“Woohoo!” Rina cheered. “That is game. Oh yeah.”
Flora picked herself off the ground and examined her new grass stains with satisfaction. Rina came over and gave her a high five. “Oh I’ll miss you when you’re gone,” she cried as if they had actually been friends. “I still can’t believe that both Mendel and you are leaving me. I didn’t expect to have to say so many goodbyes at graduation.”
“Don’t worry Rina, you’ll meet plenty of new people apprenticing for Madam Toude at the bakery,” Flora said reassuringly. “I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun.”
Rina made a face, but she replied happily, “Actually graduation is pretty cool. I’ll learn all sorts of new stuff soon, and now I have connections. Chai is going to go work at the patch shop. I’m sure I can weasel some free patches from her. And Becks will be working on the aqueduct system, which I’ve always thought is really amazing.” For a second, the smile left her face. “I sure will miss this place though.”
Flora looked around at the ring of classroom trees surrounding their playing field. The other players were cheerfully making their way to the tables where food and drinks were laid out. This would be their last time all together. In the next few weeks, all the former students would go their separate ways, becoming apprentices in different fields.
Unlike the others, Flora wouldn’t be able to come back and hang out once in a while. People who joined the Institute were forever separated from the village. Luckily that wouldn’t be a huge loss for her. Flora’s ears perked up at the sound of laughter. Somehow she could always tell when people were laughing at her. She looked over to see Crick and some of his friends snickering.
“Don’t worry about him,” Rina commented. “He’s just mad because he missed the cut for the Institute. They say Mrs. Gardner was not happy about that!”
There were plenty of things that she would be happy to leave behind. Flora spotted Mendel sitting off by himself. Plus she would have Mendel with her. She chuckled, remembering the look on his face when he found out that she would be joining him. Also there would be a few students from the other three schools joining them at the Institute this year.
Mendel was captivated by her new found aptitude in biology, adding pages of additional notes into her “case study.” But even with his help, they hadn’t gotten much further in understanding her dreams. Perhaps the answers lay buried at the Institute. Flora went over to Mendel and gave him a light kick.
“Hey, whatcha thinking about?” she asked.
“Oh, hi Flora,” Mendel said as he looked up at her, shading his face with his hand. “I’m just thinking through what I want to take with me up to the Institute. It’s a two-day hike, so I can only bring as much as I can carry. The instructions were rather sparse. For instance, do I need to bring my books, or can I assume the Institute has copies of all the important books?”
Flora shrugged. “I hadn’t really thought of any of that.”
“Well, you do seem to do better when you’re not thinking,” Mendel observed.
“Well, I guess I’ve just been on a high the last few days,” Flora answered. “You can’t imagine how it feels. I just knew stuff. It was amazing.” Then Flora realized who she was talking to. “No, I guess you do know how it feels to know stuff. But I didn’t, and now I do. It feels great.”
“Actually, I don’t just know stuff,” objected Mendel. “I study and plan and prepare things, like this packing list for the Institute.” Mendel waved his hand in front of Flora’s face. “You really aren’t worried about what to bring are you? Well if you don’t end up bringing anything, I’ll be happy to allow you to carry some of my belongings.”
“My hero,” Flora said sarcastically. “Either way, you’ll probably need me to lug some of your stuff up the mountain for you.”
“I am hardly being heroic,” Mendel said. “Or is that another instance of sarcasm that you are employing? If not, and you have actually gained exceptional strength, perhaps from another dream, then you should let me know so that I can log it in the case study.”
“No on the dreams.” Flora smiled. “But did you see that last catch? I think I always had super-strength and just never knew it.”
************
Flora stopped outside her door. She could hear her mother talking with Margaret, Flora’s aunt.
“Of course I’m happy for her,” her mother said. “It’s a huge honor. But...the Institute is a harsh place, Marge. She’s not ready for that.”
