The Bonding Chronicles Ch. 05

"Sara, I have never even heard of anything as complicated as what you are describing. The glade should not have had the amount of energy required to activate a ward of this strength. Hell, I don't even know if this could technically be considered a ward anymore." Karen was rattled as she considered the implications of what Andrew had done.

Looking at the clock Karen said, "Fuck, can you meet me at my place tonight?"

Sara had never heard Karen swear, and that more than anything worried her. She knew there was nothing she could do about any of this now, so Sara remained calm as she considered her response. Laughing she said, "Not unless Andrew comes with me. We kinda killed my car this morning, so he has to drive."

Walking back towards her desk Karen was still holding the paper. "Damnit, Sara. You are really piling on the problems right now. Fine, bring Andrew tonight, and I will just have to try and explain what I am as we figure this all out."

Karen let out a loud sigh. "In for a penny, I guess."

The teacher got to her desk as the bell rang.

"OK. It might be late when we get there, and sorry, I guess." Sara gave her friend an ironic smile, knowing that there was nothing she could have done to prevent any of this.

Opening the door Sara pushed her way into the empty hall. The sounds of frustrated students filled the quiet classroom, whose sole inhabitant sat concerned and speculative behind her desk.

The old witch thought back along the many years of her long life. She failed to find another moment where so much coincidence seemed to center on someone so seemingly insignificant. Looking at the paper she realized that Andrew may be the most powerful wizard she had ever heard of.

***** Project Management *****

Entering the office, Andrew was not surprised to see that the staff seemed annoyed with him.

"Mind if I use your phone?"

The older man grabbed the phone from behind the counter and placed it in front of Andrew beside the yellow pages.

"Anything to help, all you need to do is ask." The subtle hidden message within the statement was not lost on Andrew as he thanked the office worker.

Picking up the receiver Andrew punched in the number for Sara's mechanic, having memorized it from when he saw it this morning.

"Dale's Auto Body And Repair. This is Dale, how can I help you?"

Andrew smiled at the friendly voice of the person he had entertained this morning. "Hey, Dale. My name is Andrew, we talked earlier today about Sara's car."

"Holy shit, it's you."

Laughing, Andrew said into the receiver, "It's me. So did you get a chance to look at the car?"

"Are you kidding me? We hooked it up to the diagnostics as soon as Earnhardt dropped it off. You fucking did a number on this thing, boy."

This news didn't surprise Andrew, but he still winced at the confirmation. "So what did you find?"

The man's warm chuckle carried through the phone as he said, "Well, the diagnostics can't get a signal from the car. Nothing. As far as we can tell without actually opening it up is that everything is fried. All the controllers, all of the sensors. Hell, we popped the stereo and even that is fried."

Andrew shook his head and looked towards the ceiling afraid to ask. "So what's it going to cost to repair?"

He had to move the earpiece away from his head as the loud sound of the mechanics laughter came from the other end. "Man, this thing is dead. Stick a fork in it, son. There is no point."

With a loud sigh, Andrew asked, "Well let's say I wanted to. How much would it cost?"

"Are you serious? Shit..." The sound of keys being hit could be heard through the phone, accompanied by mumbling for the better part of a minute. "I would guess at least five thousand, minimum. Each computer costs a grand, and we will have to pull out the engine and pretty much gut the car to access all of the sensors and various controllers. That's also assuming the wires themselves aren't damaged. Seriously kid, this car isn't worth it."

The frustration at this news bothered Andrew as he realized he may have to break his promise to Sara. "Shit, well I am going to talk with Sara about this and we should have a decision for you by tomorrow."

"Sure, man. No problem. We will push it out into the yard until we hear back."

"Thanks, Dale. Talk to you tomorrow."

As the mechanic said farewell, Andrew hung up the phone and slid it back across the counter. "Thanks for letting me use the phone. Have a nice day."

Considerations for how to address this problem swam through Andrew's head as he exited the office. He wanted to talk with Sara about this, and was regretful that he would have two hours with her and Allison while they drove to Hoquiam. This was a conversation he wanted to have in private, and he couldn't even imagine when that moment would be. He suspected it would be at the glade tonight, if their routine remained true.

