A/N: Hey everyone! So I've decided that over the course of second semester, I'm going to be posting bi-weekly updates. The beginning of each week usually works out best for me, so keep an eye out for new chapters around then! This way, I can balance my coursework and still have time to write and properly edit my chapters before posting them.
I realize that the last chapter was a bit fast-paced, but things are definitely going to slow down from this chapter on. Thank you so much to those who reviewed; I loved reading all of your feedback! I hope you all enjoy chapter four!
Chapter Four: Of Ghosts and Bets
It was the week before the start of his third year of studies when Vladimir Masters met Madeline Foster. Vlad and Jack had come back to school early so that they could move into their new apartment. With the fall semester looming and their appointments for class enrolment quickly approaching, Vlad dragged an unwilling Jack to the library one Saturday morning. The two boys sat at one of the large desks, pouring over a catalogue of available third year courses and documents detailing graduation requirements for their respective majors and minors.
Or, at least, Vlad was.
"Jack, for once could you concentrate on what we are doing instead of staring off into space? Vlad hissed at his friend, who was completely twisted around in his chair, looking at something behind them.
"Hey, I'm not staring off into space, Vladdie! I'm just observing a rather beautiful sight," Jack grinned, nudging Vlad and pointing at what he was looking.
With an annoyed sigh, Vlad followed Jack's line of vision, and his eyes fell upon a group of very pretty girls sitting at another table a few rows down from them.
Vlad rolled his eyes. "Come on Jack, you can flirt with the girls later, we have work to do."
With a pout, Jack turned around as Vlad slid a mock schedule that he had just finished outlining in front of him.
"Knowing you, you probably wouldn't have started this until five minutes before the deadline, and you would've probably run to me panicking in the middle of the night. Since I'd rather not have the little sleep that I actually get disturbed, I have instead taken the liberty of scheduling your core courses along with a few easy electives that will help boost your GPA—"
"Hey, my GPA is good!"
Vlad blinked. "Jack, your GPA is a 2.5. It's a wonder you've managed to stay in your program."
Jack winked at Vlad. "C's and D's get degrees!"
Vlad sighed and shook his head before continuing. "Regardless, here is your schedule and a list of the classes that you will register for during your enrolment appointment if you want to actually graduate at the end of fourth year. Now, all that's left for you to do is to pick one more elective that will fit into your schedule." Vlad picked up a small stack of papers and dumped them in front of Jack. "This is a list of all the courses you can take. Take a look."
Vlad returned to his own papers.
Jack eyed the pile reluctantly, then tentatively picked up the first page on top of the pile and began to read. A minute of silence passed, then:
"I can't do this, this is boring."
Vlad pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "Jack, I've already made up the majority of your schedule — all I ask is for you to choose a single elective! Just read through the papers, it won't take you longer than half an hour."
Jack eyed the first page for another minute. Then, suddenly, his eyes lit up. "I have a better idea," he grinned mischievously. Before Vlad could open his mouth, Jack pushed back his chair with a loud screech and walked off.
"Where in the world is he going n—" Vlad started, then his eyes widened when he saw exactly where Jack was headed.
"…Unbelievable."
Vlad watched as Jack greeted the group of girls that he had been staring at earlier, and sat down in the empty seat at their table. He talked with them for a minute or two before turning around and gesturing at Vlad to come over. Vlad shook his head vehemently, pointing at the stack of papers in front of him, as if to say 'get back here, we have work to do'. However, when Jack's gestures became more animated and other people in the library began to stare, Vlad stood up and reluctantly made his way over.
"—choosing our classes, too!" Jack was saying to the girls as Vlad came within earshot. Seeing that his best friend had finally joined them, Jack smiled at the girls and gestured at Vlad. "Girls, this is, Vlad. Vlad, this is Jennifer—" Jack pointed at a short, very curvy girl with black hair who waved at Vlad "—this is Charlotte—" Jack gestured at a tall girl with model-thin legs and wavy blonde hair who winked at the boys "— and this is Maddie."
Wow.
Vlad stared, and sparkling violet eyes stared back. Her wavy, brown hair tumbled down her back in loose curls. She was of average height, a good few inches shorter than Vlad, but the way she carried herself made her appear taller than she really was. Her face was kind, and her smile was beautiful. She wore a loose, white skirt above the knees and a sleeveless, soft blue shirt that hugged her body gently. She was absolutely —
"—beautiful."
"Excuse me?" Maddie asked, startling Vlad out of his thoughts.
