Chapter Theme Music: School Garden ~ Scientific Railgun OST166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSuKyMGlZm
<10/28/2011 - 08:45 | Enroute, Austell, GA, USA>
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The next day's transformation of our collective energy was something impressive to behold. I was excited before I even got onto the bus in the early morning, but sitting in the many available seats going down a highway was more fun than any old road trip. I had only initial struggle finding somewhere to sit by anyone interesting I knew, trying to keep my mind from going bored.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLbOSH09SOH
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I was too tired at first to call Lumina, but the growing warmth of Georgia tried to seep its way in as well. Luckily, once I arrive in Wahsega, that should change. For the meantime, I tried sitting with the familiar face I was used to. The bus was strange compared to any ordinary school bus, so the orientation was a little different. This vehicle was more expensive in design, blue instead of that hideous yellow we always see, and far more roomy between the seats. The windows were also three times the normal size, so getting a nice view was easy enough.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHeJ2YpJfL
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I was cured of my grogginess quickly, on count of how excited I was. I wasn't the only one hyped up and ready to burst with energy. Banarus was already with her group, laughing and playing some card game when I tried to join them. None of the chaperones sitting up front mind if we switched seats, so long as we didn't linger in the isles.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYw0Ys8QaWf
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So I started off by quietly playing another game of Bullshit, taking account of everybody who was here with us. Ashly had the passionate fire of hyper in her eyes, in a way I felt now, though couldn't express this early in the day. I presumed it was because she was winning most often. Britney was here as well, having dropped out of the game early to gossip and trash talk with some other girl I didn't know by her side of the window. Kate tried cracking more jokes between herself and Banarus, presenting their collective glorious gaiety for all of us to feel, so contagious and powerful! Zero sat beside them as well with her cards in hand, eying me frequently as if I would say something. I knew the only reason Zero was giving me looks was because she was trying to imagine what I might look like in a dress.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpogfFamev
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I was more than happy to hang out with all of them for the ride. Kate's constant laughing and giggling spread to me somehow, reminding me how excited I was the night prior. Before long, I had my own smile plastered onto my face, the kind that was impossible to hide or rub away, while my background thoughts drifted to what I've done lately.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcnfwg4Esvs
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"I can't wait to meet your Lumina by the way." Banarus and I were already having a side conversation about the random and various things we should be doing when we get to Wahsega camp, so that I would know what to expect more.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4eGTl0W0mo
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When she asked me about Lumina though, every memory I made of last night flooded in with more intensity, as the three-tier excitement took me over. No amount of worry could touch me anymore, my happiness ascended beyond reach. "Maybe you will one day, Banarus. Maybe you will." I knew it was a strange concept even for me, considering that Lumina has met just about half the people in my entire school, without any of them knowing of her existence. It's a strange thing to meet someone through the body's senses of another person. I wonder what they would all think knowing that Lumina has heard every single word and conversation they've made when in my personal presence.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkiQTpwwJ9H
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But I could care less for the moment, for I knew I was the most excited one of them all. Everybody on this fieldtrip has one, maybe two incredible reasons to be excited and full of energy. For one, who wouldn't what a weekend fieldtrip including a nature camp accompanied by an awesome dance? For Banarus's circle of friends, I could tell they were even more hyped up by knowing what I was planning to look like for the Halloween dance party.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuAuqh2uI9k
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Those two factors resonated inside me as well, but my excitement is actually three-tier. On top of every other amazing thing going on, as of last night, I'm actually engaged! Just saying it to myself again makes me feel like I could fly, as my heart flutters inside, warming my entire body! I was kind of torn by the idea that I was getting married soon, yet couldn't tell a single soul about it. There's no telling how Banarus and the others would react if they found out I was getting married. I could simulate and imagine so many scenarios quickly in my head, but there's too many to know which was likely.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5LfRWrR21
