Schooled

by Pamela Ruth Foland

  The computer technology suite was impressive, but she was sure Stone would have liked it more. That disturbed Faith. She was awfully preoccupied with what Stone would like or think, or do. Stone was almost an obsession. She thought of Stone’s fingertips glanced over Faith’s bare neck while showing her how to handle the weapon. Just the memory made her shiver. Faith had stayed at the back of the group since the only two she wasn’t at least a foot taller than were Fubar and the headmistress. She felt she could see things just as easily from the back. That was until they came to a room with rows of cages.

  Faith was outraged at first to see so many animals confined to such small spaces, until she realized they were all wounded to some degree or another or seriously ill. She pushed her way to the front of the group. There was another group clustered around a tall willowy woman with pale blonde hair and washed out blue eyes. The woman was showing the group a falcon. The falcon was in clear distress. Faith could feel its pain. Her right side throbbed in sympathy for the bird’s cracked collar bone and rib. It was certain it was going to die.

  Faith shoved her way through the students clustered around the instructor and reached out to the falcon. Touching it hit Faith with the electric confusion of knowing every cell in the falcon’s body all at once. The broken bones were lit by the fiery pain throbbing through them. Faith began encouraging the cells in the area to regenerate. She contributed her own life energy to the bird, giving it the resources to heal in the way she was telling it to.

  She became aware of the falcon’s nearly alien thought processes. She had been injured trying with her mate to save their chick from an attacking cat. The falcon felt the loss of not only the chick but her mate as well. He had thrown himself at the cat to save her. The cat had broken his neck. The falcon was alone, bereft of her mate and child. The contact she had with Faith was the only positive relationship the falcon had.

  Faith sympathized with the sense of abandonment the falcon felt. She poured even more of her energy into healing the injured bird. She allowed herself to be sucked further into its internal biochemistry, she clearly saw not only the broken bones but a sizable gash to her leg. Faith addressed the wound and instructed the falcon’s body to repair it.

  From outside of the falcon Faith watched the wound close. She gently smoothed the falcon’s feathers with her free hand. It kak-kak-kakked at her in distress. She hummed soothingly back. She felt the bones finish the process of re-knitting. With Faith’s help she was certain the falcon would have no visible scars. Faith withdrew her hands but found that didn’t disconnect her fully from the falcon. It struggled to its feet and eyed her. It blinked and so did she. Then she waved goodbye and turned to join the rest of her tour group. The sound of feathers was followed by the falcon ever so gently landing on Faith’s shoulder.

  The headmistress smiled broadly at Faith, “Would you and your new friend like to remain here or do you two want to rejoin the tour?”

  Faith looked to the falcon and knew it would go or stay wherever Faith would be. It trusted her implicitly. Faith realized she had fastened emotionally on her all the stronger based on their shared sense of abandonment. Faith tried to ask the bird her name, the bird kak-kak-kakked at her again. It wasn’t an answer except in expressing that it didn’t understand the question. Unilaterally Faith chose to name her companion Hope. And nodded to the headmistress, “We’ll rejoin the tour group.”

  “Okay, well you have sort-of met your primary mentor, Alissa,” The headmistress gestured to the willowy woman who had moved on to the next injured animal.

  Alissa waved farewell to the headmistress, “Faith, I am impressed with your intuitive techniques. With training you will be a formidable healer and medical practitioner.”

  Faith marinated in her mentor’s kind words. When she left her father’s apartment she had no purpose and even less hope of finding one. In less than a week Faith had real friends, a future career path and a pet. Faith looked at the falcon on her shoulder. Calling her a pet wasn’t really fair, perhaps emotional support animal was closer. The headmistress led the group from the healing room back out into the hall. Faith followed feeling much better about her future.