Vlad cursed silently. Damn, did I say that out loud? "I-I mean wonderful. Yes, it's wonderful to meet all of you," he recovered, much less smoothly than he had hoped.
Jack gave Vlad a sideways look before continuing. "Anyways… The ladies and I were talking about electives, and Maddie here was mentioning how she was taking Paranormal Studies 310. And I was telling her what a coincidence that was, because we're taking the same class, too!" Jack winked at Maddie, who smiled politely back at the boys.
This time it was Jack that received the end of Vlad's blank look.
"Excuse me Jack, can I have a quick word with you. Over there?" Vlad gestured off to the side. Before Jack had a chance to answer, Vlad grabbed his puzzled friend by the arm and dragged him off behind a nearby bookcase as the girls stared after them.
"Jack, since when are you taking a Paranormal Studies course?" Vlad asked as soon as they were out of earshot.
"Well, we needed to pick another elective, didn't we? And I figured, why not sign up for a class with some cute girls in it?" Jack grinned.
"Wait, so you just walked over there, asked what electives they were taking, and then picked one based off of what they told you?"
"Yup!"
Vlad shook his head. "Jack, you're my best friend, but I have to tell you that your laziness knows no bounds."
"Can't argue against that," Jack said, shrugging shamelessly.
Vlad suddenly narrowed his eyes. "Wait a minute… what did you mean earlier by 'we'?"
"Well, I figured that it would be more believable if I said that both of us were signing up for that class!"
"Jack, if you want to take a silly class like Paranormal Studies, go right ahead, but I'm already having trouble balancing my business major with my two science minors because of all the core classes that I have to take. I don't have time to waste sitting in on some ridiculous lectures while some old crackpot professor rambles on about things that don't even exist!"
"Excuse me, but just because you have such a limited, narrow mind that the idea of ghosts existing is too baffling for you to comprehend does not mean that Paranormal Studies is a silly class!"
Vlad and Jack spun around as Maddie's voice sounded behind them.
"Maddie!" Jack said, startled. "I'm sorry, he didn't mean that! What Vlad was trying to say—"
"Oh no, I meant exactly what I said," Vlad said, frowning. "Everybody knows that ghosts don't exist. The whole notion is ridiculous. I have absolutely no desire to spent an entire semester learning 'facts' that haven't been and will never be proven." He turned to Jack. "Come on, let's go pick a real elective. And perhaps this time, don't pick one just because some pretty girl said that she's taking it, too."
Vlad turned around and started to walk away when suddenly, somebody grabbed his arm. He spun around, ready to tell Jack off, when he realized that the hand that grabbed him was much too small to belong to his best friend…
"Don't you walk away before giving me a chance to respond!" Maddie hissed. "You think I'm some sort of airhead bimbo who's silly enough to believe in ghosts without any proof? That I'm taking the class because it's an 'easy boost for my GPA'? Well, you and your arrogant assumptions are wrong!"
Vlad didn't take well to being insulted. "Excuse me? How dare you call me arrogant for stating the facts!" he hissed right back, wrenching his arm from her grasp. "Please, ghosts? Imprints of post-human consciousness left behind after the body's death? Spirits staying behind because of unfinished business? Hauntings? Don't be absurd. Those are just fantastical ideas made up by novel writers and Hollywood movie directors solely for the purpose of our entertainment. It's fiction, pure and simple. If you think otherwise, well then perhaps you're just ignorant."
Maddie took an angry step towards Vlad, drawing herself up taller. "I'm being ignorant? You're just spouting off presumptions that you've convinced yourself are true. There is concrete research that supports the exists of ghosts, of spirits, and even the possible existence of a ghost zone parallel to our own—"
"Ghost zone?" Vlad laughed mockingly. "Please, even you have to admit how ridiculous that sounds when you say it out loud."
"Read the research and then tell me I am being ridiculous!"
"I would rather not waste my time on theories and so-called 'research' that even a child could disprove!"
"What, are you too scared that if you read the papers, you'll find out that you were wrong all along?"
"Wrong? I'm never wrong!"
"Somehow I doubt that."
"What, are you calling me an idiot now?"
"If the shoe fits!"
"Ha, you're one to talk!"
By then, Vlad and Maddie were inches apart, faces flushed with anger and breathing heavily. Jack stared at both of them, mouth open slightly, not entirely sure what to do.
