Standing Outside the Fire

37

[Reading is Fundamental]

Kevin Tran was in his bedroom playing Bach on his cello. His phone rang and he continued playing until an alert popped up on his computer with the message 'Cello Practice Complete'. He put the cello aside and answered the phone.

"Hey, Kevin," a girl said.

"Princeton just adjusted it's acceptance rate down to 8.7% for 2013."

"Breathe, Kevin. Are you studying?"

"I'm talking to you." An alert popped up on his screen. 'Elective Period 14:55'. "I'll start on probability and statistics in 14 minutes."

"I hate probability."

"Tomorrow's my last chance to get a perfect math score."

"Your SATs are great!"

"Channing, everybody's SATs are great. I have to do perfect."

"Who knows? The essays are at least as important."

Kevin hit some buttons on his computer and brought up a document headed 'College Admission Essay'. The document was blank. "I have absolutely nothing to say."

"I know. I know what you mean. I read one by a kid who got into Cornell. He didn't have any arms or legs or anything. He had to type the whole thing with his mouth. It was beautiful."

"I am so screwed."

"You know, no matter what, one day, college isn't going to matter anymore."

"You're out of your mind."

---

In an abandoned building, Sam unwrapped the piece of clay in the case. He took it out and put it on the table. Dean and Francesca walked over to a tool box.

"That's a lot of fuss over a caveman Lego," Dean said.

Sam shrugged. "Yeah. Well, whatever Dick wants is bricked up inside that."

Dean took a couple mallets from the tool box and Francesca pulled out several pairs of safety glasses and handed them out, before putting on a pair herself.

"All right," Dean stated, hitting the clay once. Thunder clapped.

---

Kevin, who was still standing in his room, opened an energy drink and took a sip. Lightning flashed and thunder clapped.

Dean hit the clay again. Kennedy grabbed the other mallet and hit the clay.

---

Kevin took another drink.

---

Francesca frowned. "Hey, does that sound like somebody saying, "No, wait -- stop" to you guys?"

Sam nodded. "Uh... Yeah. Yeah."

"Yeah," Dean and Francesca said with a shrug. "Oh, well."

Dean and Francesca hit the clay several more times.

---

Lightning flashed in Kevin's room.

---

Dean and Francesca kept hammering at the clay.

---

In the sky, white light radiated from the clouds and seemed to erupt as thunder roared.

---

Dean and Francesca hammered at the clay.

---

Kevin looked up as lightning flashed.