by Rick Lakin
Her mom was now almost laughing, partly from nervousness and partly from shock and awe at this cerebral superstar who was her daughter. “So, what shall we call my daughter, the intellectual supernerd college kid?”
“How about Jenna Seldon?” Jennifer replied.
“Is that an Asimov reference?” Sheila said.
“I started the Foundation Trilogy last week. I'm half-way through the second book.”
“Hari would be proud.”
“I'll call Dr. Allen at UVN and tell him you’ll be the star of LabRat One starring Jenna Seldon,” Sheila said. “Explain to me again how you figured out the secret identity thing.”
“Ok, I was starting to get teased at school, and I knew that it was going to be a problem that would get bigger. So, I reviewed all of my memories, all of the things I read about kids growing up, and the comic books as well. I built several dreams. They played like movies in my head and I tried to figure out which solution would work the best and the secret identity was the best,” Jennifer explained. “I guess I call it the vision thing.”
The next day Sheila called Dr. Allen at UVN and chronicled the discussion that she had had with her precocious eight-year-old.
“Sheila, there aren’t many children who have the gifts Jennifer has, and all of them suffer the teasing and abuse from other children to some degree. Jen’s solution is certainly original, mature, and just might work.” Dr. Allen continued, “But 'the vision thing' is a unique and stunning revelation that warrants further study in the field of psychology. Imagine being able to conduct detailed computer simulations in your mind without a computer.”
“Dr. Goldstein, Jen and I agreed to two days each summer when she's willing to play the lab rat in a cage for you. She calls it LabRat One. I promise you and her that the rest of the summer belongs to her.”
“Sheila, I understand and will comply with your concerns. May I make a suggestion that might benefit both Jennifer and our scientific community? Could you suggest to Jennifer that she keep a journal? She already understands that many of her own experiences are unique and it’d help her reflect on her capabilities and her growth as she learns to cope with her gift, especially 'the vision thing.'“ He continued, “Give me an hour, and I'll make the necessary changes with the Registrar to her identity. Should I create an email address in her name to accommodate the confidentiality issues with the Jenna persona?”
“That would be fine and I'll discuss the journal with Jennifer. I think that's a great idea.”
Sometimes, as Sheila chatted with her daughter, she forgot that Jennifer was just a kid.
At dinner that evening, mother and daughter continued their discussion. “I spoke with Dr. Allen. He was impressed with your secret identity idea, how it was an incredibly mature decision and he wants to hear you explain it. He was amazed and enthusiastic to learn more about your vision thing. And he wants to put you in a cage and feed you rat pellets.”
“Eww, Mom!”
“I told him no on the last part, but he did make a great suggestion. He’d like for you to keep a journal about your unique experiences as the cerebral superhero,” said Sheila.
“Can I tell you a secret?”
“Another one?”
“Do you remember that time you took me to the library one spring? I think you were at Stanford Law.”
“You mean the day you surprised the librarian and me with the fact that a two-year-old could read? How could I forget! It was your first trip, and the moment you entered the Palo Alto library, I could see your eyes get huge as you looked around.”
Sheila took a drink of tea and continued, “You walked out that morning with a library card. So, tell me your secret.”
“It took me about a year before I got bored with the chapter books. So, I started into the classics, Jack London, Rudyard Kipling, and Louisa May Alcott. I spent about a month on L. Frank Baum and all the Wizard of Oz books. The next month, I read all the Harry Potter books. When I was four, you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.”
“I remember you wanted to be either an author or an astronaut,” Sheila said.
Jennifer continued, “I thought about that, and then I came across some books about authors. As I read them, I found that all the successful authors started journaling at a young age. So, I started one, beginning with one hundred words a day. I've worked up to at least five hundred words a day since I was five-and-a-half. I write book reviews, I write about my friends and people I meet, and sometimes I write short stories. And, yes, I write a lot about me being me.”
“How much have you written?” Sheila asked.
“Most of it is boring. It's my journal, so I brag a lot. It's over five hundred-thousand words,” Sheila brought her hand to her mouth and suppressed a nervous laugh.
“Do you touch type?” her mom asked.
Having grown up along with steveLearn, Sheila knew that the qwerty keyboard was still the fastest way to enter text into a computer. Voice entry never developed because it took way too much brain power and words to accommodate punctuation. It turned out that the good old keyboard invented in 1862, before the telephone, was still the most efficient tool.
Jennifer answered, “That was why I was so slow at the beginning. I found an online typing trainer app, and now I take the last fifteen minutes before bedtime and type in my journal. Thinking and typing slow me down to fifty words per minute.”
Her mom was curious, “What about when you are away from the computer?”
“I use my memory and the vision thing. Last fifteen minutes before I go to sleep, I type it in my head. When we returned from Hawaii last Christmas, it took me two hours to type it all in.”
Sheila realized that day that her relationship with her daughter changed. “Jen, you’re amazing and incredible. And you are turning into a fascinating friend. Dr. Allen said that your steveLearn identity would be set up by now. Go take a look at those online courses.”
Jennifer said, “Thanks, Mom. It’s nice to have a great mom, but it’s also nice to have an adult friend.”