"Fine, then, I challenge you! Take the class. Read the research. Study it. Then, if you're as smart as you say you are and you can scientifically disprove the facts presented in the class, only then will I admit that I was wrong," Maddie stated firmly.
Vlad drew himself up and crossed her arms. "Fine, I accept your challenge. You might as well start preparing your 'you were right, I'm so sorry' speech tonight."
Maddie narrowed her eyes. "We'll see about that."
"Yes, we will."
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
Both Maddie and Vlad spun around and stomped away, leaving a very confused Jack trying to figure out what had just happened.
Later that evening, Jack was sitting in their new apartment watching TV when Vlad walked in, his arms loaded with a pile of textbooks and a sheet of paper, the latter of which he handed to Jack. "Here," Vlad said, then went to sit in the nearby armchair. He dumped the pile of books on the floor with a heavy thud, grabbed the first book on top of his pile and began to read.
Jack looked down at the sheet that Vlad had given him and saw that it was his completed schedule. He noticed that Paranormal Studies 310 had been written into the schedule for both Mondays and Thursdays.
"So, we're taking the ghost class after all, then, Vladdie?"
Vlad didn't even look up as he flipped the page. "Yes."
"I thought you said that it was a waste of time?"
"It is."
"So… why did you sign us up for it?"
Vlad finally looked up at Jack. "Because I have to proof to that girl that she's wrong about her silly ghost theories."
Suddenly Jack smirked. "Ohhh I see."
Vlad narrowed his eyes. "What?"
"You like her, don't you?" Jack asked slyly.
"No!" Vlad exclaimed, glaring at his friend. "This is a purely scientific endeavour. Besides, once I prove that she's wrong, she'll thank me for saving her from further pursuing such frivolous studies."
Jack smirked and turned back to the TV. "Whatever you say, V-man."
One week later on a Monday afternoon, Jack walked into the first Paranormal Studies lecture and saw that Vlad was already seated near the front of the room, reading a textbook. The lecture hall itself was small, though Jack wasn't surprised. Like Vlad, many people probably thought that this course was a bit of a joke, and most of those taking it were probably thinking that it was just a good bird course.
"We haven't even had our first class yet and you're already halfway through the textbook," Jack remarked as he slid into the seat next to Vlad. "You must really be trying to impress this girl!"
"Once again, Jack, I'm not trying to impress anybody. The sooner I read this book and the sooner I disprove one of these silly ghost theories, the faster I can drop this course and focus on real science," Vlad said, dryly.
Just then, Maddie walked in accompanied by the two friends that Jack and Vlad had also met in the library the week before. As she passed the two boys, Jack waved. Maddie smiled kindly at Jack, but when Vlad's eyes lifted up from his textbook and met hers, the smile turned into a frown and she turned away with a sniff.
"Alright everybody, I know you're all probably still thinking about summer vacation, but let's settle down and get to work," a tall man of around sixty said as he walked in and placed a briefcase beside a projector at the front of the lecture hall. "My name is Professor Stein and I will be teaching you for the entire length of the semester. Now, if anybody here decides to continue with Paranormal Studies after this semester—"
Maddie turned around and glared as Vlad snorted loudly.
"— I will also be teaching the 312 course on Spectral Energy and Physiology next semester."
At this point Jack turned to Vlad and mouthed 'what do you think?', to which Vlad mouthed back 'absolutely not'.
"Now, before we actually get started on the course material, I have some housekeeping details to get through," Professor Stein continued. "Let's start with the course breakdown. You will attend biweekly tutorial seminars - these are marked based on participation and will be worth five percent of your final grade. You will also write biweekly quizzes worth a total of five percent as well. Your midterm will be worth twenty percent, and your final exam will be worth fifty percent. Now, you may be wondering where the last twenty percent of your grade will come from."
Suddenly the class became very still.
"You will be doing a written research project, due at the end of the semester, on an assigned topic related to our studies. These projects will be done in groups of three. Now, don't worry if you do not know anybody here. I have already divided the class myself—"
A collective groan was heard throughout the hall.
"Quiet, please. As I was saying, I have pre-divided the class into groups of three. I will read them out now. Feel free to write down the names of your group members. If you forget, I will post the list at the back of the lecture hall for you to check after class."
The class reluctantly pulled out their notebooks and pens in order to write down their group members' names.
