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this guy, but it’s too late to back down now. “If I have to.”
    Chris’s nostrils flare and the veins in his neck stick out. I clench my fists and ready myself for a fight. He’s much bigger than me. I’ll have to be faster.
    “No, dude. This chick’s crazy,” the third guy says. Trent Walsh . He smells like cigarettes and has long blond hair that falls in his eyes. “You were at Bright Haven, right?” he asks me.
    I nod, never taking my eyes off the big guy in front of me. He could snap at any second, but I’m ready for him. You don’t survive in the worst parts of LA—and in more than a dozen foster homes—without learning how to defend yourself.
    “Dude,” Trent says to Chris. “I heard she fought three girls at once, seriously messed them up.” His eyes dart around, looking everywhere. “Besides, they’ll be back any second.”
    But Chris isn’t the type of guy who backs down. I know all about men like him. They like to hurt smaller people to make themselves feel stronger. A part of me itches to fight him. Do it , I think, my fists tightening. Just try to hit me.
    “Oh good, you’ve all met,” says Lynne at the door. Two men in lab coats stand beside her, and the three of them walk to the front of the room. “Please sit down and we’ll explain the research project to you.”
    Chris and I glare at each other, like two dogs straining against the end of a leash, teeth snapping. Every muscle in my body wants to jump forward, but I hold myself back. Barely. I’m here for a reason, and I won’t screw this up by getting in a fight.
    I turn my back on Chris and sit on the edge of my chair in the front row, trying to suppress the adrenaline rippling under my skin. Adam starts to take the seat next to me, but I narrow my eyes at him. I don’t want him to get the idea that we’re friends or something. He sits two chairs down instead.
    Chris finds a seat in the second row with his buddy, Trent. I’ll have to keep an eye on him over the next day in case he tries to start something. A sick part of me hopes he does. I should be relieved that Lynne stopped the fight before anything happened, but instead I’m disappointed. And I hate myself for feeling that way.
    Once we’re seated, Lynne’s gaze sweeps over the five of us. “Thank you all for coming and for your patience. As you know, I’m Lynne Marshall, the project leader. I believe you’ve all met Dr. Rajesh Kapur, our lead medical doctor, and I’d like to introduce Dr. Bob Walters, our lead physicist. Welcome to Project Chronos.”
    She says the last words like they carry a certain weight, but they mean nothing to me. After a moment, she continues. “At Aether Corporation we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of technology. Our company has been behind some of the biggest innovations in history and our products are used by millions of people all around the world, yet we’re always looking for ways to expand our reach. You’ve each been selected for your special skills and talents to help us further this goal.”
    “Get to the point already,” Chris mutters behind me.
    She continues as if she didn’t hear him, with a wide smile on her lips. “Dr. Walters will explain the project to you, but please keep in mind that everything we go over today is highly confidential.”
    “Thank you, Lynne.” One of the men in lab coats steps forward. He’s probably in his fifties, with a full head of gray hair and wrinkles around his eyes. “We’ve developed an accelerator that creates a rift in the space-time continuum, allowing us to open a temporal aperture that will send you forward.”
    I don’t have the slightest clue what he is talking about. I focus on the words that make sense. “What do you mean, forward?”
    “The aperture can send five people to the future for a short period. Due to the time dilation, only twelve minutes will pass in the present, but twenty-four hours will pass for those in the future.”
    “Like…a