The Variable Facility

Chapter 2

A few years later...

***

X gets out of bed. He gets up and waves to his friends, N and Y.

"Hi!"

"Hello, X!" said N.

"I like your whale plushie," said Y.

"Thanks!" X replied. "His name is Blue!"

"Wow, I didn't know that," said Y. "I didn't even know he had a name!"

"Yeah. Sorry I didn't tell you guys."

"That's fine, X," said N.

"Thanks, N. I mean, I've had Blue the whale for as long as I can remember."

"That long? Wow!" said N. "I have a sea anemone plushie!"

"What's their name?" said Y.

"Pinky!"

"That's a great name!" said X.

"Thanks, X. You're the best!"

"Listen up, variables!" said Radical-16 as he entered the room. "Report to the cafeteria for breakfast this instant!"

"Yes, Raddy!" said Y.

"IT'S RADICAL-16 TO YOU!"

"Sorry."

Soon, X, N, and Y are in the cafeteria eating breakfast. X finishes his food first and gets bored waiting for N and Y to finish.

He noticed a show playing on the TV, so he went to check it out.

A plus sign and a bunch of others - a band called the Add 'Em Cats - were singing a song on the TV. The song was called "Say No More."

The band featured a plus sign named Plus, an n-like letter named Tampa, an integer named Twenty-One, and a letter named O.

X admired the species of Algebraliens on the TV - especially Twenty-One, because she was a real integer! X had never seen an integer in person before! He wished he could, but he was never allowed to go outside.

A tired adult variable changed the channel. The news came on.

The news showed a young integer named Four, who had created a shockwave using only their voice! X was amazed. And something about this Four fellow gave X hope. Hope that he would see a real integer in person.

X looked at the tired adult variable.

"Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome," the adult variable replied with a groggy tone.

X happily ran to the dorm bedroom and pulled out some drawing supplies.

He tried to imagine an integer friend.

He imagined a purple number 1 with no arms and two legs.

X drew his imaginary friend on the wall. He drew the number 1 based on the same one he saw on TV interviewing Four, only purple. He colored in his imaginary friend.

He then gave the friend a name: Goody One-Shoe.

He played with his friend for a little bit before rejoining his other friends at breakfast.

"Where were you, X?" said N.

"Making a new friend," X replied.

"What was their name?" Y asked.

"Goody One-Shoe!"

"Were they an integer?" said N.

"Yeah! They're imaginary, though."

"Aw, math." said Y. "Well, can we meet them?"

"Sure!"

"Then let's go!" said N.

X, N, and Y go to the dorm bedroom and look at Goody One-Shoe drawn on the wall.

"This is so cool!" said Y and N simultaneously.

"Thank you!" X replied.

"You're welcome!"

The three variables play with Goody One-Shoe for a while before being gathered for roll call.

X wondered for the first time...

What was there in the outside world?

Word total: 546