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Part of me felt more empowered knowing what I was in for. To find my soul mate and be wed to her before I even reach high school feels like the accomplishment of a lifetime. On the other hand, it's harder to feel that way when I know I can't tell anyone about it. Thanks to most of my thoughts hanging on these themes, I was quieter than I wanted to be, unable to express how I really felt inside entirely. I wanted to skip to the dance and celebrate right now, dominating the dance floor as if I owned the funk!166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXu95hnkQS
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"I feel like I have to celebrate right now! The dance is tonight, right?"166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0KnW4Lkpy
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Zero addressed my questions with an attempt not to laugh at what she imagined me wearing yet again. "It's tomorrow night Reed. You must really want to wear that dress." Her insinuation got Banarus and Ashly laughing together before I shut her guess down.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnh48kFlRvb
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"Even without all of that, I just know I'm going to have too much fun. God I love her so much!" Lumina. You and I will be connected again soon, as soon as I can unpack my things at the camp. Just hold out a little longer.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNYDGthErxl
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"I still don't see how you're going to sneak Lumina in. Is she coming in her own car? Is she hiding on the bus?!" Zero nearly flipped asking the last question, as if the confirmation would surprise her.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL4rSBbdhVm
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While it would be easy to hide Lumina in plain sight, I've already got that situation handled by default. I have to say something, now that everyone is waiting for my answer. "That's our little secret!" My voice shook from a soft laugh without me meaning to. Just saying that was hot! If I were physically sneaking Lumina in, I'd be even more excited about this whole event, in a new and different way.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqD2VcxFZmh
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Of course, the way I portrayed the near future drove their attention upwards to me. Even Banarus gasped slightly as she pressed her foot against my happiness. "You're either lying, or you're going to be caught within the first two hours. There's no way you can hang out with someone the whole time without the chaperones finding out about it." Zero and Ashly were slowly nodding their heads in passive agreement with what made sense for them.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYgi2pm0RU
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Oh, pitiful Banarus. If only you knew the wonders of telepathy and what it could do for all of us. I'm not particularly happy with the fact that Lumina can't physically be here with me, with all the things I want to do to her now... But I have to look on the bright side of the situation I've been given. I actually can hang out with Lumina the entire time without the chaperones finding out. They can't keep us apart if Lumina's body is on another planet while her mind is linked with mine. Even if they knew, their enforcement of bogus rules couldn't be enforced either, since nobody can interrupt or stop telepathy directly. Plus, I'd just lie about it anyway.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAcmhnqLxo
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What's scary is, I love Lumina so much now, that I would be willing to sneak her in and hang out with her all day long even if she were here in person. I don't want to leave her side for even a single second. So strangely enough, I've given real thought to the simulation of how I'd actually sneak a girl into Wahsega, despite not needing to. I can't give these girls too much information, but I can lead on with something to satisfy their curiosity for now. I have to, if I want to avoid the possibility of one of them ratting out my plans to another chaperone. "That's what you think Banarus. I'm not going to just tell you when and where she is, but I will give you one tiny hint. You know the cabins we got at Wahsega, and how they're surrounded by miles of forests? It's harder to monitor people coming in from the outside with so much space and angles available to us."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM0AicaJDl1
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On several technicalities, I wasn't lying to anyone. I have to keep reminding myself of this, because I still felt terrible any time I thought I had to lie about her in any manner. It is true that intruders could come from deep in the woods, wherever that leads to. My words should make them assume I'm talking about Lumina, but I only followed up one fact with another irrelevant point.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHfILmXnTZ
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"You mean she's coming from the woods? Wouldn't she have to take the bus to get there first?"166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHaYNCeJ2P
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Leave it to Kate to find the one hole in my cover-up. "I was talking about later, after we've all arrived."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxboeWM8Bsb
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"Yeah, now I feel like you're the bull-shitter."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy0d66Cdlxk
