The Shape of Thunder

Ainsley, an ex-soccer teammate of Quinn’s, compliments her on her drawing in art class and tells her that she misses her on the soccer team. Mrs. Euclid asks Quinn to talk in her office. She asks whether Quinn plans to attend the fall festival. When Quinn says that she is not, Mrs. Euclid asks if it is about Parker. She tells Quinn that she doesn’t need to atone for her brother’s actions. Crying, Quinn admits that she saw Parker take their father’s gun from his safe and she believes that this makes the shooting her fault. Quinn admits that she hasn’t told Cora this. Mrs. Euclid hugs Quinn and assures her that it is not her fault. She urges her to talk to someone, a professional or her parents, about what she saw.

Cora and Quinn excitedly meet in the woods, hoping that the wormhole experiment will work. Cora notices that Quinn seems distracted and evasive, but Quinn insists that she is fine.

They create a barrier for their experiment with sticks and lay out some of Parker and Mabel’s valued possessions. Crying, Cora tells Quinn that she misses Mabel so much. They hug. Quinn traces a heart on Cora’s back, a tradition from when they were younger. They start to climb the tree.

Quinn and Cora sit back to back in the tree. They picture the science classroom. Quinn’s mind keeps wandering to when she saw Parker in front of the safe and she imagines interrupting him. Cora says that they’re missing something because the wormhole isn’t working. Quinn admits that she must tell her something. She tells her about seeing Parker opening the safe and handling the gun. Cora, furious, yells that Quinn wasted their time by not telling her this. Cora tells Quinn, furiously, that she doesn’t want her help, and that she never wants to see her again. Feeling heartbroken, Cora runs away.

Cora is resolute in continuing her experiment without Quinn. She is still furious with Quinn and resolves to have nothing further to do with her.

Cora’s dad gives her a book of poetry by an Arab author that he enjoyed in his youth in Lebanon, and Cora is touched by the gesture. Cora asks if the poet talks about time travel and they discuss the nature of time. Cora’s dad tells her about an interesting comment Cora’s mother made about time: Her mother believed that the key to time travel was understanding the shape of time, which was nebulous and hard to conceptualize and map, much like the shape of thunder. Cora writes this quote in her research notebook. She tells her Dad that he is a great dad and they hug.

Quinn thinks that she deserves for Cora to hate her. In her letter to Parker, she remembers some happy and normal memories of him and struggles to reconcile her conflicting feelings of love and hate for him. Quinn’s mom drops her at the Fall Fair. Mrs. Euclid is thrilled that Quinn came.

Quinn sees the Quiz Bowl stall and looks for Cora. She pictures Parker at the Fall Fair when he was younger and imagines a wormhole opening in front of her so she could go back to talk to him. Ainsley asks if Quinn and Cora are still friends. Quinn determinedly replies that they are and she resolves to find Cora.

Cora continues to reflect on her mother’s comment about the shape of thunder. She realizes that a thunderstorm would be a perfect place to find a wormhole, as energy creates “exotic matter,” which is associated with wormholes.

Grams and Cora’s father come into her room, interrupting her research, and insist that she go to the Fall Fair. Grams has prepared a costume for her. Cora enters the decorated gym and Owen greets her. She surprises herself by feeling glad that she came. Mia is accusatory that Cora has missed the last few Quiz Bowl practice sessions. Cora explains that she is working on a personal project about the shape of thunder and how it could be like the shape of time. Cora thinks that Owen seems to understand the nature of her investigation, but he doesn’t say anything. Cora hears the rumble of thunder outside and says that she must go.

In a letter to Parker, Quinn reflects on how their mom looks at her with fear. She writes that when she finishes the plan to time travel, their mom will be able to look at them both without being afraid. At the Fall Fair, Quinn bumps into Owen and Mia. Mia is short with Quinn and asks Quinn if she knows where Cora went. Quinn says that she doesn’t. Owen, who is more polite, tells Quinn that they are worried about Cora. Mia tells Quinn that Cora was talking about figuring out the shape of thunder to figure out the shape of time. Quinn realizes where Cora must be and she says that she must go. Mia wants to accompany her, but Quinn insists that it is between her and Cora.