against Jumpers.

One second…

Then one minute…

Eventually, certain there would be no detonations, Zaire examined the hummer one more time before leaping inside and driving off.

………………………………

The route was predicted…

The speed of the hummer was known…

The familiar sights were expected and the amount of gas being used was consistent…

Zaire liked the feeling of control – he had not had many such moments in his life so when it came, he truly appreciated the feeling all the more.

He picked up speed…

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he remained strangely concerned about Brenda waking up and finding that he wasn’t there.

It had never been a concern before…

‘Am I nervous about people asking questions?’ He thought.

There were no answers.

Zaire continued his drive but his eyes would unconsciously scan the roads and walkways.

People smiling…

Pets running…

Birds flying…

Beautiful lights in an equally beautiful park…

Zaire didn’t even notice his eyes were tearing up as he witnessed it all… some small part of him was screaming out for him to stop and just enjoy the moment.

But it was a more complicated decision… perhaps, it was a truly simple decision.

A child could make the decision – it was, after all, a binary choice… either stop or continue driving.

However, Zaire knew what stopping meant in the depths of his heart… it meant living an ordinary life with no way to combat the disasters to come.

Sure, he could probably escape it… but what about the countless others to follow?

The world would be bathed in blood…

Zaire was not delusional enough to believe himself the center of everything – the only one capable of saving everyone, but he did have enough experience to know that if one gear didn’t do its part… down comes the machine.

………

Stanford University was larger than Zaire expected – he spent nearly ten minutes trying to find the right parking lot, and another ten minutes trying to find Swimming Stadium.

“Who dedicates an entire stadium to swimming events?” He complained.

This time, he didn’t need to contain his voice inside his thoughts since there was no one around to hear it…

Actually, Zaire thought he would have a hard time entering the campus but the guards simply allowed him through without any verification.

Though, the camera was cause for concern.

Thankfully, it had become his habit to wear a hoody at all times due to the cold of Reston – hopefully, his image wouldn’t stay behind on the campus after he left.

It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing but the larger the digital footprint, the more likely someone would be able to trudge up his past.

Luckily, the part of Africa he came from didn’t have much of a digital footprint or some people would have already heard about ‘Isithunywa’ and ‘Umuntu Wengelosi’ – The Ghost Boy.

Zaire could hear the music booming from two buildings away and he sighed in relief, certain that he had finally reached the place.

Caroline had stopped replying to his messages halfway through the trip… understandably so, since what should have been a ten-minute drive, became a thirty-minute journey.

“Next time I have to factor in making my way around the compound,” Zaire voiced – another lesson learned and a mistake he would not make again.

“Hey!”

“HEY!”

It wasn’t until he was much closer to the building, with his hand on the door’s handle, that Zaire realized someone was calling him.

The music blocked out most of the sound.

“Hey, man… don’t you hear me talking to you?” A deep, gruff voice declared.

“Yeah?” Zaire turned, then realized he had to raise his head. “Damn, man! What are you? Like… seven feet?”

“Six, nine…” He replied with a proud voice, then shifted his stance. “But what the heck is a kid like you doing around here?”

“—got invited,” Zaire stated, then flashed his phone with the text from Caroline on the screen. “—and do I really look like a kid to you?”

Though he was seventeen, Zaire tended to mature upwards of his actual age – he had a stub from he was fifteen years old.

“To anyone else, you could have probably convinced them you’re nineteen, but not to me…” The man chuckled deeply, stepping out of the darkness to present skin darker than Zaire’s. “I am black too… straight out of Nigeria. I know we look older than we are…”

Zaire cursed under his breath – why did he have to meet another African around this time?

“Besides, save yourself some heartbreak…” The man comforted. “Caroline is humping two dudes in the upstairs back rooms.”

“I don’t believe you…” Zaire did his best to sound heartbroken and it worked… the large man softened his heavy voice.

“Trust me, kid…” He sighed with a similarly better experience. “Girls like Caroline aren’t worth it…”

“How do I know it's consensual?” Zaire kept up his act.

“Because I made sure of it,” The Nigerian declared. “She wasn’t even drinking… well, I do know she’s drinking two dicks worth of sperm right about now…” He snorted.

“And I should just take your word for it?” Zaire's voice strongly, sticking to his role as an in-love young man.

The Nigerian sunk into thought for a couple of seconds, likely recalling a similar experience, and decided. “Alright, come with me… I’ll show you,” He declared, popping open the door to the stadium. “Follow me closely. This is no place for a kid… we have Ivy university kids here for the weekend and those rich kids like coke and mathematical complexities... name is Max, by the way.”

