"Presently, if we could keep sensitive discussions out since we are in company here." With that, the legendary scientist leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, the mischievous grin dancing on his face.
"So tell us, Eliza," he added, tapping lightly on his smartwatch, "What really gets you excited? I mean not textbook stuff."
Eliza tilted her head with her fingers skimming the side of her juice glass. "Honestly?" She paused, gazing into the sky for answers. "I've always been fascinated by time. Not just clocks or calendars, but about moments slipping by, and how memories change us, small pieces of past we hold onto."
A benign spark illuminated Hawking's eyes. "Time, huh? Now we're talking my language," he teased, an unusual sparkle glowing in his calm eyes. "Time's flow, how it can be bent, perhaps one day we could step through it."
Vinci reclined, arms crossed and wide smile upon his face. "She fits in already," he remarked, gesturing to Einstein. "She sees past the surface. That is what we want."
Eliza went a bit red but did not avert her eyes. "I think I just like to believe that there is always something going on beyond what we see." Eliza smiled, now trying to explain the missing point: "There are a lot more stories hiding in every second."
Einstein stared at her for a few seconds as the softness replaced his usual playful look. "Exactly," he said very softly. "Moments are like atoms-just tiny but build up everything around us."
For a few moments, no one said anything. It felt as though they were bound by a quiet and secret understanding.
Then, like thunder, Vinci clapped his hands. "And enough deep talk! Who wants dessert? I heard there is molten chocolate cake today."
Eliza laughed, covering her mouth, with eyes aglow. "That sounds way too good to miss."
Einstein leaned toward her again, his eyes twinkling again. "Just look out, though. Vinci might snatch your cake when you look away. He's got a history for that."
"Hey!" Vinci scrunched a paper napkin into a ball and threw it at him, missing by a mile. Hawking chuckled and shook his head, pulling his plate closer.
And their cakes-warm, drowned in rich chocolate sauce-were brought by a waiter. The aroma alone had them all sighing with delight.
As they began tasting their cakes, Vinci sketched something quickly on a napkin-a mad plan that appeared to be a gadget to wear, mixed with a mini time capsule. He pushed it toward Eliza. "What do you think?"
Eliza looked at it, wide-eyed. "This is crazy. But I love it."
Both Einstein and Hawking leaned in, their curiosity getting the better of them. But Eliza still wasn't finished. Setting her fork down, she looked back up.
"There is more than just time that fascinates me; I have always been curious about radiation. The way something invisible can change everything around it. It is hazardous, but there is a beauty in that mystery."
"Oh, wow. And radiation! That takes it to a whole new level," Vinci said wide-eyed.
Hawking had a slow nod. "Gamma rays, isotopes… it is the behavior of atoms, one minute being stable, then suddenly going into chaos. You are so very bold."
Eliza's eyes brightened. "Exactly. Feels like within matter, there is some hidden story that nobody notices because they do not see it."
Suddenly, Einstein leaned back, his eyes shining immensely with excitement. Then, he slapped the table so hard it made all of them jump. "That's it! We should call you Curie!!"
Eliza blinked, a bit bemused. "Curie?"
Vinci snapped his fingers. "Marie Curie! You are fearless. You love the hidden forces. You're just like her!"
Eliza went pink and laughed, shaking her head. "Oh no, I'm nothing like Marie Curie."
Hawking gave her an encouraging smile. "It's not about being exactly like her but the way you think, look beyond what's obvious. From today, you're Curie to us."
Eliza tried to hide her very red face in giggles. "Marie Curie... really?"
Einstein leaned forward, soft but firm. "Yes. You're officially one of us now. Welcome, Curie."
Vinci leaned over and offered his hand. "Welcome to the mad genius club."
After a moment of hesitation, Eliza took his hand with her most dazzling smile. Vinci's mischievous grin, Hawking's warm nod, and Einstein's shining eyes around her told her everything she needed to know.
She was no longer an outsider.
They lent back over Vinci's sketch with their heads close together, as the outside world disappeared, overshadowed by laughter, wild ideas, and the electric energy of a budding new bond.
With crumbs of chocolate cake on the table and daring dreams in the air, a brand-new team was born. Eliza, still holding on to Vinci's hand, looked around at this team, seeing their shining eyes, slowly letting out a small laugh with a tone of shyness yet wonder.
"Curie… I guess I'll have to get used to that," she said, her voice teasing but warm.
Vinci finally liberated her hand, grinning away, as if he had just won the prize. "Trust me, it suits you perfectly."
Einstein leaned back in his chair and exhaled deeply in satisfaction. "Okay, Curie, now that you are one of us, there is something we have to tell you."
Curiosity lit up Eliza's face as she tilted her head. "What is it?"
Hawking looked at Vinci, then at Einstein, and nodded slowly. "We weren't planning to tell anyone yet, but I think you deserve to know."
Einstein leaned in and spoke in a softer voice that nobody else could have heard. "We are working on a time machine."
Eliza opened her eyes wide. "A… what?!"
"A time machine," Vinci insisted, struggling not to let his excitement burst forth. "A full-fledged prototype, not just a theoretical model. Well, we're hoping it will be working one of these days."
Eliza's jaw dropped. She turned her face between the two boys, searching for signs of a typical prank; however, with straight faces, they betrayed nothing, though their eyes twinkled with mischief and excitement.
"Wait… are you serious?! You guys are serious?!" she whispered.
Hawking smiled faintly, his eyes kind. "As serious as radioactive decay," he said, making her laugh despite her shock. Vinci pulled out the napkin again, tapping on one of his sketches. "We think if we combine quantum tunnel calculations, particle stabilization fields, and a few 'impossible' ideas… we might really be able to bend time, or at least peek into it." Einstein watched her carefully, waiting to see her reaction. "We know it sounds crazy. But sometimes the best ideas start out that way." Eliza's hands trembled slightly as she picked up the napkin, studying the wild lines and scribbles.
Her lips parted, but no words came out at first. Then, slowly, her face broke into a huge, amazed smile. "This… this is insane," she finally said, her voice breathless. "But it's beautiful. You guys are… you're really doing this." Vinci leaned forward eagerly. "And now, so are you. We need your perspective, your ideas. You see things differently. You think about what's beyond the surface — time, radiation, all those invisible forces." Einstein nodded.
"Exactly. Together, we might just have a chance to make something no one else in the world would even dare to try." For a moment, Eliza just stared at them, her eyes shiny with excitement and disbelief.
Then, she looked down at the napkin one more time. She took a deep breath, set it down carefully, and finally looked up at them again. "I'm in," she said simply, her voice steady.
All three boys let out whoops of excitement. Vinci even jumped up slightly and almost knocked over his chair. Einstein punched the air triumphantly, and Hawking actually laughed out loud, a rare, warm sound that echoed in the canteen.
Eliza couldn't help but giggle at their pure, childlike joy. In that moment, surrounded by messy sketches, chocolate cake crumbs, and big dreams, she felt completely at home. She wasn't just Curie now.
She was part of a team that might just change the world. A team that believed in the impossible.
And as they leaned over the napkin again, whispering ideas and sketching faster than ever, it felt like the first spark of something that could become a legacy.
A legacy that had just begun. A team ready to chase the impossible. A team that had just gained a sister. Curie....😎