“Flocci I’m guessing is the plural of floccus?” Madison added. She glanced at Van Hanlin for affirmation, but he decided not to give any. It didn’t discourage her. “I was in PSAT prep when I died, and we were learning all sorts of Latin. I don’t even remember learning the word, but for some reason my mind is telling me that a floccus is a small tuft of a cloud.”
“You may not have even realized your brain had filed away that information,” Van Hanlin said, slightly impressed with the brownnosing girl in spite of himself.
Alex appeared to be gobsmacked by the conversation. He wondered what was hiding in that mind of hers. Incontestably something powerful. Yes, he was lucky indeed to have this batch of newburies. He began to consider the possibilities greedily.
Madison lifted her finger to her chin in thought. “A bunch of words that mean small or insignificant. Is that the actual meaning of the word?”
“The meaning is to deny the value of something, so yes, it is the same to regard something as insignificant. Well done.” He took a coin from his shirt pocket, which he flicked over his right shoulder. It ricocheted off an overhead lamp and landed directly on the light switch, brightening the room.
“Now that your brains are warmed up, let us begin. This afternoon, we are going to delve into the topic of travel. If you try hard enough, you can use your mind to see that things travel past you constantly, the most obvious of which being sound. You need only look for it. We are going to focus specifically on transportation. Of course, you can float, walk, or run without tiring easily, but there are much more practical means.”
A hand shot up in the air, and he acknowledged it through gritted teeth. “Yes, Madison?”
“Can we still drive cars or ride on planes?”
“Yes, of course we can, but we do not usually choose to do so. It’s simply unnecessary because it’s so much easier to ride the waves.”
Madison, who was transcribing his words furiously, said, “Huh?”
“Radiofrequency waves,” Van Hanlin said briskly. “Or in layman’s terms, cell phones. How many of you had cell phones in life?”
He watched all five hands rise into the air. Times had certainly changed.
“Ever had a prank call? A hang up? Those were probably quick trips. We don’t need much time to travel, but the further the distance, the longer we need to keep the connection. Ever been called by a telemarketer? Half of them aren’t even selling anything. They are simply working for us.”
Van Hanlin wrote Gramble on the chalkboard. “The founding family of modern day travel. Al Gramble was a man who perfected the method of transportation through electrical wires. Before we gave the idea of cell phones to the bodied—oh, don’t look so shocked! Of course we contribute to the physical world’s technology when it suits us. Anyway, back in the day, we had to travel through landlines. It was quite frustrating because there were so many unnecessary stops to reach one’s destination. Al Gramble’s great-nephew, Will, invented wave travel. Has anyone seen the turn for Gramble Lane off of Lazuli Street?”
Each of their faces displayed identical expressions of bewilderment. He presumed no one had mentioned it to them yet. They wouldn’t see the road until their minds knew to look for it.
“The parapets on the top of the building on Gramble Lane are like cell phone towers. They give us the ability to ride the radiofrequency waves.”
“What are parapets?” the tall girl asked.
“Those things on top of buildings that look like giant swords at attention,” Joey said. “I heard that teachers sometimes take the newburies on a field trip. Can we go?”
Van Hanlin shook his head.
“Is it because of that kid who keeps leaving campus?” Madison groaned.
Alex Ash looked up so abruptly her neck made the sound of a whip cracking.
“Aren’t there emergency exits in the school?” Joey asked, swaying his body to peek out into the hallway.
Now that it was mentioned, his newburies would have the ability to find the secret stairway outside his classroom if they opened their minds to search for it. The parapets on the learning center led to the travel waves. How interesting that the children had not heard of Gramble Station or the road leading to it, but they knew of the emergency travel access in this building. Van Hanlin’s mind began to reel.
“I’m not at liberty to show you how to travel outside of the city. That would be illegal unless warranted.”
“Professor?” Madison interrupted.
He sighed heavily and waved a hand to indicate she should hurry up and ask another of her infernal questions.
“Is it still possible to travel through the electrical wires?”
“Of course.”
“Are we ever going to try it?”
Van Hanlin shook his head. “Please turn to chapter four: Traveling Overseas and Enduring the Discomforts of Water in the (Frequency) Waves.”
He watched to make sure Alex had the correct book and allowed his eyes to linger once more. He wondered how much surveillance they’d place on her, bearing in mind what had happened to her mother.
And more importantly, what had happened to those before her.
12
Kaleb and Gabe sat at the center of the Grandiuse, an unordinary hall impersonating the interior of a grand library. Two poker-faced girls guarded the door, but they each wrote so feverishly in their notebooks that they didn’t bother to address anyone who entered or exited. Millions of multicolored book bindings snugly clustered the walls, which zigzagged and waved magically to make room for all the information. Even the lamps curved over the tables insipidly like fields of drooping flowers.
Kaleb rested his cheek on his fist and picked at his customary football jersey while Gabe thumbed through a book. Upon Alex’s entrance with Jonas, they shifted their eyes to one another, mirroring an expression of suspicion.
“Where’ve you been, Jo?” Kaleb asked without removing his cheek from his hand.
Gabe stood up and tugged at Alex’s elbow, leading her to the opposite end of the table. She could sense Jonas’s annoyance thickening the air.
Jonas tossed his bag to the ground. “I found Alex wandering around like she was lost.”
“How helpful of you.”
Jonas muttered something inappropriate and unnecessary, but Gabe, who was always one step ahead of Jonas, coughed loudly during the comment so Kaleb wouldn’t hear.
Alex sat on the bench and took some time to ogle at the rippling walls. “What is this place?”
Gabe used his finger to hold his place in the book. “It’s just where professors brief newburies on upcoming events and campus concerns. You can come here to ask questions and get help with workshops, too.” He flipped his book upright and continued reading.
The chipped letters of the title read: Notorious Ghost Stories: Legends throughout the Ages.
Alex rested her elbows on the table. “Is Parrish mentioned in there?”
Gabe grinned. “Why else would I be reading it? The only downfall is that now I have that ridiculous song about the Cove Ghost stuck in my head.”
They had grown up in a town obsessed with its legends. The Cove Ghost was the most famous. Some poetic tourist had visited the town in the late 1800s and written lyrics about waiting on the beach for her to appear. The creepy song became a children’s jump rope rhyme. Alex had sung it frequently on the playground in grade school. The SyFy channel had even done a piece on the ghost. For weeks, their vans had popped up around town like wild mushrooms, unwanted nuisances.
Gabe had bookmarked one page, and he pointed to a word that made Alex’s stomach drop. The Jester. She tugged the book closer to get a better look, and Jonas leaned in.