  - - - - - - -

  Beaker had been within a fingertip’s touch of Millie since they left the dormitory elevator. He displayed only a passing interest in the tour until his nose began detecting the clear smells of solvents, and other chemicals. He could also sense the sonic and electronic fields represented by many of the higher end scanners, the ones his parents kept under lock and key. His eagerness drew him from Millie’s side, and beyond the tour group. His survival skills were just a hobby, for mainly entertainment purposes. His passion was in scientifically exploring the samples and other results of his explorations.

  He was eagerly listening in on a discussion about the relative value of old-fashioned chemical and mechanical analysis over the newer techniques using scans with the full electromagnetic spectrum and sonic techniques. He was just about ready to argue that both schools were valid and had their place in scientific study when Millie came up beside him and placed her hand in his.

  That derailed all thought for Beaker, his hand tingled from the sweaty points of contact. He turned and looked at her. She had been crying again. This time he knew she felt he had abandoned her too. Part of him realized she was using him as a crutch to avoid dealing with the issue of her brother, but most of him didn’t give a damn why she was clutching his hand that tightly. The headmistress finished discussing the natural science department and continued on to their next destination. Millie pulled at his arm. He struggled within for a moment as his growing affection for her warred with his lifelong love of all things scientific. Like so many men before him, Beaker went with the girl.

  - - - - - - -

  The tour was becoming boring and annoying as everyone but Goru became interested in one department or several. He was only passingly paying attention as they went through the political science department, and he had only managed that much interest because he glimpsed a brief image of Mae standing in front of a podium. A decade and a half of idolizing his father kicked in. He felt bile rising in his throat. Some of him still despised Mae, and all who followed her. He couldn’t forget she was the reason he was basically an orphan.

  Lyla jabbed him in the rib. She looked at him with serious concern on her face. “Are you okay?”

  Goru swallowed hard and nodded. He knew his face was reddening in shame, a reaction he couldn’t help but understand. “I’m sorry, I saw your mom. Decades of unreasoning hatred…” He gestured to the screen displaying the speech.

  “OMG! That is my mom! On network TV! She really is who those guys said she was,” Lyla whispered excitedly in his ear, or that was what he would have thought if he hadn’t been watching her motionless mouth.

  Goru swallowed hard and fought a dizzy sensation, “Uh, Lyla, do you think you could think a little quieter?”

  “Huh? What? Omg, are you in my head?” Lyla blurted, this time aloud, echoing the same words just a half breath before they came out of her mouth.

  Goru nodded and swallowed hard again. He was close to vomiting. Lyla left his side and went after the headmistress. An action he had deciphered before she began moving towards it. He steadied himself on the doorjamb, trying to avoid watching what he had come to realize was a documentary on the foundation of the Preserve. He had watched it once before. He recognized an image he had screen captured and used for a dart target in his bedroom in the old apartment.

  The headmistress joined him and held out a pouch of caloricly dense fruit syrup. The look on her face was unsurprised concern, “You are coming up on your metamorphosis, but don’t worry. I foresee at least a week before it hits you hard. Other things are more pressing. Sip slowly it will definitely help.”

  Goru followed instructions, the syrup tasted medicinal and Goru realized it had been laced with more than sugar. Between the video and his dizziness, Goru was ripe for paranoia, “You slipped me someth
ing!”

  “Yes, a drug which suppresses telepathic sensitivity, otherwise I would have to send you to a medical isolation room which could be properly shielded against sporadic spikes in your abilities. They won’t level out until this is over, and it is nearly impossible to control an ability that is as widely fluctuating,” She held another pouch out to him.

  He looked at it suspiciously, “You lied to me!”

  “No, I said it would help, and it is, isn’t it?” She said gesturing with the pouch. Goru finished slurping the syrup and took the other from the headmistress. “Now, we have covered the main departments in the academic building. We could spend a whole week touring the campus and not see everything. Rather than do that, I am going to release you to explore the rest of the campus on your own. Some of you will have a portion of your curriculum waiting on tablets in your bunks. The rest will have to wait until you have made your decisions on my offer.”

