Charl and Isabl stayed outside with Leo and Klaus as Max and Siobhan made their way into the dorm lobby.
Max wished Leo was with her. She wanted to immediately download whatever facts about her childhood Klaus had discovered and left stored inside the robot’s memory. Now she was worried that Klaus would claim Leo as his roommate.
“Hey, Max! What’s up, Siobhan?”
Keeto, a brilliant young computer scientist from Oakland, California was the first Change Maker to greet them in the fusty lobby of the dormitory. Keeto had grown up on the other side of the Bay Bridge from Silicon Valley. That was like living in New Jersey and staring at the skyscrapers of New York. It just made you feel like you had something to prove. Keeto had a computer-sized chip on his shoulder and told everybody who would listen that he was destined to become “the next Steve Jobs.”
“Hey, Keeto,” said Max. “Great to see you.”
“Yeah,” said the cocky Keeto. “I get that a lot.”
“Where’s everybody else?” asked Siobhan.
“In the study room I’ve organized,” replied the stern voice of a middle-aged woman who’d just stepped into the lobby. It was Ms. Tari Kaplan, the no-nonsense “house mother” from the first Change Maker gathering in Jerusalem.
“What are they doing in a bloomin’ study room?” asked Siobhan.
“Studying,” replied Ms. Kaplan, drily.
“For what?” asked Max. “Did Ben tell them our next assignment?”
“No,” said Ms. Kaplan. “They are simply using their time wisely.”
“Well, let’s go say hello,” said Max. “I can’t wait to lead everybody on our next assignment.”
“Too right,” said Siobhan. “We’re gonna save the world… again!”
“Boo-yah!” shouted Keeto.
Ms. Kaplan shook her head. “Your youthful idealism is, I suppose, commendable. However, it is not enough. Idealism soon withers in the harsh light of experience. It is inevitably crushed by time and reality. You will see.”
“Whoa,” said Keeto. “Anybody ever tell you you’re a real downer, Ms. K?”
“No. They tell me I’m a realist. Because that’s what I am. Come along, you three. The others are already ahead of you.”
“Ahead of us?” said Siobhan.
“Yes. They have a head start on their test prep.”
“Test?” said Max, who, much like her idol, Albert Einstein, hated tests. Einstein wasn’t big on cramming facts into his brain, figuring he could always look those up in a book. No, he thought education should be about training the mind to think. Max totally agreed.
“Come along, Maxine,” said Ms. Kaplan. “I won’t have you slowing us down. Again.”
Again? thought Max. When had she ever slowed down the CMI team?
Maybe the first time they all took tests. She even walked out on one exam.
“Ms. Kaplan,” said Siobhan. “Max is our leader. The chosen one. Because Ben chose her. Remember?”
“For the first two assignments,” said Ms. Kaplan, still moving swiftly down the musty corridor. “However, she may not have what it takes to lead us into the future.”
“Oh, snap,” said Keeto. “That was so shady, I just got chilly.”
Finally, Ms. Kaplan stopped in her tracks and turned around.
“No, Keeto, that is not ‘shady.’ It is simply a realistic assessment of our situation. And, as I said, I am a realist. You three would be wise to become the same!”