“Don’t worry about it so much, Geena,” her aunt said calmly. “She’s old enough now. It’s time for her to take care of herself.”
“It’s not the same for you, Marge. She’s not your daughter.” Her mother paused. “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. You’ve been an excellent aunt to Flora. But...Flora’s my baby. I just always thought I’d be able to keep her. I’m not ready to give her up, and certainly not to the Institute.”
“Well, she got accepted,” she said. “And if the Institute accepts you, then you go.”
“The Institute always takes what they want,” her mother said. “I certainly know that. Well they can’t take my daughter.”
“Hi Flora!” Flora jumped around to see her grandmother waving at her.
“Ah. You scared me Nana. Whatcha doing out here?” she asked.
“Waiting here for you,” she explained. “I hear that you’ll be leaving us soon.”
Suddenly the gravity of it all weighed her down. Everything had happened so fast. Getting into the Institute had been a dream come true, and graduation and leaving school were just a parts of a normal life. But she hadn’t thought about leaving her family behind. What if she never saw them again? A tear started forming above her cheek.
“Oh Nana,” she cried, hugging her close. “I’m scared.”
“I know,” her grandmother said, combing her head gently. “I know.”
************
After dinner, her mother came into her room. She sat down on the bed beside her and threw her arms around her, giving her a long embrace. “How are you doing honey? Are you ready for the hike up to the Institute tomorrow? All packed?” Her voice sounded too happy to be genuine. “You’d better go to bed early tonight.”
“Actually Mom, I,” stammered Flora, unsure of herself. “I, um, I’m not sure I should go to the Institute.”
“What are you talking about?” her mother exclaimed. “Of course you’re going to the Institute. Don’t you want to go? You were so excited just this morning.
“Well, I did want to, but now I’m thinking I can just stay here with you. I’m sure the Mayor would still let me work for him.”
“Oh, I see,” her mother said. “Look, don’t stay on my account. I’ll be alright.” She gave her another squeeze. “Of course I’ll miss you dearly. But going to the Institute is a wonderful opportunity, and you shouldn’t turn down this gift. You’ve grown so much in the last few years, and I’m proud of you. I want to see you go out there and accomplish great things.”
“Really? You think so?” Flora said, tears threatening to burst forth from her eyes. Sometimes she forgot how much she loved her mother.
“I think it’s your destiny, honey,” her mother said after wiping her face clear of tears, “But I need you to do something for me.”
“Sure, of course. What is it Mom?”
“I need you to remember that I’ll always be here watching over you. And I need you to know that I will see you again. I promise you that.”
“Okay, Mom,” she replied.
“And promise me you’ll be careful,” she continued.
“Of course Mom,” Flora said nonchalantly.
“No,” her mother said, grabbing her by the shoulders. “I need you to promise me. There are real dangers out there, and I won’t be there to watch out for you. I need you to watch out for yourself.”
“I promise, Mom,” Flora said. “Jeesh, you’re scaring me a bit.”
“Good,” her mother said. “You s
hould be scared. It’ll keep you cautious. You can’t trust everyone you meet at the Institute. But if you’re ever in trouble, I want you to go to a man named Samuel.”
“Wait,” interrupted Flora. “You know someone at the Institute? You’ve been to the Institute?” What secrets had her mother been keeping from her?
“No dear, but..” Flora waited in silence. “But you have.”
“No I haven’t. I think.” Flora said, suddenly doubting her own memories.
“Let me explain,” her mother continued. “As you know, just after you were born, new babies started being born...mindless.”
“Yes, the birthing incident,” Flora said.
“The Institute quickly moved to ban any new pregnancies and instated the birth control laws. They also did some investigations into the matter, which included taking you to the Institute for tests. You were just a couple months old then.”
“Wait, what kind of tests did they run on me? Why didn’t you tell me this before?” Flora asked. Maybe this was why she had the dreams and sudden knowledge. Was this what the Mayor had called “destiny?” Did they do something to her?
