Chapter Text
There exist a principle in quantum physics; A cat laying inside a mortal box remains both alive and dead until it is observed.
—Erwin Schrödinger
The academy at the end of time welcomed many, many students. There existed no number large enough to quantify the amount, and neither did it for the timelines they collectively observed.
“Amelia Watson! What is the meaning of this!”
The young wanderer looked at her score on the test, it came back negative.
“You managed to screw every steps of the way! How do you expect to become a future wanderer if you can’t even comprehend these basic steps!”
The teacher, an old coot wearing her gray frizzly hair proudly, which also happened to be her homeroom teacher, scolded her again.
“I’m sorry, miss Val, It won’t happen again.”
The teacher was furious nonetheless. “How can you say that when it’s your millionth try! I know I told you you had all the time in the world, but stop trying to bullshit me! If you really don’t want to become a wanderer, you can always go back to your original timeline!”
“Yes, miss Val.”
Amelia left the classroom by the door to enter an infinite corridor, doors on each side stretching to infinity. Students abounded inside this school, fortunate people who were chosen to become future wanderers. Amelia walked a bit, phasing through her classmates to reach her locker, she pressed on her stenograph attached to her wrist to open the locker.
Inside laid an infinity of books, all empty and ready to be completed for the next exam in an undetermined amount of time. She shoved some inside her backpack, but there was too many to count. She had to complete this exam to finally obtain her status as a future wanderer.
“Hey, Watson!”
Amelia made a face of disgust to her interlocutor. “What do you want, Holmes!”
The boy brandished a piece of paper in front of her, a perfect score. “I did it! I finally obtained my license after a million try!”
Laughter from everyone standing near them, but Amelia wasn’t laughing one bit. “Shut the fuck up!”
More laughter from the crowd growing even larger, it seemed bigger than the last time even, but how could she know for sure. Amelia simply grabbed her backpack and left. She walked inside this corridor to the next door that opened on the outside of the school. She didn’t pay any attention to all those following her around while she headed for the dorm right across the central park.
Once she reached the dorm she got right inside her room and locked the door. Peace and quiet at last, she needed it to study. She was fortunate for she didn’t need sleep, none of the future wanderers did. This school for wanderers was an endless loop of studies and exams, some were luckier than others who had to put more efforts towards better results. And then, there was Watson, an absolute failure in every, infinite sense of the word. There existed no greater failure inside the academy than her, despite all her efforts.
Most students would have quit by now with such a track record, gone back to their original timeline to live a menial and uneventful life while completely forgetting about this organization. Most would have, except for Watson, for she was very determined to become a future wanderer, it was sort of a dream. She was paging those books one after the other, trying her absolute best to understand the subject matter. But how! How could someone comprehend variance concepts, Quantum physics, Logarithmic geometry, theory of the void, etc.
Watson’s logic was infallible, she couldn’t understand how a cat could be both dead and alive? How did that happen? What was the mechanism behind such a situation? Was the cat split in two? But then, how did it remain alive with half it’s body missing?
Questions, questions, if only someone would be willing to teach her. All they ever said was; ‘you gotta feel for it’ or ‘It’s something you can only comprehend once you accept its incomprehensibility’ and other things you don’t want to hear. These were mines for paradoxes and other incomprehensible nonsense, even now! How could a school this small, barely larger than her middle school, welcome this many students? How could she complete one million test without one wrinkle appearing on her skin? Nonsense! Watson completed all the books inside her backpack, time to fetch some more and begin anew.
On her way through the central park, she observed the paragons looking at the singularity in the middle of the park. All three were focused on it, standing still each and every second of every lasting days. These paragons chose her, the absolute failure that she was, to become a future wanderer. Amelia felt like they could have done a better job.
She got inside the school, and she instantly got swarmed by a group of creep wanting to watch the infamous student. “Woah! It’s Watson! I never met her before! How cool! How devious!”
All those students simply observed her, which was enough to anger her. “Get the fuck out of my way!”
They weren’t even phased, simply in awe. Watson had enough, she typed on her stenograph and disappeared far away from this place.
She found herself inside a white room with a bed, pretty minimalist, she thought to herself. She pressed on the wall to uncover a massive wardrobe, picked a pair of bearish panties and an overall over the shirt she picked with a huge bear printed on it.
