Chapter 21
The discovery in science-
When I got off the plane, a flight attendant led me to the baggage claim area. Standing in front of it was Dr. Van Hassel. He clapped when he saw me.
“Alora, you made it. I feared you wouldn’t. You proved your cleverness in changing your foster mom’s stance. As soon as we collect your luggage, we will drive over to Harvard. You will absolutely love the campus. It has a pronounced beauty to it.” His aura was emerald green. He must have been happy to see me.
“I don’t have any bags,” I said. I guess in the shuffle and bustle to get me there, the Petersons must have forgotten to buy me clothes.
“No clothes, oh my,” he said. He turned to the tall man standing behind him. I hadn’t realized they were together.
“Tell Erin to run out right away and buy clothes for Alora.”
“She will be wanting the correct size, Doctor.”
“What size are you Alora?” he said, sizing me up and down with his eyes, making me feel uncomfortable and self-conscious. I really wished he would stop.
I shrugged.
“You are a brilliant mathematician. How do you not know your size?”
“I wear what is given to me.” I looked down at my feet. I felt so stupid. Dr. Van Hassel was always dressed so immaculate. He had to be wealthy. I felt homely and poor in his presence. I feared he would regret flying me out to the camp. Maybe he would send me home because I didn’t fit in. I hated my clothes.
“Erin will have to take you tonight, after orientation.” He looked at my attire and wrinkled his forehead. “I sure hate for you to show up in those,” he said. I wanted to slink away and hide.
“Carlson, go get the car,” Dr. Van Hassel said to the man.
“Yes, Doctor,” he said and walked away.
Dr. Van Hassel went to a news stand and bought me an issue of Popular Science. Outside, Carlson was standing next to a black limousine waiting for us. Adrenalin ran through me at the thought of crawling inside the expensive car. Once in, I noticed the seats were made out of white leather. I couldn’t stop smiling as I sat down. There was blue lighting around the top and floor boards. Dr. Van Hassel climbed in and sat across from me. Was this real? Was I really getting a ride in a limousine, arriving to camp like I was important?
“I can only assume this is your first time in a limousine?”
“Yes,” I said as I nodded up and down. I looked at him. Inside the luxury mobile, he appeared even statelier than he had back at my rundown Sanibel home.
He opened a small fridge and pulled out an individual size of sparkling soda. “Would you care for a drink?” he asked.
“Yes, please!” He opened the bottle and poured it into a glass cup. There was a little freezer in the top of the fridge. From it, he pulled out three ice cubes, using a prong. They clinked as they dropped into my cup. I would have liked to drink straight out of the bottle, but I took the offered cup of soda from him. Bubbles fizzled out the top, some popping in my face. I took a drink. Sweet, sugary orange fizzed in my mouth. As I swallowed, it burned its way down my throat. A single hiccup escaped my mouth.
“Excuse me,” I said as I took another sip. Enjoying the same experience again.
“You are excused.”
We had rode in silence for a while, when he said, “Now, tell me your story, Alora.”
I tried to give him the shortest version. I hadn’t even finished when we had arrived at the magnificent campus. It was a hundred times bigger than I had imagined, taking my breath away. I had stopped breathing as we passed through it. Was I really going to be spending the rest of my summer there? I got eager as I looked at the historical buildings. Most of them were made out of red brick. There was a large white steeple in the middle of the campus. It reminded me of a picture I had seen of the English Parliament building. Again, a flash of joy rippled through me. And to think, Peggy wanted to withhold this from me. I had to push the thought of her out of my mind, for her memory filled me with sorrow.
I felt sort of prideful showing up in a limo. I couldn’t wait to have everyone see me step out of it. Maybe they would all think I was from a wealthy, well to do family. I was disappointed when I noticed most the kids showed up in limos. I remembered my warn-out outfit, and suddenly I wanted to turn around and fly back to Utah.
