Project ELE (7 page)

Nobody asks any questions. I strap the holder around my waist, taking notice of my awesome sense of style lately and then look at my tablet to find my first assignment.

There’s a note on the top of the list to pick up supplies in Mr. Volmer’s office to take to the library. I find a map posted on the wall showing office locations. I pin it to my memory where his office is along with the names correlating with the other offices in this space. Mr. Volmer is located at the far end of the Administration ‘building.’ I put the tablet in my ‘fanny-pack’ and kick it into high gear. There’s no telling how long this day will be or how many errands I’ll be running.

After an exhausting amount of twists and turns I finally end up at the corner office. There’s a nameplate on the door with Mr. Volmer’s name on it and underneath it says, “Historian.” Hmm, I think to myself. I wonder why this facility needs a historian. I knock softly on the door and wait ‘till I hear a deep voice telling me to come in. I try and open the door but it stops after only a few feet. I attempt pulling back and opening it again only to be stopped short. “Umm, Mr. Volmer?” I ask.

“Yes, yes, come in,” he says.

“Well, that’s the problem sir. I can’t seem to get the door open.” It seems like Captain obvious came for a visit now. I hear some shuffling behind the door and what sounds to be crates of boxes being moved. The door opens a few inches more and a frazzled head sticks out. I’m assuming this is Mr. Volmer. He has white frizzy hair that sticks up in the places he isn’t bald. He's sporting a serious case of male patterned baldness. His bottle cap glasses that cover most of his face magnify his eyes in a creepy mad professor sort of way.

“Yes, yes what can I do for you young lady,” he asks while sizing me up.

“Uh, yeah, my name is Willow and it says here that you have something that needs to be delivered to the library?”

“Ah, yes! Hold on just a minute.” He disappears behind the door and I hear more shuffling followed by sounds of several different book avalanches. Seconds later the door opens a little bit and I’m being given a large stack of books. “Here you go,” he says as he nearly slams the door in my face.

“Um, thanks,” I say to the door.

There are about ten books or so in the stack and they all have heavy brown leather covers. I shift their weight in my arms so they’re more easily carried and set off through the labyrinth of offices.

It seems like forever since I've been to a real library. Obviously being holed up in the house for a few years made it hard for me to go to my favorite place. There's something about the smell of books that speaks to me. I still read a lot on my e-reader back at home but there's something about holding the paper in your hands. I take a second to enjoy the sight then I drop off the books to a librarian who barely glances up at me from her book to acknowledge the delivery. She signs off on my tablet and then sticks her nose back in her book. I can't say I blame her. I make a mental note to find my way back here when I have free time.

My next assignment blinks on the screen almost immediately after I step out of the library. Another delivery. Argh, my feet already hurt but I keep moving along. To be honest I haven't even thought much about my mom or my brother today. While I don't want to forget them, I'm still grateful to have the busy work. It takes the edge off.

Two and a half hours later, I've completed my tenth delivery. A message pops up on my tablet stating that my daily assignments are complete and that I may return to the Administrative Office. I walk in and find Alec sitting behind a desk, typing something into a computer.

He turns and looks at me with eyebrows raised. "Don't tell me, your tablet GPS malfunctioned. That's been happening all day. Give it here." He rubs his temple with his index finger and holds his other hand out for me to pass him my tablet. His face looks slightly annoyed at first but then his expression changes to wonderment when I hand him my tablet. "You're done?"

I look from side to side wondering if I did something wrong then say, "Um, yeah. I mean, yes sir." My dad always taught me to respect elders but it still seems odd calling a boy only a few years older than me at the most, sir.

"No, don’t call me sir. You can call me by my first name."

"Oh, okay Alec." It's strange calling a supervisor by their first name, but I guess I'll have to get used to it. He gives me a funny look and I realize he might not remember my name. "My name is Willow."

"I know." He clears his throat then looks down at my tablet. I'm instantly grateful for the lessening of eye contact because it was strangely intense there for a moment. He looks back up a second later. "Well, Willow, I think there might be an issue with your tablet."

I look at him questioningly. "I haven't noticed any issues. "

He takes my tablet and connects it by a USB cord to his computer. "Well, most of the other runners are still only half way through their assignments."

"Do we all have the same number of assignments?" I ask curious.

"Yes you all received ten assignments." He checks the screen, which hasn't loaded yet and then looks back at me. "Look, you couldn't have finished all of your assignments yet."

I don't know why, but something about how he said that last part sets me off; especially since I know that I completed all ten assignments. "Well I did! It's not my fault the others are slow. I got the message stating that I've finished and that's why I'm here." I throw my hand up on my hip to add that extra emphasis.

He studies me for a second with a look that I can't quite place then he checks his screen again. He turns back to me a few seconds later with his mouth gaping open. He mouth's the word how.

I shrug my shoulders and add with a little attitude, "Am I dismissed then?"

He just looks at me with wide emerald eyes and says, "Um, I guess." He sounds uncertain but I don't sit around to wait for him to think on it further. I've got a library to check out. I turn on my heel and leave the office and Alec behind.

I don't have to look at my tablet to find the library again. I've already committed its location to memory. I round the corner and end up accidentally running into someone. I look up to find Connor standing there stunned. He dropped his tablet during my accidental attack so I bend down to help him grab it but end up bumping heads with him when he makes the same move. "Ouch." We both say in unison while rubbing our heads. I let Connor grab his own tablet this time as to avoid crushing our skulls again.

"Sorry." I say apologetically.

Connor looks frustrated and overwhelmed. At first I'm worried that it's aimed at my clumsiness but then he sets it straight. "It's okay. So what assignment are you on?"

