I laughed and tried to tone down my elation with a deep breath. "I'm better now." But I couldn't keep the massive smile from my face.
The second interruption came the following day when it was announced that our History teacher disappeared. He was there one day, and the next day he was gone. I immediately started worrying about the infection and a possible outbreak until Gary told me the rumors flying around about his relationship with a student and how he'd gotten fired. I could understand running from a scandal like that.
An elderly man took his place, and he couldn't even hear students at the top row of the theater-sized classroom. There was a bunch of electronic equipment he could have used to be heard or to hear, but he seemed to be of the opinion that anyone who really wanted to be heard would see to it that they were.
The last bit of weirdness occurred while I was sitting in English class, talking to Sonya about the music video she'd been playing nonstop for several days.
Our instructor, Mr. Walker, placed a small green bag on my desk and smiled at me. "It seems you've made quite an impression on someone, Piper. This was left in my mailbox with this post-it note attached to it." He handed me a pink sticky note and walked away.
The sticky note read: Please give this to Piper Kenley. I'm too shy to do it myself.
I turned to Sonya and gave her the sticky note. Reaching in the bag, I pulled out a small silver box. Inside the box was a strong silver chain with a small silver ring hanging from it. "It's a necklace," I explained to her and Gary. The ring looked like a very simple wedding band. "It's pretty, but it's weird."
Gary leaned forward and grabbed the box lid from my desk. "There's a message."
I took the lid back from him and read the handwritten note on the inside.
Thinking of you—an admirer
Gary laughed. "Looks like Vaughn's got some competition."
"Hardly," I said quietly. It wasn't even the teensiest of thoughts to be interested or even flattered by this strange gift. I didn't know what to think about the necklace, the note, the entire thing, but something deep in my gut told me there was more to this than the obvious.
Gary put his arm around my shoulders. "I'm kidding, Evie. It's probably just some kid with a crush."
I gave in and refocused on Mr. Walker as he began his lecture.
Sonya, Gary, and I had talked about how odd it was that I would have a secret admirer. Aside from Nathan, I rarely spoke to any of the guys in my classes. Between that and the ring on my finger, we were all convinced I wasn't likely to get another secret gift.
I didn't realize how wrong I was until when I walked into Natural Science, and there was a purple bag at my seat. Nathan was behind me jabbering away about some massive fight that had broken out in the dining hall after I'd left that morning, but he was quiet when he saw the bag.
I wasn't entirely convinced that the secret admirer wasn't Nathan, but the surprise on his face when he saw the bag told me it couldn't be him.
"What's that?" The way his eyes narrowed at the bag and his furtive glances around the room made me think he didn't approve. That was fine by me since I didn't approve either.
"I, uh—I have an admirer. He gave me a gift a while ago. Nathan," I grabbed his arm and he looked down at me, his forehead creased with concern, "Do you know anyone it might be?"
He looked around the room thoughtfully then shook his head slowly. "It could be a hundred guys, Piper."
"What do you mean? I've never even spoken to fifty guys here let alone a hundred."
He actually laughed at my remark. "You don't have to speak to any of them for them to want you. You're beautiful, and if it weren't for the fact that you're the most unavailable female on this campus, I'd be sending you gifts too."
I softened my smile and tilted my head at the compliment. Nathan was a good guy. "Thank you, but a hundred guys? You can't think of any that would actually send me things?"
He pursed his lips and looked around the room again. "Let me ask around. I'll get my brother in on it. What did he give you last time? Maybe it'll help me figure it out."
"He gave me a silver chain with a thin silver band hanging from it. It said, 'Thinking of You' and was signed, 'an admirer.'"
"Weird." He stared back at the purple bag. "Well, open this, and let's see what's inside."
I shook my head. "I—I don't…"
He nodded. "Here, let me." He pulled the bag in front of him, peeked inside and pulled out a small porcelain figurine of a girl in a pretty dress. The number 18 was in gold at the bottom of her dress. A thin ribbon was wrapped around the neck of the girl with a small card dangling from it. "And even weirder," Nathan commented.
