Grandpa navigated the quiet, winding roads, his eyes steady on the path ahead. The road stretched out like a silver ribbon under the fading light. Grandma sat beside him in the passenger seat, hands folded neatly in her lap, gazing out at the endless stretch of trees bathed in the amber glow of twilight. Devon, Jia, and I were in the backseat, and while the day's excitement was still fresh, my younger brother seemed unable to sit still.
"Okay," Devon piped up suddenly, his curiosity breaking the silence. Leaning forward with that insistent curiosity of his, he asked, "What was with the bouquet?"
I turned to him, confused. "What do you mean?"
"You know," he said, rolling his eyes. "Why did Jia give you that weird bouquet after hugging you? Like, what was that all about? Did she lose a bet or something?"
I glanced down at my lap, where the bouquet now rested. It was unusual, sure. The flowers were an assortment of colors and species, many of which I couldn't even name, tied together with a ribbon that looked almost antique. It had felt heavier in my hands than I'd expected.
"I don't know, Dev," I said, shrugging. "Maybe she just thought it was a nice gesture."
"But why flowers?" he pressed. "And those flowers? They don't even look like something you'd pick up from a normal shop."
I sighed, glancing at Jia, who was sitting by the window, her face half-illuminated by the warm glow of the setting sun. "Why don't you ask her?" I suggested, trying to shift the focus.
Jia glanced back at us, her expression unreadable. "Because it's not that big of a deal," she said simply, though her tone carried a hint of defensiveness. "Not everything has to have a deep meaning, Devon, and do not talk like this to me, I am still the eldest."
"Uh-huh," Devon muttered skeptically, crossing his arms. "I'm just saying, it's weird."
Grandma turned slightly in her seat, her voice calm as ever. "Devon, sometimes it's best to just accept a kind gesture for what it is. Not everything needs to be dissected."
Devon opened his mouth to argue but closed it again, retreating into silence. For a moment, the only sounds were the engine and the faint sound of everyone's breathing.
It was Jia who eventually broke the lull, her voice quieter but tinged with excitement. "Have you guys seen the posts about the Eclipse Shift that will be happening after 5 days from now?"
I glanced up, frowning slightly. "The what?"
She pulled out her phone, scrolling for a moment before turning the screen toward us. "Here. It's all over NovaSphere. They're calling it the 'Eclipse Shift.' There's going to be a daylight-saving time transition during the lunar eclipse on the said night. People are saying it's the first time anything like this has ever happened."
I took the phone from her, staring at the screen. The headline felt surreal. A rare event, trending worldwide, with everyone from scientists to conspiracy theorists weighing in. The concept was bizarre—a cosmic alignment that would supposedly alter the clocks mid-eclipse. It sounded almost too fantastical to believe.
"Is this for real?" I asked, handing the phone back.
Jia shrugged. "I mean, it's being reported by some legitimate profiles. A few astronomers are saying it's just a coincidence, but others think it might influence how we perceive time. Either way, it's kind of cool, right?"
"No, it's not cool," Devon interjected, his voice sharp with disbelief. "It's fake. Fake. There's no way a lunar eclipse could mess with daylight saving time. That's not how science works."
"Oh, so now you're an expert?" Jia shot back, her tone edged with sarcasm.
"I don't have to be an expert to spot a scam when I see one," Devon countered. "It's just a bunch of people hyping up nonsense for clout."
Grandpa chuckled softly from the driver's seat. "Ah, the internet," he said with a wry smile. "A breeding ground for all kinds of wild ideas."
"It's not nonsense," Jia insisted, her voice firm. "Even if it's just a coincidence, it's still something worth paying attention to. Don't you think it's fascinating, Taryn? The idea of witnessing something the universe has never done before?"
I hesitated, caught between their opposing arguments. On one hand, Devon's skepticism made sense—people loved to sensationalize things online. On the other hand, there was something undeniably intriguing about the possibility of such a rare, unexplained phenomenon.
"I guess it's...interesting," I said carefully, weighing my words. "I mean, it's not every day you hear about something like this."
"Exactly," Jia said, her eyes bright with enthusiasm. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. Don't you want to be able to say you were there to see it?"
"Not if it's fake," Devon muttered under his breath, his arms crossed tightly.
Grandma spoke up, her voice calm and measured. "Let's not argue over something we don't fully understand. Whether it's real or not, it's a good reminder to look up and appreciate the world around us."
Her words seemed to diffuse some of the tension, though Devon still slumped back in his seat, grumbling under his breath. Jia, however, remained resolute, her gaze fixed on the horizon as if already envisioning the event.
Grandpa's voice broke the silence. "You know, there's something magical about an eclipse. I remember the first one I ever saw—it was like the world paused for just a moment. The shadows stretched longer, the air felt cooler, and everything seemed...different. I think it will be worth watching when it comes, no matter what happens."
For a moment, I let my mind wander, imagining what the Eclipse Shift might look like. The idea of time bending or pausing felt surreal.
I couldn't help but notice how the atmosphere inside the car mirrored the changing landscape outside. The sky had deepened into shades of purple and gold, the first stars beginning to wink into view. The world felt suspended as if waiting for something extraordinary.
Devon shifted in his seat, breaking the stillness once more. "Even if it's real," he said, his tone begrudging, "what's the big deal? Clocks change all the time. It's not like it's going to change the world."
Jia turned to him, her expression softening. "It's not about the clocks, Devon. It's about the experience—being part of something bigger than ourselves. Don't you think that's worth paying attention to?"
Devon didn't respond right away, his gaze fixed stubbornly on his phone. But there was a flicker of something in his expression—a crack in his skepticism, however small.
Grandpa parked the car, and we all climbed out, stretching and shaking off the stiffness of the drive.