Prism Book 1 (Complete)

Chapter Four: Elucidation

A stirring sound wakes me. My eyes open to Lacie rummaging through her dresser drawers. I yawn in my sleep haze and squint at the clock which reads 7:30 AM. Lacie goes into the bathroom. I tell myself I will get ready when she comes out and fall asleep again, only to wake back up at 8:45 AM. I rub my eyes to make sure I'm seeing the time correctly. I am. I jump out of bed and change.

I can't be late for Elucidation. I dress and style my hair quickly before heading out the door. As I run to the elevator, I realize that I have no idea where Elucidation will be. I do remember that the mess hall is on the third floor. I hit the button for three, and hope some of the others are still there. When the elevator door opens I run out and scan the room. Relieved, I see Crystal and Chelsea mounting the spiral steps. I sprint across the room after them.

As I climb higher, the ceiling of the mess hall opens to a large, square room like a lecture hall. I follow my peers towards the seating area and scan for Gladden. He sits in the third row. He turns his head back towards me, and waves. I give him a small wave until I notice Lacie sitting right beside him. He is on the end of the row so I can't sit on the other side of him. How did I not see that coming? No one sat in the front row so I go ahead and sit there by myself. I don't care, I'm used to doing things alone.

"Cutting it close, aren't ya?" A girl's voice teases behind me as I sit. I turn around and see either Crystal and Chelsea. I think it's Chelsea, but I can't be sure. I smile a little and nod. "Here, Gladden told me to give you this." She holds out a blueberry muffin and a napkin.

"Oh, wow," I say. "Thank you." I peek around her and smile at Gladden, mouthing a "thanks" to him. He nods and smiles. I turn around and bite into the muffin. It tastes fresh like the blueberries were picked this morning.

A door opens to the left of the room and Director Callahan enters with Rej at her side. Director Callahan is wearing a black pants suit today, and Rej is wearing a normal suit like yesterday. Director Callahan has a gentle, closed smile on her lips as she walks to the podium at the front of the room. Rej stands to the side, giving Callahan the floor.

"Good morning, everyone," she smiles. We all echo her greeting. "I'm glad none of you overslept," she says. Eyes are burning the back of my head. I cover my muffin with both hands.

"First off, welcome to your first day at SIA. I will be going over all the main points with you. And don't worry, I am not going to fill up this time with empty words of flattery of our establishment, or telling you my entire life story." She gives Rej a knowing smirk, hinting at something only the two of them remember. "We don't have time to waste so we are going to get to the point."

So far, I like what I am hearing.

"This is an interactive session. So please respond or ask questions. Please don't stare at me like a statue." She pauses, and laughs. "Does anyone know what a prism is?" Director Callahan scans the room. I know little of prisms, not enough to define the term accurately. She points at someone behind me. "Yes." I turn my head and see AJ fidgeting.

"Are we talking geometry or optics?" AJ asks.

Director Callahan smiles at him and pauses before she speaks.

"Optics," she answers, smiling that closed mouth smile of hers.

AJ sits up. "Then, a prism is an object, usually triangular, used for splitting up light into a spectrum of color. By reflecting light." As everyone stares at him in awe, he shrinks back in embarrassment. "I did a project on this last semester in my science class!"

"Great. That's exactly right." Callahan beams. "Now, you said they are usually triangular. What other shapes can they come in, AJ?"

AJ frowns and pauses. "I'm not sure, sorry." He shakes his head.