Carlson parked next to the curb in front of a dorm. The building was red brick, several stories high. Each window had white trim around it. “This is where you will stay for the next month,” Dr. Van Hassel said as he escorted me in.
“I want you to know, Jane.” I shot him a look when he used my generic name. “I mean, Alora. I want you to know I never pick up students for this thing. I usually have my secretary run errands like this.”
“Then why did you get me?” I nimbly asked.
“Because, you are highly important. I have had the opportunity to meet some very bright, intellectual students. I have reviewed test scores and monitored program placement. I have never seen anyone test like you. I realized from your story there is more to you than anyone knows. I want to be with you every step of the way as you unlock your potential.”
His praise made me feel warm all over, despite my dumb outfit.
…
Dr. Van Hassel took me to my dorm. Inside I met my new roommate. She threw a fit when she found out she would be sharing with me, stating her parents had paid for her to have a private room. Finally, Dr. Van Hassel introduced himself and threatened to kick her out of the program if she didn’t stop carrying on so. She immediately silenced, for she must have realized who he was.
“Can I assume I won’t hear another word about this from you?” Dr. Van Hassel said to her in a low voice.
“Yes sir, sorry sir.”
My roommate’s name was Sharon. She was shorter than me. She had long, black hair, dull and straight. Her aura was light orange. She had given me the evil eye after Dr. Van Hassel left, and when she did, she had a way of popping out her eyes while locking in on me. I hated it! She was going to make my time at the dorm very uncomfortable.
“How do you know Dr. Van Hassel? Are you his niece or something?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know him?”
“I don’t know. I met him a couple of days ago when he came to my house and invited me to this camp.” I looked down. I couldn’t handle her eyes.
“You are lying,” Sharon said.
“Why would you think I am lying? Did you not see him escort me here?” I didn’t care for the way Sharon talked to me. She reminded me so much of Angela, pompous and in-love with herself. Out of all the kids in the camp, why did I get stuck rooming with her?
“Yeah, but that isn’t how Dr. Van Hassel works. He doesn’t recruit people for this camp. Anyone who goes here has to apply for it, then take a rigorous test. It’s a lengthy application process, and not very many people make it. Only the best of the best.”
“Do you consider yourself the best of the best?” I asked. I couldn’t believe I was being so bold. My skin tingled and I looked away.
“You better know it,” she said hotly as she raised her head high. “I am a Winchester,” she continued. “I come from a line of the best family in Boston. My pedigree can be traced having Harvard graduates as far back as the mid seventeen hundreds. There hasn’t been a generation who has skipped coming here.”
“Wow,” I said. “That is quite a heritage you have.” I was so intrigued by her family line I forgot we were not friends, but she quickly reminded me of our animosity.
“Indeed,” she replied as she lifted her chin even higher in the air. “And where do you hail from?”
I didn’t know what to tell her. Should I have claimed Mantua as my home? Maybe Bountiful, since I was found there. I felt more connected to Mantua. I wondered if I should claim Russia, for I was pretty sure my roots traced me back there.
“Russia,” I finally decided upon. It sounded more exotic than Utah.
“Are you a communist?”
“No, that is where my roots trace back. I come from Mantua, Utah.”
“Never heard of it,” she said as she kept her nose up. She must have thought if she didn’t know about it, than it wasn’t an important place.
“Utah, what do I know about that state?” she thought out loud for a moment. “Ah yes, the union of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads on May tenth eighteen sixty nine. The Great Salt Lake is in Utah, and it is roughly twenty one hundred square miles. Utah has five national parks: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands. Utah was acquired by the United States in eighteen forty eight, in a treaty ending a war. Do you know what war that was?”
“No,” I said. She certainly knew more about Utah than I did.
“It was the Mexico War,” she said smartly. She continued, as if she was impressing me. “Utah comes from the Ute Indian tribe. It is the eleventh largest state in the United States. I bet you didn’t even know about your own state.”
I might not have known trivial facts like she did, but I had the world map downloaded into my brain. I bet she didn’t.