“They promised that they didn’t do anything to you, and I was banned from talking about it,” her mother explained. “A man named Samuel brought you back to me just a month later. He said you were in fine health and that I needn’t be worried about anything.”
“And you think I can trust this man?” Flora asked.
“He was very kind, and when he held you, I could tell that he loved you too,” her mother replied. “Also he knew your father. They were...friends. I’m sure he would help you if you needed it.”
“My father?” asked Flora.
She remembered so little about him. But it wasn’t just her mother who refused to talk about him. It was as if her mother had sworn all of Terrene into secrecy. As her mother had insisted, she had let the past be the past, but now her head was filled with questions. Why did her father have a friend in the Institute? What did he do? But one look at her mother was all Flora needed to know that her mother wasn’t going to answer these questions.
“How will I find him? What does this Samuel guy look like?” Flora asked instead.
“Oh, it’s been fifteen years. I’m not sure what he would look like now. Back then he was probably in his forties or fifties. He had jet black hair, and was rather tall. And he had the kindest blue eyes. I’m sure you’ll be just fine, but it makes me feel better knowing that you have someone to watch over you at the Institute.” Her mother smiled.
Flora returned her smile. “Don’t worry Mom, I’ll be fine.”
They held each other in silence. Finally her mother let go and urged her to get some rest, closing the door behind her. Despite the horrible thought of leaving her family behind, Flora couldn’t help but feel excited. Thoughts of adventure and discovery flowed through her head. The life of an Institute scholar was glamorous, something beyond her imagination. And perhaps someone at the Institute could help unlock the mystery of her dreams and the world of Jane Ingram. She pictured herself in bright white robes, riding a matching white horse into the snowy mountains, marching to meet Jane. With these thoughts in her head, Flora fell into a deep sleep and dreamed once more.
Chapter 5: The Bacterium
There was something wrong with the agrobacterium plasmid. She didn’t know what, but there was definitely something wrong. The thought lingered in her head. It had been there all night, keeping her mind on edge while she should have been sleeping. She had so many better things to concentrate on anyways. If she didn’t show promising results to the head of her department soon... And now her alarm clock was bugging her to get up and go to work. She hated her alarm clock.
Jane rolled out of bed and onto the floor. The insistent chirp of her alarm clock subsided. She lay on the floor and considered going back to sleep now that her alarm clock thought that she had gotten out of bed. Ha. Stupid technology. But no, she needed to get Ashton off to school. Sometimes it sucked being responsible.
She fumbled into her clothes and splashed some water on her face. Looking in the mirror, she cringed at the mess that stared back at her. She pulled her long blonde hair into a ponytail and tied it with a brown elastic. Not great, but better. Jane was in her late thirties, but she looked much younger. Just last week, she was carded at the supermarket. That made her happy for days. And her figure was the envy of all her colleagues. She somehow managed to stay in shape despite a non-existent workout schedule.
Jane marched into Ashton’s room only to find that he was already awake. Or maybe he had never gone to sleep. He was on the computer playing that game all the kids were so engrossed in these days. What was it called again? “Come out and get breakfast,” she muttered grumpily and proceeded to stumble into the kitchen without waiting for an answer.
She opened up the refrigerator and stared for a while. Agrobacteria. Argh, she pushed the thought out of her mind. She needed to concentrate on eating first. Why was she opening the refrigerator? She closed the refrigerator, opened the freezer and took out some frozen waffles. She threw them into the toaster and then started the coffee machine. Having done her part to make breakfast, she sat down at the table to read some news.
She grabbed her mobi from its charging cradle and slid it open, transforming it into a semi-transparent screen about 7 inches in diagonal. Gesturing with her fingers above the display, she quickly navigated to her morning news feed. Apparently, there was a new bill being supported by the religious right to ban artifical intelligence research. There were some protests yesterday in Texas over $10 a gallon gasoline. And the newest pop sensation Athena Lee was seen out on the town with teen-actor Jason von Crusen.
