In the creative district, the holo-gates were placed at a comfortable distance from each other. No matter where people wanted to go, they didn’t have to walk more than two hundred meters. Of course, most people wandered around, chatting, strolling from one creative circle to the next. The wide boulevards were lined with trees in regular rows, at regular distances, but this was the only thing in the city’s creative district that seemed planned. The buildings? They stood irregularly side by side. They could feature the characteristics of any era or people. Or even the design of a creative circle could take shape here between a Celtic goldsmith’s building, a Viking blacksmith workshop, or a theater group’s structure. Despite its disorder, the creative district was not ugly but colorful and striking.

  The district’s most popular community center was the Millennium Oak. The oak, which could have been over a thousand years old, was surrounded by tables, benches, and chairs by the locals. And a lot of care. It was not the most spectacular place in the city, but it was the most beloved. The area around the Millennium Oak wasn’t organized either. The tables and benches closest to the tree were uniform, but as the city’s population grew and the place’s popularity increased, new tables and seating were added around the oak.

  Who knows how many generations ago the first tables were placed here? The space around the tree preserved the layers of time.

  Aisling thought about the Millennium Oak.

  “The layers of time… they really spread out like the branches of the oak. Or the tables, circling the oak. That place is like a time canopy.”

  The three girls were not heading towards the Millennium Oak now.

  "Going to Ulf?” a lively woman in a bright red, loose dress greeted the group. She wore a ruffled apron and a hat on her head.

  "Yes, Mrs. Berta,” Fabia nodded cheerfully.

  "What are you practicing today?” Velia marveled at the outfit.

  "If you come to the Millennium Oak right after school the day after tomorrow, you’ll see,” she winked at them mysteriously.

  Mrs. Berta, Solveig’s mother of Frankish descent, belonged to a theater group. They specifically presented plays from existing storytelling circles.

  Fabia eagerly promised that they would be there. Aisling and the others had arranged a mentor meeting at the Millennium Oak for Friday. They would arrive earlier and watch the performance.

  Ulf transformed his creative circle according to his own taste. He placed the building farther from the boulevard. Two large stones stood in line with the other buildings, serving as the entrance. In front of one of them, there was a sign with an instruction: Don’t look back! Of course, the pathway leading to the building was designed with such winding twists that visitors would inevitably turn back toward the entrance as they walked.

  He also applied his botanical knowledge when designing the space. On both sides of the winding path, he planted the most delicate, high-maintenance flowers and plants. Alongside the plants, discreet holo-signs indicated when each plant needed watering, pruning, misting, or shade. Visitors gladly tended to these plants. Solveig sometimes stopped by Ulf’s just to check on the plants that needed care. She wasn’t the only one who did this.

  The walls of the building were completely transparent. It looked as if the four enormous columns, decorated with runes, were the only things holding up the seemingly heavy roof. The carved columns were indeed heavy. They were hand-carved by a member of one of Ulf’s familiar creative circles. The rest of the building was created by a transforming structure based on Ulf’s and another creative circle’s plans. Even the seemingly heavy roof was made from a lightweight material.

  According to tradition, if someone wrote a wish using runes, it would come true. In front of the building, a small table was set with a rune alphabet explanation, pens, and sticky notes, all for this purpose. Aisling always wrote down her closest wish.

  "May my exam tomorrow go well,” read her note.

  Fabia and Velia also wrote their secret wishes.

  Ulf did not become the keeper or knower of these secrets, the notes were burned in the handmade ceramic incinerator next to the table.

  The building’s interior was furnished with only the necessary items. The center of the room was occupied by two massive, brick-built ovens. Around the ovens, wide tables held dishes, utensils, and glasses. The holo-sheets were nearly imperceptible. Visitors sat at the tables by the transparent walls. There were no plants inside, but from the tables, they had a view of the garden. The seemingly lightweight structure and the transparent roof created an unusual effect from the inside—it was almost as if the beam ceiling was floating above nothingness. The floor was nothing more than a simple stone surface.

  Visitors to the creative circle could sample the dishes prepared that day or cook for themselves and their entire group. On the wall by the door, just like in Aisling’s dressing room, a square was visible. Or rather, here in the creative circle, it was barely visible at all.

  After the three girls put on their red aprons, they headed straight for the ovens. From one of the tables, Solveig, Sibius, and Thana waved to them.

