Constellations

Being at the top, perhaps, was not as great as it seemed. After all, it only takes a slight gust of wind to knock you off the mountain peak when you're balancing precariously on one foot.

To Nina, there was something undeniably romantic about the stars, the ocean, and the neural networks that formed the basis of human cognition. There was a certain tranquility about the unknown that mystified her, a contrast to the perfectionistic and GPA-obsessed life she lived.

When offered an opportunity to study at the mysterious Institution for the "Remarkably Curious and Intelligent," she took it and ran, determined to become the most brilliant student the Institution had ever seen. But as she ran farther and harder and faster, it seemed that there was much more to the school than she previously assumed, much more to the world than she previously had thought. Joined by her best friend Owen, she began to unravel the hidden secrets that the school hid. . . .