  Goru breathed a sigh of relief at the end of the tour. His head was feeling a bit fuzzy after the laced syrup. The dizziness had not departed with the whispers in his head. He started to let go of the door-frame. His world began to spin. He caught himself on the headmistress. She smiled at him, “I’ll just teleport you to your dormitory level. Hold on to your head.” Goru nodded taking her at her word and held a hand to the side of his head. He blinked and opened his eyes to the catering unit of the dormitory level. He shuffled his way over to the breakfast table and sat.

  Goru had a lot of thinking to do. He couldn’t help but be aware that he was a very big part of why their group managed what they did. He had been the level head that directed action. Even though they all knew it to be a test, he doubted a single one of them acted any differently than if it had all been real.

  Then there was the other reality. If he accepted the offer, then he would be claiming the life of a factor. As an independent factor he would have a great deal of latitude to act, but he would have to prove he could act following the principles laid down by the chief factors. The main chief factor was Mae Amante, a woman he couldn’t yet say he didn’t completely loathe. For the majority of his life, she was his boogeyman. He couldn’t swallow around the lump in his throat that the idea of working for her created.

  On the other hand, the simulated circumstances of the test ignited his enthusiasm in a way nothing ever had before. A part of him wished he could go back and rescue the children, even knowing it had all been fabricated. Working towards a goal with his team had been the best thing he had ever experienced. Goru couldn’t bring himself to think it would never happen again. He sighed heavily and rested his head in his hands.

  He went around and around in his mind for what felt like hours, trying to make his decision. He was about ready to hit his head on the table he was so tired of trying to make a decision. That is when Lyla, Faith and Stone all returned they were laughing and smiling in each other’s company. Goru watched as they returned to their room together. He wanted that, friends to laugh with and hang out with. He had thought his sisters were that, but they hadn’t spoken word one to him since he climbed up that elevator shaft. Millie and Beaker arrived deep in discussion. Millie sat at the table, while Beaker went to the food processor to order a snack, “Hey Goru, would you like some barbecue wings?”

  “No thanks,” Goru answered, “I think I am just going to head to bed for the night.” Beaker nodded and tapped in his order. After excusing himself Goru retired for the night, still considering his options.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Decision

  Lyla layin bed, sleepless. She kept the noises she made softer than the snores from one of the neighboring bunks. Every once in a while a canine whimper interrupted the snores, identifying Fubar as their source. Lyla chuckled softly. No real noises came from any of the other bunks. Ibu, Inu and Tudra had been the last to return to the bedroom but were the first three seeming to fall asleep.

  Faith had lingered in the bathroom longer than anyone and had seemed guilty looking when she climbed into her bunk. The room was a comfortable temperature but Faith wore long-sleeved flannel pajamas as though the room were too cold. Lyla had tried to shrug it off, but some instinct told her that Faith was hiding something.

  Stone had sat staring at the desk for the longest time before her head slipped from the vertical and she awoke suddenly. Fubar had helped her into bed and tucked her in like a much smaller child. Lyla noticed a fine stream of quicksilver flowing from Stone’s ankle to a power socket in the wall of Stone’s bunk. Lyla had thought it humorous that her friend had to plug herself in overnight. It was a really cute quirk.

  Lyla sighed. She was pessimistically certain that the others were sleeping soundly. In her eyes, they weren’t really a team. No one had told them to come together. It just happened.Lyla wondered how many of the others were seriously considering the offer. If someone bowed out would that ruin the dynamic?Lyla considered that. She felt like she would miss them if they didn’t spend their days together after what they had been through together.

  But, did the other’s share that affinity enough to accept the headmistress’s offer and set the course of the rest of their lives? Lyla asked herself if she even wanted to accept. Faith’s falcon started making a distressed noise in the bathroom. Lyla wondered if Hope was one of them now too. She fell asleep considering her decision and imagining Hope flying reconnaissance for the team. It dissolved into dreams of successful missions and fame and glory. Lyla fell asleep still unsure what her answer was.

