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 +
 +**ACE 35.5 — “Afterimage”** \\
 +**Chapter 1 — Almost Normal**
 +
 +The coffee machine made a sound it wasn’t supposed to make.
 +
 +Not loud.
 +
 +Not broken.
 +
 +Just—
 +
 +wrong.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Shammy stopped mid-step.
 +
 +Not visibly.
 +
 +Not enough that someone watching would call it hesitation.
 +
 +But the air around her tightened for a fraction of a second—like the room itself had noticed before she did.
 +
 +“…again,” she said quietly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +From the kitchen, something clicked.
 +
 +A beat too late.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace didn’t look up from the couch.
 +
 +She was leaning forward slightly, elbows on her knees, eyes fixed—not on anything in particular—but on the space just in front of the table.
 +
 +“…it’s fine,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +The words came before the second click.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai noticed that.
 +
 +Of course she did.
 +
 +She didn’t comment.
 +
 +Not yet.
 +
 +----
 +
 +The coffee machine clicked again.
 +
 +This time—
 +
 +on time.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Shammy exhaled slowly.
 +
 +The air followed.
 +
 +Mostly.
 +
 +“…no,” she said.
 +
 +“It’s not.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +Silence settled.
 +
 +Light. Casual.
 +
 +Almost normal.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai sat at the table, one leg crossed over the other, fingers resting lightly against the surface.
 +
 +She wasn’t doing anything.
 +
 +That was the problem.
 +
 +----
 +
 +She should have been.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Her gaze moved once—toward the kitchen, toward Shammy, then to Ace.
 +
 +Measured.
 +
 +Compared.
 +
 +Filed.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…you heard it too,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace didn’t answer immediately.
 +
 +Her eyes shifted—
 +
 +not to Mai—
 +
 +to the edge of the table.
 +
 +----
 +
 +A glass sat there.
 +
 +Half-full.
 +
 +Still.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…yeah,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +A beat.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…it corrected.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +Shammy leaned against the counter.
 +
 +The machine hummed again—this time perfectly aligned with expectation.
 +
 +Too perfectly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“That’s not better,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai’s lips pressed together.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“No,” she said quietly.
 +
 +“It isn’t.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +The safehouse looked exactly the same.
 +
 +That was the second problem.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Nothing had moved.
 +
 +Nothing had changed.
 +
 +Nothing had even drifted.
 +
 +----
 +
 +The couch was where it always was.
 +
 +The table. The chairs. The low ambient lighting that never quite reached the corners.
 +
 +Everything—
 +
 +stable.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Too stable.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace shifted slightly.
 +
 +The movement was small, almost imperceptible—
 +
 +but it came before the floor creaked.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai’s eyes flicked down.
 +
 +Just once.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…you’re doing it again,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace didn’t look at her.
 +
 +“…doing what.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +The floor creaked.
 +
 +Late.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai didn’t answer immediately.
 +
 +She didn’t need to.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Shammy pushed off the counter and walked back into the room.
 +
 +The air followed her this time.
 +
 +Better.
 +
 +Not perfect.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…she’s ahead of it,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace’s jaw tightened slightly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…no,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +A beat.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…it’s behind.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +Silence.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai stood.
 +
 +----
 +
 +That was new.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not abrupt.
 +
 +Not dramatic.
 +
 +But—
 +
 +decisive.
 +
 +----
 +
 +She walked to the table.
 +
 +Picked up the glass.
 +
 +Held it.
 +
 +----
 +
 +For a moment—
 +
 +nothing happened.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Then—
 +
 +----
 +
 +the liquid inside shifted.
 +
 +----
 +
 +A ripple.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Small.
 +
 +Precise.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Uncaused.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Shammy felt it immediately.
 +
 +The air dipped—just slightly—like something had been acknowledged.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…don’t,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Too late.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai tilted the glass.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Just enough.
 +
 +----
 +
 +The liquid moved—
 +
 +before the angle changed.
 +
 +----
 +
 +She froze.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…there it is,” she said quietly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace was already standing.
 +
 +----
 +
 +She hadn’t decided to.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Her body just—
 +
 +was.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…it’s still here,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +No one argued.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable.
 +
 +----
 +
 +It was incomplete.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Like a conversation that hadn’t started yet—but had already gone wrong.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Shammy stepped closer.
 +
 +Slow.
 +
 +Measured.
 +
 +----
 +
 +The air around the three of them shifted—
 +
 +trying—
 +
 +failing—
 +
 +trying again.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…we didn’t leave it behind,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai didn’t look at her.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“No,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +A beat.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…we changed how we see.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace’s eyes moved—
 +
 +once—
 +
 +between them.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not measuring.
 +
 +Not calculating.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Checking.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…then fix it,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +The words landed harder than they should have.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai shook her head.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“We can’t.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +A beat.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Not like that.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +Silence.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Shammy’s fingers brushed the edge of the table.
 +
 +The air responded—
 +
 +then corrected—
 +
 +then hesitated.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…it’s not broken,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Another beat.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…we are.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +That should have felt heavier.
 +
 +----
 +
 +It didn’t.
 +
 +----
 +
 +That was the third problem.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace moved.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not toward the door.
 +
 +Not toward the kitchen.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Toward the center of the room.
 +
 +----
 +
 +She stopped there.
 +
 +----
 +
 +For a moment—
 +
 +everything aligned.
 +
 +----
 +
 +The table.
 +
 +The couch.
 +
 +The light.
 +
 +The three of them.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Perfect.
 +
 +----
 +
 +And in that moment—
 +
 +----
 +
 +the world felt right.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Exactly right.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Too right.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace blinked.
 +
 +----
 +
 +The alignment broke.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Immediately.
 +
 +----
 +
 +The room breathed again.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Shammy exhaled—
 +
 +sharper this time.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…don’t do that,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace didn’t apologize.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…it worked,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai stepped forward.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“No,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +A beat.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“It forced it.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +Silence.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace didn’t argue.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Didn’t need to.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Because somewhere—
 +
 +----
 +
 +between the hum of the coffee machine
 +
 +and the settling of the glass on the table—
 +
 +----
 +
 +there was a gap.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Small.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Precise.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Unavoidable.
 +
 +----
 +
 +And for just a fraction of a second—
 +
 +----
 +
 +all three of them
 +
 +noticed it
 +
 +at different times.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +That was enough.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Shammy leaned back slightly.
 +
 +The air followed—
 +
 +better now.
 +
 +Still uneven.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…we’re out of sync,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai nodded once.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Yes.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +A beat.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Not broken.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +Another.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Just… not aligned.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace’s gaze shifted between them again.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Slower this time.
 +
 +----
 +
 +More deliberate.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…then we fix that,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Silence.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai looked at her.
 +
 +Really looked.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not analyzing.
 +
 +Not measuring.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Seeing.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…not here,” she said quietly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Shammy’s lips curved—
 +
 +just slightly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…definitely not here.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +The coffee machine clicked again.
 +
 +----
 +
 +This time—
 +
 +----
 +
 +no one reacted.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Because for the first time since they had come back—
 +
 +----
 +
 +it sounded
 +
 +almost
 +
 +right.
 +