The land line in our dorm rang. Sharon answered it. “Yes, no this is not her. Hold on…” She handed the phone to me. Her bulging eyes looked full of hate.
After I hung the phone up, I said, “That was Erin, Dr. Van Hassel’s secretary. She wanted me to tell you to lead us to the Epigaea Repens room. Oh yeah, and she is taking me shopping at 6.”
…
I practically had to run to keep up with Sharon. I think she was trying to ditch me, but I wouldn’t let her. I bet she had spent her summer memorizing the campus maps, because it felt like we were going through a labyrinth to get to the Epigaea Repens room. When we got there, we mingled with around hundred other students. I was momentarily confused, because I was sure Dr. Van Hassel had said they only let twenty students in a year, but then I remembered there were older years as well. We were all meeting together for an orientation meeting and luncheon. I had lost Sharon in the crowd, which I was glad for, because I didn’t want to sit by her, and I was sure the feeling was mutual.
When we first went in, we had to go to a row of tables and pick up our agendas. I stood in the small line of the first years. When it became my turn, I said.
“Funk, Alora.” The guy flipped through the agendas, not finding mine.
“This is the first year line,” he said, as if I was an idiot.
“Oh, my mistake. I think it might be under Jane Doe,” I replied.
“Jane Doe. Are you Alora, or Jane?”
“Both,” I said. “It is complicated.”
He searched again. “Nope, neither name. Maybe it got sorted in the wrong year. Go try another year.”
I ended up standing in each line. I felt stupid in the older lines because it was obvious I was too young for them. I had several kids try to direct me back to the first year. After wasting my time in every line, I finally went and took a seat next to a stranger without an agenda. Fifteen minutes later, the MC started.
“You guys worked hard to get here. When I say you belong here, I mean it. This is not a place for simple minds. It is a breeding institute for the leading intellects in the nation. You will go on to become surgeons, rocket scientists, and the greatest minds of our country in many fields. It will all begin with the roots you sow over the next few weeks and your continuing years in this summer science camp.”
His speech bored me, and I nodded off a couple of times. I must have been experiencing jet lag. A new speaker came and explained how the cafeteria program worked. We were given the rules, including absolute no leaving of the campus. We were also warned we were not allowed to enter the opposite genders dorms. If we were found in such, it was immediate dismissal from the program with no refunds.
“I know that was much information to take in,” he said. “Without further ado, let me introduce the man behind the dream. This program would not exist if Dr. Van Hassel hadn’t founded it.” The room became silent. Everyone stopped eating, staring with their mouths wide open. Dr. Van Hassel stepped to the pulpit. He had complete respect, admiration, and attention from the room.
His was a drawn out speech. I felt like I was the only one there who was tired and bored. Everyone sat erect as they clung to every word out of his mouth. After he had rambled for quite some time, he said.
“Open your agendas. We will expect strict adherence to this agenda. This is your life. You will do nothing without first checking your agenda.” The statement stirred a ripple of chatter.
“Quiet!” he demanded. Everything went still. “There can’t possibly be anything more important than my words at this moment.” The guy up at the pulpit didn’t seem like the same caring man who had come to my home in Mantua. The Dr. Van Hassel at the podium kind of scared me.
“When it says homework time, you will do homework, and nothing else. You won’t be writing letters to your mommy and daddy. You will be doing homework. You won’t be flirting and being silly. You will be doing homework. Do I make myself clear?” he shouted in the microphone. It was so loud, many people cupped their ears.
“I almost forgot,” he said as he reached under the podium. His voice softened with his next words. “Alora, I have your agenda. I meant to give it to you in the limousine. Come up and get it.”
All eyes wildly searched the auditorium, looking for what peon was on a first name basis with our king. I slowly stood up, the chair loudly scraping the floor, ringing out a metallic grind. With all eyes on me, the walk seemed painfully long. My stupid shoes squeaked with every step I took. My legs stiffened up on me, not wanting to move. I detested everyone was looking at my horrific outfit. I couldn’t wait for the promised new clothes. The walked seemed to take an eternity, and my head became very light. I couldn’t let myself pass out. I reached Dr. Van Hassel, and he handed me my agenda and patted my back. It shook in my hand.
