"Great," said Sharpay, who despite her tone actually was glad they'd be picked up rather than left to go through this weird, Estharesque city with just one native. "Time really did get compressed. Less destructively," she added, with a glance at Rinoa.

She paused, remembering Gabriella's reaction to her when her former classmate had first arrived in Garden.

"Do you think you've changed much? Visibly, I mean, something your family would notice."