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“I have so o to the future?”

She hesitates for the briefest ? You’ll be the first people to see the world ten years from now”

“But how do you know it’s safe? Shouldn’t you have soers? Why not send scientists or people ork for your cohly You don’t have anything to worry about” She givessmiles she likes to throw around “Now please excuse et started”

Well, that was no help at all If anything, I’m even e backpacks, each labeled with one of our na into Adam’s side as he walks past Trent follows at his heels, snickering Zoe snatches her backpack and clings to it, glancing at the elevator like she ainst the wall, while the scientists work on the accelerator Lynne steps aside with Dr Walters, but they speak too low forhi paranoid?

Adam sits beside me The last person I want to talk to “I spoke with Dr Walters, and he said everything is fine”

“You talked to hi around to“What I told you was private!”

“I didn’t tell him what you heard I just asked him some questions They’ve used the accelerator before with different objects and animals They’ve done lots of tests It’s totally safe”

“Yeah, well, I asked Lynne so oing to back out?”

“No” I sigh “I need this”

“Me too But it’s going to be okay, really” He lightly places his hand on my forearm, but I flinch before I can stop myself He looks surprised by my reaction “Sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“It’s fine I’ives rin “Hey, whatever happens in the future, I’ll be there to protect you”

“My hero” I rollhi is, a s he’s onabout Adam I can’t help but like Or maybe he’s just a better option than the other people on our tea with Dr Walters, and she claps her hands to get our attention “We’re just about ready to begin”

The five of us—in identical clothes, with heavy backpacks and coats that are much too warm for this time of year—shuffle toward the doin to hum, and the floor under us starts to vibrate My breath hitches Is it too late to back out?

“We have one final thing to go over before you enter the accelerator,” Lynne says “When you’re in the future, it’s very important that you do not look up any information about yourself”

“What?” The word slips froasp and uess I’m not the only one ants to knohat happens to ned up for this research project to make sure we had a future—and noe can’t even check if we do?

Dr Kapur holds up a hand as though to silence us “We realize it will be te to find out ill happen to you in the next ten years However, we believe this knowledge could send you into a state of shock, per could be a line they’re feeding us to keep us on track, but I doubt any of us would risk brain dah It’s impossible to not be curious about your own fate

“And whatever happens, do not—I repeat, do not—interact with your future self,” Dr Walters says “Doing so would not only send you into a state of shock, but could also create a temporal paradox”