Heroes

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Paula led Mum and I up the glass elevator and we met Dr Robinson in his laboratory once again. There was more bubbling and popping and fizzing of mixtures than there had been before. Philip turned down the heat of a boiling test tube and watched at it changed colour, immediately a purple to a blue.

"Hello George," Robinson welcomed driving my attention away from the mixture and towards his wrinkled face. "Mrs Newton. How are you both today?"

The usual pleasantries followed and then finally Robinson had me sat on a stool with wires linked and little sticky pads stuck to my forehead, a screen beside me with a graph and figures flashing across it. Robinson explained that he would be measuring my brain activity with such a machine. When everything was set up, and I had confirmed I was ready to start, however shakily, Robinson turned to Mum.

"Would you like some coffee?" He asked.

"Actually," said Mum looking worriedly at all the wires coming from my head, "that sounds lovely."

"Philip knows the most wonderful café downtown," he continued. "He'll take you there. Won't you Philip? After all, he is due his break."

Philip looked up from his work, removing his goggles and his clovers and even slipping out of his lab coat.

"It would be a pleasure," he said.

"Oh no," Mum said quickly. "I'll stay with George thank you. I don't want to leave him alone."

"It's alright Mum," I breathed trying to steady my voice.

"Look at you," she said. "You're terrified George."

I flushed my previously white face turning the colour of a cherry tomato as all eyes in the room came back to me.

"Would you rather her stay?" Asked Robinson. "I only suggested otherwise as it might be harder to focus your brain with her standing across the room is all. If you'd prefer her to stay that really is no trouble at-"

"No, it's fine. Honestly. Really Mum, I'd rather you leave. I don't want you to watch me puke again."

"Oh," she whined her pitch falling. "Oh alright. If you're sure?"

I nodded the wires attached to me wiggling and slipping. I frowned and froze.

"Sorry," I muttered.

"Not to worry," Robinson chuckled.

When Mum and Philip had disappeared Robinson continued with some questions.

"Has it happened since our last meeting?" he asked.

"Once," I admitted. "In the cafe. I don't know why. I never know why. Sometimes if I think too hard about it then it happens, other times, it just does."

"Well," Robinson mused. "That's a start. What happened just before it happened in the café?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "The waitress came over?"

Robinson typed something down, into his tablet computer.

"What?" I asked my eyebrow quipped. "Why are you writing that down?"

"Hormone changes induce the fit," he murmured.

If possible, my cheeks flushed with more heat.

"It wasn't- It was just a coincidence!" I stuttered.

"Well I'm sure there were hormone changes," said Robinson simply.

"There were no-"

"Nonsense," Robinson interrupted. "It's completely normal," he said. "Besides, I've seen young boys like you gawking at that waitress plenty of times. She's the only regular. Lana Petrovits, she lives right opposite me. Lovely family the Petrovits. Of Greek descent I believe. Very aesthetically gifted, shall we say."