The Blackfire Protocol by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 21

Continuing with his second semester, Frank buried himself in law books, studying court rulings and legal precedents. He was assigned a paper for each class, with the exception of electives. Deciding to take a class in symphonic music, Frank quickly discovered that most students saw such classes as 'bullshit classes'—those offering an easy ‘A’. However, he saw this particular class as an opportunity to broaden his horizons, to become a bit cultured. As soon as he heard the transcending melodies of Mozart, he was hooked, and from then on he would only listen to classical music. It helped him relax, focus, and sleep. Listening to Beethoven helped wash away the day’s stress, allowing his mind to retune itself and his sense of time to become suspended as he gave in to each note. He had, at some point, asked himself why he had not started listening to this wonderful music before. As far as his studies were concerned, Frank’s newfound love of classical music greatly assisted him in more efficiently retaining what he read and gave him a creative boost for his papers as well. But in spite of its healing properties, he still carried a troubling degree of concern for Ava. Given her behavior, He fully expected her to show up at his door ranting about one thing or another. All the music in the world could not purge this anxiety from him as he

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tried to develop a plan should she begin causing issues. He supposed he could go to the dean first. However, if that failed, he may have to resort to a restraining order, but that would require going to court, and that costs money. Although he attended the college she taught at, he hoped her behavior would at least be professional. That would help to avoid any confrontations while on campus. Anything she did off-campus could leave her subject to arrest, but Frank didn’t want to see that happen. It was not out of concern for Ava, but because he simply did not want to be involved in something that might drag him into court. But he soon realized that he was imagining something that may never happen and that he was better off setting the matter aside.

Sitting in the quiet of his apartment, Frank was able to clear his mind of the anxiety that had plagued him since Ava’s enraged departure. It was time to get down to the business of academics, and he spent the next few hours on the paper he had been assigned for his class in the First Amendment. He found that the articles of confederacy as well as the amendments were cross-referenced with each other in an effort by the government to explain the meaning behind the constitution. Frank considered it fortunate that he was writing his paper only on the First Amendment and not the Constitution in its entirety. To undertake such a feat would not only be impossible but require more time than his entire college career would allow. For the time being, he would read what was required, write what was assigned, and take the exams that were demanded by the curriculum for each class. Worrying about what he might be required to do

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later seemed pointless, and for the sake of his sanity, set these things aside.