Chapter 04

After a short minute, we had figured it was a weird power surge through the outlet my laptop was plugged into that had cause it to burn out. We checked to see if there was another room left for us to use, but they were all full. The windows in the room don't open, so we couldn't air out the room. After having my best laptop turn into a grenade, I was through with playing anyways. While we were packing our equipment, I caught Linda looking at me from across the room. Her hair was over her left eye. She had a small frown.

I knew what that meant. "Let's talk."

"John, you go ahead and head on home. I'm gonna buy another coffee."

"After your gaming laptop just went Nagasaki, I don't blame you. See you later."

After Lin and Roy had left, it was just us.

"Ice cream?" Linda asked.

"Why not?"

After apologizing for the outlet blowout and leaving the cafe, we took a short walk down the sidewalk to a small ice cream shop called Marshmellows. Yes, I know it's not spelled right. That's how they spelled it. Buzz off with your internal auto correct.

It was just after lunchtime, so I bought a tuna sandwich and some tea. Even though I knew the sandwich was delicious, I barely made a dent in it. Linda touched it with her fork.

"Don't worry, it's not alive," she said.

"I wouldn't be surprised," I said.

She put her fork down. "You'll eat when you start feeling better. And it'll make you feel better if you talk to me."

"Was it that noticeable?"

"You were basically screaming it. At first, it was only a little, but after your laptop overdosed on power, it was clear as day something was up."

I pulled a piece of sandwich off and popped it in my mouth.

"Is it about the game yesterday? I wasn't there, but talk in the cafeteria goes around quick."

"I had it. The goal was literally in my hand. I don't know what happened."

I picked up my fork and peeled off another piece. I popped it in my mouth.

"Did you hesitate?"

"Oh, no," I said, waving my fork when I spoke. "I don't usually choke when I have to make a shot."

She took a sip from her strawberry milkshake. "It was a pretty important shot though."

"Everyone was counting on me, but I didn't really feel nervous. I was super hopeful. Almost ecstatic. Until Bradley crashed. Then the coach thought I was the one who should take the two shots. After that, it's pretty much a blur. Only it wasn't."

"You're going in circles. What are you trying to say?"

I looked her in the eyes.

"I made that second shot. I saw it go in the basket. But it didn't take."

"You... made the shot?"

"It was a clean swoosh. The perfect arc. I saw the video footage on Facebook. That's not what I saw. I scored that point. We should have won that game."

She squinted her eyes at me intensely.

"That's not what happened, but... you're really sure of what you saw."

"I know I wasn't imagining it. I know I made it."

She looked at me for another moment.

"In your eyes, that's your truth. But to everyone else, it's a lie."

"I guess. I don't know. I can't explain any of it."

"What did your mom think?"

"Oh, she didn't go. She had to work yesterday. I didn't tell her anything. She would think I was crazy."

"Probably for the best. Your mom can be a bit paranoid sometimes."

"After my dad left, I can't really blame her. The only person she's not paranoid about is John's dad."

"They're so cute together. They really like each other."

"Yeah. Mom is still skittish about being in a relationship again. She's like a deer who survived seeing the headlights making a beeline going eighty."

She laughed. "That's a pretty accurate picture."

"I keep telling her she should try for it. I've already given her my stamp of approval, but the president of the house keeps trying to veto out of fear."

"I feel like your mom will be ready when the time is right. They get along so well, it's almost a guarantee to work out."

"What if it doesn't? Like my impossible shot?"

"If there's one thing I know about fate, it's this: nothing is ever set in stone. Even with enough pressure, it'll either turn into a diamond or dust. What happens has to be up to you and no one else. I can give you all of the advice you would ever need in life, but it would have to be up to you to take it. Lead a horse to water and all that."

"So... I need to figure out which reality is... reality."

"You tell me. What is actually real? What you saw, or what everyone else sees?"

"That's the problem. Sometimes, going against the grain is tough."