I stared at it. "Looks like the kind of figurine you give to celebrate birthdays."
"Is it your birthday?" He opened the card as I shook my head. He read out loud, "Oh, the things you make me want to do—an admirer." He turned the figurine around in his hands and looked at the bottom. "It says, 'Love, Mom and Dad.' Huh. Maybe he shops at a thrift store?"
I lifted my tired shoulders in a shrug. "Your guess is as good as mine at this point."
"Well, I'll ask around." He squeezed his eyes shut.
"What?"
Shaking his head, he looked at the figurine again before placing it back in the bag. "Nothing—I just thought I'd seen this before, maybe in someone's dorm room." He shook his head. "I'm sure there are millions of these things.
Class started shortly after that, so the figurine left my mind quickly.
Gary and Sonya were just as clueless when I showed them the gift. Gary insisted we call Gabriel, and even though we argued, he pulled out his cell phone and made the call himself.
Gabriel was concerned about the gifts, but it was still harmless, so we decided it was best just to continue being careful. More shocking than the odd gifts I'd been given was the news that Gabriel and Evelyn had decided to put the house up for sale. Sonya was really upset since she'd lived there almost her entire life. Gabriel got her on the phone, but she walked away from Gary and me, so we couldn't hear what was said. When she came back, she seemed more disappointed than upset, but she wouldn't tell us what he'd said. I focused my energy on trying to cheer Sonya up. She realized it was safer for us to leave the area, but she was still upset about it.
The next day, as Sonya left our room, she cursed and came right back in. She went straight for her phone.
Putting it to her ear, she said quickly, "There's another gift outside our door." She said it a second time, but then hung up.
I sat up, still forcing myself awake, trying to process what was going on. When I walked to the door, Sonya grabbed my hand. "He said to stay inside, Evie."
I just nodded absentmindedly. Why did this weirdo have to pick me? Did I have a sign on me that read, "Please add more drama to my life because I'd really like to have a heart attack before the age of 20?"
Ten minutes later, Gary walked right into our room, not bothering to knock. He kicked the box inside with him as he talked to someone on his cell phone.
"It's the size of a shoebox, wrapped in yellow paper." He kneeled next to the box and carefully opened it, pulling out an old bear that looked well-loved. "It's a bear, Gabriel. It looks used. It has a Dallas Cowboys shirt on, and there's an envelope attached… okay." He opened the envelope. "It says 'Watching you makes me do crazy things and there are—shit—Gabriel this psycho's taken pictures of her."
My jaw dropped open, and Sonya and I sat on the floor by Gary as he laid out twenty or so pictures of me opening the previous gifts, walking with Sonya and Gary, coming out of my dorm room—everywhere really.
Gary's voice made me jump a little. He sounded so angry. "Okay, we're going to campus police. I'll call you back and tell you what they've said." He pulled the phone from his ear and put his finger to the screen before shoving everything in the box. "Where are the other gifts, Evie?"
Sonya pulled them out of the closet and handed them to him. I pulled on some jeans and a T-shirt and le
ss than a minute later, we were gone. We spent over an hour filing a report and going through the same questions over and over about whether I'd been approached or attacked. I hadn't, and they said that without definitive proof that I was being stalked, there wasn't much they could do.
Gabriel was frustrated that they weren't doing more, but short of moving to Fresno with us, there wasn't much he could do either. He made Sonya and Gary walk everywhere with me, not leaving me alone. We included Nathan in on the deal because he'd proven himself more than trustworthy. He'd even been seriously pissed when he found out about the pictures. I tried to let it go and not suspiciously watch every single guy who looked my way wondering if it was him. The not knowing was killing me the most.
That weekend nearly everyone disappeared. Tuesday was Fourth of July, so we didn't have any classes for four whole days. Naturally, everyone headed for the beaches or home to celebrate with family, but Sonya and I were seriously worried about the history project that was due the day after Fourth of July. We decided to stay on campus until Sunday morning to get our work done. Of course, Gary stayed with us even though he insisted he'd done all he planned to do with the history project. I was surprised when Nathan stayed with us, but when he reluctantly explained that his brother was going home for a big date…with his ex-girlfriend, we all understood.
