“Sophie, that’s our last final and it’s only October. We’re halfway done with undergrad.” Priya said. “I’m excited. Let’s go to JavaNation.

They walked along University Avenue, sat down, and ordered their favorite mocha drinks. Raven made sure everyone felt happy.

“So Raven, how are things going?” Priya said.

“I’m surprised it’s so busy. People told me nobody would want to go to a coffee house with no human servers. Automation has been tried so many times before. They said part of the enjoyment of going to a coffee place is interacting with the people behind the counter. I guess that’s not true, at least for everyone here. So, I’m opening three new outlets nearby including one right next to a Starbucks.”

“You have a lot of guts Raven.” Priya said. “I can’t wait to find out how this goes.”

“Yeah, and there’s some interesting social filtering going on at this place,” Sophie said. “Did you notice? Nobody is afraid of us here. Most people are from the university, but they don’t seem to mind us.”

“Maybe there is a filter,” Priya said. “This is a new type of coffee place, and these people embrace change, but they like the old days too. I guess in this area, more people embrace change than anywhere else. The Bay Area is the center of technological change in the world.”

“Yeah, this concept might do well here and not well elsewhere in the world,” Priya said. “But I can’t tell. Maybe only in university towns? We’ll find out what happens. Even if your concept is half as popular as here around the country, it will still be successful.”

“Thanks guys,” Raven said. “I appreciate all the support and suggestions. I hope you’re right.”

“Akna and Jamilla are here,” Sophie said. “I’ll wave them over.”

“Hi guys,” Akna said. “I saw on Twitter that you’re finished with your second year already. I also understand you want to start a genetics company. Is that true?”

“Yeah, we’re starting a genetic research and engineering company,” Priya said. “We already incorporated under the name of Genomaly, Inc. We want to find the causes of genetic anomalies leading to birth defects, autism, etc. Then we want to correct the problems.”

“I like it,” Jamilla said. “Once we earn our PhD’s in genetic engineering in a couple of years, we’d love to work with you guys.”

Priya smiled.

“We’d love to have you. It’s such an exciting time to be in this field. After all the decades of arduous work, we’re finally breaking through some barriers. Oh, can I ask you an unrelated question?”

“What is it?” Akna said.

“I think the crowd in here is watching Sophie and me. Do they know about us?”

“Are you crazy? I guess you can’t read minds like people say. Everyone knows about you guys. They know about your mom too. She’s the first person to have over one billion unique social media followers. Most of those people know you. And now many of them are following you in your own right. We watched your trip to the Yoot colony in the redwoods in that racer thing.”

“These people don’t hate Sophie and me?

“No. Jamilla and I spread the word about you guys. I’d say your approval rating within the Stanford student body has risen from 1% to 50% in only a couple of months.”

Sophie smiled.

“Thanks. Sometimes I think everyone hates us.”

“Well, the street protest is still growing, so we figured we’d tip the balance the other way,” Akna said.

Priya breathed deeply.

“That’s good to know because we’re getting more hate messages than ever before from all around the world. I’m a fighter. I don’t take things lying down. I stand up to people. I’m sick and tired of—”

“Bullies?” Warren said as he walked up behind them.

“Yes, bullies,” Priya said shaking her head and smiling.

Warren turned to Jamilla and Akna.

“Don’t mess with Pree, she’s a tough one.”

“Thanks a lot Warren. Now they’re going to run away from me.”

“It’s okay, we’re not going to run,” Akna said. “We’re like that too.”

“Sorry guys but I can’t stay,” Warren said. “I was on my way to school but had to say hi. Talk to you all later.”

He walked away.

“He likes you Pree,” Akna said.

They giggled.

“Yeah, so? He likes lots of people. I like him too. So what?”

“No, I mean he seriously likes you.”

“Oh, c’mon Akna,” Why do you say that?

“I notice how he looks at you. He’s a little nervous. Didn’t you guys notice it?”

“I noticed it,” Jamilla said. “He’s into you.”

Priya looked down and shook her head no.

“You like him, don’t you?” Akna said. “It’s obvious.”

“Okay, I like him,” Priya replied. “But I’m not ready for anything serious. Are you Sophie?”

“No, not really.”

“You two aren’t interested in guys?” Jamilla said.

Priya smiled and looked down.

“No. Well, I don’t exactly hate them.”

Sophie laughed.

“I’ve heard that one before Pree. We’re discovering we’re developing slower than average. We may be regressing a little. We’re both 18 now, but we’re young in that way, if you know what I mean.”

Akna turned her head sideways as she tried to understand.

“Do you think it’s genetic? Like you’re aging slowly? Like you’re still a kid?”

“You got it,” Priya replied.

“But you’re already as intelligent as a mature adult. Are the others experiencing the same effects?” Akna said.

“Yeah, only a few of us have boyfriends or girlfriends. The older ones that were mature before the abductions. It’s like we’re 12 again or something. It’s not like that, but it’s hard to explain. We liked guys before, but now they don’t seem like such a pressing concern.”

“I know of one Mod couple who wishes to get married,” Sophie said. “They’re two years older than us. The two extra years might make a difference.”

“Do you think this has to do with the possibility your lifespan will be long? Do you think every stage of your life might be stretched out?” Jamilla said.

“It seems that way,” Priya said. “Don’t you think Sophie?”

“Yeah, time in our bodies flows more slowly. Even my heart rate is a little slower than before we were abducted.”

“It’s weird though,” Priya said. “Some things are moving faster.”

“What do you mean?” Akna said.

“Well, you and Jamilla are getting your PhD’s. You’re a few years older than us. However, intellectually we’d prefer to hang out with you than unmodified people our own age, but we’re behind in physical development.”

“Yeah, we’re developmentally out of synch with people in both directions,” Priya said. “We’re either too mature or not mature enough for people our age. And the disparity is increasing.”

“You guys do look young,” Akna said. “Maybe you’re a new subspecies of human, or an entirely new species. We’ve been studying problems in defining species. It’s often a tough call, in borderline situations.”

“Oh, you mean like the classic example where you have closely related fish in three adjacent lakes?” Priya said. “Ring species? The fish in the middle lake can interbreed with those on either side, but the fish in the outside two lakes can’t breed with each other.”

“Yeah, like that,” Akna said. “Are all three fish part of the same species? Where do you draw the line? I don’t know.”

“I don’t know either,” Priya said. “It’s an old problem that can’t be solved, I guess. We must accept our predicament and call this a borderline situation with many shades of gray.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Akna said.

“Well, we gotta go and get ready for the next semester,” Priya said.

“So, you’ve finished the first two years? How long will you take to get your four-year BS in genetic engineering?”

“About nine to twelve more months,” Priya replied.

Akna and Jamilla glanced at each other in silence.

Sophie laughed.

“Your eyeballs are going to pop right out of your heads.”

“C’mon, you must admit that before you were abducted, your eyes would pop out too if you realized what you’re doing now,” Jamilla said.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Sophie said. “Okay we gotta be going.”

“Okay, talk to ya later,” Akna said.

They focused intensely for nine months. By June, they had completed their BS degrees.