Virals(64)

"We need to be sure our recovery is real," I said. "To be certain, we have to know what happened in the first place."

"Why?" Ben asked. "Done is done."

"It may not be over."

I described the cotillion attack. They listened without interrupting.

"The snap came without warning," I finished. "But I didn't black out."

"What's your point?" Hi asked.

"We don't know if these fits will keep happening." I searched for the right words. "The side effects. Reactions. Whatever. I'm not sure what to call them."

"For me," Shelton said, "it always kicks off with a jolt in my head."

I nodded. "I'm not sure if I hear it or feel it, but something snaps in my brain. The weirdness comes after that. Then there's another snap and I'm back to normal."

"That's right," Hi said. "My vision went crazy again last night. The opener was just what you describe."

"These flares must have a trigger," Ben said. "Something that sets them off."

Flare. Perfect description.

"Bottom line, we need answers," I said. "And there's only one place to look."

"Crap." Hi closed his eyes. "We're going back, aren't we?"

"Just Ben and me," I reassured him. "We can't all go. Too suspicious."

"Fine by me." Shelton and Hi spoke in unison.

"Where are we going?" Ben asked.

"Loggerhead. After school." I waved a hand. "No biggie. Just breaking in to Karsten's office and searching his files."

"Pff." Ben pooched air through his lips. "I thought you meant something dangerous."

"You're nuts. Suicidal." Shelton was ear-tugging double-time.

"Maybe," I said. "You and Hi also have an assignment."

"What now?" Hi sounded resigned. "Steal a car? Invade Russia?"

"The Internet didn't provide enough information about parvovirus. According to everything we found, we weren't supposed to be at risk. We need to know more. You two are going to dig up as much as you can at the CU medical library."

Hi and Shelton looked relieved that their task was legal.

"We'll cover it, top to bottom," Shelton promised.

"And I'm not giving up on Katherine Heaton," I added. "I'm still waiting for Chance to get back to me on the print."

The others nodded, committed to seeing the investigation through.

"Ten-hut, Virals!" Hi barked like a sergeant ordering new recruits. "We have missions to complete!"





CHAPTER 46


An hour later I paused on Bolton's front steps, dreading what awaited me inside the doors.

Jason was in my first period class. Last night I'd ditched him, with all his friends watching. Not to mention that I'd knocked him silly.

Would he be furious? What would he say? The encounter promised to be super-awkward.

Bolton's hallways always hum with gossip. Normally I manage to avoid the limelight. Not likely this time. The story of the Pink Monster was sure to top the playlist.

I caught a break. Lecture in biology. Our lab group wouldn't meet. Lucky. Given Chance's flirtatious comments, I wanted to see Hannah even less than Jason.

And I still hadn't completed my DNA comparisons. Due tomorrow.

Jason's attention strayed to my desk several times. I kept my head down, eyes glued to my laptop. My lecture notes were detailed enough to sell to a publisher.

At the bell, I shot out the door. For the rest of the morning, I kept a low profile.

During lunch I hid in the computer lab, working on my part of the presentation. Comparing the sequences took most of the hour. When I'd finished, I emailed my results to Jason and Hannah.

You've got mail! See, I'm not avoiding you.

Passing through the halls, I picked up whispered comments. Noted hidden smiles. My flight from the dance hadn't gone unnoticed.

Inevitably, my luck ran out. After the final bell Jason spotted me scooting out the main doors.

"Tory! Hold up."

Run? Bad form.

I waited, trying to act natural.

"Where have you been all day?" Jason said. "I looked all over."

"Sorry! I had to finish the DNA project. I sent the results to your Gmail account."

"Oh? Great." Jason ran a hand across the back of his neck. "But I wanted to talk about something else."

Here it comes.

"Chance needs to see you, says it's serious. He got a hit off that print you gave him."

That's it? I didn't know whether to be relieved or offended.

Jason seemed puzzled by my silence. "You still need the fingerprint, right?"

"Yes. Absolutely. Thanks." Before I could stop myself. "I thought you wanted to talk about the dance."

Cringe. What in the world was I thinking?

"Now that you mention it, you did split early." Jason laughed. "Sorry I'm such a klutz."

"You've got nothing to apologize for." What was he talking about? "I'm sorry. I pushed you."

"I didn't know you got migraines," Jason said. "I shouldn't have grabbed you; those things can be a killer."