Things were not going as expected — Or rather, things had taken a slight, almost laughable turn from where Alex initially thought they would go.
Like a script misread by its own protagonist, the events had begun to tilt sideways, tipping into absurdity with just enough elegance to make him question whether the absurdity had been by design all along.
In hindsight, maybe he should have seen it coming. The signs had been there. Subtle, yes — but glaring in their own twisted little way. Judge had always been difficult to predict. Unruly. Brilliant. Impulsive. A perfect cocktail for catastrophe. A storm wrapped in silk. A walking contradiction.
But disappearing into the flux zone? That hadn't been on the itinerary. That hadn't been anywhere near the edge of the itinerary. That had been something he failed to see. Buried under the pile of 'Chances of happening'.
