"When the requirements were being drafted, some big brains at IAS in Princeton and the Rand people, the Thinkers, they had to define what Xenobiology ...eant." What skills a xenobiologist would need, you mean?" Yeah, exactly," I agreed. "And so among other things, a background in genetics, immunology, virology, ummm ... Biochemistry..." And you're a geneticist..." Yes. I'm also a virologist, that was my first specialty and so I naturally have a strong background in..." A virologist, right,". She thought about her day. She had reports to turn in and someone sabotaged her printer. During the day, someone when into the break room and poured salt in the salad she had brought for her lunch. As soon as she took the salad out, several people had a great laugh at her expense. As her boss came in demanded that the reports he needed be placed on his desk immediately. She threw the salad away, and went to her bosses office to print the reports. He wanted to know why she could not do so from. Now her mother is berating some staff member for some infraction. She cannot understand everything her mother says, as if something is muffling the words. This should not be happening; she should be seeing the memory as clearly as Dorothy remembers.Dorothy sends the staff away with a disdainful sweep of her hand, but gestures for James, the head butler, to remain. Again, Cassie cannot hear what her mother asks as James nods or shakes his head in response. Upon the last question, he pauses, then. For the most part, he thought that his trip to the mall wasn't too bad. He hadn't gotten a date, but he had found a couple cute girls to talk to, and he was sure that with just a little more work, he'd have one of them going out with him.Hearing the call for dinner from his Mom, Brandon hurried out to the dining room, wondering what they were having to eat. After Dinner, Brandon had gone over to his friend Ethan's house, where they both spent a couple hours practicing stunts with their roller.