Looking around the hall at all the students who busied themselves between class, he decided he should focus on what he was doing. He had already made the mistake of walking into a bully at least twice in the last few days, and he didn't want to go for the hat trick.

Andrew made his way through the hall, and he smiled and waved at the few people who greeted him. The expectation that Will was waiting around every corner kept Andrew anxious as he watched the faces around him. He was starting to think that he was clear when Will and his friends came around the corner towards Andrew's last class.

Clutching his side with a bit more force, his pulse raced. He could see the nervous indecision on Will's face as the bully approached him. Andrew sensed the collective anticipation of many of the students throughout the hall. With hopeful optimism he clutched the shoulder strap of his bag and nodded at Will as he passed the group of football players.

"Andrew." Will said with a casual tone as he passed.

"Will." Andrew said with relief, realizing that perhaps this ordeal was over. From what he knew of people like Will, he was surprised that this was over already. With a deep sigh Andrew finished making his way towards art. He nodded at Stew who was gathered with his group of friends, talking in quiet whispers about what just happened.

The students in the arts department were already busy with their projects as Andrew entered the room. He set his bag down next to his side of the table before walking over to his locker and retrieving the mangled little white box that contained his project. From the clinking and clanking noises Andrew assumed that the box looked far better than his project did.

Walking back to his table he could see Seth watching him with hurt frustration. Andrew sighed knowing that his friend was still worried about him. As he got close to the table, he prepared to speak to Seth when he heard Mrs. Rose from across the room.

"Andrew, if you wouldn't mind. I would like to have another word in my office."

Andrew looked at Seth and shrugged in apology. The concern on Seth's face was still obvious, but he flashed a nervous smile as he watched Andrew head towards the teacher's office.

Entering the room, Andrew shut the door behind himself, trying not to cause any pain to his side while he held the box. The excitement on the teacher's face was hilarious to Andrew, who struggled to keep himself from laughing.

"I prepared a prototype for what I wanted to make last night." He handed the box to the beautiful teacher who smiled as she took it. The teacher was surprised by the noises and shifting pieces she could feel moving inside as its contents settled. The mysterious nature of the noises added to her anticipation.

"Let me just say, it was working this morning. I had kind of a rough day, and unfortunately that poor box took the brunt of it."

Mrs. Rose raised an eyebrow at Andrew as she opened the box. Her eyes went wide and Andrew couldn't help himself as he clutched his side in pain while a broken laugh escaped him. The disappointment on the teacher's face was comical as she looked at him with a mixture of frustration and concern.

"I am planning on creating a matrix of LED lights suspended within a cube of some form of plastic or polymer. The plastic should help obscure the thin wires and give the illusion that there are pinpoints within the cube. I should be able to light up those points with a controller board and I think create some pretty spectacular effects."

The contents of the box were poured onto the teacher's desk, spilling out into a sad heap. Even Andrew was amazed at how thoroughly destroyed his prototype was. It almost looked as if the parts had never been put together. The melted or broken soldering points acted as the only subtle clue that this had once been something more than junk.

"Andrew, Principal Lawson told us all about what's going on with you." The teacher's frustrated concern was visible as she looked over the various electrical parts.

"What do you mean, all of you?" Andrew asked in a rushed and defensive tone.

"She held a staff meeting earlier today, and I just want to let you know that we can help if you would just trust us."

Anger boiled up within him as he thought about how unnecessary the Principal's actions were. He began speaking with frustration, "How.. What... Seriously, Ma'am..." He took a breath while rubbing his side. Pain radiated as his breathing intensified. Finally calming he was able to articulate himself. "I appreciate your concern, but honestly, it's all taken care of. The person that did this." He lifted his shirt, showing the large purple and green bruise that ran along his ribs and abdomen.

"Ohh my god, Andrew." Mrs. Rose said in shock as he dropped his shirt.

"The person that did that has already moved on. I saw him in the hall and he seems content to let things go. So please, I appreciate everyone trying to look out for me, but stop... Please, just stop."