“If you want to make it through this camp and be invited to return next year,” he bellowed as I returned to my seat. “Then I suggest you all keep a close eye on Alora Funk. You will want her in your group. You will want her on your team. If you want to succeed, you will fight for her acknowledgement.”
My head pounded and I felt dizzy and nauseas. He was talking some pretty mighty words about me, but why? Wasn’t I the same lowly girl who had been accused of cheating not very long ago? How fast my world changed.
After our luncheon, we were separated into years. The first year students were given a tour of the campus. I was intimidated by the size of it. How was I ever going to remember my way around? As we snaked our way through it, a thought hit me. I was trying to grasp things with my logical mind, not my intellectual mind. I was distinguishing between the two abilities. My logical mind was what I used on everyday things. I am sure it was what everyone used. But, when I was solving math equations, or looking at maps, I could feel myself switch over to my intellectual mind. What I needed to learn was how to stay more permanently in my intellectual mind.
Once I switched to my intellectual mind, I mapped out the campus. I recorded everything I saw. My mind created several maps, and I am not sure how I did it, but I had aerial views, ground views, and topography views. They were rather brilliant. Maybe I already had the Harvard Campus map downloaded to my brain.
I was enthusiastic to find a way to better use my new gift. If I could learn how to manage my abilities, I was sure I could make myself powerful. The idea felt astounding, because not long ago, I was the stupid, dumb mute, with the intelligence of a fourth grader. I would show them!
As we went around, I noticed there were eyes on me at all times. Since I had personally known Dr. Van Hassel, it made me an instant celebrity. No one talked to me, but I was sure they were waiting for the right moment.
After the
long tour, I returned to my dorm. Sharon was there. She actually looked pleasant, not wearing her scowl from before.
“Did you have a good lunch?” she asked.
“Yup,” I coolly responded. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to be friends yet.
“Were you able to figure out the campus?” She really sounded sincere. She plopped down on her bed and opened a candy bar, stuffing it in as if it were about to disappear. My tongue salivated as I watched her, wanting one myself.
“I am sure I will manage fine,” I said. Maybe she had another candy bar for me.
“Oh good. I memorized the campus before I got here,” she said with a mouth full of chocolate. I bet most Winchesters didn’t talk with their mouths full. She was acting more like a Sanibel. “My brother Ronald said it was so hard to memorize. He kept getting lost. I am above getting lost, so I took the time to study it. Did you study it?” she asked.
“I really didn’t have the time. I found out I was coming on Friday, and it was the fourth of July on Saturday. But it’s okay, because I already have the campus figured out.”
“I still don’t get how you found out Friday. Everyone applies a year in advance. Were you put on the alternate schedule?”
“No, I never applied. To tell you the truth, I hadn’t even heard about the camp until Dr. Van Hassel came to my home Friday, begging me to come.”
“That is an injustice!” Sharon screamed. I jumped to her sudden outburst. “Everyone has to apply.” She suddenly softened her tone. I think she didn’t want to upset me. Since Dr. Van Hassel had told everyone to be friends with me, I think she was taking it to heart. “I am not mad at you, just at the system.”
“Fair,” I responded.
There was a knock at the door. I opened it while Sharon stayed on her bed. A middle-aged woman with salt and pepper hair was on the other side.
“Hello, Alora,” she said to me. “I am Erin, Dr. Van Hassel’s personal secretary. He has asked me to take you shopping.”
I turned and looked at Sharon. She sat on her bed, with a look of utter envy on her face. Her big eyes looked pitiful. I flashed a smile and left with Erin.
