classmates. What really
twisted her mind up for the remainder of the two-hour class was
what kind of trouble she’d gotten herself in that required a trip
to the administrative offices.
“Miss Strain?”
Lily jerked her head up. She’d been staring
at the back of Candiss’s neck. Candiss turned, as everyone else
did, to look at her. Lily ignored them and saw the display the
instructor had drawn the complex shape on. “It depends,” she
answered, barely remembering what Instructor Doleen had asked.
“No, it’s a simple question,” the instructor
disagreed. “How many planes are there in this structure?”
“If it’s just a two-dimensional image, then
there’s one,” she began.
A few gasps greeted her answer. Her peers
thought she was being difficult and were either excited or worried.
She wasn’t and opened her mouth to explain but Instructor Doleen
spoke first. “That is a fault of the display. You know perfectly
well this is not a two-dimensional object. Miss Strain, I’m very
disappointed in you. I think some additional work might help you
focus better and—”
“Instructor, I wasn’t finished,” Lily
interrupted her. She ignored the rustling of her startled peers and
pressed on. “Without seeing it fully, I can’t tell how many planes
it has. Are there additional vertices hidden behind the ones that
are visible? And what if the side not facing me changes while I
can’t see it? The odds are unlikely, but it’s still a remote
possibility. Additionally, if we magnify it to atomic levels, there
will be a different landscape on the surface and within, allowing
for an order of complexity I can’t begin to guess at. If we factor
in—”
“That’s enough!” the instructor barked. Lily
snapped her lips shut while the instructor glared at her. “The
correct answer is six sides. And you, young miss, are to escort
yourself to the administrative offices immediately.”
Lily felt her cheeks burning as she gathered
her infopad and stood up. She glanced down at it and then started
tapping on it with one hand. Instructor Doleen’s eyes narrowed as
she stared at her. The uneven polyhedron on the display rotated and
flipped over, gaining color on each side of the shape as it did so.
It continued to rotate until the first side was back facing them,
except it had changed by sporting an additional edge along the
middle. It kept going, morphing as it twisted until the shape
resembled a cat.
“Miss Strain!” Instructor Doleen snapped at
her. “That is enough!”
Lily tapped her pad again. The cat tucked
into itself and rolled over, shifting back into the original shape
that everyone saw now bore a startling resemblance to a sleeping
cat with its head and tail tucked against itself.
“Office. Now!”
“Yes, ma’am,” Lily said and turned smartly
on her heels to walk to the door of the classroom. She paused and
glanced back at the glowering woman.
“A cat, really?” the instructor huffed.
“Sorry, Instructor Doleen,” Lily said. “My
boyfriend used to tell me stories about a cat that could walk
through walls.”
Lily turned and slipped out the door before
the face of her instructor could grow any redder.
Chapter 12
“Miss Strain, please have a seat.”
Lily looked at the people gathered at the
conference table and then moved to the only remaining chair at the
far end. She sat down and forced herself to stop worrying her lip
with her teeth. She lifted her head and brushed the strands of hair
out of her eyes so she could see.
“I understand there’s been a problem in one
of your classes this morning?” Coordinator Jonas Sykes asked. She
thought he would be sitting at the other end of the table but he
wasn’t. Instead, a man she didn’t recognize with short spiked
salt-and-pepper hair was sitting in the seat of honor.
Lily opened her mouth to admit her guilt but
the man opposite her spoke first. “That’s hardly important right
now, Mr. Sykes. Especially given this
twisted her mind up for the remainder of the two-hour class was
what kind of trouble she’d gotten herself in that required a trip
to the administrative offices.
“Miss Strain?”
Lily jerked her head up. She’d been staring
at the back of Candiss’s neck. Candiss turned, as everyone else
did, to look at her. Lily ignored them and saw the display the
instructor had drawn the complex shape on. “It depends,” she
answered, barely remembering what Instructor Doleen had asked.
“No, it’s a simple question,” the instructor
disagreed. “How many planes are there in this structure?”
“If it’s just a two-dimensional image, then
there’s one,” she began.
A few gasps greeted her answer. Her peers
thought she was being difficult and were either excited or worried.
She wasn’t and opened her mouth to explain but Instructor Doleen
spoke first. “That is a fault of the display. You know perfectly
well this is not a two-dimensional object. Miss Strain, I’m very
disappointed in you. I think some additional work might help you
focus better and—”
“Instructor, I wasn’t finished,” Lily
interrupted her. She ignored the rustling of her startled peers and
pressed on. “Without seeing it fully, I can’t tell how many planes
it has. Are there additional vertices hidden behind the ones that
are visible? And what if the side not facing me changes while I
can’t see it? The odds are unlikely, but it’s still a remote
possibility. Additionally, if we magnify it to atomic levels, there
will be a different landscape on the surface and within, allowing
for an order of complexity I can’t begin to guess at. If we factor
in—”
“That’s enough!” the instructor barked. Lily
snapped her lips shut while the instructor glared at her. “The
correct answer is six sides. And you, young miss, are to escort
yourself to the administrative offices immediately.”
Lily felt her cheeks burning as she gathered
her infopad and stood up. She glanced down at it and then started
tapping on it with one hand. Instructor Doleen’s eyes narrowed as
she stared at her. The uneven polyhedron on the display rotated and
flipped over, gaining color on each side of the shape as it did so.
It continued to rotate until the first side was back facing them,
except it had changed by sporting an additional edge along the
middle. It kept going, morphing as it twisted until the shape
resembled a cat.
“Miss Strain!” Instructor Doleen snapped at
her. “That is enough!”
Lily tapped her pad again. The cat tucked
into itself and rolled over, shifting back into the original shape
that everyone saw now bore a startling resemblance to a sleeping
cat with its head and tail tucked against itself.
“Office. Now!”
“Yes, ma’am,” Lily said and turned smartly
on her heels to walk to the door of the classroom. She paused and
glanced back at the glowering woman.
“A cat, really?” the instructor huffed.
“Sorry, Instructor Doleen,” Lily said. “My
boyfriend used to tell me stories about a cat that could walk
through walls.”
Lily turned and slipped out the door before
the face of her instructor could grow any redder.
Chapter 12
“Miss Strain, please have a seat.”
Lily looked at the people gathered at the
conference table and then moved to the only remaining chair at the
far end. She sat down and forced herself to stop worrying her lip
with her teeth. She lifted her head and brushed the strands of hair
out of her eyes so she could see.
“I understand there’s been a problem in one
of your classes this morning?” Coordinator Jonas Sykes asked. She
thought he would be sitting at the other end of the table but he
wasn’t. Instead, a man she didn’t recognize with short spiked
salt-and-pepper hair was sitting in the seat of honor.
Lily opened her mouth to admit her guilt but
the man opposite her spoke first. “That’s hardly important right
now, Mr. Sykes. Especially given this
Similar Books
