As soon as the bell for her last class rang, Autumn quickly moved her large body toward the outer doors of the school, looking for Heidi. She didn't spot the thin young woman until she exited the building. Heidi was walking on the path that led to the adjoining high school. Feeling a little bit like a stalker, Autumn kept her distance and followed Heidi.
Heidi's short journey ended in the orchestral classroom inside the high school. Autumn ignored the looks some of the high school students in the halls were giving her and tried to nonchalantly loiter in the hall outside the music room.
"Hello Heidi, how's your day been?" Miss Devons voice asked from inside the classroom.
"Enlightening," Heidi's voice replied in a pensive tone. "I guess I overestimated the collective knowledge of contemporary science."
"What do you mean?" Miss Devons asked curiously.
"Oh, nothing in particular," Heidi's tone was dismissive. "It just seems like any historical records before five thousand years ago are nonexistent. I know there were Titanic calamities between eras, but it seems like there should still be more records. It's a little depressing that more didn't survive."
Heidi had pronounced Titanic with an odd accent, making it sound capitalized.
"How do you know there were more records before that?" Miss Devons asked interestedly.
"Call it intuition if you like," Heidi replied absently. "Do you mind if I start on guitar today?"
"Sure," Miss Devons answered. "Whatever you like."
Autumn leaned back against the hall wall, playing simple games on her mobile phone as she listened to Heidi play scales on an acoustic guitar. Occasionally, Autumn would walk past the room and glance in before taking up sentry on the other side of the door and resuming her games.
Heidi was sitting in front of a music stand with a tablet, watching what appeared to be guitar tutorials. Miss Devons was sitting at her desk furiously typing at her computer, stopping occasionally to briefly look over at Heidi.
After about an hour of listening to Heidi play increasingly complex chord progressions, Miss Devons suddenly appeared outside of the door, jumping when she saw Autumn.
"Are you waiting on Heidi?" Miss Devons asked, once she had recovered from her shock.
Autumn blushed a sunset. "Um, no, not really. I just heard her playing and decided to listen in."
Miss Devons watched her silently for a moment, pursing her lips. "Do you have any classes with Heidi?"
Autumn nodded, still blushing. "History, math, and earth science."
Looking back into the room briefly, Miss devons closed the door, then gestured to Autumn. "Walk with me for a moment, please."
Autumn reluctantly followed Miss Devons, wondering if she was in trouble.
"What's Heidi like in class?" Miss Devons asked, glancing sideways at Autumn.
Autumn frowned, unsure where this was going. "She's really smart, I guess. Today she told our history teacher that Egyptologists were wrong, and that the pyramids were over twenty-thousand years old. She talked about a lot of technological stuff that made absolutely no sense to me. Something about pyramids being power plants that provided clean energy, or something. She said their civilization was more advanced than we are today."
"How did Stephanie react to that?" Miss Devons asked with a half-smile.
"Who?" Autumn asked in confusion.
"Sorry, Mrs. Reinich," Miss Devons clarified.
"Oh," Autumn said in understanding. "She seemed pretty weirded out by the whole thing. There was sort of a strange moment when everything Heidi was saying created some kind of vision of the past, almost like I was there. I don't know if that happened to anyone else, but I think it did."
"Interesting," Miss Devons murmured. "Curiouser and curiouser."
"Does Heidi practice guitar after school very often?" Autumn asked curiously.
"Not just guitar," Miss Devons replied ruefully. "She had never played an instrument before setting foot in my classroom on the first day of school. She is now competent at playing most stringed, percussion, brass, and woodwind instruments. It takes her about two hours to master any given instrument. Less time if it is similar to an instrument she already mastered. I would guess she'll have the entire orchestra mastered in another month; and I don't mean she can sort of play these instruments. She plays them as well as any professional musician I've met. Her technique is impeccable, and her timing is perfect. I used to hate the word savant, because I didn't believe in true savants before now."
"Do you think she is right about the pyramids?" Autumn asked slowly.
"At this point, I wouldn't ignore anything that Heidi claims to be true," Miss Devons replied thoughtfully. "Can I ask you for a favor?"
"Sure," Autumn answered uncertainly.
"Would you let me introduce you to her?" Miss Devons asked carefully. "I'm not sure what her social situation is at school, but someone with this kind of genius needs at least one tether to the world of mortals or they might lose perspective. I don't want you to be a friend to her because I'm asking, but I would like her to have a friend."
"Okay," Autumn nodded, her heart pounding with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension.
"Do you have any interest in music?" Miss Devons asked with a raised eyebrow.
Autumn shrugged her large shoulders. "I guess. I've always wanted to learn to sing. The guitar would also be cool to learn."
"Perfect," Miss Devons grinned, rubbing her hands together. "I'll introduce you and let her know that you would like to learn to play guitar and sing. I'm curious to see how she'll do in a teaching capacity. What's your name?"
