The Art of Failing Mad Science

Chapter 8: At Last Some Lunch

Well I woke up again about three minutes later, sans injury. A boy I didn't recognize was sitting next to me, checking my pulse. The centipede monster was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh thank God! I'd be in deep trouble if that beast hurt you!" Relief flooded the boy's face once he noticed my eyes opening.

"Is it gone?" My voice was trembling slightly, but I felt alright.

"Well I sedated it and activated the nerve cap, so it's harmless for now. I need to get it back down to the containment area and check the locks on its cage. It's a pretty stupid animal so I doubt it figured out how to open the door on its own." He sighed, "I guess I have detention now. Damn, school hasn't even started yet!" He was no longer paying attention to me, but rambling about the safety mechanics on a door. This clearly was not his first year at the school. Margret came over on my other side and helped me up.

"I am so sorry about that Nona! I didn't see you trip! Don't worry, the experiment has been neutralized. Are you feeling okay? I can take you to the nurse if you're not feeling okay. This sort of stuff doesn't usually happen before school starts, so I wasn't paying attention and I didn't think to watch for escaped experiments which was stupid of course but you tend to let your guard down after nothing happens for a while and-" she started to ramble so fast I figured it was best to shut her up.

"I'm okay, really! I feel fine. I'm just terrified of centipedes." I waved my hand dismissively.

You have a pounding headache, though!

She doesn't need to know that!

"Hmm, I guess it does look like a massive centipede." Margret agreed looking over my shoulder. I turned around and yelped when I saw the monster's sleeping form five feet behind me. Someone had moved us both down to the stair landing. Well, someone probably moved me. The centipede most likely slid down.

I was unsteady on my feet for a few seconds before the world stopped spinning. Goodness knows another fall on the stairs was the last thing I needed. Margret and the other senior were now rounding up the rest of the students in an attempt to maintain the lunch schedule. Agnes, Serena, and Clarice hurried over to my side. Once again, I was pounded with questions of concern for my health and apologies. I waved them off, wanting to forget the incident altogether. It could have been the suppressor at work again, or it could be that my stomach was beginning to take priority.

"I just want some food right now!" I complained in exasperation.

"Man, after that they better give you a feast!" Agnes conceded.

"They should give all of us a feast just for having to see that monster!" Clarice laughed.

"Or maybe extra dessert!" Serena had perked up at the thought. We all laughed, fear temporarily forgotten.

In what kinda school is this considered normal?

A school where everyone is mad

Touche.

The chaperones had finally finished getting everyone calmed down. The boy who had woken me up was checking something on the back of the centipede, while a friend of his began draping a large net over its body. Curiously enough, a few small robots had shown up out of nowhere and had begun assessing the damage to the wall. They hadn't been there moments before, but the pair working on the monster didn't seem concerned. I turned to follow the seniors with the rest of the freshmen. This school was throwing oddity after oddity at us, and we hadn't even started classes. WE HADN'T EVEN HAD LUNCH!

At long last, our group walked down a walkway at the north rim of the hub, took a turn into a wide tunnel, and entered a massive cafeteria. That's what it was called anyways. It didn't look a bit like one.

Scattered about the floor were linen-clothed tables built to seat eight, fully set with silverware, china plates, and flower arrangements in the center. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the plants most likely came from student experiments. As if there wasn't enough room on the floor, the walls were pocketed like honeycomb, and steep stairs gave students access to smaller tables located inside. Some of the highest tables required ladders to reach. The entire space looked like it had been carved out by massive bees. It was lit well enough to be outside on the perfect day. Perhaps the only thing disconcerting in the cafeteria were the giant chess men stationed around the walls. They stood menacing in the corners, sat quietly in the honeycombs, guarded the entrance, unmoving. I hoped they wouldn't come to life suddenly like the armor in haunted castles tended to do in the movies. I noticed other students giving them a wide birth, while some stopped to get a closer look. Clarice had to be dragged away.

Our groups didn't come close to filling the cafeteria, but we took up a large portion of it. It amazed me how many students appeared to attend this school. I wondered how many made it all the way through into true mad-scientist...hood. That's not very good terminology is it? Whateverwhocaresmovingon. 

The four of us took a seat on a table near the wall where nobody else was sitting. We were expecting there to only be the four of us, but to my surprise two more students came over. The first was a mid-sized boy with short, slightly wavy black hair and glasses. The second was the girl who I had given up the first room to in the maze. She was incredibly tall and thin, reminding me of the egrets I used to see at the pond near my house. She came over to me and held out her hand, a cute smile on her face.

"Hey I'm Echa! I wanted to thank you for giving me that room back in the maze. I hope it didn't take you too long to find another one!" She introduced herself while I shook her hand.

"No, not at all! You looked like you could've used it more than me!" I was happy to have met her again, and chose not to mention the movement of that block.

"Me and my brother don't have anyone to sit with, do you mind if we sit here?" She looked around at the other three while she asked. We all nodded and gestured for them to take a seat. Her brother sat down and took his turn introducing himself.

"Hey everyone, I'm Casper, lovely to meet you ladies." His voice had an interesting quirk to it. It made us smile and glance at each other. He seemed extremely friendly. I waved back at him.

"Nona"

"Agnes"

"Serena" 

"Clarice"

We went around the table and introduced ourselves. As if to finish off the rotation, someone's stomach erupted into gargles of complaint. We all looked at each other accusingly for a few seconds before another stomach answered the call. This time we all burst out laughing, unable to contain ourselves. Just then, a robot came zooming past us with a tray of steaming food. It drew many looks as it stopped at a nearby table and set the food down in front of a wealthy-looking boy with a horrid scar on his cheek and ear.  The others at his table were inputting commands into their access bands. I followed suit and looked at my own, finding that it contained a full, digital lunch menu. It must have activated automatically when we entered the room. We all ordered something quickly and, within a minute, six trays came steaming their way over to our table. By now other students had caught on and robots were zipping around the room. Despite their insane speed and erratic paths, the robots never collided, dropped food, or spilled and drinks.

The beauty of mad science!

And then we all tucked into our food, the best I had ever had at any school. During the meal all stair incidents and other worries fled from our heads, and we devoured our food while chess men loomed ominously behind us.