Return to PCA
The Taste
Chapter One: Changing Things
"People have been complaining about the food in the cafeteria," Quinn Pensky stated as the young man typed and the dean listened. The night was young but aging quickly as the lights slowly began to dim. "That's pretty much where it started. And of course, as you know, the whole campus community gets its food from one primary supplier."
Dean Rivers nodded, turning to the secretary for a moment. "And that company would be Blix Food Services," he declared for the records. Stroking the graying whiskers on his chin, the man returned his gaze to PCA's prodigy. "Sorry. Please go on."
"No problem," Quinn replied. "So, one of the major complaints was directed towards Kazu's sushi restaurant. The decline in quality was quite obvious. Ever since the concept of flavor-enhancing sprays utilizing advanced chemistry to alter foods at a near-microscopic level dawned near Chicago last year, the students figured I'd be the perfect person to fix their problem."
It wasn't long ago. Mixing chemicals in the comfort of her dorm room, the brunette young woman squinted through her glasses, burning the rest of her energy to fill one more vial. "Quinn," a calm, familiar voice broke the silence: it was Zoey. "You've been up for days. It's time to sleep."
"I've almost got it finished," Quinn mumbled, feeling her mind starting to drift. Feeling the warm embrace of a soft blanket upon her shoulders, the bespeculated young woman let her friend lead her to her bed. Setting her glasses on her desk, Quinn let her head droop to the side, her eyes closed. "Thanks, Zoey."
"No problem, kid," the blond girl replied with a gentle smile. "Just remember to take care of yourself sometimes, Quinn. Sweet dreams." Moving silently, not wanting to wake Lola or Nicole, Zoey made her way to her bed, sat on its edge, and brushed her long, straight locks as her mother taught her, before lying down and allowing herself to fall asleep.
Opening her eyes, the bright, warm glow of the orange and yellow sunrise shining through the window behind her bed, Zoey watched the image of Quinn mixing chemicals come into focus. Glancing at her clock, the young woman groaned while slowly raising herself into seated position. "Quinn," she exclaimed, wrapping herself in her housecoat. "What are you doing up this early? It's five-thirty and you haven't been sleeping."
"Zoey, the campus's been waiting for this formula," the brunette girl answered, her voice weighed down with grogginess. "I've got to get this done soon."
"You can't keep working yourself to the ground like this," Zoey replied, getting up and walking towards Quinn. "You need to take a break."
"I'm fine," Quinn answered, sounding shorter than she intended. "Please…just give me some time alone. Lola and Nicole went for a walk around the campus if you want to hang out with them."
Pressing her fingers inward, applying pressure to her sleep-deprived and aching eyes, the blond young woman sighed. "I'm gonna take a shower," she groaned. "It's way too early for this," Zoey snarled under her breath.
Vaguely hearing room 101's door closing, Quinn tried to settle herself down as she heated the clear liquid in front of her. Suddenly dropping her tools, the brunette young woman removed her glasses and pressed her palms into her face, letting out a heavy, regretful sigh. Tension setting in the back of her neck, Quinn felt her thoughts continue to race. What the hell am I doing? she asked herself, unable to stop thinking about her friends. I screwed up.
Her hazel-brown eyes gently closed, Zoey twisted the nozzles of the shower, feeling secure behind the tinted windows of the girls' bathroom. Hissing, a stream of hot water beads splashed against the young woman's chest as she stroked her long blond hair tightly back, letting the moisture keep her locks in place. Her tan skin glistening under the weak lights above, the girl gently stroked her shoulders, taking in the warmth of the water, feeling her body merge with the water. Her arms crossed over her tight breasts, the young woman's lightly toned stomach gracefully streamed down into her hips, completing her slim, fit pear-figure. Glancing down, lightly twisting her back, the blond looked at her buttocks, which slightly peaked out, giving her a curvy but fit look overall. In the eyes of all, she was a beautiful young woman. Sighing and shrugging off her tension, Zoey kept her eyes closed, trying to visualize her argument with Quinn. She's putting way too much pressure on herself, she told herself as she lathered the shampoo into her hair. Man, I sound like her mother…Maybe I've been babying her. But she can't keep pushing herself like this. Letting out a heavy sigh of temporary surrender, Zoey rinsed off her hands and began washing her body. Just leave her alone for awhile. It's not going to do any good if she's pissed at me.