"Autumn Sorenson," she replied around the sudden golf ball sized lump in her throat.
Feeling like a lab rat, Autumn followed Miss Devons back to the classroom. Miss Devons pulled her through the door and guided her over to where Heidi was weaving a complex scale up the fretboard.
Heidi stopped playing and looked up as they drew near. Autumn nearly stepped back as the force of Heidi's gaze settled on her. The air felt alive around Heidi, as if handling an instrument had stimulated even more life into the dark haired woman.
"Heidi, this is Autumn," Miss Devons introduced her. "She has expressed an interest in learning to sing and play guitar. Do you mind if she comes in and practices after school as well?"
The air was suddenly thick, like she was stuck inside of a Jello mold. Heidi's focus intensified as she studied Autumn with eyes that seemed to peer right into her soul. Heidi stood up and walked over to Autumn, then bent down and put her ear next to the large girl's stomach. Autumn blushed in embarrassment but couldn't make herself move a muscle. Heidi's head slowly moved upwards, stopping for a moment every few inches. When she finally finished, a large smile broke out over her face.
"She's perfect," Heidi announced in tones of deepest satisfaction. "Where did you find this gem?"
Miss Devons, who had been watching Heidi in perplexed fascination, shrugged and gestured vaguely toward the door. "Outside."
"What were you planning on learning first?" Heidi asked Autumn intently. "Singing, or guitar? Or both at the same time?"
"Both?" Autumn managed to say, though it sounded more like a question.
"Great, I was just getting ready to start learning to sing as well," Heidi told her enthusiastically. "One key to learning instruments well is both discipline, and dedication. If you plan on composing, endorphins are another critical factor. I have a physical fitness routine I began during summer vacation. Would you be interested in joining me?"
Autumn nodded mutely, wondering if that was how the formerly obese young woman had become so thin. Autumn felt a faint stirring of hope; if Heidi really was a genius, perhaps she had found the secret to losing weight quickly.
"Since you are interested in vocal training, you'll also need to follow a specific diet to allow the proper flow of energy throughout your body," Heidi informed her. "You need a clean energy flow for all music, but especially for singing. It's primarily a fruit and vegetable based diet. If you are amenable, I'll meet you at your house for breakfasts and dinners to help you get used to the new routine."
Autumn nodded again, steeling herself for the painful change in diet.
"What is your schedule like at home after school?" Heidi asked, her large eyes calculating.
"I just kind of make it up as I go," Autumn replied after a moment of awkward silence. She wasn't going to tell Heidi that it usually consisted of sitting down in front of the television and eating, with a little bit of homework thrown in for good measure.
"Will your parents have any objections to me visiting after school?" Heidi asked with a tilt of her head. "Also, would they have any objections to you spending two hours here at the high school after classes get out?"
"It's just my mom and me," Autumn answered, shrugging her large shoulders. "She's out of town a lot for work, so she won't mind."
Heidi nodded, a small smile forming on her lips. "Perfect. I was just getting ready to try my hand at composing, if Miss Devons will let me use the computer in the studio for layering tracks. It will be great to have a second person to sing harmony."
"Of course," Miss Devons said immediately. "Are you familiar with Logic Pro?"
"I skimmed the manual on it last night," Heidi said with a nod. "It seems pretty straightforward."
Miss Devons appeared to be suppressing a smile as she shared a look with Autumn. Autumn guessed rocket science would seem straightforward to Heidi.
What had happened at the end of the last school year? The Heidi that Autumn remembered had not seemed especially intelligent. Had she suffered a head injury? If so, which part of her head, and was it repeatable?
"First things first," Heidi murmured, stepping a little closer until she was in Autumn's personal space.
Autumn barely avoided flinching as Heidi reached up and touched her skin at the point between her eyes with her index finger and thumb pinched together. Before Autumn could feel embarrassed, her vision suddenly blurred, followed by what she could only describe as an inverted boom. She hadn't heard the sound with her ears, but it felt like a subterranean boom had just erupted in her chest, radiating out to the rest of her body. The lights in the room briefly flickered in response to the strange energy discharge.
When Heidi removed her hand, Autumn stared back at her in shock. She felt different. Very different. She couldn't have described what was different, except that everything seemed to be in greater focus. Her vision, hearing, tactile sensitivity, and even smell seemed to be enhanced.
"What was that?" Miss Devons gasped in astonishment. Apparently, she had also felt some of the effects of the shockwave.
Heidi glanced at Miss Devons appraisingly for a moment before answering. "I was just aligning her energy grid. It won't stay aligned for very long without a proper diet and exercise routine."
Miss Devons mouth moved, but no words came out.
Heidi took Miss Devon's lack of articulation in stride, acting like nothing incredible had just happened. "Let's start on the guitar."
Autumn shared a wide-eyed look with Miss Devons as she turned to follow Heidi over to the second acoustic guitar.