TITLE: Lost and Found
AUTHOR: Becca
E-MAIL: lordsbecca@yahoo.com
RATING: PG for now...who knows what will happen...::gihi::
ARCHIVE: Sure, just drop me a line!
SUMMARY: Lisa Scott, a British scientist, is working on a new test with the American scientist Professor James Monroe. That is, until he is unexpectantly killed in a murder: one that has the New York Police Department stumped. Michael Kay steps in for Prof. James, and he and Lisa begin their tests on savants and challenged teenagers in England. But when one of the savants travels too far from home, they come upon a strange building; one of magic, adventure, and danger. The building's name: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Oh yes, and all the savants and the scientists are Muggle...
**DISCLAIMER: Roses are red, violets are blue, me no own, so you no sue!
*Please note* This story uses the term "retard". I, the author, do not have one awful thought towards the challenged, and respect them just like anyone else.
*A quick review* Savant is a person, much like a retard, but with a very unique and special ability. For more information, please look up information on the "Rain Man". (This is also movie with Tom Cruise, for all you girls out there.)
^*^*^
August 31—Hot, but cool breeze. No rain forecast.
Lisa Scott sighed and hug up the phone, which caused the sound of the dead line to disappear. She was welcoming her guests today, and didn't need people calling her tell her she was a horrible person. The fact was that she was not a horrible person, and the countless people who had called didn't know what they were talking about. She had convinced few people that what she was doing was the right thing, but she knew it wasn't wrong. Yet when uneducated people heard the words "savants" and "experiments" in the same sentence, they thought Lisa was going to perform a Frankenstein type of experiment, which couldn't be further from the truth. Lisa Scott was not planning to create a monster, nor was she planning to hurt the savants in any form. She and her partner, Professor James Monroe, were merely going to try and find differences between the characteristics of savants and specially challenged teens --retards, to put it in a simple form-- when living with them. They would investigate brain waves, the heat indexes, and regular thoughts and feelings. Living with two retards and two savants, plus some other type of experiments, may answer many complicated questions that scientists and psychologists had been pondering for years.
A ring interrupted Lisa's angry and frustrated thoughts. Another "ding-dong" told her that her guests were at the door. Either the guests, or an angry mob coming to protest.
She ran to the door, a smile spreading on her face when she looked out the window and saw the van outside. The van, she knew, would contain four test subjects, and her partner and long time friend, Professor James Monroe.
Professor James Monroe was a highly sophisticated scientist, who had recently quit his job at a university to assist Lisa. He had an excellent reputation, not only as a scientist, but as a psychology major. His discoveries on the insane and mentally ill were shocking, and his studies on the depressed allowed for new drugs to help treat the disorder.
Lisa could hardly contain herself; she hadn't seen Professor James in years. She smiled broadly as she opened the door, expecting to see James. Imagine her surprise as she gasped when she saw not the tall, handsome Professor, but a stalky red-headed, acne-faced boy, who smiled at her and extended his hand.
"Hi! My name is Charlie. Are you Lisa?" Before Lisa could answer, Charlie suddenly lifted his hand up, smacked the side of his head, and said loudly, "How could I be so stupid!" He dropped his hand and reached for hers. "Of course you are. Yeah, I'm Charlie. Mike told me we'd be living with you now. Gee, I've never been to England before. I've never left Texas before until now. The plane was scary; I don't like heights. Do you like heights? I don't like heights. But the van ride was fun, because Mike played fun music. Do you like music, Lisa?" He smacked his head again. "How stupid! Of course you do. You're smart; you have to like music if you're smart. Mike likes music a lot."
Lisa just shook Charlie's hand and smiled, despite her utter confusion. She knew he wasn't a savant, but retarded. She had met Charlie long ago; he was keen on constant introductions. But she was unsure who Mike was. She didn't know who he was. James had never mentioned a Mike before. Lisa moved out of the way so Charlie could walk into the house and explore. She could see the others, including someone she didn't recognize. She assumed he was a helper for James, so she moved in to introduce herself. She held her arm out to the man, and smiled warmly.
"Hello, I'm Lisa Scott." The young man smiled at her. "Professor Monroe didn't tell me he'd be bringing a helper along with him—" She was cut off by the man's sullen face. She looked around, suddenly aware that she hadn't seen Professor Monroe get out of the car. "Where exactly is James?"
The man sighed, and shook Lisa's hand, though it wasn't a happy gesture. "My name is Michael Kay—I'm replacing James. I realize no one called to inform you, and I apologize for that. But you see, there's been a horrible accident." Lisa heard a savant inside the van start to cry, and Michael held her hand. "James was killed."
Lisa gasped, horrified by Mike's news. "What? How? Why?"
Mike pulled the female savant out of the car while answering Lisa. "Who? James. What? Murder. Where? His office. When? Last week. Why? Information, probably. How? No idea."
This made Lisa even more confused. "What do you mean, no idea? Gun shot? Stabbed? Heart attack?" She suddenly turned from scared to angry. "What the hell happened to my partner?!"
