Project Aquarius (The Sensitives Series Book 1) by Colleen Jordan Page B
Authors: Colleen Jordan
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a physical number that he could hold. That’s how he knew sixty times ten was six hundred. Holding sixty little plastic cubes in his hands felt like an accomplishment. Sixty sets of ten. Ten sets of sixty. Sammy worked his number facts over and over again. The repetitive nature of math was soothing.
He did three worksheets from his math binder, like he did every day. Sammy liked the satisfying click of the metal rings as they snapped closed. He put the finished papers in the correct basket on the teacher’s desk and looked at his schedule once more. Recess.
Sammy loved to go outside for recess. Now that the weather was getting nice again, the class was going out every day. He walked to the coatroom, put on his coat and zipped it up. Everyone else was still napping, but Sammy decided to go out anyway. Sometimes they were allowed to nap through recess if they needed to.
He walked to the end of the long beige hall and took a right. He stood in front of the glass door to the playground and stared at the bright plastic play structure: blue monkey bars, yellow slide, purple climbing wall. He waited at the door for a few moments. Usually the teachers opened it.
He waited and waited, but no teachers came.
It was against the rules to open the door because it was not part of his routine. But it was also against the rules to skip recess and mess up the schedule.
He waited and waited some more.
Ultimately, the schedule disruption was more upsetting to Sammy, so he pushed. The door was very heavy.
Sammy took a seat on a black plastic swing. He liked the back and forth motion. He sat on the swing for a long time. Back and forth. Back and forth he pumped. Eventually, he tired and decided to go down the yellow slide. He went down the yellow slide six times to celebrate his math lesson. Yellow slide, yellow cubes. Six times one slide rides. Six slide rides.
When he was done, Sammy went back inside and put his coat in the coatroom.
After recess, it was time for science. He took out his book on mushrooms and buried his nose in it. When Sammy looked up, he could tell the afternoon light was fading to a deeper yellow. He had completed his schedule and it was time to go home. All his classmates were still fast asleep.
Sammy put his green coat back on, slipped his backpack over his shoulders and began his Walking Home Routine. Three blocks south and five blocks west. He started at the classroom threshold.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.
CHAPTER TEN
Drea
“ What the hell is wrong with you?” Matt’s voice was echoless in the foam-walled room. “Drea?”
What was wrong with her? She was on the ground, head pounding, heart leaping from her body. Something was definitely wrong.
“Are you okay?” Matt asked as he reached through the darkness and gently squeezed her arm.
His touch made Drea flush warm. She was physically okay, she supposed. But she felt different inside. Heavier. The room felt different too, as though something had died in it.
“I don’t know. Something was coming— I had such a strong urge… I…” she stammered.
“No offense, but you sound like you’ve lost it. Where’s the light?”
Matt felt around for the switch and clicked it.
Nothing happened.
“I could feel it coming… the wave.” Drea’s voice drifted slowly to a halt, her words exposed. There was nowhere for sound to hide in the recording studio.
“The light’s busted. Where’s the door knob?” Matt resumed his search in the dark, thumping around the padded walls.
The door opened and a sudden flood of light drowned Drea’s pupils.
At first glance, the classroom looked okay. The furniture was in place. There was no observable water damage. But the electricity was off and all the students sat motionless at their desks.
Drea pushed herself to her feet despite her pounding headache. Then the horrible truth surged through
He did three worksheets from his math binder, like he did every day. Sammy liked the satisfying click of the metal rings as they snapped closed. He put the finished papers in the correct basket on the teacher’s desk and looked at his schedule once more. Recess.
Sammy loved to go outside for recess. Now that the weather was getting nice again, the class was going out every day. He walked to the coatroom, put on his coat and zipped it up. Everyone else was still napping, but Sammy decided to go out anyway. Sometimes they were allowed to nap through recess if they needed to.
He walked to the end of the long beige hall and took a right. He stood in front of the glass door to the playground and stared at the bright plastic play structure: blue monkey bars, yellow slide, purple climbing wall. He waited at the door for a few moments. Usually the teachers opened it.
He waited and waited, but no teachers came.
It was against the rules to open the door because it was not part of his routine. But it was also against the rules to skip recess and mess up the schedule.
He waited and waited some more.
Ultimately, the schedule disruption was more upsetting to Sammy, so he pushed. The door was very heavy.
Sammy took a seat on a black plastic swing. He liked the back and forth motion. He sat on the swing for a long time. Back and forth. Back and forth he pumped. Eventually, he tired and decided to go down the yellow slide. He went down the yellow slide six times to celebrate his math lesson. Yellow slide, yellow cubes. Six times one slide rides. Six slide rides.
When he was done, Sammy went back inside and put his coat in the coatroom.
After recess, it was time for science. He took out his book on mushrooms and buried his nose in it. When Sammy looked up, he could tell the afternoon light was fading to a deeper yellow. He had completed his schedule and it was time to go home. All his classmates were still fast asleep.
Sammy put his green coat back on, slipped his backpack over his shoulders and began his Walking Home Routine. Three blocks south and five blocks west. He started at the classroom threshold.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.
CHAPTER TEN
Drea
“ What the hell is wrong with you?” Matt’s voice was echoless in the foam-walled room. “Drea?”
What was wrong with her? She was on the ground, head pounding, heart leaping from her body. Something was definitely wrong.
“Are you okay?” Matt asked as he reached through the darkness and gently squeezed her arm.
His touch made Drea flush warm. She was physically okay, she supposed. But she felt different inside. Heavier. The room felt different too, as though something had died in it.
“I don’t know. Something was coming— I had such a strong urge… I…” she stammered.
“No offense, but you sound like you’ve lost it. Where’s the light?”
Matt felt around for the switch and clicked it.
Nothing happened.
“I could feel it coming… the wave.” Drea’s voice drifted slowly to a halt, her words exposed. There was nowhere for sound to hide in the recording studio.
“The light’s busted. Where’s the door knob?” Matt resumed his search in the dark, thumping around the padded walls.
The door opened and a sudden flood of light drowned Drea’s pupils.
At first glance, the classroom looked okay. The furniture was in place. There was no observable water damage. But the electricity was off and all the students sat motionless at their desks.
Drea pushed herself to her feet despite her pounding headache. Then the horrible truth surged through
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