Sheila reflected on all that she learned about her eight-year-old daughter that day. It was exhilarating but also a little bit intimidating.
Later that evening, eight-year-old Jennifer Gallagher a.k.a. Jenna Seldon entered steveLearn and logged into the UVN course catalog for the first time. She focused on two areas, Humanities and Physical Science because she wanted to learn about writing and mathematics. She was interested in Enrichment Courses for Middle and High School Students.
An icon labeled “The Tutor” piqued her curiosity. She reached up and pressed the Tutor button to begin. She heard a tone and then audio.
“Welcome to the University of Van Nuys online steveLearn tutor assistant. I am your HoloBuddy called The Tutor. I notice that you are Jenna Seldon, a new student at UVN and my notes say that you are eight years old and your searches indicate an interest in enrichment activities for gifted students,” The Tutor said. “My notes also say that Professor Allen Goldstein initiated your enrollment and that your mother, Sheila, has given permission for you to enroll in age-appropriate coursework. I am obligated to keep your mother and Dr. Goldstein informed of your progress. Am I correct so far?”
Jennifer said, “Yes.”
The Tutor continued, “Let me tell you about myself. I am a steveLearn Tutor hosted at UVN, and I will stay with you as your assistant, your tutor, your academic counselor, and hopefully your friend as you pursue your entire course of study at UVN. I will continually evaluate your progress, guide you through the maze of being a university student as a counselor, and recommend learning activities based on your progress, your academic needs, and your personal goals.” The Tutor spoke in a serious tone, “I will be in contact with your mother. She has set down some time limits and wants to know your progress, but I will always keep what we say and what we do just between us unless you say or do something dangerous to yourself or others or that which is outside the law. Then I’ll either tell your mother or
the University. Do you understand this?”
Jennifer responded, “Sure.”
“Next Jenna, we can interact through the keyboard, with audio only, or by full holograph tactile virtual reality interaction.” The Tutor asked, “Which do you prefer?”
Jennifer said, “Full HTVR.”
There was a slight pause, and then a middle-aged woman appeared in the room. She said, “Hello, Jenna, I am The Tutor. It is nice to meet you.”
Jennifer replied, “Hello, what is your name?”
The Tutor replied, “Jenna, that is up to you. Right now, the person you see is a generic HoloBuddy. But steveLearn allows you to create an avatar and choose what I look like and what to call me.”
“Cool. Could you be like a big sister.”
“Of course. How much older?” The Tutor asked.
“How about four years?”
“Last thing. What is my name?” The Tutor asked.
Jennifer thought, “I always liked Samwise Gamgee. How about Samantha?”
There was another pause. The older woman morphed into a twelve-year-old girl. She had the same red-brown hair as Jennifer but with blonde highlights. Her high cheekbones sat under the same blue-green eyes that Jennifer had. Jennifer smiled when she saw the image of the big sister she always imagined.
“Hello, Jenna, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Samantha, but you may call me Sami. You are only eight years old. Have you read The Lord of the Rings trilogy?”
Jennifer said, “I read it about a year ago.”
“Who was your favorite character?” Sami asked.
“Gildor, the Elf Lord, who saved the Hobbits.”
“I won’t leave you, Frodo,” Sami smiled, and they both laughed. “According to my notes, you are a very bright girl and that you might benefit from this enrichment beyond elementary school. Let’s start with this. What would you like to be when you are older?”
Jennifer tilted her head to the side. “I want to do several things. First, I read two-hundred, thirty-four books. The more that I read, the more that I think I would be a good author. Secondly, I watched a lot of movies, and I think I could combine my writing with filmmaking. My mom works in the business. My favorites are the StarCruiser Brilliant series. Finally, I started to read The Tech Manual for StarCruiser Brilliant. I am finding that I just don’t know enough about math and science to understand The Manual, so I guess I think I need to start right now to become a mathematician and a scientist.”
Sami said, “Jenna, that’s an incredibly challenging course of study, but your profile indicates that you can handle it. It’s a good idea for you to start with mathematics. How much math have you learned at school and how much have you taught yourself?”
“I have always been in steveLearn since we have one at home. I finished all the elementary school math. I am starting to look at Algebra.”
“Jenna, I recommend that you enroll in the Self-Paced Math Enrichment Course. The Math Tutor there will give you some tests to determine what level you are performing, start filling in the holes, and then take you through the high school math sequence,” Sami explained and pointed to an icon floating to her right labeled SPMath. “Jenna, your mom has set time limits on your time on our system. So, it’s bedtime. We will chat some more tomorrow.”
Jennifer remembered that she was starting tennis camp in the morning.
“Sami, when you showed up earlier tonight your picture looked like my mom but also how I believe my dad appears? Do you know who he is?”
Sami looked concerned, “Professor Goldstein has given me access to your medical record. I used your DNA profile to create my avatar. I do not know the identity of your father. Sorry.”
Three
The Letter
When she was ten years old, Jennifer’s bedroom was pink. She asked her mom to redecorate for her eleventh birthday. Her new mahogany desk with the latest HTVR Tech fit nicely in her larger room. The display behind showed scenes to inspire her writing. A walk-in closet, which contained her antique books, an abbreviated wardrobe, and her greatest fashion indulgence, her sneaker and boot collection. Her state-of-the-art steveLearn system provided a comfortable place to study and communicate.