…
I was so exhausted. It had been a long day, with the flight, the orientation meeting, and the stress of it all. The shopping had milked out the last of my energy. Back at the dorm, I fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow. The next morning, I had the big task of figuring out what to wear. I finally decided on a cream colored blouse, with brown stretchy pants. I felt dignified in new clothes.
Sharon seemed torn between her feelings for me. I could tell she hated me, because I had been forced into her dorm room. On the other hand, she knew I was highly valued by Dr. Van Hassel, and therefore I might play out to be used as a pawn to her advancement at Harvard. She had told me every kid tried to get noticed by Dr. Van Hassel, because he could be the key to instant acceptance to the graduate programs there.
“Let’s go to breakfast together,” she offered.
“Okay,” I said.
“We’ll hurry,” she barked, as if she struggled to be kind to me. I was completely ready, but she still hadn’t put her shoes and socks on. It wasn’t me who we were waiting for.
In the cafeteria, they had the tables sectioned off for what year you were. There were already ten kids sitting at our first year’s table when we sat down with our food. Several of the kids tried to make room for me as they called for me to sit next to them. I glanced at Sharon, she looked peeved I was getting all the attention. I kind of liked it, for it was such a vast difference to my first days in seventh grade. I found a spot where Sharon could sit by me, but she went and sat as far away from me as she could.
After breakfast, we started our academic day. Monday-Friday was the same for the four weeks.
0800*****Breakfast
0830*****History of Science (Science Building 3: room 302) Dr. Laudel
0930*****Break
0915*****Communities of Knowledge, Science, Religion, and Culture. (Science Building 2: room 222) Dr. Morris.
1015*****Break
1030*****Study Group
1130*****Biomedical Science, with emphasis on Anatomy, Microbiology, and Pathophysiology. (Biomedical Building 3: lab 8) Dr. Powers
1230*****Lunch Break
1300***** Biomedical Science, with emphasis on Anatomy, Microbiology, and Pathophysiology. (Biomedical Building 3: lab 8) Dr. Powers
1445*****Break
1500*****Scientific Writing. (English building 1: room 101) Dr. Murphy
1600*****Break
1615*****Chemistry (Math Building 1: Chemistry lab2) Dr. Moody
1745*****Dinner Break
1815*****Science Engineering (Science Building 3: engineering lab 5) Dr. Scholfield
1915*****Break
1930*****Math (Math Building 1) Dr. Horrison
2030*****Homework
2130****Bed
…
The schedule made me tired looking at it. When I had been invited to summer camp, I had imagined it like the campground at Mantua, or something like the Parent Trap movie. I had been bored at the Sanibels, but suddenly I wanted that lifestyle again. I was angry at myself for fighting to be at Harvard. The agenda seemed like a nightmare, worse than school and all its test. For lots of kids, coming to this camp was everything to them, but I didn’t have my sights academically set. I was more interested in finding my heritage and getting to know who I was.
Saturday and Sunday weren’t as grueling, but there wasn’t much of a rest
0800*****Breakfast
0845*****Study Group Rotation 1
1000*****Break
1030*****Study Group Rotation 2
1130*****Physical Fitness
1230*****Lunch Break
1300*****Study Group Rotation 3
1400*****Break
1415*****Study Group Rotation 4
1515*****Break
1530*****Guest Speaker (Science Lecture Hall)
1745*****Dinner Break
1800*****Personal Mediation/Reflection Time
1900*****Homework
2030*****Break
2045*****Homework
2245*****Bed
The classes were long. I had a lot of free time, which I will explain why in a moment. I used this time to watch the other students. Some of them scribbled down every word the professor said. Others watched intently, but never wrote a thing down. A few doodled in their notebook, their attention looked like it was somewhere else. Then there was Teddy.
Teddy was tall. I could measure him in my head and he was six feet exactly, even though he claimed six foot one inch. He had long, shaggy hair, and he always wore black. Most of the kids in the program dressed very sharp. The girls wore blouses, skirts, or nice pants. Many of the boys wore ties and white shirts, polos, and jackets. Everyone looked slick, except Teddy. He really acted like he didn’t want to be there. I wondered if his parents had forced it on him, and he was probably missing his girlfriend and summer. Teddy tried to sleep in as many classes as he could. Most of the professors didn’t care, but Dr. Powers never allowed it, and he would scold Teddy every time he caught him drifting to sleep.
