Gravity Rises (S3)

LC: Part Four

Fidds continued his training with Lilith. After his first lucid dream, it was some months before he had another one, but he kept up his efforts. He wrote in his journal, performed reality checks, and learned to meditate. Suddenly, he was twelve, able to lucid dream about once a month, and focusing on specific dream goals. Then he was fourteen, entering high school, and working impossible feats in his dreams on a regular basis.

High school turned out to be much better than the previous schools Fidds had attended. He got to take classes more focused on his interests — metal and wood workshops, advanced math classes — and he was confident enough to answer questions without losing his train of thought. His teachers helped him cultivate his natural brilliance, and he enjoyed learning from them. He was still shy, nervous, and bullied — but now school had inherent rewards. He actually liked attending.

Of course, what he learned in school was nothing compared to what he learned from Lilith. His life got busier, and he couldn't visit her as often — but he still worked on the powers of the mind, and he still gave his parents the slip when he could and headed over to her shack. He was getting more attention and praise now, and some kids actually wanted to talk to him, but they didn't provide the same happiness that he felt around Lilith. Throughout high school, she continued to be his only major friend.

Then it came time for college.

During high school, Fidds' teachers introduced him to many amazing opportunities. West Coast Tech, with its insanely high standards and astoundingly big results; University of Tennessee, with its proximity to home; and a variety of other technical colleges, engineering programs, and prestigious studies.

Fidds thought it would be fascinating to study the mind and get a scientific look at the ether, the powers of the mind, and lucid dreaming. With the amazing events of his childhood — meeting Lilith, learning to lucid dream — he had no doubt that there was something more to the mind than they taught in schools.

With his nervousness and flustered nature, though, he didn't trust himself to discover ground-breaking things about the mind. He did much better with his practical machines. So, much to his teachers' chagrin, he rejected all his prospects in favor of a small school called Backupsmore, where he'd have a quiet education with less prestige but more freedom. He worked best when he worked independently, after all.

He didn't make this decision easily. Many long afternoons were spent fretting with Lilith — or, more accurately, Fidds fretting while Lilith tried to calm him down.

"Go where your heart's telling you, Fidds," she'd say.

"But my heart's telling me to go everywhere!" he'd cry. "I could go somewhere with an amazing engineering program — but I'd have to leave you. So I could stay nearby and visit you, but the places 'round here don't have what I want to study!"

"Do you want to go to college at all?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. That much he knew. "Not for long, but I wanta learn more before I set out in the world."

They did their research — or, more accurately, Fidds did the research while Lilith consulted him — and eventually, he found Backupsmore. He was probably the only student there who purposefully chose to attend, but the low-pressure environment spoke to him more than any other option had.

His parting with Lilith, on the day he left for school, was probably the hardest thing he'd ever gone through. Even the death of his father, some years earlier, hadn't been so difficult.

"You keep goin', ya hear?" she said. A shiny film covered her eyes, but she refused to acknowledge it. "Keep on harnessing the ether. Keep working for your powers."