Chapter Two: A Minor Malfunction
Once school ended, Cameron dropped his books in his locker, grabbed his jacket, and got ready to go home. As he had half-expected, Marissa caught up to him before he left. "Darn! I was hoping I'd catch you at your locker again," she said from behind him.
He answered her as he turned. "Well, that goes to show you that you don't know everything like you think, huh?"
"Ah, but that's where you're wrong! I see all and know all... except for where Nate is."
"I don't know for sure," he said in return, "but I have an idea of where we can look, if you need to find him."
She paused for a moment and then said, "No, I didn't really need to find him, I just wanted to see him. The three of us haven't seen each other that much since the beginning of summer vacation, you know?"
"Yeah, you're right."
"You don't think he's gone home already?"
"No, he's probably here still."
They pushed against the streams of students that hurried past them, headed for the nearest stairwell, and went up the stairs until they reached the third floor of the school, and started down one of the hallways. As they walked along, the school began to seem very quiet. With most of the students gone from this floor and no teachers in sight, things appeared very empty. That was why, when there was a loud sound near the end of the hallway, it caught their attention. Without question, they ran down to where the noise had come from.
As they stepped into the open doorway of the upstairs computer lab, the noise grew louder. "Nate, you in here?" Cameron called out as he and Marissa looked around. A bright light came from behind a door at the back of the room, so they headed that way. At the door, they stopped. It was ajar, so Cameron shouted through the small opening. "Nate, are you around here or what?"
A second later, Nathan stuck his head out of the door. The light flooded out to spill on the floor of the main computer lab. "Hey, 'Rissa! Long time no see!" He came out of the room then and stood by the door.
"Nice to see you again, Nate," Marissa said. "What's up?"
"See for yourselves! Come on, I'll show you." His face animated and excited, Nathan led his two friends into the room. "I have no idea how this happened, actually. I was messing around on one of the computers since my last class is just down the hall." Cameron shot Marissa an 'I told you so' look as Nathan continued. "Anyway, I was in here looking at some of the new things the school had installed over the summer, and I found this really strange program that I'd never heard of before. When I booted it up, this is what happened." He gestured at a single monitor; surprisingly enough, it was causing all the light by itself.
"Isn't there some way to turn down that light?" Cameron asked. He looked over at the monitor and covered his eyes partially with his hand as he did so.
"I tried that," Nathan replied, "and it doesn't work."
"Can't we just turn it off?" asked Marissa, her eyes half opened.
"What, the computer?"
As Cameron spoke, she went over to the monitor and reached out to hit the switch. "Where's the off button?" she muttered. Her hand bumped into the top of the monitor, the sides, and the table – everywhere but where the actual switch was.
"The switch is on the front," Nathan noted.
"I know that," Marissa retorted. "It's just that my eyes are shut, so I can't see it!" Just then, her hand hit the actual screen. "Okay, I've got it now." Her fingers moved down the screen until they reached the bottom edge. Abruptly, the light disappeared. "See, I told you I got it," she said with a more cheerful tone in her voice.
Able to see again, the three of them stood in the room, silent for a moment as their eyes adjusted to regular light again. As they stood there, however, something flickered at the edge of Cameron's sight. He turned his head to look, but saw nothing. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, frowning slightly. A moment later, the same thing repeated, and he looked again. There was still nothing there.
Nathan, who had noticed, asked, "What's up, Cam?"
With a shrug, Cameron replied, "I could have sworn that I saw something a second ago."
"Well, there's nothing in here but us and the computers," Nathan commented.
"Hey! What's this?" Marissa interrupted.
They all looked down to see three objects sitting on the floor by their feet...
Once school ended, Cameron dropped his books in his locker, grabbed his jacket, and got ready to go home. As he had half-expected, Marissa caught up to him before he left. "Darn! I was hoping I'd catch you at your locker again," she said from behind him.
He answered her as he turned. "Well, that goes to show you that you don't know everything like you think, huh?"
"Ah, but that's where you're wrong! I see all and know all... except for where Nate is."
"I don't know for sure," he said in return, "but I have an idea of where we can look, if you need to find him."
She paused for a moment and then said, "No, I didn't really need to find him, I just wanted to see him. The three of us haven't seen each other that much since the beginning of summer vacation, you know?"
"Yeah, you're right."
"You don't think he's gone home already?"
"No, he's probably here still."
They pushed against the streams of students that hurried past them, headed for the nearest stairwell, and went up the stairs until they reached the third floor of the school, and started down one of the hallways. As they walked along, the school began to seem very quiet. With most of the students gone from this floor and no teachers in sight, things appeared very empty. That was why, when there was a loud sound near the end of the hallway, it caught their attention. Without question, they ran down to where the noise had come from.
As they stepped into the open doorway of the upstairs computer lab, the noise grew louder. "Nate, you in here?" Cameron called out as he and Marissa looked around. A bright light came from behind a door at the back of the room, so they headed that way. At the door, they stopped. It was ajar, so Cameron shouted through the small opening. "Nate, are you around here or what?"
A second later, Nathan stuck his head out of the door. The light flooded out to spill on the floor of the main computer lab. "Hey, 'Rissa! Long time no see!" He came out of the room then and stood by the door.
"Nice to see you again, Nate," Marissa said. "What's up?"
"See for yourselves! Come on, I'll show you." His face animated and excited, Nathan led his two friends into the room. "I have no idea how this happened, actually. I was messing around on one of the computers since my last class is just down the hall." Cameron shot Marissa an 'I told you so' look as Nathan continued. "Anyway, I was in here looking at some of the new things the school had installed over the summer, and I found this really strange program that I'd never heard of before. When I booted it up, this is what happened." He gestured at a single monitor; surprisingly enough, it was causing all the light by itself.
"Isn't there some way to turn down that light?" Cameron asked. He looked over at the monitor and covered his eyes partially with his hand as he did so.
"I tried that," Nathan replied, "and it doesn't work."
"Can't we just turn it off?" asked Marissa, her eyes half opened.
"What, the computer?"
As Cameron spoke, she went over to the monitor and reached out to hit the switch. "Where's the off button?" she muttered. Her hand bumped into the top of the monitor, the sides, and the table – everywhere but where the actual switch was.
"The switch is on the front," Nathan noted.
"I know that," Marissa retorted. "It's just that my eyes are shut, so I can't see it!" Just then, her hand hit the actual screen. "Okay, I've got it now." Her fingers moved down the screen until they reached the bottom edge. Abruptly, the light disappeared. "See, I told you I got it," she said with a more cheerful tone in her voice.
Able to see again, the three of them stood in the room, silent for a moment as their eyes adjusted to regular light again. As they stood there, however, something flickered at the edge of Cameron's sight. He turned his head to look, but saw nothing. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, frowning slightly. A moment later, the same thing repeated, and he looked again. There was still nothing there.
Nathan, who had noticed, asked, "What's up, Cam?"
With a shrug, Cameron replied, "I could have sworn that I saw something a second ago."
"Well, there's nothing in here but us and the computers," Nathan commented.
"Hey! What's this?" Marissa interrupted.
They all looked down to see three objects sitting on the floor by their feet...