On Saturday, Nathan and I sat in the library trying to work, but my mind wandered. I found myself googling Dallas Cowboy teddy bears, silver necklaces, and porcelain figurines. I didn't find anything, but it really didn't make me feel much better. Even though Nathan was at a computer next to me, I still felt alone and exposed. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing up, but when I looked around, the only other person visible was a blonde-haired girl. When loud arguing erupted from the corner of the library, I decided I'd had enough research. Nathan, who'd been playing a game on the library computers for the previous twenty minutes, immediately got up to leave with me.
As I checked out my books at the counter, the clerk's eyes lit up. "Oh, it's you! I have something for you." She turned around and picked up a small red box with a bow on top. I quickly grabbed Nathan's arm to get his attention. The fear in my eyes must have been enough to tell him what was going on because he stepped in front of me. "A handsome young man left this for you." She smiled at me as she leaned around Nathan to hold out the box.
"Thank you, I'll take it for her. Her hands are full. You said this guy was handsome? What did he look like?"
She smiled sweetly. "He asked me not to say. He must be shy. I'm sure, in time—"
"He's stalking her. You're welcome to call campus police to check. She's already filed a complaint. Now can you tell me what he looked like?"
Her jaw fell open. She seemed so surprised. "He—he was young—maybe a freshman or sophomore, brown hair, brown eyes, average height."
"Anything else? Something unique about him maybe?"
She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I had no idea."
I tried to smile at her. It wasn't her fault. "I know. It's okay." Nathan took the box and pushed me toward the door, his hand on my shoulder.
"Call your dad. I'll call Gary."
I nodded and called Gabriel, but his phone went to voicemail. I briefly explained what was going on and hung up. It took a few minutes, but Gary and Sonya came rushing down the pathway between two buildings across from us.
"Don't open it." Gary's voice was stern and authoritative. "I'm taking it directly to campus police. They can open it." As we walked toward their office, I felt like I might throw up. That awful eerie feeling I had in the library had intensified, making my hands shake.
We were within 100 feet of the campus police office when we all stopped in our footsteps. Several officers came running out, armed and looking very intimidating. They ran to their cars and took off with sirens blaring. A scream in the distance made me jump a mile, and I had to grab onto Gary's arm for support.
"Nathan," Gary said calmly, too calmly. "Can you go ask them what's going on?"
"Yeah, be right back." He ran into the office and was back before the doors closed. Panting, a little sweaty, and completely white-faced, he shoved us in the direction we had just come from. "Go! Just go!"
We hurried back to our dorm room and closed the door.
Turning to Nathan, I asked, "What was that about?"
"A gang fight or a mob, I don't know what to call it. They said there's a group of fifteen guys destroying the Manning building. It's bad. They attacked several students."
It was happening. The Infection had spread to campus, and I'd been too busy trying not to be paranoid to see it. I felt so stupid. I moved away from Nathan and calmly, slowly picked up the box. Untying it, my hands shook as I lifted the lid. I wasn't even surprised to see what was inside. It was like I already knew it would be awful.
"Oh my God!" Nathan shrieked as he looked over, and his reaction seemed to surprise me more than the gift I'd been given.
"Evie! Put that down!" Gary took the box and set it on the desk next to me. "Shit! He signed this one."
Sonya turned to the box lid. "Al? Al?"
My whole body shook. Sonya put her hands on my face as I stared, almost motionless at Nathan in horror over his reaction. "Evie? Evie, look at me. Evie!"
I just couldn't get my brain to move beyond the fact that Nathan was shocked. This was so normal-business for me and my life. Why would he be so surprised at that? Finally, I was able to make myself focus on Sonya and tears started to flood my eyes.
"It's okay. It's fine, Evie." She pulled me into her arms and Gary wrapped his arms around me from behind, sandwiching me in a hug.
