Spell Robbers Read Free

of water fell from it and splashed on the floor. Then another, and another.
    Rain .
    It was raining. Before long, Peter stood in a small puddle, his pants wet in spots below his knees. A moment later, he opened his eyes and flung his arms wide, as if letting the little storm cloud go free. It dissipated quickly, leaving only the wet floor behind.
    Peter looked across the room at Ben. He smiled. Ben smiled back. He had no idea what he had just seen. But it was amazing. And if this was what they did here at this science camp, then Ben was thrilled he’d gotten in. But how was it possible?
    He turned back to Dr. Hughes. “I don’t understand. How did —?”
    “You’re very bright, Ben.” Dr. Hughes reached over and tapped the chair where Ben had been sitting. “What do you know about quantum mechanics?”
    But he couldn’t sit. Not right now. And he didn’t want a science lesson, either. “Not much. It’s physics for really small stuff, right? Electrons and quarks and stuff like that.”
    “Yes, that is the conventional understanding. Basically, the laws that govern larger objects, like planets and basketballs, start to break down when we get to the smallest of scales. That’s when things get very, very strange.”
    Ben knew this was a science camp and all, but a lecture? Really? Now? After what he’d just seen Peter do?
    “Look, Dr. Hughes, I —”
    She silenced him with an upheld finger. She really was a teacher. “Quantum mechanics inform our understanding and predictions for many things. Every natural process, whether chemical, or biological, or astronomical, ultimately comes back to quantum physics. As strange as it is, the math works perfectly, and because of that, we have things like lasers and microprocessors.”
    Ben felt a growl of frustration rumbling just under his breath. “Okay.”
    “Have you heard of quantum entanglement?”
    “No.”
    “It is possible for two particles to become what we call entangled, such that their states are inextricably linked. The measurement of one particle instantly affects the state of the other particle, whether they are in the same room, or even on different planets . The particles are connected. Are you with me?”
    Ben didn’t see how that could be. He thought nothing moved faster than the speed of light. “So when you say ‘instantly’ …”
    “I mean instantly. No matter the distance.”
    This was new to Ben. “But what does this have to do with that?” He pointed in Peter’s direction.
    “Well, in some ways, everything in this world is connected through entanglement. Any two objects that have interacted become entangled on a level we can’t perceive and find difficult to measure. All the universe is a great bubbly fabric, and you are a part of the pattern, down to your atoms.”
    This was starting to sound kind of hokey. Ben probably would have walked out at that point if he hadn’t just seen what he had seen.
    “‘Thou canst not stir a flower without troubling of a star,’” Dr. Hughes said.
    “What?”
    “It’s a poem.”
    Even more hokey .
    Dr. Hughes continued. “It means that small disturbances can have tremendous, even unimaginable consequences. There are certain people, Ben, whom we call Actuators. They have the ability to disturb the universal fabric with their thoughts, to actuate an event. So long as we have the proper equipment.”
    Ben looked back at Peter. “So Peter is a — an Actuator?”
    “Yes. Someone who can focus his or her thoughts in such a way that the entanglement of his or her consciousness with the world brings about events. Like that rain cloud.”
    “Like being psychic?”
    Dr. Hughes pursed her lips. “I prefer you not use that term. And I don’t like the term ‘magic,’ either. They are not scientifically accurate.”
    “Okay. But that’s basically what it is, right?”
    “I suppose.”
    “So what are those doing?” Ben pointed at the tripods.
    “Those are augmenting devices. They reflect and