The whole room was silent. Jordan was the only one who didn't seem to
see the significance in the answers to the questions.
"You are all so...old," said Syrus, breaking the stillness.
"Not mature old," added Sabine. She didn't mean this as an insult, and no one took it as one. It seemed more of just an observation. "Just old. Like old people who have forgotten how to see."
"Wait, now," said Angela. "Old people don't just forget to see. Their eyes go bad."
Sabine gave Syrus a look.
"No, Angela, they don't....they get old and they forget. You guys have almost forgotten already."
"That's why we asked about the roller coasters," said Syrus to Rayanne, "Because that's where we're taking you."
"There are no roller coasters around here," said Angela, remembering what she had meant to tell Sabine earlier. "There never have been, and I'm pretty sure there isn't a beach, either."
Sabine smiled.
"Well, I guess you'll just have to go and see for yourself then."
"What? When in any universe would Angela's parents, like, let her go off around the state with two friends she just met?" asked Brian.
Syrus laughed.
"None of you know what freedom is, do you? Rayanne knows a taste of it, maybe. Why is it that parents must know everything? For example, they don't know you are here, yet are you having fun?"
"No," answered Brian, "I'm not having fun! And, like, my parents are going to kill me when I get home...."
"Why would they kill you for going to the library?" answered Sabine. "That's where you are right now, isn't it?"
And suddenly, things in front of Brian began to change. The chairs the others were sitting in became blurry, and the walls began to spin. In just a matter of seconds, he was sitting at a table in the library, accompanied by all of his friends: they were sitting in the same order.
No one spoke.
"Let's go," said Angela suddenly, looking at Jordan, "Let's go with them."
Sabine and Syrus looked at each other.
"Go where, again?" asked Jordan, who knew things were going to get better....but he still didn't quite understand.
"To the roller coasters," something in Angela's voice changed. "I've never ridden one before. Let's go."
"What about your parents?" asked Syrus, with test in his voice.
"Why would they get angry if I'm spending the night with Rayanne?" asked Angela, smiling.
Rayanne and Rickie nodded and smiled.
"Well, I'll be damned if you do something wrong and I don't..." said Rayanne, and Rickie agreed.
"Besides," he said, "It's not, like, we'll be missing class or anything...."
Syrus's smile faded.
"Yeah, well, tomorrow is Friday...."
"And we do have to leave early..." said Sabine with a frown.
Angela was confused.
"Why do we have to leave early?" she asked.
"So that we allow ourselves plenty of time to drive there," answered Syrus.
Angela looked around her, apparently wondering why they couldn't be beamed there, like they just had the library.
"It's a different matter," Sabine answered Angela's questioning looks. "This time, the journey will be part of the adventure."
Everyone was in, except Brian.
"I don't know....I have like, a reputation..."
"I remember you once saying that, like, it was so expected of you to get straight A's and be perfect, that you weren't allowed to be insane. And so, like, it made you crazy," said Angela. "Now's your chance to turn that into insanity."
Brian looked at Sabine's golden hair.
"All right, I'm in."
"You are all so...old," said Syrus, breaking the stillness.
"Not mature old," added Sabine. She didn't mean this as an insult, and no one took it as one. It seemed more of just an observation. "Just old. Like old people who have forgotten how to see."
"Wait, now," said Angela. "Old people don't just forget to see. Their eyes go bad."
Sabine gave Syrus a look.
"No, Angela, they don't....they get old and they forget. You guys have almost forgotten already."
"That's why we asked about the roller coasters," said Syrus to Rayanne, "Because that's where we're taking you."
"There are no roller coasters around here," said Angela, remembering what she had meant to tell Sabine earlier. "There never have been, and I'm pretty sure there isn't a beach, either."
Sabine smiled.
"Well, I guess you'll just have to go and see for yourself then."
"What? When in any universe would Angela's parents, like, let her go off around the state with two friends she just met?" asked Brian.
Syrus laughed.
"None of you know what freedom is, do you? Rayanne knows a taste of it, maybe. Why is it that parents must know everything? For example, they don't know you are here, yet are you having fun?"
"No," answered Brian, "I'm not having fun! And, like, my parents are going to kill me when I get home...."
"Why would they kill you for going to the library?" answered Sabine. "That's where you are right now, isn't it?"
And suddenly, things in front of Brian began to change. The chairs the others were sitting in became blurry, and the walls began to spin. In just a matter of seconds, he was sitting at a table in the library, accompanied by all of his friends: they were sitting in the same order.
No one spoke.
"Let's go," said Angela suddenly, looking at Jordan, "Let's go with them."
Sabine and Syrus looked at each other.
"Go where, again?" asked Jordan, who knew things were going to get better....but he still didn't quite understand.
"To the roller coasters," something in Angela's voice changed. "I've never ridden one before. Let's go."
"What about your parents?" asked Syrus, with test in his voice.
"Why would they get angry if I'm spending the night with Rayanne?" asked Angela, smiling.
Rayanne and Rickie nodded and smiled.
"Well, I'll be damned if you do something wrong and I don't..." said Rayanne, and Rickie agreed.
"Besides," he said, "It's not, like, we'll be missing class or anything...."
Syrus's smile faded.
"Yeah, well, tomorrow is Friday...."
"And we do have to leave early..." said Sabine with a frown.
Angela was confused.
"Why do we have to leave early?" she asked.
"So that we allow ourselves plenty of time to drive there," answered Syrus.
Angela looked around her, apparently wondering why they couldn't be beamed there, like they just had the library.
"It's a different matter," Sabine answered Angela's questioning looks. "This time, the journey will be part of the adventure."
Everyone was in, except Brian.
"I don't know....I have like, a reputation..."
"I remember you once saying that, like, it was so expected of you to get straight A's and be perfect, that you weren't allowed to be insane. And so, like, it made you crazy," said Angela. "Now's your chance to turn that into insanity."
Brian looked at Sabine's golden hair.
"All right, I'm in."