Semua Bab The space between the wrong : Bab 31 - Bab 35

The seminar room is exactly as I remember it. The round table. The heavy oak chairs. The smell of old books and floor wax.I sit in my usual spot. My notebook is open, my pen ready. The other students are there, whispering about the weekend, complaining about the workload. Everything is normal. Everything is perfect."Let’s begin," Dr. Vass says, taking his seat at the head of the table.He looks at me, his eyes encouraging. "Nora, why don't you start us off? Your final chapter on the physics of forgetting was particularly insightful."I stand up, my hands resting on the edge of the table. I look at the students. I look at the window."My thesis is about the space between wrong," I start. My voice is clear, confident. "It’s about how we choose what to believe when the evidence is conflicting.""Excellent," Vass says."I argued that the brain will always choose the version of reality that ensures survival," I continue. "Even if that version is a lie."I stop. I look at the empty chair

The vial spins slowly in the air, a tiny, clear planet held in place by the hum of the machines behind us. Every time it rotates, the light from the emergency lamps catches the liquid, sending a blood-red glint across Cole’s face."Don't move," Cole whispers. His hand is frozen halfway to his holster. "The magnets. If we move too fast, we'll disrupt the field. It’ll drop.""I can't stay still," I say. My skin is crawling. It feels like thousands of tiny needles are pushing out from under my pores. The air is too heavy, too thick. I can hear the electricity in the walls, a high-pitched scream that only I can perceive."Nora, talk to me," Cole says. He’s trying to keep his voice level, but I can see the fear in the way his pupils are dilated. "Tell me something real. Tell me about the first paper you published.""It was about cognitive dissonance," I say, the words feeling like stones in my mouth. "The way the brain lies to itself to survive. I wrote it because of you, Cole. I wrote it