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“That’s perfect.”
He sighed and pushed his notebook closer to his laptop. “I received a disciplinary caution.”
I laughed again. “Totally worth it.”
And right there was the flicker of a smile. But he chose to say nothing.
After a moment of silence, I nodded to his notebook. “So, what do you write down? Just info from your watch, like heart rate and stuff?”
He paused, like he was weighing up whether or not to tell me. “Yes. It monitors heart rate, like most smart watches, I would guess. It’s not the expensive kind, but I also have an app that goes further.”
“Ooh, that’s cool. Like what?”
“Electrical pulses,” he answered, kinda cryptically. “But it’s not calibrated, and I can’t use it as actual theory because it’s not certified. It’s just my curiosity.”
“The effects lightning has on the human body.”
His blue eyes bore into mine. “Yes.”
“We should get one of those things that athletes use. You know how they tie those bands around their chests? We could totally hook you up and run real tests. There has to be doctors that do this shit.” Then I winced. “I mean, medical doctors.” Then I winced harder. “Sorry.”
He rolled his eyes. “There are.”
“And?”
“They can’t condone my experiments because of the risk.”
“But you’re a fulminologist,” I countered. “The risk is implied. That’d be like a doctor not listening to a pilot about the effects of a pressurised cabin on long-haul flights.”
He smiled. “I take the data anyway. For my own satisfaction.”
“Well, I think that’s cool as hell.”
He smiled. A real smile this time. “Thank you.”
“And I’m serious about the heart-monitor thing.” Because that was interesting, and it was cool. “We should totally do that.”
“I’d like to take blood tests,” he added. “And I’d like to do an electrical pulse study on the brain while standing under a lightning storm.”
Aaaand we took a little sideways step from cool into weird territory. “Um. Why?”
His face flinched, then smoothed out as he collected himself. His demeanour changed. He raised his chin. “To study the effects of lightning on the human body.”
I shook my head. “No, why do you really want to do it? Not just a blanket response that you’ve practiced for your stuck-up colleagues. Why? The real reason.”
“Because the human body runs on electrical impulses. The brain, the heart, every cell. Ithasto affect us more than we currently believe.”
“But doctors have studied people who’ve been struck by lightning,” I said. “They have heart problems, organ problems, blindness, deafness.”
“I’m aware of that, yes.”
“Do you think people gain superpowers?” I asked, joking. “Like Thor?”
He didn’t think that was funny. He scowled at me.
I studied him, his guarded face. “What else are you looking for, Jeremiah? You gotta have something you think is there.” Then it dawned on me. “You’re looking for proof.”
He flinched. “I’m notlookingfor proof. Iamproof.”