Looking at where his bruises were concealed under his shirt, Mrs. Rose shuddered. Shaking her head she looked back at the pile of electronics. "If this was working this morning than that is pretty impressive, Andrew. I normally like for my students to focus on more traditional mediums, but if you can accomplish what you were describing, I would love to see that. Remember, this is an art class, not a science class. I am more interested in the evocativeness of what you create, and I don't care how technically difficult it was to build."

Andrew considered what she was saying before he responded, "Thank you, Ma'am. I would still like to pursue this if that's alright with you."

Scooping the parts back into the box, Mrs. Rose handed it to Andrew.

After thinking for a second, Andrew asked, "If you don't mind, I know we are supposed to create at least two projects but I would really like to spend the extra time to make this work properly. Would it be alright if I spent the entire semester on this one project?"

Crossing her arms she looked at him. "Andrew, I have seen your records. Besides some low marks in PE, you have never even come close to failing a class. You understand that you are setting yourself up to either get an amazing grade or fail my class entirely. If you can't deliver this project then I am going to be forced to give you a zero."

He gave her a polite smile, appreciating her consideration and genuine concern. "I understand, Ma'am, but this is the only thing I am really interested in doing. So I think I will accept that risk. If it helps, I am planning on making a small scale prototype. Assuming it doesn't get destroyed again, we could consider that my first project. If you don't like it then that should still give me enough time to work on something else."

Her face scrunched up a little as she considered his proposition. "All right then, Andrew. Good luck." She flicked her hand indicating for him to leave as she stopped leaning against her desk.

Opening the door Andrew clutched the box, wincing as much from the pain in his side as the sounds of the broken pieces of his project. Allison watched him as she continued molding her clay into what appeared to be a house in the vague shape of a cemetery plot.

She turned her sculpture towards him, and Andrew could see that his guess was right. The house was made to look like the headstone, and the front yard was the freshly covered grave. She looked happy as he shook his head at the imagery she was expressing. Despite the morbid undertone, he was impressed with her ability to evoke so much meaning from such little material. He realized that Mrs. Rose must enjoy Allison, and that she was a pretty talented artist.

"So, not dead yet I see." Seth said as Andrew set down his box.

Smiling at his friend, Andrew wasn't surprised to see the sullen frustration on Seth's face. "Listen, Seth. I am sorry if you think I am being careless with my own well being, but it seems like it worked."

Seth looked surprised as he raised an eyebrow and cracked a partial smile. "Really? How?"

Sighing with relief, Andrew sat on the stool. He was able to release the pressure from his side as his body settled onto the seat.

"I ran into Will in the hallway, and it seems like he decided to let it go. He just said, 'Andrew.' as we passed each other and that was that." His own relief was mirrored on Seth's face. Andrew dumped out the contents of his box as Seth began speaking again.

"But how? Why?" Seth was eager to understand, and Andrew wished he had a good answer to give.

"I really don't know, man. He could have overheard me when I stood up for him in the office. Or perhaps Bruce or someone else scared some sense into him." Andrew considered the events of his day and found nothing definitive to point at. "Yeah, I don't know man, but either way the result seems to be that I am finally clear of him."

Looking around the room Andrew leaned towards Seth, clutching his side lightly as he said with a quiet and conspiratorial tone, "Best of all, it seems like everything is working. People seem to finally be looking at me as something more than a weird little kid."

Seth sighed, "Is that what this was all about? How the school views you?"

Andrew understood how that sounded when he heard Seth say it. "It was about not being kicked into shit every day. About not having to wonder if people were talking to me because they wanted help with an assignment, or because they were setting me up for some stupid prank.

"In the end, it was about wanting to be a part of this community. To be considered for who I am, and not what I look like."

Andrew looked at Seth for a long moment. "You have been the only true friend I have made here. Hell, you might be the only true friend I have made since elementary school."

Seth smiled with appreciation. "What about Sara?"

That question surprised Andrew, who laughed while he considered why Sara never came to mind when he made his statement.