The duo entered the party – it was a complete change from the serene, albeit loud, outside.

And true to Max’s statement, there may as well have been powder occupying the vents of half the room… and it definitely wasn’t flour.

“Still, I don’t see what’s wrong with coke at college, frat party?” Zaire voiced.

If both he and Max had come from African countries, they have likely seen worse than coke, parties, and even a girl being double-teamed in a backroom.

“It’s not the coke that bothers me,” Max revealed, leading the way to the stairs and ultimately, toward Caroline’s escapades. “—it’s the math going on over there…” he gestured.

Zaire saw a slender blonde with high cheekbones and an alluring atmosphere arguing with a bunch of large-glasses nerds – more than likely, they were arguing just to talk to the girl.

Most appalling was the fact that a clear board filled with mathematical equations was in front of them… the argument was passionate.

“You’re right… that is weird.”

“Never got your name,” Max glanced back as he stepped on the stairs.

But two steps up the stairs, he realized that there was no one behind him… at some point, Zaire had disappeared and his tracks were nowhere to be found.

“Fuck…” Max realized belatedly. “I got scammed didn’t I…” He internally cursed. ‘There is no way a guy like that will give a fuck about Caroline… maybe not any girl!’

……………

Zaire remained beneath the stairs, waiting until Max had departed before he revealed himself.

There was no way he was going to allow himself to be found by such a large guy… Max could probably kill him with one hand.

“Fuck that…” Zaire muttered, making his way from the stairs to the kitchen.

The whole night would have been about avoiding Max but Zaire knew the best way to avoid someone at a party was to become a part of the party.

‘CIA lessons for the win…’ He thought.

The kitchen was stocked with everything from potato chips and bear to Hors d'oeuvres and cocktails in pouches – obviously, someone very experienced, or chaotic, had planned the party.

And just by glancing at the kitchen and the way everything was neatly divided based on calories, favorability, and even weight… Zaire felt as if he had a pretty good idea of who had done the planning.

“Mathematically sound, is it not?” She interrupted.

Zaire was not surprised – he had long seen her from the corner of his eye. “Most people start with their name…” He voiced.

“You’re not worthy of my name if you can’t understand…” She bluntly replied. “Start with that table… the one with the potato chips.”

He frowned. “And you’d assume I am interested, why?”

“Because, like you… I have been watching you since you entered the party,” She directly admitted. “You feel familiar, which is strange since I don’t forget much.”

Zaire thought for a couple of seconds, staring at the face of the strange girl – her expression was cold and extremely precise with disinterest.

And unlike most other girls who approached him with disinterest, she was not pretending.

He pointed to the first table. “Pi…” He voiced, then pointed to the second table. “Euler’s Number…” then the third. “That one was tricky but… I would say an incomplete golden ratio…”

“Incomplete?” That finally caught her interest – she was offended. “there is nothing incomplete about it…”

“Maybe not before…” Zaire strode forward, snatching the nautilus shell from the table. “See… some idiot chipped the shell a couple of minutes ago… hence, incomplete…”

The girl sunk into silence for a couple of seconds, examining the shell Zaire had given her… then, she sighed in admittance of her defeat.

“I will take your name now…” He voiced. “You aren’t yet worthy for me to ask for your number…” He shot back.

She raised her head, eyes narrowing but instead of getting mad, she wore a subtle smile… for some reason, Zaire got the impression that she was smiling as widely and genuinely as she can.

“The name is Kristen… Kristen Clark,” She admitted.

“Damien…” He extended a hand and she clasped it – they shook. “Damien Wayne…”

“Okay,” Kristen didn’t release his hand, instead, she started pulling him toward the transparent board surrounded by the nerds. “—you have to see what we are working on… and who knows, if you can solve the problem, I may just fuck you tonight.”

Zaire was startled – he pulled his hand free.

“What?” Kristen frowned.

It was almost as if she thought she had said nothing wrong… but Zaire quickly realized that she didn’t understand.

“I like exclusivity when I fuck…” He clarified, not mincing his words.

“I am not pernicious,” She folded her arms with a frown on her face. “I have had sex with two guys in my life… and one of them, I was fond of… the other one is just to pass the time.”

“And exactly how much time is that?” Zaire quirked a brow, surprised at finding someone weirder than himself.

