Unnatural

The girl with the long thin hair dragged her feet. She really didn't want to do this. But if the Director demanded something, you obeyed without questions. She took one look at the antique elevators and started to walk towards the basement. About halfway down, she stopped for a while to catch her breath. How could the 'unnaturals' manage the stairs every day? What kind of drugs did they use? She had browsed through the uppers that The Corporation offered and tried half of it, but nothing would give her the desired effect.

She stared at her surroundings critically. Everything looked pre-war and worn down. She knew it was only a matter of time before they closed down the Art department. And the professor, what was her name anyway? Tanira, would be out of here. Art wasn't profitable at all so t-lifts weren't even an option. Why couldn't they at least fix the old elevators? She sighed and continued her long walk down.

She stopped outside the door to the Art department. From inside, she could hear laughter and chatting. She frowned. Her own Tech professor wouldn't permit that kind of undisciplined behavior. Without knocking she pushed open the door and walked right in. The class seemed to be designing a room, that much was clear. But it was a strange room. She tried to estimate the dimension of the room, but failed. It wasn't any of the pre-approved sizes.

She continued her visual inspection of the room. Now she noticed that the ceiling wasn't a real ceiling. Instead it seemed to be a representation of a night sky with stars and a moon. The moon looked like the one she'd seen in the history books, big and pale, not the yellowish tone she was used to.

Not that she cared about the color of the moon. The important thing was that it shouldn't be there in the first place. A moon shouldn't be allowed on a ceiling. The Corporation's regulations clearly stated that all rooms had to be practical and profitable. And she should know. She was a Tech major, wasn't she? One of the best in her class. She hated everything the 'unnaturals' stood for. Still she listened to their conversation with fascination.

"Miss, what dimensions should I use on this chair?"

It was the girl with the light red hair who had spoken. She drew her skinny hand through her thin hair. A big wisp of hair came loose and she let if fall to the floor.

"Let me show you, Mai-Lee. Don't think too much, just feel. What do you think would be most

Comfortable? What color do you like? Close your eyes and try to imagine your favorite chair. Then, look in the ret-device and create your ideal furniture."

"Please, let me use the panel to calculate the optimal dimensions."

"Yes, Mai-Lee. It's your chair. If you prefer the panel, that would be fine too."

Tanira sighed. Every now and then she had Tech students in her class. She knew this wasn't the girl's first choice. In fact, she was pretty sure it was the only course she could get into. She must have made the wrong choices somewhere or allied with the wrong people. Both of them would have to make the best of it. She turned her attention to the rest of the class.

"Oh, that's beatiful, Alexei. Very interesting."

The class gathered around a glass fountain in the middle of the room. His classmates gave him words of encouragement. Alexei's face colored slightly. He made some last-minute adjustment with his ret-device.

"Wait, listen to this."

The room was suddenly filled with a very soothing music. It seemed to originate from the glass fountain.

"19th century, right?"

Tanira gave Alexei an attentive look. He reminded her so much of one of her old students. The same entusiasm and talent.