About an hour later, Zoey, Nicole, and Lola met up at the cafeteria. The earth was warming over with the blessing of the bright sun, and the three had a table all to themselves. Nicole got her usual: whole-wheat pancakes with maple syrup, bacon, orange juice, and a small piece of cake. Lola grabbed a protein bar and a carton of milk, and Zoey simply sat down with a hot cup of coffee.
"Do you ever eat breakfast?" Lola asked, not intending to start a lecture.
"Not really," Zoey answered, taking of sip of her beverage. "Ever since I was a kid, I always rushed in the morning and never really had time to sit down and eat. I usually have a bigger lunch and dinner, though. I'm just not really a morning person when it comes to that."
Swallowing her bite of pancake, Nicole turned towards her friend. "Well, you're definitely not like me, then," she chuckled before taking a gulp of orange juice. Zoey smiled back at her friend, giving a quick laugh. "Oh hey, how was Quinn when you got up?"
"Busy," the blond girl answered. "She's been obsessed with this project. I'm getting kind of concerned."
"Like she's gonna burn out?" Lola asked, setting down her drink. "I know where you're coming from. You just can't really talk to her about her experiments. She'll be okay once it's over with."
"Don't lose sleep over it, Zoe," Nicole gently pleaded. "She'll take care of herself." Zoey shrugged before taking a long sip of her coffee.
Take me as I am, the amplified voice of Digital Sons' lead singer declared, filling the room with Alternative rock as Quinn turned back and forth through her book. Digital Sons was Quinn's favorite band since she was thirteen. Save me from this fright night, baby. Their songs always helped her lose herself in work or thought when she needed to. Let me take your hand… "This is ridiculous," the brunette girl declared, slamming her book shut. "I can't make a spray that'll work for everyone. Taste isn't universal. There's got to be something…a nexus, maybe…I just need to stimulate certain taste buds: one area at a time…that's it! Create stimuli. Change the affect the food has on the taste buds…not the food itself. I've got it…" Quickly returning to her chemicals, Quinn began altering her formula: producing something new that would alter the taste buds: a one-time event with a lasting effect. Not a drug. Not an addictive substance. Not a trick. Something to help them survive the taste of the new food…something to further their nutrition, the young woman told herself, growing excited. They'll recognize when something's expired or poorly prepared, but bland foods will just be…better. I've finally got it. Having cracked the code, Quinn began completing the end product. Hours passed by unnoticed at the pace of minutes.
Lola looked over her body, making sure her figure was tight, toned, and appealing. "Lola, you look fine," Zoey declared, handing her friend a towel. "You're gorgeous. You don't have to worry about your body like this. You're the perfect model and you're healthy."
Taking one last glance, the Latina turned away from the mirror, gently taking the towel and wrapping it around herself. "Thanks, Zoe," she said, giving her friend a brief and innocent kiss on the cheek. "I'm really nervous about this shoot."
"You're gonna be perfect," the blond girl replied.
"Totally," Nicole added, brushing her hair. "You know, sometimes I wish I looked like you guys…in a normal way, you know. Not like…some weird, crazy, obsessive thing." The group burst into laughter. "Seriously, though, we're all good. Just relax."
"I hate it when people tell me that," Lola replied, not intending to be short. "…But thanks, guys. You always make me feel…okay. You two should think about joining me someday. You'd be awesome models." Smiling, Nicole jabbed her hand onto her hip and began swaying her hips. Being a model was the furthest thing from the brunette's mind: just thinking about it was like a running gag. The group burst into laughter once again.
"I love you, Nicole," Zoey declared. "You know that?"
Suddenly, Zoey and Lola heard their phones vibrating. D-Cup, D-D-Cup. This ain't the hottie hottie, oh! Zoey and Lola looked towards Nicole, their faces expressing concern and disbelief. "Stupid thing," Nicole quickly shot out, furiously pressing buttons to end the ringtone. Finally, the intolerable music stopped, and the three read the texts sent to them.
Zoe, Lola, Nicole, meet me at room 101 asap.
From Quinn.
The group looked at one another. A message like that from Quinn meant either success or a nightmare. The three took off towards their dorm without a second thought.