"Alright, let's see here… Group One is John, Stephen and Camilla. Group Two is Sarah, Allison and Mark. Group Three is…"
Vlad listened idly as the professor continued reading out the groups. Though the odds were stacked against him, he hoped that Jack would be in his group. Not that Jack would contribute a whole lot to the research part of the project (reading just wasn't his thing), but it would be nice to have somebody to joke around with while doing the silly project. The last thing he wanted was to get stuck with somebody who actually believed in ghosts and would take the whole thing far too seriously…
"… And Group Twelve is Vladimir—"
Vlad's attention was caught as his name was read out.
"— Jack— "
Jack whooped quietly and gave his friend high five under the table.
"— And Madeline."
As her name was announced, Maddie visibly stiffened in the front row and Vlad groaned.
You have got to be joking, he thought miserably. He was starting to regret ever taking up Maddie's challenge... He had enough work on his plate with all of his other courses, and now he would have to dedicate even more time to this stupid class because Maddie would certainly murder him and Jack if they fooled around with their group project.
"Now, in terms of the material we will be covering…" Professor Stein continued once he had finished reading out the names of the last group's members. "We will spend the first two weeks studying the history of Paranormal Studies and paranormal scientists who have made significant contributions to the field. However, we will not be spending all of our time simply discussing history. Paranormal Studies is in fact a science, so you can be sure that we will be studying the mathematics and science behind important research done in the paranormal field in the last few decades…"
And so the first class passed with the professor discussing what would be covered in the course, the required course materials and assigned readings.
As the professor dismissed the class for the day, Vlad quickly gather up his books, in a hurry to get to his first genetics lab of the semester. However, before he could leave, a familiar face came up to him and Jack.
"Well boys," Maddie started, a frown gracing her features. "It seems that we're stuck working together this semester. As much as some of us may not like it—" she looked pointedly at Vlad, "—you need to get over it and get your acts together, because I want to actually do well on this project." Vlad didn't miss the underlying 'or else'.
"No worries, Maddie, we'll have a great time working together!" Jack said enthusiastically. "Right, Vladdie?"
Vlad grumbled something under his breath.
"I said, right Vladdie?" Jack nudged Vlad hard with his elbow.
"Yes, of course," Vlad scowled as he rubbed his side.
Seemingly satisfied, Maddie told them that she would come up with some possible group meeting times once the topics for the research projects were announced. Then she was gone, catching up to her friends, leaving Vlad and Jack to go to their respective classes.
The next few weeks passed quickly, and Vlad continued to attend the Paranormal Studies lectures. He participated in the seminar discussions, and he and Jack met up weekly with Maddie to work on their group assignment. He did have a GPA to maintain after all (and he hadn't quite forgotten Maddie's implied threat from that first day of class).
Though he would never admit it out loud, Vlad found that some of the material that they covered in class (and some that Vlad had researched on his own) was almost interesting… but no, as a whole, he continued to regard the study of the whole field as a waste of time. It only served as mild entertainment.
Despite their differences, Vlad and Maddie managed to co-exist politely when they met up for research. They exchanged words only when needed, and otherwise worked quietly together in the library. Though Vlad highly disagreed with many of Maddie's paranormal beliefs, he had to admit that she was incredibly bright; coming from Vlad, who himself was considered highly intellectually gifted by his peers and professors, this meant something. Her grasp of science and mathematics was uncanny and she worked methodically and with a great precision. Vlad often found himself questioning how such an intelligent person could in fact believe in something as silly as well… ghosts.
Jack, on the other hand, as he did with most people, took to Maddie really well and was always very friendly and talkative, often succeeding in making her laugh and smile. The two became friends, and with Vlad and Maddie as polite acquaintances, the group meetings were somewhat pleasurable for the trio.
Although he already had a large course load on his plate, Vlad still made sure to find time to do extra readings on published research papers about the paranormal. If he was going to prove Maddie wrong, he was going to do it properly so that his proof on the whole subject being a hoax would be irrefutable.
However — and he hated to admit it — he was having trouble. Though he certainly came across some poorer papers, others were very well written and Vlad was struggling to find something that he could concretely disprove. Straying further from the more abstract theories, Vlad concentrated on those that had some sort of mathematical or scientific basis, trying to find flaws in the models and calculations.
One afternoon midway through the semester, Jack came home to the apartment to find Vlad sitting at the kitchen table, furiously scribbling away on a legal pad. He noticed that there were piles of papers containing similar calculations scattered all across the room as well.
"Watcha up to Vladdie?" Jack asked curiously.
"I think I almost have it!" came the excited reply.