"Oh, I'm done." I say but instead of feeling proud that my first day went so well, I actually feel kind of down. Now I have time to think and I don't feel like thinking.

"What? I'm only on number four. This is taking forever! As if I don't have enough issues with directions, my GPS keeps acting up. I swear that I've passed this same hall four times now trying to find the medical station. I think it's broken again."

I feel bad now that I just told him I was done. I definitely didn't want him to feel like he's doing anything wrong by how long it's taking him. "Hey, I can help you if you want. I know where the medical station is."

His dark eyes brighten just a bit. "Really? That would be great Willow. Thanks."

"No problem at all. I've got nothing to do." I say. After all, the library can wait.

I lead Connor to the medic station and then help him on several more assignments. We don't really talk much along the way but it's not awkward or anything. It would probably be with anyone else, but there's a type of comfort level between Connor and I. It's one that comes with having something in common: loss.

"We were only messing around, you don't have to get your panties in a bunch!" A high pitch girl voice calls out from a room down the hall. Her giggling sounds like a Hyena.

"Yeah sorry, we were just having a little fun with you runner girl! What, you didn't think it was funny sugar?" A guy adds, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

The Hyena girl giggles annoyingly again. I hear a sniffle sound coming from the room.

I look to Connor and he nods back to me. I don't even have to say it out loud. We both start towards the room where the harassment is coming from. We don't make it far before Claire, the one who sat next to me in class, comes barreling out of the room slamming the door behind her. Her hair is still in front of her face and it must have obstructed her vision because she plows right into Connor. The force of their collision pushes him back half of a step.

"Sorry." Claire sniffs. She tries to move to work her way around us but Connor grabs her gently by the arms.

"Hey, what's wrong? Did those people hurt you?" Connor asks seriously. His face is a mask of concern.

She looks up at him and behind all of that white blonde hair covering her face you can see her tear filled frosty blue eyes. Something in my chest pangs knowing that someone who looks so fragile and innocent is hurting.

"Did they hurt you?" Connor asks again a little stronger this time.

"No." She whispers then turns her head and starts wiping at her eyes.

"What happened?" I ask in a soothing voice. Maybe staying calm will help her open up.

She looks at me with a look of surprise. It's that look again that asks, are you really talking to me? I wonder what would make this beautiful, yet really strange, girl so skittish and self-conscious.

"It's okay, you can tell us." I say again gently.

Connor is still holding onto her arms so he takes this second to carefully let her go. He seems ready to catch her if she tries to dart though.

"They were playing a trick on me." She said.

"A trick?" Connor asks, his eyebrows rose in question.

She looks to him and then back at me. "Yes, they were messing with my GPS. They kept re-routing me here."

"How did they mess with your GPS?" I ask.

"Anything can be hacked." She says while wiping her eyes one last time. This time she looks at me with a bold certainty I wouldn't have thought she'd have. "They think I'm stupid; that I wouldn't know what they were doing. I am not stupid!"

I don't know Claire that well, but I like this side of her. She should show it more often instead of hiding behind all of that pretty hair. "Of course you are not stupid." I say matter of factly.

"How did you know that they were messing with you?" Connor asks pleasantly surprised by her short show of confidence too.

Claire looks at him and blushes again, looking down at her shoes. "I know a lot about computers and stuff. When I circled this block for the third time, I heard them laughing in the computer lab. I put two and two together and knew that they were messing with my map."

"So you went in there?" I ask. I really can't believe that she would confront them.

She looks thoughtful for a second then says, "Yes. It wasn't the brightest move. I was just so angry. My feet were aching from running circles and they were just sitting in there having a blast at my expense!"

Connor's eyebrows furrow and it doesn't take a genius to figure out what he's about to do. He side steps around Claire and stomps off down the hall.

It doesn’t take me more than a few moments to realize I should probably follow him in there. “Stay here,” I say to Claire and hurry to catch up to Connor.

Connor skips the pleasantries and immediately turns the door handle. It's unlocked and he marches right in; I follow behind him.

The teens inside the room turn to look at us in bewilderment. I count six of them, all guys, hanging around. In a normal room that many people would result in overcrowding but this isn't a normal room. I take in the layout of it with my mouth hanging open in awe. This isn't a simple bunk bed set up like my dad and I have. No, this is a plush layout that has to be at least five hundred square feet of semi-luxurious furnishings. Two queen-sized beds are set up on opposite sides of the room. They have decorated blankets and throw pillows, which are starkly different than our grey and white linens. In the middle of the room is a mock living area set up with a couch and a chaise lounge. There is even an intricately designed ornate rug on the floor. A large desk with a full sized computer is set up against the wall. Instead of plain white walls these walls are painted in soothing earth tones. A few framed oil paintings of natural landscapes are set up around the room in such a way that they look like windows to the outside. It's quite beautiful and much more fancy than my room or even my old house. How in the world does a person get a room like this? In comparison, this room makes my room look like a prison cell.

One of the boys steps towards us with his hands raised. He looks like a Ken doll with bleached blonde hair and big hazel eyes. His muscles look too proportionate to have come from real hard labor. Instead they probably are the result of months spent with an expensive personal trainer. “Hey man, we were just having a little fun,” he says. I can tell from the sound of his voice that he was the one talking to Claire earlier.

I look to Connor to try and gauge his reaction. His eyebrows furrow and his eyes get all beady looking. It’s kind of scary if you ask me. “Look pal, don’t you have anything better to be doing than to be messing with this poor girl? Some of us have to work around here.” Connor says nearly spitting in his face.