The reason I had free time was, I quickly found I didn’t have to pay attention. Something phenomenal happened in class. Whenever a new subject was introduced, my intellectual mind would instantly pull up all the information on that subject. There were charts, diagrams, and definitions. I could view movie-like images, but better. I could explore cells 3D in my mind, diving deep through their lipid layers and explore their ribosomes, their lysosomes, and everythin
g making up a cell. It was astounding. I could unravel DNA and break apart their hydrogen bonds, and explore their nitrogen nucleotides.
I came to the conclusion I had stored all this information away at some point earlier in my life, for it was there, and I knew it. Before it was introduced in class, I wasn’t aware of my knowledge of the matter, but as soon as the subject was brought up, my mind instantly retrieved everything I knew about it. A few rare times, when a new subject was taught, I had nothing to go with it. I could easily understand the new subject, and I would make mental notes classifying and storing my new information.
I became disinterested quickly in the lectures. I often felt the professors were going over the equivalent of learning your ABC’s. I daydreamed a lot, watched people, and even joined the doodling crowd. The professors loved calling upon me for answers to their questions. I don’t know if they were trying to stump me, trying to show me off, or what, but I was asked three times the number of questions as the rest of the class was. Half of the time, I was caught daydreaming, and the teacher would have to repeat their question.
I found with giving definitions, I was a hundred percent right and quick. I think it bothered the other kids how I knew all eight hundred and fifty two human muscles. Dr. Powers argued there weren’t that many classified muscles, but he was wrong. I saw them all. I could recall their images very easily. What was hard for me was explaining how something worked. In my mind, I had a full understanding of processes, because it came from my intellectual side of my brain. When it came to explaining things, that was a logical function, and I didn’t do the greatest in it. I struggled at crossing the images from understanding to my spoken definition.
My very favorite of the classes ended up being chemistry and some emphasis of microbiology. When Dr. Moody talked about the simple properties of matter and chemical bonds, I could start seeing the molecular make-up of matter. I could actually see the atoms and molecules! I could see their electrons and their bonds. I could see photochemical reactions, oxidation reduction reactions; I could see everything! I found I had a large knowledge-base in my mind, and there I could break apart the molecular structure and make up of each thing in the room. After I left chemistry, I would forever be looking at things through a molecular eye.
During our second lecture, I was dying to talk to Dr. Moody. He hadn’t taken role like the other teachers, so he didn’t know who any of us were. He was one of the only teachers who hadn’t asked me a ton of questions in class. I waited until the rest of the kids left, then I approached his desk.
“Dr. Moody, can I ask you a few questions?” I said.
“Oh, little lady, you don’t want to be late for dinner.” He didn’t even glance up to look at me.
“That’s okay, just a few questions, please?”
“Go ahead,” he said, looking at me for what seemed like the first time. He had a golden yellow aura. He was probably in his late fifty’s, with a round face, and glasses at the tip of his nose. His hair was black, with very little gray. His face bore many wrinkles, having prominent crow’s feet around his eyes. He looked gentler than the rest of the professors.
“I have a pretty good understanding of chemistry,” I said
“Do you?”
I didn’t like the way he said it, but I kept going. “It seems to me like so many things have the same molecular structure. Take hydrocholoric acid, for instance. If you add one oxygen molecule, it becomes hyphocholorous acid. If you add two, it becomes cholorous acid, if you add three, it becomes chloric acid, and if you add four…”
“It becomes perchloric acid,” Dr. Moody said, finishing my thought. “Pretty amazing, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is astounding. Do you think if we could move atoms around in similar structures we could completely change matter?”
“Yes, we can and we do it all the time, but it’s more than changing or adding atoms. You must account for bonds and making and breaking new bonds.”