When Jennifer published her first book, Galaxy Warrior, her mother let her buy a pet. She picked the adorable wrinkles and tongue of a brown pug, appropriately named Pugsley. Pugsley had the run of the house but spent most of the day on his doggy pillow in his corner. When Jennifer got home, he remained in her sightline, on her lap, or next to her asleep on the bed.
Now, with Pugs on her lap, Jennifer stared at the letter leaning on the lamp on her desk. Part of her hoped it would disappear and part of her hoped that it would turn into the acceptance letter she banked on. Jennifer heard a ring.
Jennifer entered steveLearn. “Hi, Tay.”
“Hi, Jen, did you see the explosion on Long Valley Road?” Tayla said.
“I was there. It was the Nesbitt home, and I was feeding Dandy Lion.” Jennifer said.
Tayla’s hand flew to her chest. “That was you I saw on the sidewalk? Oh, my God! Are you okay?! Is Dandy okay?!”
“Everyone's okay, but the Nesbitt house is a hole in the ground. The meteorite destroyed everything. I heard the first sonic boom, saw the streak, heard the second, saw the fireball, and ran.”
“The news said the sonic booms were fighters from Edwards. And the house went up in a gas explosion.”
Jennifer shook her head, “Fake News. I was there. I heard the first and looked northwest. The second was a fireball headed straight towards me.”
“You're right. Dad came home from work and said that there were no fighters over the valley today. What happened?”
“I don’t know, but someone's keeping a secret.”
“Did you get the letter?”
Jennifer’s shoulders slumped. “I got rejected.”
“Seriously. That’s nasty. What did the letter say?” Tayla said.
“I haven’t read it yet,” Jennifer said.
“How do you know that you didn’t get in?” Tayla was almost shouting.
“It’s a standard-sized letter. I was expecting a large packet with information about the internship. The envelope is only big enough for a rejection letter. I got rejected.” Jennifer explained.
“You did that visualization thing, huh?” Tayla asked.
“Well, yeah.”
“Sometimes your visions don’t work the way you expect. Open the letter.” Jennifer understood Tayla’s urging, but she resisted.
“What if it is a rejection?”
“Then you can take the summer internship at GGG. Your vision thing doesn’t always work. Open the letter.”
Jennifer looked at the envelope and apprehensively rubbed her arms. Finally, she picked it up as if it were radioactive. Jennifer inspected it to figure out how to open it. She said nothing.
“Open the letter already!” Tayla knew her best friend well.
Jennifer ripped the envelope open and held the folded letter. She carefully but deliberately unfolded the letter with her eyes closed. She opened her eyes and saw one word: Congratulations!
Jennifer shouted, “I GOT IN!!!”
Pugsley barked.
Tayla shouted, “Way Cool. Read the letter.”
"Tay, do you know how long I waited for this? This is bucket-list-worthy.”
“So, read the letter,” Tayla said.
“Congratulations. Tovar Studios is happy to offer you a summer internship as a Production Assistant for a motion picture currently in production at our studios in Canoga Park. This is a paid internship, and you will receive five-hundred-dollars per week for the summer.” Jennifer finally breathed. “Please report to our studios at eight a.m. on Tuesday, May 31. Present the letter to security and they will direct you to our offices for orientation.”
“What's your mother going to say?” Tayla asked.
“She's going to say no….”
“Do you need me there?”
“The vision thing?”
“The vision thing.”
“Call me.”
“Soon as I can.” They hung up. Tayla is a good sister.
Jennifer held the letter. She closed her eyes and read it to herself from memory. The black ink on white stationery made it all the more real. Since she had seen the first StarCruiser Brilliant movie when she was five, she wanted to be part of the production. She was a very realistic five-year-old. She knew that she could never be a star, but Jennifer knew that she could help make the films. Years later, there was another reason.
She called up a file from her hidden folder.
Actor Killed at Tovar Studios
(DECEMBER 10, 2049 - HOLLYWOOD) In a freak accident today, an actor appearing in the latest StarCruiser Brilliant film was killed today when a massive camera crane failed. Anton Kazerian, a twenty-two-year-old graduate of UVN Film School …
Jennifer remembered the day she found the file on her mother’s computer. Jennifer was surprised that her mother would keep a news story that was many years old. Then she looked at the date. December 10, 2049. Mom was pregnant with me then. Was he my father?
For Jennifer, it became a mission: become a part of making her favorite movies and find her father.
December 9, 2049, Aboard Brilliant, Sixteen Light Years from Earth
StarCruiser Brilliant was on a four-day mission to explore Gliese 832c. Captain Jack Masing remained aboard the Brilliant while his First Officer Anthen Kelrithian accompanied a NASA exoplanet exploration crew. First Lieutenant Maiara Henare was in charge belowdecks. The NASA scientists quickly tested for the presence of water and found massive deposits of ice just below the surface.
“I'm going to climb to the top of this hill and see what's around us,” Anthen said.