I laced my fingers together and pressed against the back of my neck. I breathed out heavily.

"These past few days have just been weird."

"I don't mean to say this to make you sound insane, but maybe your mind made you see what you think you saw because that's what you wanted to see. But life doesn't work like that. You can't just wish for something and expect it to happen. If everyone could do that, there would be so many conflicts. Then that would really break reality."

"Hmm... there can't be any conflicts if there's only one person that can do that."

"Then maybe there is more than one person that wishes against something you want. Maybe that's why we're not given that power. Like religion. People praying and wishing for opposing things. Only the divine being can really decide the outcome."

"That's a can of worms I don't want to open up," I said. "Jehovah's witness visiting once a year is enough for me."

"I don't like them, either. You shouldn't be showing up at people's doors and expect them to listen to you. You're intruding on their personal safe space. No offense to them. I applaud them for trying to spread their gospel, but for all we know I might believe something that's different from what they believe in. Our religions can't both be right."

"And now we're back to where we started."

She giggled. "Now you're getting it. Sometimes, the best places to learn our future is from the past. That's why we stopped killing quote unquote 'witches' during the trials. You can't show love and understanding by killing the very people you're trying to preach to."

"Maybe I should do some digging," I said. "My realities seem to be inconsistent from everyone else's. I wonder if there's something I can find online or in a library."

"If you're willing to dive that far into it, sure. Just remember. Sometimes, it's best to let sleeping dogs lie. Don't go psycho on me. You're too talented and sometimes cute to go crazy."

"Don't worry. I know what happens when you go too deep. Like Heath Ledger playing the Joker."

"Yup. Don't be Heath."

She looked at me sideways. "Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

To be honest, I thought about telling her right then. But then again, I didn't know anything, either. I almost died twice, but was that just coincidence?

"I will. I plan on it. Just not right now. I'm kind of still trying to wrap my head around it. I don't have much to go on yet."

"Okay. Let me know if there's something you need help with. I've got your back."

"Yeah. And RIP my laptop. Guess I'll have to go back to my old beater."

"You sound like an old man."

"It only runs games at thirty fps."

"Ah. Right. It was created by the Antichrist. You call it Lucifer, right?"

"Yeah. What would've been more cruel was making it fifty-nine fps so it would screw with my OCD."

"The cruelest."

After having a small ice cream, I went home. Linda gave me some advice to calm down with. Close the curtains, play some calm lo-fi music, maybe clean something. I stuck with the music. I wasn't going to clean my room. Yet.

I loaded my old computer and did some research. I went through questionable websites and lots of forums. I connected to a VPN to make sure my searches were anonymous. I created a username, SomethingSmelly294, and read through older posts. People claimed they were noticing weird fluctuations in the time-space continuum. Lots of conspiracies followed the existence of aliens. Some claimed it was our government hiding another Area 51 that causes the disturbances. There were a few abduction stories from people who said they were taken by aliens and had erased their memories.

