The thin cracked horizon where the street disappeared into the sky brightened to yellow with the sudden approach of the bus. Reluctantly, it rolled to a stop in front of. Nearly. Slightly to one side of her really. On this perfect, suburbia-choked morning, this slight imperfection irked her.
Hauling herself up the stairs, she felt the world shiver.
"Earthquake?"
"What?"
"Was that an earthquake?"
"I didn't feel nothing. Get in, will ya?"
Puzzled, Elly did so. After a few minutes she convinced herself that she'd imagined it.
Must be the nerves, she thought, though in truth she didn't feel in the least bit nervous. Excited, very. Nervous? Not at all.

Shta scratched out the last character, tracing the final endstop with exaggerated care.
"Are you almost done?"
"Yeah. Read it for me?"
"No way man!"
"Is my writing that bad?"
"Worse. Besides, you always blame it on your editor."
"Not any more-- I haven't done that in months!"
"It's been months since you got anyone to edit one of your pieces."
"It has not."
"Has too!"
"Hasn't!"
"Will you two shut up? I'm trying to read." Alta opened the next fold in the manuscript he was absorbed in. Shtar and Nar glared ferociously at the interruption, but didn't dare say anything. Alta was allowed to stick around because he could talk his way out of any trouble. And the three got into a b