"That's just the thing: the New York Police Department is stumped. No gun shots, no stab wounds. Don't act so shocked; it gets freakier. The autopsy showed that James was in perfect health. No heart attack, and no seizure. No poison, nothing." The savant standing next to Michael lean closer to his ear, and whispered, "I've got to use the bathroom." Michael nodded.
"I'll take her," Lisa offered, letting Mike have time to get the two teens out of the van, and unpack. She also wanted to calm her head. Lisa led the savant away from the van, and towards the house. "My name is Lisa," she said, calmly. "What's your name?" Lisa knew what her name was, but it was important for the savants to stay talkative.
The girl hesitated before answering Lisa. "Nicole," she whispered.
"That's a nice name," Lisa complimented, hoping Nicole would soon become comfortable talking with Lisa. "How old are you, Nicole?"
Again the Nicole hesitated, but answered, "Fifteen."
Lisa smiled. For a savant of Nicole's type, being in a new environment was a difficult change. And different people was even worse. Autistic savants tended to be quiet, and non-emotional all the time. They only truly communicated through their special skill. The fact that Nicole was already talking to Lisa, no matter how reluctantly, was a good start. It was also a good thing that Nicole had expressed her needs to Mike, so easily, considering who she was.
Charlie suddenly appeared in the doorway, just was Lisa and Nicole were about to walk through.
"Hiya, Nicole. Are you hungry? I'm hungry. Hi Lisa. Do you have Fruit Loops? I really like Fruit Loops." He then crossed his arms and puckered his lips out. "You know," he said, sounding concerned, "this place isn't like Texas. Did you know that I didn't see a 7-11 anywhere? How can I get a Slurpie without a 7-11? And what about Dairy Queen? Haven't seen none of those either. Hey, where are you gonna start the 'speriments?"
Lisa was so flustered with all Charlie's questions, that she could only smile. Mike called Charlie over to help with the other girl, so Lisa and Nicole walked into the house. Lisa opened the door to the bathroom for Nicole, and Nicole walked in, closing the door behind her.
Lisa heard someone behind her, and she turned to see a young, smiling girl walk up to her. She smiled as the girl stuck her hand out, and lightly, shook Lisa's hand.
"Hi," she said. She was less flamboyant then Charlie, but Lisa knew she was challenged just like him. "I'm Roseann. Call me Rose, Roise, Ro, doesn't matter. You're Lisa, aren't you? Gee, Lisa, you have a nice home. I couldn't decorate like this, on account of me being stupid and all." The smile melted away.
Lisa's heart broke. "Rose, you're not stupid. You're just like me. What's ten times ten?"
Roseann puckered her lips, just like Charlie. "Um..." she smacked her head suddenly, and said, "how could I be so stupid? One hundred, of course."
"That's right!" Lisa said, smiling at the girl. Roseann smiled, proud to have gotten the simple question correct.
Another person walked into the house, a male. He was playing his a rubrics cube, moving the blocks around, matching the colors together. His messy brown hair looked as if it hadn't been combed in days. Lisa knew he was Bryan—a savant who excelled at puzzles and music. When she first met him, she saw him as a quiet person with a soft voice, and her guess was right. He would mostly stay in his room, work on puzzles, and play his violin. He didn't make eye contact, which didn't surprise her at all. He was, after all, in a new place.
Mike walked in behind Bryan, carrying some suitcases. He placed them at the bottom of the stairs, considering he didn't know where everyone's room was. He took a look at the house, and smiled. She's a good designer, he thought, liking what he saw.
The walls were a light yellow, like a buttercream, which really warmed the place up. From the door, there was a staircase on the right, that was covered in a light tan carpet. To the left was a closet, and next to that, there was a study. The study's furniture was a dark holly, and the walls were a forest green lightly sponged with a soft metallic gold. The doorway opened into the hall, which was wide and long. Next to the study, halfway down the hall, was a bathroom, where Nicole had suddenly emerged. The hall emptied into a kitchen, which had a tile bottom, and oak cabinets. To the right, a dining room. To the left, a living room, complete with a big screen TV, three sofas, a love seat, and a recliner.
Lisa walked over to him, and picked up the suitcases. "Who's are they?"
"Roseann's and Nicole's," Mike answered. He then grabbed the heavier one, Roseann's, from Lisa and asked, "Where should I put this?"
"Follow me."
Mike and Lisa climbed the stairs, leaving the teens to explore. The first door they came upon was right in front of the stairs. Lisa turned the knob, and allowed Mike in. "This is Roseann's room."
The room was a sweet yellow, with blue sheets and comforter on the bed. Mike recognized them as Martha Stewart sheets, from shopping around with his daughter for her bed sheets. The border was of little stars, and on the ceiling in the north was a sun, and the south was a crescent moon, both beautifully hand painted. There was a large dresser, with a mirror, selves, and a desk. Glow and the dark stars covered the ceiling, some were even put into constellations: Big Dipper, Orion the Hunter, Pisces (Rose's sign), Cassiopeia, and Draco the Dragon. Mike put the suitcase next to the dresser, and Lisa opened the curtains, allowing a warm sunlight to flood the room.
