Six

Chapter 5

Six POV

I watch my Biology professor scribble a question on the board. His waist makes a strange wiggling motion when he writes. It makes me chuckle.

What is meningitis? I read.

"So...who can tell us the answer to this question?" The professor calls on Sasha Turner who is chattering away at the back of the class. "Ms. Turner...?"

"Umm....isn't that some kind of disorder....?"

Nope. It's a disease not a disorder.

"Why don't you answer then if you're so smart?" snaps Sasha. Oops. I guess I was thinking aloud again.

"Go ahead Miss....what's your name?" Asks the professor eyeing my name card. I sigh rolling my eyes.

" Six Salvatore. Yep. That's my name." I answer. Derek Brown in the front row snickers.

"Umm...okay. So Miss Salvatore....you deigned to disturb my class while Ms. Turner was trying to answer."

"She was wrong....meningitis is not a disorder. It is a disease." I explain.

Sasha snorts. "Same difference." She says incredulously.

"Nope." I begin. "It's not the same. A disease is different from a disorder. A disorder is a-"

"Please Ms. Salvatore... I'm the professor in this class and I believe my questions are of more importance." Says professor Binns clearly annoyed now. His brow is furrowed and his palm is clutching the marker tightly. He's impatiently tapping his finger on his table...it's distracting. Yep. He's annoyed. I better answer.

What was the question again? My gaze travels to the board...oh yes.

"Meningitis. An acute inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges." I begin.

"It may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms. Some say that certain drugs can also cause meningitis but evidence is scarce. Common symptoms include headache and neck stiffness associated with fever, confusion or altered consciousness, vomiting, photophobia and/or phonophobia. Use of antibiotic drugs can worsen the-"

"I believe we have received our answer" says professor Binns and I can see he is impressed. "The university is lucky to have you as a student. I believe it is your first day?"

"Second." I reply.

"That's good that's good. I hope your enthusiasm doesn't wane with passage of time." He comments glancing at the clock. The hour is up. Class dismissed.

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I'm in the cafeteria. It is a big place. I see a couple making out...their food left forgotten. It took me 20 minutes to find this place. This school is confusing. And....I may have gotten distracted a little on the way.

I finish my orange juice, dump the bottle in the trash and head out to explore. I still have 2 hours until my next class- organic chemistry.

The campus map shows vast open grounds around the cluster of buildings and I weave through the students to get to a particular garden marked on the map.

After a 3 minute walk I finally see the garden. The ground is laden with snow. I find myself an empty park bench and brush the snow off it. To my surprise I see a butterfly resting on the back of the bench.