Like all males across the world, Frank Bell fantasized a zombie apocalypse the same way all females dream of meeting a handsome vampire prince, so he began teaching Hailee survival skills from an early age, from swimming to camping to self-defense, and under this influence, Hailee showed interest in all related subjects.
Today Mr. Burner talked about gravity-assisted maneuvering, how spaceships use a planet's gravity to slingshot into higher speeds. While half the class was dozing off after a belly full of lunch, Hailee stayed wild awake, not because of the subject, but on a question she was waiting to ask.
Watching Cassie try to break the ice cubes gave her an idea for her defense mechanism, so at the end of her physics class, Hailee went to her physics teacher, who wore his yellow sweater today.
Mr. Burner wears the same tight-fitting sweaters for as long as anyone remembers - in red, yellow, or blue. People said it resembles the uniforms from Star Trek, Mr. Burner denies it of course, even though he quotes from the show all the time.
"Mr. Burner, is it possible to turn water into ice?"
"Hailee, you disappoint me after all these years." Mr. Burner removed his glasses, shaking his head as a joke.
"I meant in room temperature."
"Now that's more like it!" he put back his glasses. "What are the elements of water?"
"H2O?"
"Correct. Hydrogen and oxygen. Water is liquid because these molecules are in constant motion, bumping against each other. But as temperature drops, the molecules slow down, lining up in a regular formation, like how solid matter is structured."
"So how can it solidify without changing temperature?"
As a lover for science fiction, Burner couldn't pass the opportunity to show off his wits.
"Think of it like you're stirring a pot of cream. If you're constantly stirring, it stays soft and runny, but if you stop moving at all..."
"Then it turns to butter, without changing temperature." Hailee answered her own question.
"So if you can think of a way to hold molecules still for long enough, you can solidify water at any temperature."
"Great! Thank you, Mr. Burner!" Hailee collected her books and turned to the door.
"What's the name of the book?" her teacher asked.
"What book?" she turned back and blinked.
"The sci-fi book that you're writing, about turning water to ice?"
Caught by the unexpected question, Hailee froze, her face displaying the usual awkward expression that tells people she is about to lie.
"It's called Holden the Creepy Old Man from Another World." she said out loud, wondering if Holden heard it, and how much he could censor it.
"Holden the Creepy Old Man from Another World." Mr. Burner repeated it word for word, took a moment to process. "Sounds like a space horror movie. I hope I'll get to read it someday."