"Sara is something entirely different." He looked around the room, struggling to find words to define how he felt about her. "I could never express fully how much Sara means to me, but in a way our bond is a lot different from the one I share with you."

The fact that there was hidden meaning behind what Andrew said was not lost on Seth who failed to figure out what it was. "What do you mean?"

Andrew picked up the 9 volt battery, it felt warm and happy in his hand. Running it against his tongue, he was satisfied to feel the confirming tingles that the battery was not dead.

Looking back at Seth he wanted to say, "Because you and I have to choose to be connected, while Sara and I just are." but he knew he couldn't say that. A couple of weeks ago if he had heard that statement he would have thought the person saying it was crazy or stupid.

"Come on, man. Sara is my girlfriend. That's just different by its very nature, you know that right?"

Sad anxiety washed over Seth's face as his eyes dropped to his little wax figurine. "No, actually I don't. Never had a girlfriend. Always kind of figured it was just like an intense friendship or something."

Andrew laughed and patted his friend's shoulder. "Something like that. Listen, man. Sara is my first girlfriend, so I am not the right person to explain what it's like. It is overwhelming, that is the best I got."

He wanted to say something more helpful for his friend but up until a week and a half ago Andrew didn't even think about women. Now he was in this intense and magical relationship that would never be relatable to anything Seth was likely to get involved in.

"No worries. It's going to happen. Eventually."

Seth's voice dripped with sad desperation, and Andrew had no way to relate to it. "I'm sure someone will come along, man."

Seth looked at Andrew and smiled. "Shiiiit man, this bird has got to fly wild and free. Ain't nobody gonna tame this beast."

Shaking his head Andrew chuckled as he said, "That's weird, but I didn't think that chickens could fly."

Laughing, Seth shook his head and said, "Daaaamn, bazinga." before settling back into his project.

Most of the computer parts were fried or damaged beyond use. Andrew managed to salvage about half of the LEDs and a few of the other smaller parts. He would need to get replacements before he could start building full scale. His real desire was to get a small prototype working, and then get it casted with some form of polymer so he could ensure that his theory was sound.

"How the hell did you manage to fry all of those electronics?" Seth asked as he picked up a resistor from the pile of broken parts. "Wait a minute, this looks exactly like the damage from Sara's phone yesterday..." He looked at Andrew suspiciously. "How did her car die this morning, Andrew?"

Andrew looked around the room as he leaned in. "We don't know, man. We stopped off in a field before school." Andrew blushed thinking back to that amazing experience. "And it just wouldn't start when we were done, all right?" He figured that the truth didn't hurt because there was no way that Seth would suspect the actual cause.

"Ahuh, sure..." Seth said as his eyes squinted at Andrew's new explanation. "I know your parents work for the military. If you can't tell me, that's cool, but please don't make up some stupid story like that."

"Yeah, sorry. It's just, I can't really talk about it. Thanks for understanding." Andrew was giddy with relief as Seth walked himself into an explanation that was far better than anything he had come up with. He admired his friend for having the perfect amount of intelligence and paranoia to arrive at such a fitting conclusion.

As class was close to ending, Andrew packed the working parts into a pocket in his rucksack before discarding the box and all of the broken pieces. Seth was still smiling about figuring out the government conspiracy that was right under his nose. Andrew was happy that Seth seemed satisfied with his explanation, and did very little to sway his friend from his belief.

"Alright, man. See you tomorrow." Andrew said with a grin as he started walking towards Allison's table.

"Seeya, man." Seth called back.

Andrew walked the few steps to Allison. "So I hear you are running a taxi service now?"

"I do, but I can't transport children without a parent or guardian present. Guess you will just need to get a different ride." She flashed Andrew a wry smile as she watched him twist at her little jab.

The bell rang dismissing class. As they started moving towards the door Andrew responded, "Well, if it will make you more comfortable I could start calling Sara, 'Mommy'. Kinda kinky for my taste, but hey, no judgment if it's what you like."

Allison stammered for a second as her face flushed red. Andrew gave her a happy smile as they walked in silence to the parking lot. Andrew was starting to think that this drive to Hoquiam might be more fun than he originally thought.