They then left the room, and walked to the next door on the right. The walls were a perfect red, with a pure blue ceiling. All the furniture, a bookshelf, a dresser, and the bed, was white. On the closet doors were two big mirrors. There was one, big white star in the middle of the ceiling, and the border trimming was real rope, which just above the white bed, ended in a lasso.
"I'm guessing this is Charlie's room?" Mike asked, smiling at the fact that it was based in the Texas flag.
Lisa turned to Mike. "Yep. I thought it would be fun, considering his little kid personality, and love for his state. It's the 'Lone Star' room." Mike smiled again, as Lisa opened the curtains, and led him out of the room, to the door across the hall.
The room was a light purple, with pink and yellow sheets, and a Monet border. The lamp had little flowers all around, and a large number of stuffed animals covered the head of the canopy bed. All the furniture was a light wood, but Mike was unsure of what kind.
"Nicole's room," Lisa said, putting the suitcase down. "I think she'll like how it's so calming." She pointed the closet doors. They were chalkboard, and on the dresser, was a basket of large, colorful sidewalk chalk. "So she can do her math," Lisa explained.
"This is so smart," Mike complimented, trying out the chalkboard. He wrote in big letters, "Welcome Nicole!"
Lisa stood in the doorway, patiently waiting for Mike to stop drawing a happy face, and continue with the tour. He finished drawing, replaced the chalk, and walked out with Lisa. To the right was another room.
This room was a dark green, the same color of the study. Along the windowsill were antique blue violin bottles, telling Mike that this was Bryan's room. The border was of pine needles (the edging was off-white, so it was easier to notice), and along the walls were little footprints, belonging to different animals of the forest: bear, moose, deer, and duck. The bed was beautiful: a large, log bed, with a maroon comforter. The lamps where paper lamps, matching the theme, and even the wastebasket was made of twigs. Lisa had added in one corner a small card table, with a shelf above it, containing at least twenty puzzles. In the corner next to it, there was a twig music stand, and a shelf with music pieces.
"I love this room," Lisa said, opening, again, the curtains, which were bamboo, painted brown.
"This is amazing, Miss Scott," Michael said. He was in awe of this room. He hopped his would be just as wonderful. But he thought again, and realized that Lisa didn't even know him, and had done a room for James, not him.
Lisa looked at Mike. "Mr. Kay, please, call me Lisa. And thank you for the compliment."
"Then call me Mike, Lisa. And you're quite welcome. Screw Martha Stewart; You're twice as good as her."
"Well, I wouldn't say that," Lisa blushed. As she led Mike out of the room, she apologized, "I'm sorry, but since I didn't know about the...crisis, I wasn't able to fix James' room to match what you're personality. After we get to know each other, or if you'd like to tell me what you would like, I'd be happy to—"
Mike shook his head. "No, no, Lisa. You've done enough, and I don't think it would be right to cover up whatever you've done to James' room." Lisa sadly nodded in agreement, and opened yet another door.
The walls were a pale blue, and one wall held a giant framed picture of Einstein. But it was the bed that was the main attraction. The bed was a clear hollow plastic, and inside, was colored liquid, the whole thing representing test tubes. The different colors swirled around, a pump in the middle of the bed, hidden by the mattress, moved the water. The mattress contained sand inside, for James loved to lie on the beach. Over the bed, was another large, blown up picture of Einstein, this one was humorous, considering the great genius had his tongue sticking out. The opposite wall held a large desk; it was as long as the wall. On the desk was a computer, real test tubes, and a large collection of books.
Mike sat on the bed. "This is so cool!" He touched the tubes that made the bed, and asked, "where did you get this?"
"I made it," Lisa said quietly. She was a modest woman; she always did her best, but never really wanted anyone to notice.
Mike's mouth fell open. "This most have taken forever, Lisa," he said, unknowing that she didn't like this kind of attention.
"I had help," she said at once. "My good friends, John Parker and Steve Figg helped me."
"Doesn't matter, this is awesome. You definitely don't have to change a thing." He got out of the bed. "May I see your room?"
Lisa nodded, and led Mike to the door at the end of the hallway. "By the way," she said, pointing across the hall, "that's the bathroom." Mike nodded, and they walked into Lisa's room.
It was a modest room, with a simple bed, and pale pink walls. There was nothing hand painted, nothing hand made, it was actually quite plain.
"Why..." Mike wanted to ask why she hadn't done a beautiful job like all the others, but he didn't want to insult her. Lisa knew what he was thinking.
"I'm a modest girl, Mike, and I don't need something fancy to please me. This just keeps the peace in the room, and I like it," she said kindly. Mike just nodded, and the two walked back downstairs.
Charlie had brought the rest of the suitcases in, and smiled broadly at the scientists as they walked down the stairs. "Lookee here, Mike! I did you a favor, since you bought me a snowcone before we left. That was a good snowcone." Charlie smiled again, and walked off, heading towards the living room.
Mike grabbed his suitcase and Byan's, while Lisa picked up Charlie's. They brought them upstairs, then joined the teens in the living room, and watched Nickelodeon's Rugrats.
Meanwhile, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and the Weasley family were preparing for the next day.
***