  "Aha, so they spent the morning here," Aisling noted.

  "So they were here and didn’t tell anyone?" Velia asked, slightly offended.

  Throughout the entire school year, they were allowed to spend twenty days outside of school. Velia still had seventeen unused days and would have gladly spent one of them with her friends. And just like Nabu, she had already finished her exam.

  Ulf, standing with his back to the entrance, was talking to a mentor circle from the ninth year. Aisling had seen them here several times before. Talking? They were completely engrossed in their work. Around them, chaos reigned, formed by the countless materials scattered everywhere, but it didn’t bother them in the slightest.

  Fionn didn’t notice the newcomers either. He was working with Ulf’s creative partners at the holo-sheets. Only Sibius, Solveig, and Thana were sitting idly, looking rather sleepy.

  Fionn suddenly, instinctively turned around.

  "Too bad she didn’t hear the song," he thought.

  Looking at the girl in the purple dress, yesterday’s song came to his mind, mixed with a strange sense of sadness.

  Just as quickly as it had arrived, the faint impression vanished, replaced by the appetizing scents of the creative circle, and the friendly, familiar sounds.

  "It’s as if everything becomes timeless for a few moments,” he mused. “But what if it’s not her that steps outside of time, what if it’s me?”

  "Hey there!” Velia greeted the group.

  "I’d say don’t cook or bake anything,” Fionn suggested. “Ulf experimented today with a big favorite of ours and well... it turned out great.”

  "Ooh, that sounds good,” Fabia’s eyes lit up at the thought of the star-roll.

  “It turned out really tasty,” Thana confirmed, also heading toward the ovens with her tray for another round.

  "We’ve already eaten all the fruit tart,” Felix apologized. He was one of Ulf’s creative partners. “I was hoping the second batch would be ready by the time you all got here.”

  Felix had neither the talent nor the inclination for cooking, yet he spent several hours each day with Ulf’s circle. Many suspected that this kind, quiet boy had started frequenting the creative circle so diligently because of Thana. He was waiting for her to notice him.

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  Aisling requested fruit from the holo-pad. And spices for the fruit-based energizing syrup. The holo-pad next to Fionn was occupied, so she began preparing the syrup at the one closest to him. Every now and then, they glanced at each other. Contentedly.

  In the creative circle, it was a rule that they could only eat food that had been made that same day and was still in the room. If they wanted anything else, they had to make it themselves. From the holo-pad, they could only request ingredients. Everyone always made a much larger portion than they or their companions would actually need. If someone in the city wanted to eat something specific at that exact moment, they could access it in seconds. Either the exact same version, or a copy. The holo preserved the memory of every dish ever made, and could reproduce it instantly. The holo’s memory also included poorly made dishes and banned combinations. The habit of cooking had survived only because there were always people who adored it.

  Velia, Fabia, and Thana had already sat down next to Sibius and Solveig, their trays loaded with four or five star-rolls. The star-roll had become not only the group’s shared favorite, but also Ulf’s exam project. It was what he would present to the holo-mentor. Although he could’ve presented it already and been done with the exam, it seemed he would keep refining the flavors until the very last moment. It wasn’t a complicated dish. Ulf had used the original recipe for a traditional Viking bread made from coarsely ground grains. He experimented with barley, rye, oats, and wheat until he found the tastiest mix. At first, they simply topped the bread with various ingredients and poured over it traditional sour cream stored in the holo’s memory. After a while, they rolled it up with the topping the group considered the most delicious. Then, later, they began shaping it into stars. Ulf baked everything he could in the ember-heated oven. One day, he noticed that the star-roll was much better when it was slightly smoked. Ever since, he had been experimenting with the intensity of the smoking.

  "Later, Rhys and I will be presenting our stories at the Millennial Oak. If you feel like it, come by,” Aisling kindly invited Ulf’s circle to the upcoming event. Of course, she hoped Felix would come and finally gather the courage to get closer to Thana. Not just Aisling, everyone invited Ulf’s circle wherever Thana would be present. Everyone who suspected that Felix liked the girl.

  It was as if hatred had flashed in Fionn’s eyes at the mention of his best friend, Rhys.

  "No way? I can’t believe even Fionn thinks that,” the shadow crossed Aisling’s thoughts. “Well, at least he’ll learn how to flirt,” she added wickedly, but then felt ashamed and decided she’d have a talk with Fionn about it that very afternoon.