There were some really weird posts, some of them becoming more sensual for my liking. The hardest part about searching was trying to discern any information that could be real. No one described what I had been doing. I'm also pretty sure half of the people were schizophrenic. Once I was sure my appetite was gone, I closed out and cleaned my room. I read a book. Lofi played in the background for hours. It didn't help to calm my nerves.

~~~

The next day, I was in my English Literature class when I got a call to the office. I never got called to the office except when my mom came to take me home for being sick. A quick walk to the office revealed a man sitting in a chair across from the principal's desk. He was wearing a black suit. He looked pretty professional.

"Adam, this is Mr. Lancaster."

"Um, hi."

He stood up and shook my hand.

"Hello Adam. Nice to finally meet you!"

He was very charismatic for someone who looked like he worked for Men in Black. His hair was short and brown. He was pretty tall, too. He had an air of authority. Not even his black tie was crooked.

"Mr. Lancaster came to me personally to tell you he had a proposition you might be interested in."

"A proposal? At least take me to dinner first."

He chuckled.

"We've looked at your grade book, and we think you could find yourself useful at our campus."

"Campus? Where is that?"

"The Indiana School for Science and Mathematics. You're showing a lot of promise, and we can only give this offer to Juniors. Your senior year, you would be focusing on sciences such as biological, computer, the chemistry, anything you can imagine. And, here's the best part, we're willing to offer you a basketball scholarship to help pay for your dorm and classes."

"You're saying I won't have to pay for anything?"

"Almost nothing. We'll help you with the remaining payments by doing some volunteer work that will completely waive what you owe. Just some community service."

"Wow, that's... almost too good to be true."

"Which is why I would strongly recommend you seriously consider this offer. There's only been two students from this school that have been given an offer from ISSM, and neither of them had been given an offer like this."

"I have to say, I'm flattered. I never thought I would have this kind of luck. But, why me? Why not someone like Bradley? He's way better at basketball than me, and I know he's got the better grades."

"The system we use anticipated a surge of greatness, you could say. Our predictions showed your grades going above anyone in this school within a matter of months. We want you at our school. Trust me, the guys who created that system were shocked by what they saw. We're willing to offer you any service you need at our institution."

"Okay. Can I have some time to think about it? I have finals coming up soon, and I'll admit I'm falling a little behind on the studying front."

"Sure. Don't take too long on your decision. You don't know what could happen in the next twenty-four hours. This offer could be gone *snap* in a flash."

"Is it that hard to get in?"

"There are a lot of factors that go into the system. When you're a potential candidate, it only stays that way for so long. It can't be set in stone unless you take it when the model says you should."

"So... this model... has it ever been wrong?"

"No. It has always been one-hundred percent accurate."

"Did it say what my choice would be?"

"It said you wouldn't hesitate to say yes, especially after talking to your mother about it."

"Huh. You think everything is set in stone, don't you?"

"I... pardon?"

I crossed my arms. "You mean to tell me I wouldn't hesitate leaving the school where I'm with all of my friends and making decent grades? Do you even know what I'm trying to major in?"

"You're doing well in the sciences."

"Right. Because what I'm making good grades in is what I want to pursue. I'm going to be an English major. I want to learn how to write like no one else. I don't want to spend every day screwing with lab rats. I want to tell people meaningful lessons in a way that they can relate to a main character. That's what I want to do with my life. So, I'm here to tell you right now that I'm denying your offer."

His smile immediately fell into a frown.

"But your mother. She wouldn't--"

"My life is my life. I get to decide my fate. I'll write my own story, thank you."

"Adam," the principal said, "please think about what you are doing."

"Yes, Adam," Mr. Lancaster said. "I would strongly advise you to reconsider my offer."

"The answer is no. Basketball isn't my dream anyway. I did it for a friend of mine, and that's all. If I can't be around the people I'm happiest with, that push me to fulfill my dream, then I'd rather be dead. I'm sorry, but you can't convince me otherwise."

"Be careful of what you're saying, Adam," Lancaster said. "Wasted potential is still wasted. The model stated you--"

"I don't care what any model, or system, or whoever says. This is still my choice. I'm denying your offer. I know where I want to go, and it's not with you. I'm sorry you wasted your time coming here. I'm flattered you would call me that smart. To be honest, I don't feel that way about myself. But I know where I belong. Right here."

Lancaster looked at me. He was growing tense.