“But, if you knew the fingerprint to every molecule, then do you think one could change, let’s say a rock to bread.”
“There is recorded history of a man in Jerusalem who did it two thousand years ago,” Dr. Moody said.
“Wow, what other things did this man do?”
“Some say he helped create this world by using all the laws of chemistry.”
“I am not following you.” I said.
“His name was Jesus Christ. Have you heard of him?”
“Sure I have,” I responded. “Do you really think Jesus created this earth?”
“In conflict to many of my co-colleagues, I do.”
“I thought science was about the big bang theory, about the earth creating itself,” I said.
“Do you believe that?” Dr. Moody responded.
“Well, no. I have a pretty good model of the big bang theory in my head, but it doesn’t equal out to what they say it does.”
“Precisely my thoughts indeed. This world is made up of very strong scientific and mathematical laws. You can’t cheat the laws. You can’t bend them. They are set in stone. I can’t believe -poof, a magical bang created laws which formed our whole earth, solar system, and universe. There is no way. Take the human body, for instance. Everything in it works together and depends on all the other organs and molecule structures from with-in. If one system fails, the others start failing. The body has great safeguards where it can adjust and fix itself. That isn’t evolution. It didn’t spawn from a one cell ameba. That is science, and science has laws,” he said. I noticed as he explained his thoughts, his aura was white. Many of the professor’s auras turned white when thy taught or lectured.
“So, you are telling me you don’t believe in evolution?” I asked. I was astounded to speak to someone with a doctorate in chemistry who didn’t believe in evolution. We had learned in school how evolution was religion to scientists.
“I do believe in evolution, for we have strong evidence it exists. Take the Tupinambis teguixin for instances. Are you familiar with them?”
“Yes, the whiptailed lizard. They are all females, but when a male isn’t around, one female will become the male,” I had finished his sentence with knowledge I didn’t even know I had. I loved how I was evolving.
“Precisely, you are well educated. I suppose that is why you are here. I believe in evolution, for our species depend upon it, but I believe in structure and no happen-stance. This world didn’t create itself with all it laws from a big bang. It was orchestrated by a mighty scientist. God is that scientist, and he believes and celebrates science like the best of us. I don’t see how the two can’t coincide, but believe you me, I have had my share of arguments on this subject.”
“So, you believe God created this world by manipulating matter?” I asked.
“Precisely.”
“Do you think I could manipulate matter and do the same?” I asked.
“Well, it would take some great effort and study, but many have done it. Being at this summer camp is a good step in that direction.”
Dr. Moody looked at his watch. “Listen, little lady, I hate to make you miss dinner. They have you on a tight schedule. You better run along so you don’t miss it.”
“Oh, but I am not done talking about this.” I had so much I wanted to ask him.
“If you were a regular student, I would schedule a time for us to meet, but your agenda doesn’t make time for such matters.”
“Can I meet with you during dinner tomorrow? Maybe I can take an extra sandwich at lunch and eat it tomorrow during our appointment.”
“Well, if you are so anxious to, then let’s make it happen.”
…
By the time I made it to the cafeteria, I had missed dinner. My stomach growled and rebelled in loud gurgles as I went to science engineering hungry.
I could hardly concentrate the rest of the day because my mind was on the subject of molecules. I made an inventory of all the elements
in the room. Like so many other subjects, I seemed to have a complete understanding of the molecular make up of many of the objects. It was like a giant pantry, with endless molecules available. I really wanted to rearrange the matter in my mind and see if I could change things around. I felt like it was possible. I didn’t know how. I couldn’t wait to visit with Dr. Moody again.
On the third day, it felt like dinner time would never get there. I was so antsy for my appointment with Dr. Moody. It finally came and he took me into his office, where he had set up a little table. A towel was laid out with his pasta on top with a matching setting for me, without the pasta. I took my warm turkey sandwich out of the backpack. I had grabbed it at lunch and stuffed it in there. The lettuce was wilted and the bread soggy.
