Lisa watched Mirabe walk away and quickly remembered her recent n to send her off to the dorm to grab some sanitary pads. She touched her nose, then hurried to catch up with her.


    Meanwhile, Ben had just stepped out of the biology department. He casually tilted his head and asked, "Do you know Mirabe?"


    He''d noticed Taylor waving at her earlier. Taylor nodded, "Not really. We met a few times when Mr. Hammond from our high school invited me to speak to the graduating ss, and Mirabe was the student representative."


    Ah, that made sense. Ben kept walking at a rxed pace and after a few minutes, he remarked, "That girl''s got a knack for numbers. Since you both went to the same school, you should hang out more."


    Taylor nced at Ben, mulling over his words.


    "How''s that space research project of yoursing along?" Ben switched topics.


    Taylor shook his head with a wry smile, "Not much progress. The idea of reversing three-dimensional space is tough to back up with science."


    Ben''s eyes darkened slightly, "Some things just can''t be proven with science, but take your time. Keep gathering data, and let me know if you hit a breakthrough."


    He paused and added, "Getting into the base is all on you."


    Taylor clenched his jaw, "Don''t worry, Mr. Allen, I''ll work hard to get the core data." The base was his dream, not just being a small-time researcher.


    "I trust your skills," Ben smiled, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, "I''ll be in Riverdale for a bit, so I''ll be around school. Reach out if you need anything."


    "Will do," Taylor nodded.


    Later that afternoon, Mirabe finished up in theb and left early. As she reached the school gates, she spotted Lisa waiting by therge metal gates.


    "Why are you still here?" Mirabe asked, adjusting her backpack.


    "Waiting for Emmitt," Lisa replied, sounding a bit down.


    Mirabe nodded, "He should be out soon."


    Lisa hummed in response, curious about how Emmitt got into the school as a tutor. She smiled at Mirabe and urged, "You should head out.”


    "Okay."


    Mirabe pressed her slightly aching temples, waved at Lisa, and headed towards the ck sedan parked by the curb.


    She opened the passenger door and slid in. James was on the phone, but once Mirabe got in, he wrapped up the call quickly and turned to her, noticing her pale face with a frown.


    Evenst night on the phone, she seemed off.


    "Feeling sick?" James asked, touching her forehead.


    It was cool, so no fever.


    Mirabe leaned back, waiting for him to pull his hand away, then said, "No, just allergic to certain smells."


    "Allergic to smells?" James didn''t start the car right away, "What kind of smells?"


    Mirabe scrunched her brow, her voice tinged with obvious dislike, "Just some really nasty odors."


    James was taken aback; it was the first time he''d seen her so bothered.