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I knew Zero felt that way about me on this subject, but I didn't think she'd finally say it to my face. Guess I have to try harder. "I never asked the lot of you to believe me. Even if I broke down and told you everything I knew, you wouldn't believe me anyway. That's the saddest part to all of this."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANegJMig6Y
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"So then, she is on one of the busses?" Banarus nearly stood out of her own seat, glancing around as if she'd find that one person instantly.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2VvFaEvRGv
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"It's as if you made some person up just to impress everyone else."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMhd48G9thq
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"I didn't make her up..." I wasn't so firm when I told Zero that, and it's because there was too much I left unsaid before all of this that haunted me more. Zero and I just stared at each other's eyes for a long lasting moment, trying to evaluate each other despite the invasive telepathy never existing between us. Zero looks so sure and serious, like she would care the most about everything if only she knew. The possibility of that made me feel evermore guilty about my requirement to hide the truth from her. I know she knows that I'm keeping things secret for all good reason, but does Zero realize that I actually want to talk about it? Is she able to see the tangles in my aura, bound by the wars in us all - between faith and implausibility? I feel like she senses something more going on, that she of all people would want to know most what I've been going through, or at least if I'm okay with it all.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlePibQIzJb
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I'm sorry about this Zero. I'm so sorry I haven't told you anything. "Listen. Maybe one day, there will be a chance for me to show you everything I know. But today isn't that day. I'm here to have the most fun in my life; nothing else matters right now."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0KybCEU69E
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Before we could say more, one of the teachers behind me cleared her throat on purpose, which made the hairs on my arms stand up under the shirt. "I don't think it's a good idea to be playing that game with everyone. The others might assume you're gambling." It sounded like a soft way to ban us from having fun with our card game, despite having no fake chips or real coins trading around.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCuQ8w2CYM
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Once I turned around with Zero and the others, I realized who this chaperone was, Ms. Quaker. I haven't had any classes with her, but she does hang out in the hallways sometimes, waving at people awkwardly and talking to me at random. She's actually a nice person, which might explain why she doesn't want people to think we're gambling, not that I had a problem with the idea.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVEp6GmR5Sd
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Banarus sheepishly started putting away the cards, unwilling to argue, while Ashly fidgeted around until she stood on her knees with a begging face. "Ms. Quaker? It's alright if we move seats a bit, right?"166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKCLgbrQy5K
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"Try not to be in the isles."166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5E8nmCRz1U
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"Come on! Let's go see what Maddison is up to." Ashly grabbed Kate's hand, inviting her to move a bit further back, which Ms. Quaker didn't mind one bit. As soon as Ashly and Kate tried to move, Banarus and Zero tried to switch seats too.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Nz64gEjZX
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By now, Ms. Quaker was walking back to the front, her little routine check over with, but I wasn't happy with the developing arrangement one bit. It was bad enough they wanted to sit closer to Maddison, even if it was just for a fleeting moment. I can't stand that girl to date! That isn't even the worst part though. Based on the seating capacity I could see from here in the back, the four of them moved and arranged themselves in such a manner that would now make it impossible for me to rejoin them. There can only be eight people per clustered row. We were maxed out already, so even though Britney and her friend were not moving, adding Maddison and the few others who were already sitting over there would make it impossible for me to fit in, physically speaking. Without much warning, I was alone again.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQqNRw7Wvq
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The new isolation only swapped two other people around, while I could now hear more of Britney's shallow conversations about how trashy other girls were. Before long, I gave up and switched seats further forward myself, just so that I could have the view by the window. I wasn't near anyone I knew anymore, but the solitude gave me more room to think and day dream about everything I was previously. Ms. Quaker gave me a few glances, for reasons I wouldn't care to understand.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLwF2NErNc
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For the rest of the hour this trip would last, I decided to remain this way. Even though Lumina can't see the view outside with me right now, I know she's preparing herself to have fun with me today. I'll live inside my own thoughts for now, meditating forward through time.
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