  - - - - - - -

  Beaker awoke in his darkened bunk sure of one thing, if he didn’t go and eat something he would starve. Ravenously hungry didn’t even begin to describe the gnawing ache in his stomach. He kicked out of his bunk and landed on the floor next to his slippers. He pulled on a robe to cover his boxers. He had been oddly too warm to fall asleep earlier. He tapped the desk to discover it had only been a couple hours since he left Millie at the door to the girls’ bedroom.

  Beaker was confused. The last thing he had done before bed was eat a “small snack” with enough calories to sustain a wildebeest through the dry season. I was absolutely ridiculous that he was hungry again. The buzzing dizziness of low blood sugar confirmed what his stomach had awoken him to state. He needed to eat a full on meal, now.

  Beaker headed out into the main room and ordered a “snack.” It was delivered on a three tiered tray. He chuckled at it and carried it to the table. After laying out the plates around a chair, Beaker seated himself. He was barely nibbling at the first high-calorie tidbit when he heard someone else stirring down the hall. Beaker was too hungry to even fake being self-conscious about his “snack.”

  Millie came down the hall and shuffled to the food processor. She had tapped out an enormous order before she realized she was not alone. "I was hungry,” She stated.

  Beaker nodded and pointed to his meal. She retrieved her two tier tray from the cupboard and moved to sit across the table from him. She lay out the food from her trays around her chosen chair. “Hungry?” She asked sitting down.

  Beaker nodded and stuffed another morsel in his mouth. Millie smiled and began eating. They sat in companionable silence stuffing their faces. They both reached empty plate status at the same time. Beaker burped and loaded empty plates and bowls onto his trays. Millie did the same. The y rose as one and headed back to the food processors. They placed their trays inside for recycling and began reordering more food.

  “So are you going to accept?” Beaker asked.

  Millie shrugged, “I would like to, but I don’t want to see Milo every day if he is just going to leave me all alone.”

  “Millie you aren’t alone,” Beaker stated placing a hand on her bare arm. His palm tingled, then burned. He jerked his hand away. His whole body was on fire, burning and stretching. Good god, was this what a metamorphosis felt like? His legs would no longer hold him and he collapsed to the floor. Dimly he realized Millie was an arm’s length away convulsing and spasming as much as he was. He reached
a hand out to her. Se extended hers out to him. They barely brushed fingertips when the pain was finally too much and Beaker blacked out.

  - - - - - - -

  Milo awoke to silence. The boy’s bedroom was empty, except for him. But it wasn’t the physical silence that bothered him. He was deeply alone in his head. Yes, he had blocked Millie from his thoughts, but he had left open the flow from her mind into him. Her desolation at his abandonment had almost persuaded him to relent. That was when Beaker reached out to her on the tour. His jealousy had again reframed his decision, and he had kept his wall up. Milo feared she had figured out his trick and was now blocking him from her thoughts.

  Milo dressed quickly and headed out into the main room. Everyone was conspicuously quiet as they ate breakfast. Goru, Stone, Lyla, Fubar and Sport were clustered tightly around the far end of the table speaking to each other too softly for Milo to pick up. The rest of the dormitory unit, minus Millie and Beaker. Millie was probably still sleeping, but Milo knew Beaker wasn’t back in the bedroom.

  “Hey, guys, where’s Beaker?” Milo asked.

  No one answered him and all conversation stopped. All of them looked at him as though something dreadful had occurred.

  “Where is Beaker?”

  “Milo…” Goru began, “Beaker is in the infirmary. He began his metamorphosis last night.”

  A shiver passed up Milo’s spine.“Where is Millie?” Milo blurted.

  No one answered.

  “Where is Millie?” Milo yelled.

  The room’s speakers chirped, “Uh Milo, what none of these cowards will tell you outright is that your sister began her metamorphosis last night too.”