Chapter 12
This is mostly character building, establishing and strengthening the relationship between Connie and Autumn, and complicating the relationship between Connie and Jenny. Because Connie twigs to the fact that there's no way that she can think of to rationally explain why she would have dreamed about Amy (who may not even be named Amy) getting sick, but she knows that Jenny will continue to look for a rational explanation. Autumn, however, will be willing to accept that there's something un-, sub- or super-natural* going on.
There's not a lot of action here. Connie limps across campus on crutches, and then has a short heart to heart with Autumn. They discuss the possibility that Connie is pyschic or has precognition of some sort. This is not the sort of thing that normal people talk about - at least not the sort of people that I hang out with. Perhaps I'm hanging out with the wrong people.
In the midst of the chapter, we get this entirely awesome exchange:
It's not like I know a whole bunch about this stuff," she added, sighing. "I've seen a couple bad movies, that's all, and I've read some books. Probably not good books, either. You need...Obi-Wan."which is exactly the sort of thing that real people say (at least, the real people I know would engage in exactly that sort of debate. Perhaps I'm hanging out with the wrong sort of people.)
"Yeah, but I don't think Springden admits Jedi."
"I thought you were equal-opportunity," she said, with a nervous little laugh that made me laugh too. "Someone's going to sue you over that one."
Laughing, even at that tense little joke, felt good, like a knot in my back was slowly starting to untwist itself. "That'd be the best trial ever," I said, picturing Luke Skywalker in the witness box and giggling some more. I took a sip of cocoa and actually tasted it this time. "Except wouldn't they use the Force on the jury?"
"Nah. Code of ethics."
The chapter ends with this:
"Okay," I said, and remembered the conversation I'd had with Jenny. "So maybe I need to check out the real-world stuff from my dream some more. Julio was a wash, and I've been in my living room without anything happening... but maybe the old chapel gardens?"Which is entirely ominous, neh? Those chapel gardens, where the dead animal was found at the beginning of the book, which seem to be central to the oddness which Connie is experiencing - nothing could possibly go wrong there, right?
"It couldn't hurt," said Autumn.
My prediction - things will go wrong, and Jenny will find out, and be torqued off that she wasn't included to begin with.
*[Rosencrantz has been flipping coins, and all of them are coming down heads]
Guildenstern: Consider: One, probability is a factor which operates *within* natural forces. Two, probability is *not* operating as a factor. Three, we are now held within un-, sub- or super-natural forces. Discuss.
Rosencrantz: What?
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