Jack walked over and picked up one of the papers from the living room floor, but he couldn't decipher the meaning behind most of the numbers and scribbles. "Um, what exactly do you almost have there?"
Vlad looked up, cheeks flushed and a wild look in his eyes. "Proof, Jack!" he exclaimed excitedly. "A few weeks ago, I looked up the research papers on the so-called 'ghost zone' that Maddie had mentioned when we first met in the library that day. I ran through their data and noticed some anomalies, so I borrowed some of the lab equipment from the paranormal research lab—"
"Wait, I thought that the paranormal research lab was reserved for fourth year students doing their final projects?"
"Hmm, I suppose they are."
"So how did you get in?"
Vlad waved his hand dismissively. "Not important. Anyways, I ran a few experiments on my own similar to those conducted in this research paper, and I tweaked them a bit to fix some of errors that I found. I'm just running the data through the computer using a program I developed last week. Once it's done, I should have proof that the whole paper was incorrect to begin with, and that this ghost zone that Maddie believes is real is nothing but a fictitious idea. I'm just double checking my calculations now, to make sure that they're correct."
Jack walked over to the fridge and grabbed a drink. "Whatever you say, Vladdie. Just promise me… don't be hard on Maddie. She's a really sweet person once you get to know her, and she's really passionate about this class. I'd just hate to see her get hurt, ya know?"
"Yes, yes, sure," Vlad said distractedly, flipping through pages of math. Something pinged in Vlad's room, and he looked up, eyes bright. "There, it's done!" Vlad got up, scattering a few more pages as he ran off to his room.
Jack sat down and flipped on the TV to the Packers' pre-game show. He waited a few minutes, expecting an exclamation of success or at least for Vlad to come in and gloat a little (because Jack knew that Vlad wouldn't be able to resist). Curiously enough, however, it stayed very silent for half an hour until Vlad walked back into the living room, frowning.
"What is it?"
Vlad looked at Jack, eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. "Nothing, nothing… I just made a mistake when I entered the data. My numbers didn't make sense. Anyways, I re-entered the data and am waiting for the program to run the numbers again."
"Are you sure you didn't put the numbers in right the first time?"
"No, I'm positive." Vlad suddenly smiled and took a seat on the couch beside his friend. "No, I definitely just made a mistake entering the data, that's all. Wait half an hour and I will have the correct results that will completely refute this ridiculous theory."
The two sat together and watched the football game for the first two quarters, high-fiving when the Packers scored and groaning when the opposing team did. By half-time and with the Packers in the lead, Vlad was once again in a good mood.
"Sounds like it's done!" Vlad said when the two boys heard another ping coming from Vlad's room. "I'll be back shortly, as soon as I analyze the results."
The apartment was silent again for another twenty minutes. Then Jack heard very faintly:
"This doesn't make any sense…"
"Vlad, are you alright in there?" Jack said, raising his voice over the volume of the TV.
"There must be a mistake in here somewhere… let's see…"
Jack watched the game for a few more minutes, until he heard:
"I don't get it, this is impossible!"
Then Jack heard some banging sounds, and decided that it was time to investigate. He walked over to Vlad's room and saw the computer on, printed data still hanging from his printer, and papers and books scattered all across the usually-neat room. Vlad was sifting through them, tossing them aside when he clearly didn't find what he was looking for.
"What's wrong Vla— woah!" Jack exclaimed in alarm, ducking as a heavy book flew in his direction. "Hey, what's gotten into you?"
"No… no… this is right… these calculations are all right… I know I didn't make a mistake…" Vlad growled, ignoring Jack. He continued discarding paper after paper in a frenzied manner while Jack continued to dodge anything that came flying in his direction.
Suddenly, Vlad stopped. It seemed as if he had run out of papers to sift through. "It's all correct," Vlad said, blank-faced. "All of my work is correct. And yet my data suggests the impossible."
Jack walked into the room, trying not to step on all the books and papers that littered the floor. "What do you mean, Vladdie?" he asked.
"That a ghost zone does exist."
Jack looked at Vlad in surprise. "So that means…"
"I… I was wrong," Vlad said faintly, a look of utter disbelief on his face.
A/N: Ah Vlad, you really need to deflate your ego a bit.
Well, there you have it! Maddie's finally in the picture; now the story can really kick off. The next chapter should be interesting, so be sure to check back in around two weeks from now for my next update!
Feel free to leave a review! As always, feedback really motivates me to keep writing, and is always appreciated!