Now that the reveal is done, I can finally comment on how awesome this is. You really nailed it - Lorna's self-centered POV especially (observing Rachel, and Scott and Jean, without really observing them), and Rachel's weirdness and trying to make sense of a world that is never going to make sense to her the way it does to other people. And I love, love, love, the way you use the Phoenix and geology metaphors, and make them make perfect sense but still beautifully phrased. (A lot of writers seem to only make one or the other happen.) Lovely, lovely work.