In Time

The Moment It All Started

The hallways seemed too crowded as I made my way towards my chemistry class. I kept nudging my classmates and underlings out of the way until I could see the top of Ms. Elaine's head. Her mousy brown hair waved side to side as she greeted students passing by or entering her classroom.

"Ah, there's my top student!" she said with a wink when she saw me. My cheeks warmed in response, even though I knew she cheered everyone on similarly. At the moment, we were learning about how direct air capture works. It was a unit that had been developed in tandem with the engineering department of my school.

A hundred years ago, the curriculum for a science class was completely different. Soon enough, when society started crumbling, the government realized we needed an education system that actually prepared students for jobs, specifically those in the engineering field. It was our way of combating climate change.

The bell abruptly rang when I was halfway to my seat, and I dove into my seat, hitting my shin against one of the desk's legs. Ms. Elaine might be nice, but she was strict when it came to the rules. Nursing my throbbing shin, I glance up at the board to see Ms. Elaine pushing down a smile while she organizes her papers on a table at the front of the room.

"Good afternoon, class! I hope you all have your homework done. It was only a one-page description of the first direct air capture project, so I don't want any complaints about not getting it done unless you have a valid reason." Immediately after Ms. Elaine stops talking, the class shifts to attention. Class would truly be starting now, and it was best to pay attention if you didn't want to fail.

"Now, some of you may have stumbled across the chemistry aspect of the process while you were doing your general research. If anyone wants to give us a simple explanation, that would be great." She smiled encouragingly. A few seconds later, some hands popped up as my peers finished forming their answers.

Kharis, a girl whose bold nature contradicted her shy appearance, grinned broadly when Ms. Elaine called on her. "So, basically, fans pull air from the atmosphere into the plant, where a chemical substance that bonds easily with CO2 resides. Then, this compound can easily be separated by heat since the two reactants have different melting points. The liquid CO2 then travels through a pipeline to an oil reservoir or CO2 tank underground." When Kharis finished answering, she kept her face impassive, which I interpreted as "I'm so smart, but I want you to say that to me; so, I'll pretend that I'm shy as I wait for you to shower me with compliments."

I could just see the smugness in her eyes.

I let out a sigh, knowing that anyone could have answered that question just as well but Kharis would act like she was the smartest person in the room for the rest of the hour. I turn my attention back to Ms. Elaine, who was nodding proudly at Kharis. She opened her mouth to continue the lesson when a sharp knock came at the door.

Without a sign of approval from Ms. Elaine, the visitor opened the door and walked in. Refusing to make eye contact with any of the students, the man trained his eyes on our teacher. "I'm here for Shriya Agarwal," he stated, his voice grating my ears.

I sighed again, for the second time in five minutes because everyone had turned to stare at me now. Yet, I was curious as well. I had never seen this man before. His pink dress shirt seemed to stick to him, and his bald head shone under the blue lights of the classroom. What did he have to do with me?

"I've received express approval from the office, so it would be best to not delay this matter further," he continued. Slowly, his eyes traveled across the expanse of the room he had avoided looking at before. I took the cue and stood up uneasily.

Ms. Elaine smiled tightly at me. "Make sure you check out at the office. You don't want to be marked as 'truant.'" At that statement, my brow scrunches. I thought the office had already given him permission to take me. I mentally waved the confusion away and settled on a nod. I would still do as Ms. Elaine asked, just in case. I don't want to make my parents worried.