“I admire your interest in chemistry,” Dr. Moody said through a mouth full of pasta. As he spoke, little pieces of his meal broke off and torpedoed my way. It was gross. One landed on my arm, leaving a wet spot behind. Another landed on my sandwich. If I wasn’t so starving, I would have thrown the sandwich away, but I had already missed dinner the night before, and I wasn’t about to do it again.
“I suppose I should know the name of the person I am dining with tonight,” he said shoveling in another mouthful of pasta. A piece fell out onto his lap, and he didn’t even notice. “But don’t expect me to remember it.”
“I am Alora Funk.”
He dropped his fork and stared at me for a moment. “So you are her. I guess I will remember your name. Dr. Van Hassel has some high hopes for you. I have never seen him take personal interest in one of his students before.”
“Why do you think that is?” I asked.
“Because, he knows you have a sharp mind. We were all told to do whatever it took to help you meet your full potential.”
I blushed.
“What can I help you with, Ms. Funk?”
“Well, I feel like it would be easy to manipulate matter, real easy-actually- but I am not sure how to do it.”
“You think it’s easy, but you don’t know how. You’ve lost me.”
“Well, I can see the atoms in everything around us, and they are plentiful. I don’t know how to grasp those atoms and secure them to change them.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I am discovering I have two types of minds in my head. I know, it sounds weird. I don’t really have two brains, but it’s more like I have two brain functions. One of them, I call my intellectual mind. When I look at things through it, I can actually see the molecules make up the structure. I don’t know if I am really seeing the molecular structure of an object, or if my mind is showing me what the molecular structure should be.”
“Energy,” Dr. Moody said.
“Energy for what?”
“For your question. You said you didn’t know how to grasp the atoms and secure them to change them. It takes energy to change and create bonds.”
“Energy,” I repeated. “I really did know that. I hadn’t thought of it. How simple. Now, I feel foolish.”
Since the hospital, I had been able to see people and object’s energy fields. We all are made up of energy and the ability to regenerate it. I looked at Dr. Moody’s golden yellow aura. I looked down at mine, it was brilliant blue. If I could manipulate the energy fields, then I would be able to accomplish wielding matter.
Dinner ended way too soon, and I found myself back in class. Instead of focusing on lectures, I was studying the energy fields around everything. Somehow, I had to find the way to manipulate my energy to reach over and move matter around. I kept trying, feeling I was so close to success.
The next day I met Dr. Moody in his office again for dinner. I pulled out a tuna sandwich.
“Is that from lunch?” he asked me as he took a bite of his steak.
“Yeah,” I said, going for a bite of my warm sandwich.
“STOP! YOU CAN”T EAT THAT!” he shouted. I startled to his yell. “You will get sick. It has mayonnaise in it. Mayonnaise spoils if you leave it out of the fridge. It is a great medium for incubating bacteria.” I thought about the turkey sandwich I had eaten the night before. I hadn’t gotten sick, and it had mayonnaise on it.
He pushed his steak over to me. “Here, eat this instead.”
“No, I can’t eat your dinner.”
“I can go grab a burger after this, but you can’t, you’ll go hungry, and I am not letting you eat your sandwich with spoiled mayonnaise on it.”
I took his steak. It smelt so good. I thought about protesting more, but the steak was too tempting, and I accepted it. I sunk my teeth into the thick, juicy meat. A savory sensation exploded in my mouth!
“Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked.
“Do you have a book with all the chemical structures of molecules?” I said with a mouth full of food. I tried to quickly swallow it.
“Sure. I have several. Let me go get them for you.” He went and rummaged through his shelves and pulled out four very large textbooks. He plopped them down in front of me. The top one read, Molecular Phenomena of Unbelievable Complexity- a Study in Structure. The books were too big for me to lug around, so Dr. Moody promised to drop them off in my dorm.
Alora Funk- The Deliverance: Book 1 Page 22