She cleaned after herself and tidied the bed before opening the door. A comforting voice called up to her. “Good morning sweety.”
Tears instantly overcame her. “Good morning, dad!”
The man stopped before her, tall and elegant. With a sigh, he reprimanded her, “For the last time, you must show more professionalism with figures of authority, and that includes me… what’s that? Are you crying?”
Amelia wiped her tears off. “It’s nothing, just a little dust.”
Her father caressed her visage with his man-hand properly defined. “I made breakfast, so make sure to eat plenty to refill those tear ducts.”
Amelia was blessed to have such a good father, comprehensive and strong. Down the stairs laid a disheveled woman with thick glasses stuck in front of a computer, or rather many computer screens. “Hello mom.”
The woman turned her head momentarily to face her daughter. “Hey! You’re back! C’mere Lookit dat.”
Amelia walked forward, towards the screens her mother was pointing at. “What’s that?”
“Das our invention, your father and I! We finally finalized the prototype and we’re bringing it at the interpol tonite for a brevet! Dat ting will save so many lives you have no idea, Ame!”
A teleporter, an instrument that would allow instant transmission between any points in space. “That’s so… cool, mom!”
“Don’t make dat face, das the project of a lifetime! We’ll revolutionize the world!”
Her father came behind her. “Now, darling, don’t bother Watson, she needs her protein to develop her brain enough to understand what you’re saying!”
The two adults bantered together, followed by a kiss, which Amelia reacted with disgust before heading for the table. Her meal was there, fuming. She sat down and announced her hearty appetite, “Bon appétit!”
Her father came to sit in front of her, his meal was already finished but his good manners indicated everyone had to be seated while someone ate. He commented, “What’s that on your wrist, Watson?”
Amelia looked at her stenograph. “That’s just a watch, look.”
The father was impressed, he compared it to his own vintage watch. “Hmm, years, months, days, hours, minutes and even seconds. My, oh my! That’s an atomic clock if I ever saw one, precise to the milliseconds! I’d expect nothing less from my daughter!”
Amelia smiled from ear to ear, followed by a sorrowful smile. “What’s wrong sweety? You seem rather moody today?”
Amelia reassured him. “It’s nothing, I tell you, I’m just happy is all!”
The father added, “Well if you must skip school, I’ll allow it! Your mother and I must go to our meeting, so make sure to eat your lunch all right?”
Ame nodded, repressing her tears. She looked at her father waving in the distance, walking to his job every morning like an honorable citizen. She waved back at him, while saying under her breath, “Goodbye.”
She closed the door, typed on her stenograph and was right back in school in front of her locker picking her books. She ignored the troop of students following her like dogs. She headed straight for the study, an hyper chamber where someone could really concentrate to his fullest extent, removing the limit of one’s brain.
Books after books, chapters after chapters, words for words. She completed them all and headed back to the exam room, ready to retake the test. “Are you sure you’re ready? Watson.”
Amelia looked at her professor dead in the eye. “I am, I’ll prove to you I’m not just a useless wanderer of corridors.”
The teacher liked this answer. “If you say so, you have until eternity to complete this test, good luck.”
Amelia wasn’t alone in taking this test, the innumerable amount of students accompanying her on this quest to slay this test gave her confidence. So many new faces, she’d prove to them she wasn’t to be taken lightly. She dropped her pen on the paper, ready to ink her answers, she’d clear this test once and for all of eternity.
“Pen down!”
She did it! She filled every questions!
“I’ll grade your test and give you the results next time I see you.”
Watson was confident! She wouldn’t fail this time! She departed for her room to leave her stuff there. She then typed on her stenograph to leave for her timeline where she’ll celebrate in advance this success! No more miss failure! No more teasing and definitely no more slacking in this academy, she was joining the big league, the future wanderers in their mission to wander every timeline.
She got up from her bed frenetically, pressed on her wall to uncover her wardrobe, chose a pair of stripped panties and a checked shirt over a pair of jeans.
She tidied before herself, enthusiastically cleaning her bed and opened the door on her father who was startled. “Good morning, sweety!?”
Tears of joy instantly overcame her and she hugged him. “Good morning, dad!”
The man, tall and elegant in his business suit, reciprocated the hug, without skipping on the small sigh of disappointment. “For the last time… You must show more professionalism.”