“I am not sure… my sense of time is non-existent,” Kristen rubbed the back of her head, genuinely contemplating the question. “—could have been an hour ago, could’ve been a year ago… your guess is as good as mine…”

Zaire was speechless.

“So?” Kristen shrugged, gesturing to the transparent board as she had allayed all his concerns. “You gonna try or are you afraid of a little competition?”

He could only shake his head and follow the head-strong girl toward the mathematical complexities of the party.

………

Zaire had spent an entire ten minutes trying to understand the equation on the board – he hated to admit it but Kirsten and the other nerds had outdone him at the same age.

He never considered himself brilliant in his past life – everyone had their place – but Zaire had confidence in his analytic abilities… but those abilities proved insufficient at this point in time.

Kristen looked at him expectantly, while some of the nerds directed jealous and mocking gazes in his direction… obviously, they weren’t rooting for him.

“I really can’t understand it…” Zaire voiced – he really couldn’t… not with the knowledge he was supposed to possess as a High School Student.

“I told you…”

“But Kristen brought him, I thought he was something special…”

“Kristen is blonde after all…”

The nasty comments came in whispers one after the next.

Kristen was more disappointed than everyone – she finally thought she had found someone like herself… but as soon as the thought emerged, she felt as if she had been disappointed months ago.

Her mood returned to normal in an instant.

“Sorry to disappoint…” Zaire shrugged.

“It’s fine… I am a hard girl to impress,” Kristen waved her hand dismissively. “But it seems, this is where our night ends… besides, I think I have figured it out.”

Not bothering with Zaire anymore, Kristen grabbed a marker and started to scribble on the board… complex equations filled the gaps that were empty.

And surprisingly, Zaire analyzed that Kristen had provided a workable solution, though one that would ultimately fail.

‘She really is brilliant… but Kristen? Kristen? Where have I heard her name before… Clark?’

Zaire felt the burgeoning sense of familiarity increase… he turned to leave – there was no need to complicate matters on a hunch and Caroline had already ditched him for the night.

Kinda like karma since he ditched Brenda at the cabin.

But for some reason, Zaire found himself reluctant to leave… as if he’d be missing a very important opportunity and more than anything, Zaire trusted his instincts.

He turned. “Your solution is fine but it’s still going to fail,” He stated, meeting Kristen’s eyes when she spun around.

She saw confidence – the very same confidence that made her take notice of him the moment he entered the party.

“You said you didn’t understand the formula?” Kristen narrowed her eyes.

Zaire shrugged. “You’re the type of girl worth taking a second look for…” He spouted bullshit… Kristen knew it was bullshit but she smiled regardless.

They reached a tacit agreement with just a glance.

The nerds, previously clamoring about Kristen’s solution, took a step back, no longer directing looks of jealousy toward Zaire – more than anything, they resected knowledge.

And if he could really give them something better, they would prefer him over a beautiful girl any day.

Kristen stepped aside, offering the black marker in her hand. “Be my guest,” She voiced.

Zaire took the marker and started to scribble, erasing entire portions of the equation. “Honestly, I am not that smart but I can analyze almost anything given enough time…” He explained as he worked. “It just so happens that this solution requires a deep dive into Entanglement and Superposition Physics – branches I specialize in…”

The scribbling continued and Kristen found herself becoming more and more surprised… Zaire wasn’t totally rewriting the formula but merely adjusting values along the way.

“You want to stabilize this condensate but you don’t have the right element as yet,” Zaire started to correct another portion of the formulas. “—so you introduce a catalyst like Kristen did… but sometimes, the simple answers are the best – we can’t do it unless the bonds stabilize first,” He drew an arrow pointing upward. “—now, instead of forcing cohesion through chemical processes that will reduce the half-life of the substance, we simply send the condensate somewhere it will naturally bond.”

“But that requires an environment free of gravitational constraints…” Kristen realized.

Zaire clicked his tongue and slipped the marker into Kristen’s hands, allowing her to finish the equation with a basic gravimetric equation.

Kristen marched up to the board, feeling the weight of the moment… then, she wrote the gravimetric equation. “We send the substance into space to stabilize, then we bring it down and use the little we have to make more of it,” she announced.

The nerds cheered…

Kristen and Zaire embraced each other…

All of this was happening at a party where the other students could care less…

“Oh my gosh, we are going to be rich!” A nerd, Matheson, cheered. “Think about it… this is the formula for liquid metal alloys… imagine the energy storage capacity?”

Zaire winced – he hadn’t thought that far along… well, he had hence the reason he had Kristen take credit toward the end.