Ding. “Ashton, get out here,” she called. “Breakfast is ready.” Jane threw the waffles onto a plate, opened the refrigerator, and pulled out some honey and butter, all while continuing to read. As she sat down, her son finally made it into the kitchen. He sat down at the table, stuck the waffle into his mouth and gestured away at his mobi, fully engrossed in the contents of its slide-out screen.
Jane put down her mobi and looked up at Ashton. “Okay, no tech during breakfast. We get fifteen minutes of face to face.”
“One second Mom,” Ashton replied without glancing away from the screen.
“Are you still playing that...“Stuff Building” video game?” she asked.
“It’s called Creation,” Ashton replied, setting down his mobi. “And it’s not a video game. It’s an interactively created universe simulator.”
“Let’s see,” she replied. “A simulator that you pay to play and sucks up all the free time of anyone between the ages of 8 and 16,” she paused pretending to be lost in thought. “Sounds like a video game to me.” She drizzled some honey onto her waffle and took a bite. “Why don’t you try going out once in a while and play with some other kids your age.”
Ashton sighed condescendingly, as if she were the child. “First of all, Mom, I play with plenty of kids my age, just not in meatspace. My friends are all online.”
“You know I hate it when you use the term ‘meatspace’,” chided Jane. “The real, physical world is called reality and does not need a nickname. You should spend more time in it. Oh, I know. Why don’t you invite some of your online friends over, like that ‘Commander’ I always see you texting?” Jane suggested.
“Sure,” Ashton agreed readily. “Can you pick ‘Commander’ up on your way home?” Ashton gave her a sarcastic smile. “Oh wait, Chris lives in Australia.”
Jane sighed. Her hand went automatically to the globe pendant she always wore around her neck. When he smiled, he looked just like his father. Ashton had the same laughter behind his eyes that Paul had, but everything else about them was different. Paul was athletic, social, and loved the outdoors. Ashton was always stuck to his computer or his mobi, and while intelligent, he seemed a little disconnected from the world she loved so much. Was he just being rebellious? Jane really wished that Ashton
could have known his father, but that tsunami had taken Paul out of her life just as fast as he had entered it. At least he had left something behind.
Buzz. An alert popped onto her mobi’s screen. She glanced at it quickly before dismissing it.
“Ashton, you better stop talking and start eating. Your bus will be here in ten minutes.”
“School?” Ashton whined. “Do I really need to go to school? Why don’t I just log in from home?”
Jane sighed once again. This was a constant debate between the two of them. “Yes, you need to actually physically go to school. If you stayed home, you would just play that video game all day long.”
“I can do both,” Ashton suggested. “Everything is about multitasking these days. It’s kind of a waste to just go to school.”
Was she like this when she was twelve? She remembered being fine just doing one thing at a time. She said, “You should go to school because you need to interact with other people. Learning is an interactive experience.”
“But no one’s there,” Ashton complained. “All my friends login from home. I look like a 20th century noob showing up in meatspace. I can tell the other kids are private IM’ing about me.”
“Well, I have to go to work,” she explained. It really sucked being a single parent. “I can’t stay here and watch you, so you’re going to school.”
“Well, you could work from home too,” Ashton pleaded. “Everyone else’s parents telecommute to work. Then we could spend more time together too.”
That last one struck a chord. Jane would have liked to spend more time with Ashton. They had grown close when she was working as just a lab assistant. But now that she was the head of the lab, she was much busier and had little time to spend at home. Perhaps that was why Ashton had retreated into his video games.
“I wish I could, dear,” she said. “But the work at the lab requires human interaction. That’s how we communicate. It’s how we get inspired, how we innovate. Some things just can’t be solved with computers. We’ve talked about this before.” She furrowed her brow and gave Ashton a hard stare. “And I can tell when you’re just trying to change the subject. This isn’t about my work, it’s about your school.”