Chapter 2: Shock the Nerd
Location: Rosewood University
Inside Rosewood University was a section known as the Paranormal Studies Laboratory.
A doctor, by the name of Spencer Hasting, was inside conducting an ESP experiment with volunteers. On the laboratory's glass door was "Dr. Spencer Hasting, Dr. Hanna Fields, Dr. Aria Montgomery" but someone used lipstick over the name. A door knob hanger rested on the knob and read "Maid please make up this room as soon as possible."
In Room 205 A, Spencer instructed someone.
"I'm gonna turn over the next card. I want you to concentrate. I want you to tell me what you think it is." Spencer replied.
Spencer sat on one side of a table. A Male Student and Female Student: Livi sat on the other side. They were wired to electrodes of an electro-shock generator that laid in the middle of the table. She held up the back of the card to them. The card was a star. The male student pressed his left ring and middle finger to the side of his head and guessed it was a square.
"Square." Male student replied.
"Good guess. But wrong." Spencer replied.
Spencer revealed the card to them and shocked him.
*BUZZING*
Livi was squeamish. Spencer turned to Livi and smiled.
"Clear your head." Spencer replied.
Livi smiled.
"All right. Tell me what you think it is." Spencer replied, she held up the next card & It was a circle.
The male student watched her.
"Is it a star?" Livi asked in concern.
"It is a star. Very good. That's great." Spencer replied.
Spencer was side eyes, lied and pretended to be amazed he was correct. Livi was ecstatic.
"Okay. All right." Spencer replied.
Spencer held up a card for the male student.
"Think hard. What is it?" Spencer asked in concern.
The male student guessed.
"Circle." Male student replied.
"Close. But definitely wrong." Spencer replied.
Spencer revealed a square then shocked him.
Male student groaning & pink gum shot out of his mouth.
"Okay." Spencer replied.
Male student grabbed it off the table, put it back in his mouth, and continued chewing. Spencer jotted down a note.
"All right. Ready?" Spencer asked in concern.
"Yeah." Livi replied.
"All right." Spencer replied, she held up the next card for Livi.
It was a plus sign. She pressed the eraser end of a pencil on the side of her head, smiled.
"What is it?" Spencer asked in concern.
Livi stared at the back of the card.
"Come on." Spencer replied.
"Figure eight." Livi replied.
The male student turned Spencer's side eyes and pretended to be surprised again.
"Incredible. That's 5 for 5. You can't see these, can you?" Spencer asked in concern.
Livi could see the card.
"You're not cheating me, are you?" Spencer asked in concern, she moved the card around and squinted.
"No, I swear they're just coming to me." Livi replied.
The male student tried looking from his vantage point. Livi smiled and swore she wasn't cheating, the answers were coming to him.
Spencer turned to the male student. The male student grabbed at his collar.
"Nervous?" Spencer asked in concern.
"Yes. I don't like this." Male student replied.
"You only had 75 more to go, okay? What's this one?" Spencer asked in concern, she held up the next card.
It had three wavy lines. Livi and the male student are thinking. Spencer smiled.
"It's a couple of wavy lines." Male student replied.
"Sorry. This isn't your lucky day." Spencer replied.
Spencer lied and told him it was wrong.
"I know. Um…" Male student replied.
Livi turned to Spencer. She reached for the lever.
"Wait– Um…" Male student stuttered & mumbled.
Livi looked amused by the tension. Spencer winked at him. Spencer electrocuted him. The male student got agitated.
"I'm getting a little tired of this!" Male student replied.
"You volunteered, didn't you? We're paying you, aren't we?" Spencer asked in concern.
"Yeah, but I didn't know you were gonna be giving me electric shocks! What are you trying to prove here, anyway?" Male student asked in concern.
"I'm studying the effect of negative reinforcement on ESP ability." Spencer replied.
"The effect? I'll tell you what the effect is. It's pissing me off!" Male student screamed.
"Well, then maybe my theory is correct!" Spencer replied, she stood and countered.
The male student ripped the electrodes off his hands.
"You can keep the 5 bucks. I've had it." Male student replied.
"I WILL, BUDDY!" Spencer yelled.
Then he stormed out of the room and slammed the door. Spencer changed her demeanor as she sat down next to Livi.
"It's the kind of resentment that your ability was going to provoke in some people." Spencer replied.
"Do you think I have it, Dr. Hastings?" Livi asked in concern.
"You're no fluke, Livi." Spencer replied.
A doctor, by the name of Hanna Marin, entered the room excited about something, nearly killing the mood Spencer had created.
"This is it. This is definitely it! Did those UV lenses come in for the video camera? And for the blank tape, I need it, the one you erased yesterday." Hanna exclaimed.
"Will you excuse me for a second?" Spencer replied, she turned to Livi.
"Sure." Livi replied.
"I'm right in the middle of something, Hanna." Spencer replied, she crept over to Hanna, hopped off the floor, and cartoonishly slapped her on the head as she told her.
Spencer was standing, pretending to be talking normally to Hanna by the time Livi peaked over.
"I need a little more time with this subject. Could you come back in an hour or hour and a half?" Spencer asked in concern.
"Spencer, at 1:40 p.m. at the main branch of the The Rosewood Public Library on Fifth Avenue, ten people witnessed a free-floating, full-torso, vaporous apparition. It blew books off shelves from 20 away and scared the socks off some poor librarian." Hanna exclaimed.
"I'm very excited. I'm very pleased. I want you to get right down there, check it out, and get back to me." Spencer replied.
Hanna shook her head.
"No, Spencer, you're coming with us on this one. Aria went down there. She took P.K.E. valances and it went right off the top of the scale. Buried the needle. We're close on this one. I can feel it." Hanna exclaimed, again.
Hanna walked past Spencer. She repeated to himself.
"I can feel it. We're very, very close." Spencer replied.
Spencer sat back down next to Livi.
"I have to go now, Livi, but I'd like to work with you some more. Perhaps you could come back this evening, say at-?" Spencer asked in concern.
"Eight o' clock?" Livi asked in concern.
"I was just going to say, "8:00?" You are a legitimate phenomenon." Spencer replied.
Livi giggled.
To Be Continued…