"You better hope this doesn't affect your future," he said. "Because anything can happen that will change your mind."

That somehow felt like a hidden threat.

"We'll see about that, sir."

There was a knock at the door. A familiar girl with purple hair peeked inside.

"Principal Winston, there's a couple of students fighting in the boys bathroom again. It sounds really bad."

"Jesus Christ, these kids and their hormones."

He stood up and shook Mr. Lancaster's hand.

"Thank you for bringing such an amazing offer to our school." He looked at me. "Anyone would be a fool to deny such an amazing offer."

I shrugged and held up a peace sign. "Can I go back to class now?"

He nodded with a gruff. I turned on one heel and met Linda at the door. She grabbed my elbow and pulled me out of the door down the hallway.

"Who was that?" She whispered to me.

"Why are we whispering?" I whispered.

We rounded the corner to the science hallway. She looked back out the other hallway. The sound of a door opening made her jump back.

"What is it?"

"There's something off about that man. The one in the suit."

"Mr. Lancaster? He's pretty pushy and abrasive."

"Why were you in there?"

I shrugged. "He offered me a place at ISSM."

"What? Really? Did you take it?"

"Nope. I shot him down. He didn't seem too happy about it."

"I think you made the right choice. Something didn't seem right about him."

"Either way, is there really a fight going down in the bathroom? I kind of want to see it."

"There is no fight. I made it up."

"You lied to the principal?" I said a little loudly.

"Shhh. I was on my way to the bathroom when I heard your voice in the office. Then I heard him, Lancaster, talk back. It gave me chills. I made up an excuse to get you out of there. I've had to pee like a racehorse for an hour now, so you're welcome."

"Thank you, I guess. What didn't seem right?"

"Well, that underlying threat he made, for one thing."

"You caught that too? I thought I had imagined that."

"He was definitely threatening you. And for the record, what you said about John and friends was sweet. You're a good friend."

"So are you for getting me out of that hellhole. I thought a bomb was gonna go off in there."

"With the amount of tension in that room, I thought it was going to." She brushed her hair away from her eye. "What was it he was saying about some system?"

"Oh, that. He said something about a program that predicts who is the best candidate. He said I was the next in line. He thought for sure I was going to say yes."

"Why didn't you? It's a really good offer."

"I don't know. I just didn't want that for my future. He really didn't like my answer."

"Well, way to go for not being intimidated by him. Something was definitely off about him. And that threat he made scares me even more."

"I'll do some background research on him later."

"Oh, speaking of research. Did you find any answers you were looking for?"

"Not really. Just a bunch of science gibberish and conspiracies. I think some of those people need to be in a psych ward."

"Well, don't worry about that now. You dig up what you can. I'm going to make a few calls and see what's going on with him. I almost want to run up to him and kick him in the crotch."

"But you're too nice for that."

"I know. I'm a personal pacifistic. What you gonna do?"

Later, after school, I told John about my weird encounter with Mr. Lancaster. He agreed he was a total prick. When I got home, I activated my VPN and looked him up on the ISSM website. I scrolled through the staff roster three times, but I couldn't see his face. For someone who was supposed to be working at a top high school, he was hard to find. Maybe he was a private sponsor? That happens sometimes.

My phone started ringing. It was Linda.

"Yello?"

"Heyo. Did you find anything?"

"Not really. I guess he was some sort of rich guy as a sponsor for the school. That place has crazy money."

"I don't think so. I gave them a call. I even asked to be transferred to another associate."

"What did they say?"

"There's no record of anyone named Lancaster in their system. No professors, students, or sponsors, for that matter. He has no affiliation with the school."

"Then... what did he want with me?"

"No idea. I told her the story, and she said you should probably go to the police. Talk to a sketch artist."

"I don't know. What is that gonna do?"

"It could put his face out there. He could've been some pervert or human trafficking. Forcing him into hiding or being caught is probably a wise decision. He can't change his face. If you want, I can go with you."

"No, it's okay. You're probably right. But I don't want to bring you into this any more than you are. If he really is out there, he's probably going to target an innocent looking girl more than a ballsy guy. He's already seen your face."

"Okay. But don't go alone. In fact, if you're going to go anywhere, take one of us with you. If he's targeting you, it might discourage him if you're not alone."

"That's a good idea, but for all I know, he could be a shape-shifting ninja of disguise."

"Still, safety in numbers."

I sighed. "You're right. I'll go to the police."

"Please go today. The sooner his face is out there, the safer."

"Okay, mother."

She laughed. "Stay safe." She hung up.