The Detective's Damsel

xxiv.

"YOU MUST BE joking," Elizabeth proclaimed.

"I assure you I am not," Corinna responded, curling her legs beneath her on her sister's bed. "To ask a question or make a statement, you must raise your hand into the air and wait for the professor to point to you. Oh, and there was another thing I observed. The professor projected images onto the board using a small box on a cart in the middle of the room. It was like magic."

"It's called a projector, actually," called Ivan from just outside the room. "And it makes a lot of scientific sense."

"What kind of images?" Elizabeth asked.

"All kinds," Corinna gushed. "They were the most realistic drawings I've ever seen."

Ivan laughed. "That's because they weren't drawings, Squirt. Someone was there in person and took those pictures with a camera."

"A camera?" Elizabeth questioned. Corinna knew calling herself overwhelmed was an understatement, but it was no match for how utterly lost her sister looked.

Ivan peeked his head through the crack in the door, his typical grin taking over his face. He seemed happier today, more carefree and mischievous. Then again, Ivan hardly ever seemed disheartened about anything. "Cameras are optical devices used to capture an image or record a series of images. They're boxes with a small hole to let natural light in, and with a touch of a button, you can capture a moment forever. We love them in the 21st century."

"What do you mean 'record'?" Corinna found herself asking. The professor in her class had indeed shown more than images, but several seconds of moving pictures across the screen. It had taken all of Corinna's effort to keep her jaw off the floor.

"Remember when I told you I was going to make you watch a movie with me?" Ivan asked. Corinna nodded slowly, unsure how this correlated with her question. "Well, what you saw was a video, taken by using a camera and following an event with the lens. Movies are just extra-long videos, with storylines and characters. Like a play, but shown on a screen and filmed in advance."

Corinna's eyes widened as she swung her gaze toward her sister. If anyone else understood how monumental this information was, it would be her. Elizabeth, however, looked slightly green as she fidgeted and toyed with her fingers, as if talking about the fascinating technology of this world had sent her mind spinning into a faraway place. Corinna turned toward Ivan, unable to contain her curiosity.

"Do plays still exist? Theatres? Acting on stage?"

"Oh, yeah. You write scripts, don't you?"

You write scripts, not you like to write scripts. Finally, someone was not treating her passion like a hobby, something short, temporary, and incapable of achieving greatness. Corinna nodded at him with a smile, exceedingly grateful for him, whether he knew what his support meant to her or not.

"It's more common to find people who write scripts for movies these days, but plays are still around. If you were staying, I would offer to take you up to New York over break. They have an amazing theater district. Broadway. You would love it."

Broadway. Corinna tucked the word away for later, knowing she would have to do some research on her own. She was about to ask Ivan another question before Elizabeth cut in, brilliant hazel eyes focusing as she reentered the conversation. "Ivan," she said. "As much as we appreciate your knowledge of...everything, I was wondering if I might get some time alone with my sister."

Ivan's smile flickered, just slightly. Corinna glanced at Elizabeth, wondering why she would want him to leave. Was there something she did not want to say in front of him?