After a moment, Gary pulled back one arm, and I'd calmed myself down enough to see him pressing buttons on the screen of his phone. "Gabriel. No, you need to come now. There's a group on campus tearing things up, and he's sent her another present… an engagement ring—with a finger still in it."
Things sort of blurred past me after that. I was there, and I wasn't comatose, but I felt like I was taking in too much oxygen. Everything just sort of felt fuzzy or something. Gary called the real police and told them about the gifts and what was happening on campus. He was told to hide until they could get the gang under control, but they couldn't give an estimate on when that might happen.
I sat heavily on my bed and looked up at Gary. My hands shook almost as much as my voice. "It's the psycho brigade all over again."
College Dropouts
Sonya pulled the shotguns out of the closet—Gabriel wasn't about to leave us unprepared—and directed Gary to the bullets while Nathan stared wide-eyed. We were just starting to barricade the door when it hit me. "We shouldn't be here! He's after me—Al's after me. He'll come right to this room. We have to hide somewhere else. This—"
"You're right," Nathan agreed.
Gary handed me a shotgun and picked up the other one, as a gut-wrenching scream came from outside. "I'm wishing there were more of us right now."
Sonya and Nathan pulled down our barricade as Gary and I stood with the shotguns ready. The hallway had been nice and quiet since the day before, but now it made my skin crawl like an empty ghost town. More screams could be heard, but they weren't close.
Gary pointed to the doors to his left. "Sonya, let's take this side of the hallway. Nathan and Evie, take that side. Let's find an open room." We started checking doors, but they were all locked. When I turned around to see Sonya and Gary at the other end of the hallway, panic bubbled up in my chest. They were too far away from me. The sound of what seemed to be an angry mob came from the stairwell, and I wanted to run to them, but the stairwell was between us.
I took a step in that direction anyway, not knowing what else to do, but Nathan grabbed my hand. "No. Not that way." A small, but terrifying blond-haired, infected green-eyed guy came through the arch leading to the stairwell. I could feel myself shaking like a house in a tornado. Gary found an unlocked door and Sonya was stepping inside when he saw the Infected.
; "Evie!" Gary yelled, and the Infected stared at Gary then me, as if trying to choose who he was going to go after.
"I've got her!" Nathan yelled and grabbed my hand. "Get inside! Lock yourself in!"
Gary hesitated, but then the Infected turned toward Gary, forcing him to lock himself in the room. Petrified, I let Nathan pull me around the corner and down the other side of the hallway, trying each door. One… locked… two… locked.
"Come on, we have to run!" Nathan grabbed my hand again and pulled me toward the elevator at the end of the hallway. Just as we jumped inside, the Infected was turning in our direction, heading down the hallway toward us. I punched the "close door" button maybe fifty times, and finally, the doors closed. Nathan and I were both able to breathe again as the elevator descended.
On the ground floor, we cautiously left the safety of our elevator and ran as quietly as we could out of the dorm building. The second we stepped outside the building, a larger group of Infecteds spotted us. They had a guy and two girls screaming in pain and terror while their group of maybe twenty did who knows what to them. Nathan started to slow down a bit, but I wouldn't let him and pulled him harder by the hand.
"We can help." He panted. "We have a gun. We have to help them."
I shook my head. "The gun doesn't mean anything," I tried to explain. "You don't know what this is." I yanked harder on his hand, and he trusted me enough to follow.
I had no idea where to go. We wouldn't be safe anywhere. Hiding seemed to be the only option, so I headed for the next building, hoping to lose the Infecteds I could hear following us.
Inside the next dorm, it was as completely, eerily quiet as ours had been. We ran up several flights of stairs and started trying doors again. I could hear people on the other side, but no one would open their door.
"Over here!" A guy I didn't know yelled from down the hallway as he made gestures for us to hurry. Nathan and I ran inside, and we shut and locked the door. I helped them pull the heavy dressers up in front of the door and the solid tables and mini-fridge—everything we could, we used as a barricade. When there was nothing left, we crouched in the closet and huddled as quietly as we could.
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