“I mean,” Matheson blushed when he noticed the atmosphere shifting subtly. “—we won’t be as rich as you and Kristen but—” He corrected his stance and bowed to Zaire. “Thank you…”

The other nerds quickly mimicked his stance… they had made minimal contributions to the formula and it happened on a university compound, so they weren’t scared about not getting their dues.

But it would be a slow dues to get… verification by the university, experimentation, and patents, and then, someone would actually have to spend years funding the research.

Still, it was guaranteed money… a bit at a time before the large windfall, especially if a big company like Google or Microsoft grew interested.

They cheered… but Zaire on the other hand.

“You don’t seem too excited…” Kristen noted.

“You don’t seem so hot yourself,” He commented back.

“That’s because I am already rich,” She revealed nonchalantly. “Wrote a more efficient algorithm for server storage when I was fifteen… I sold it and now…”

“You’re a rich girl…” Zaire completed the statement.

Kristen nodded.

“Then, why don’t you marry me… in return, you can take all the credit for that formula,” Zaire joked. “I really don’t want my face in the cloud…”

“Well…” Kristen leaned forward, flirtatiously nibbling on Zaire’s ear as she whispered. “If you can make me feel time tonight, I will happily get down on one knee…”

The duo locked lips… and before they even realized what happened, they were up the stairs, in a room, and rapidly undressing.

…

Kristen pushed Zaire onto the bed and got directly on top of him, sliding him into her.

Then, she rode…

Their eyes closed as their lips met… his hand gripped her hips, encouraging more rowdy and chaotic movements.

At times, even though Kristen was on top, she was left completely at Zaire’s mercy… he guided her hips to reach deeper, go faster, grind slower…

Kristen was completely entranced by his guided movements.

It was almost as if they were dancing… a dance so intimate and exhilarating that she feared that she’d miss the euphoria for a long time when it was over.

Thankfully, she suffered from Chrono-dysplasia… as soon as the sex is over, Kristen knew it would fade from her mind as if it happened months ago.

Not knowing when, Kristen felt her back on the bed… Zaire was on top and the way he kissed her neck made her lose all sense of awareness.

Time slowly started to feel real… it frightened her.

But he was going so deep inside of her… so fast and so precisely that feeling of time faded to the back of her mind… each stroke made her moan his name.

Zaire shifted his hips awkwardly when he heard the name Damian… it took him a couple of seconds to recall that he had lied.

‘Good too,’ He thought as he conquered the beauty beneath him. ‘Have to get back to Brenda before the morning…’

Kristen and Zaire melted into each other…

They went from vanilla sex… complete and innocent missionary position to the wild cowgirl…

Zaire sat up… they continued.

The breaths between them were being recycled and soon, they both grew light-headed but the duo continued with even more intensity than before…

Then, something unexpected happened between them.

The more time became clear to Kristen, the more intense the sex became… and this indirectly affect Zaire’s state of mind.

The dup transitioned into a Lotus Sex position – they were upright and due to Kristen's constant shaking, clearly on the verge of coming, she pulled Zaire towards the floor.

Only, they didn’t land on the floor.

WHOOOOOSH

The duo landed in a flower field hundreds of miles away – Kristen felt the shift… Zaire felt the shift… but they could care less about the change as they continued to fuck.

Kristen was on the verge…

Zaire was on the verge…

They hadn’t even considered wearing a condom beforehand… something between them told them to trust the other person – perhaps it was horniness and perhaps it was something more.

Kristen felt her vagina tighten around Zaire’s large dick… she felt her liquids flood down to her taint – at the same time, she also felt Zaire squirting deep into her depths.

It was her first time without a condom – it brought clarity to her mind.

WHOOOOOOSH

She felt a shift and instead of the flower fields she clearly imagined – or imagined herself imagining – Kristen found herself on the bed beneath Zaire.

His eyes had closed – The Jumper was exhausted.

Kristen smiled wider than she had in years… she wrapped her arms around Zaire’s waist and flipped their bodies.

This time, she was on top… Kristen found her mind drifting into sleep as the sense of time faded minute by minute… then second by second… until… there was nothing.

Kristen drifted to sleep on Zaire’s chest.

Exhaustion had claimed them both… the night they shared would forever linger in their memories, despite trying their best to get rid of it.

…

Kristen was asleep an hour later but Zaire… his eyes snapped open and he carefully untangled their bodies.

He quickly dressed and snapped a picture of himself and Kristen to remember the night, and exited the bedroom.

‘I am not a morning guy,’ He internally justified.