The Company

Chapter Three- Technology Sucks, Especially Futuristic TVs

My Wavelength was not turning on.

"Okay, really?" I asked, pushing the power button over and over again. "We come up to go on the Wavelength, and when you come up, it doesn't work!"

"Was it working before?" Lionel asked from the couch.

"Yeah!" I exclaimed. "It was working like gold! It's brand-new!"

"Here, let me see what I can do." Lionel got up from his sitting position and walked over to me. He carefully inspected the Wavelength screen, his eyebrows furrowing and biting his lip. "Did you try turning it on and off again?"

"Oh shut up," I scoffed. "Look in the back, see if it's charged. I think I might've forgotten to charge it."

He walked over to the back and sighed. "Nope. Battery is dead."

I groaned in annoyance and blew my hair out of my face. "This sucks. Plug it in while you're back there, would you?"

He made a pouty face and crossed his arms over his chest. "What if I don't want to?"

I copied his expression. "But you've got to!"

He turned over and whined. "No!"

"But my Wavelength!" I whined back. "How do I watch my shows now? I need to catch up on the twentieth season of Supernatural!"

His pouty face fell. "You have the twentieth season of Supernatural?"

"Hey, I'd put it on," I teased. "But you know, my Wavelength is dead and someone, not naming names here, oh wait, Lionel, isn't plugging it in!"

He scrambled over and plugged it in. "Come on, you've gotta put it on! I'm so behind! I need to know what's going on!"

"What part are you at?"

"The part where Dean and Cas kiss!"

I rolled my eyes. "Dude, you're so behind! That has to be like a season or two back! You've got to catch up! Here, come up some other time, you know, when the Wavelength works, and we can get all caught up! I'm actually behind in a couple of episodes, but we've got it, right?"

"Yeah!" Lionel nodded. "Sounds awesome!"

"Here, how about a coffee?" I pointed my thumb at the small coffee machine in the corner. "We're up here anyways."

He cocked his head to the side. "Isn't that stuff banned at the Academy?"

I gave a sassy eyebrow cock. "Anything happens up here, my friend. I could probably scream and get away with it."

"Do it!"

I did.

"No way!" Lionel marveled. "You're crazy!"

"Not crazy," I corrected, pushing the buttons on the coffee machine. "Just good at what I do."

He laughed. "So anyway, why do you get a whole floor to yourself?"

I froze. I was not ready to tell him that yet. "Reasons. I dunno. The other floors must've been full or something."

And now you're rambling.

"Reasons?" Really? Nice going, Michael.

I scratched behind my neck with a nervous laugh. "Heh. Yeah."

He looked confused, and right as I was pouring the coffee into my little Gryffindor mugs, there was knocking on the door.

I quickly put the mugs into a cabinet. More knocking now, more impatient-sounding.