  She smiled at him kindly, but the boy quickly averted his gaze.

  "There’s no doubt he’s starting to act strange,” she concluded.

  Several members of Ulf’s creative circle promised they’d listen to the stories. Felix was the first to say he’d be there.

  The others were still placing fruits on the cake layers and spreading glaze on the fruit by the time Aisling finished the energizing syrup. She left a whole pitcher of it on the table, but before heading toward the ovens for a star-roll, she placed another pitcher of syrup on the holo-pad. In a blink, it vanished. If someone in the city wanted to drink that exact syrup, they could instantly access it. Or an identical copy of it, at any time in the future.

  Fionn hadn’t once looked up from the fruit, glaze, and cake. This strange behavior was beginning to bother the girl, but she hoped that if she spoke directly that afternoon about Daphne and Lady Lívia’s groundless suspicion, it would resolve the situation. She was convinced that Fionn believed the same as his mother and Daphne: that she and Rhys were together.

  “I made some energizing syrup if anyone would like some,” she offered her creation to Ulf and the surrounding mentor circle.

  “That’s great, we went through a lot of energizing drinks today. Thana and her group drank loads of syrup,” Ulf tattled, as usual. He noticed everything, remembered everything, and passed everything along to others.

  "I’ll get some for myself. It’s getting warm over here by the ovens.”

  "Me too,” another girl from the mentor circle chimed in.

  Their dish still needed fifteen more minutes to bake. They weren’t having star-rolls.

  “I hope Sophia will like this new star-roll,” the Viking mumbled to himself.

  Aisling looked around thoroughly once more, but still didn’t see her cousin anywhere in the room.

  "Ah, she’s not here yet, but yesterday she was talking with your grandparents and Rhys’ grandparents about a creative sculpture circle, and said she’d check it out today,” Ulf reported on Sophia’s plans. He was becoming quite the gossiping Viking.

  "If she didn’t get lost, she’ll show up to try the star-roll,” Aisling smiled.

  Without a holo-gate, Sophia had a terrible sense of direction. If she tried walking from the sculpture circle toward Ulf’s place, it was more than likely she’d end up at the Millennial Oak in the opposite direction. Ulf didn’t hide his smile either. There wasn’t the slightest trace of mockery in either of their smiles. They thought of Sophia’s weakness and her past orientation blunders with gentle affection.

  "See you later,” Ulf winked at the girl.

  The girls returned with their energizing syrup, and Ulf was already focused back on the mentor circle.

  Aisling didn’t mind at all that they seemed to have brushed her off. Not long after, she sat down next to Thana with four star-rolls and a glass of energizing syrup.

  "So that’s why I haven’t seen you all day. You’ve been here,” Aisling remarked to Solveig.

  "Oh, we fell asleep. We met Thana here,” Sibius stated factually.

  “Well, well, Fionn is watching me,” Aisling noticed quietly. The cake was already ready, and the boy was cutting it, but he didn’t take his eyes off the girl.

  Solveig went to get another glass of energizing syrup, but Sibius yawned, and Thana didn’t seem too energetic or awake either.

  "I’d still eat some star-rolls, but we should probably start heading out soon,” the boy warned Velia and Solveig. He had promised his mother that he would spend the afternoon with Solveig in the creative circle.

  "You could come with us,” Sibius invited Aisling and Fabia.

  Fionn, holding a large tray of fruit tarts, had just arrived at the table.

  "We were planning to go to Eshmun and Elisa today, but Baalit isn’t here yet,” the boy said about their plans.

  "We could bring star-rolls and cake for Hermana too,” Velia suggested kindly.

  "We’ll let her know and ask the holo for it,” Sibius disagreed.

  "It’s still nicer if we bring her syrup, cake, and star-rolls ourselves,” Solveig decided for all of them. She quickly returned with a medium bottle of energizing syrup instead of a glass.

  "Alright. Then we’ll take cake and star-rolls to my mom. Though she could have asked the holo too.” He almost whispered the last part. No one commented.

  After Velia, Sibius, and Solveig left, Thana stayed a little longer. She comfortably and unusually quietly drank her energizing syrup before heading off to her own creative circle.

  She briefly ran into Baalit and Sophia as they arrived, just by the door.