But it feels good, she thought to herself.
On their second round at the new pace, Paige almost choked on her own tongue when she spotted AJ at the bleachers. He never came to watch practice.
Even weirder, it looked like he was staring at her—and quite intensely, too. Almost, she thought absently, as if he wasn’t even blinking.
Unintentionally, she started to slow down, but River nudged her, and she snapped out of her stupor.
She wobbled a little, and that made her wish the earth would crack open so she could jump inside and disappear.
“River,” she snapped, not wanting to look like an idiot in front of AJ twice in one day.
That would be too much, even for Paige.
“What?” River replied, faking ignorance. “I only wanted to make sure you know your boyfriend is here to cheer you on.” She deadpanned and Paige immediately turned scarlet because she was certain her other teammates had heard her loud and clear.
A part of her was flattered he was there and watching her, but the rest...
I came here to get him out of my head, and now he’s here too. Why?
Trying to outrun her embarrassment, she picked up her pace, running even faster than before, and could hear River laughing behind her.
The rest of the team followed suit, and in no time, they did the full circuit. When Paige dared to glance toward the bleachers once again, AJ was nowhere to be seen. The feeling of disappointment that followed couldn’t be helped, but she ignored it, focusing on her training instead.
Still, something else forced them all to slow down.
A girl stood in the middle of the track, and at first, Paige simply thought she had a stitch and was trying to walk it off. But once they approached her, they could see she wasn’t moving. Worse, her nose was bleeding.
She is sick, just like Chen.
***
Maybe I should go back to my room and try to sleep it off... For some reason, AJ had not gone back to his room. Instead, he watched Paige run her laps. For the life of him, he couldn’t remember walking to the track.
He heard footsteps as someone approached. Something about the kid made his nape tingle, but what actually galvanized him into action was the glazed look on his face.
AJ recognized Curtis. They’d had English together.
He jumped all the way down the bleachers and tried to intercept him, but Curtis moved too fast. “Hey, Curtis,” AJ yelled after him, but he didn’t even pause. AJ jogged now, caught up with him, and stopped him with a hand on his arm.
“What is going on with you?” AJ snapped. “Didn’t you hear me calling you?”
Not taking his eyes from the tracks and Paige, Curtis said. “She’s my Seedling. I’ll finally leave this awful planet and this wretched body!”
AJ was rendered stupid for a few heartbeats because what this kid had said was all kinds of crazy, and he needed a moment to sift through it.
Seedling … Planet … Body.
The word “seedling” stuck in AJ’s head. That was what the weird voice in his hand had said.
“You are not getting anywhere near her,” he said firmly.
Curtis looked at him then and frowned. AJ didn’t like the way he stared at him. There was something really creepy about the fixed, almost vacant look.
“Why didn’t you get the Seedling?” Curtis asked. But, not waiting for a reply, he continued, his eyes narrowing, “Never mind, she is mine now, and you can’t have her.” He practically growled, but AJ held his ground, knowing he could take him even if he was a bit mental.
“No,” he replied simply.
That confused Curtis for about a second, then he tried to move away but AJ was quicker.
“The Seedling is mine,” Curtis repeated stubbornly.
“You have to stop him,” the voice in AJ’s head yelled. If he hadn’t been too busy with Curtis, he would have rolled his eyes. Then decided to do it anyway.
It had to be a cold day in hell, he reasoned, since he was actually doing what the voice wanted him to do.
“She belongs only to you, AJ, no one else!”
AJ shook his head as if the motion could dislodge the voice. He wasn’t sure if it had worked, but he concentrated on the kid in front of him once more.
Curtis tried to fight him off, but AJ overpowered him easily. It was as if he could anticipate his every move. He tried to hit him with his left hand, but AJ ducked.
He then came at him with a quick sequence of moves but he simply avoided every single one of them.
“I am like a ninja, bitch,” he exclaimed, starting to goof around. He rather liked what seemed to be his new powers.
Finally, AJ annoyed Curtis, and he came at him with everything he had. He kicked him in the shin, but AJ didn’t feel it. If anything, he actually felt stronger.
Curtis didn’t stop. He swung at AJ, seemingly wildly but with a look of fixed purpose that was almost uncanny.
AJ ducked out of the way. If the younger kid had connected with his jaw with that kind of determination behind the shot, he would have been knocked out. AJ twisted and, catching Curtis off guard, punched him in the chest, putting everything he had into the blow.
The force of the blow pushed his opponent away, the air escaping from his lungs in a loud whoosh. He was practically airborne a few seconds before hitting one of the metal pillars of the bleachers.
He lay still, semi-conscious and bleeding from a gash on his head. AJ wasn’t even winded, and with sudden clarity, knew he could finish him off if he wanted to.
“Do it,” the voice urged.
“No,” AJ said out loud, shaking his head.
Instead, he grabbed Curtis’ legs and dragged him off to the outdoor toilet.
Locking him inside, he found a discarded out of order sign in the janitorial closet and hung it on the outside of the door, making sure nobody went in it and released Curtis by accident.
At first, he wanted to leave the track altogether, but then something occurred to him.
What if others try to get to Paige too?
All he could think about was her as if the fight hadn’t happened. Which made him feel more than a little uneasy. He had just beaten Curtis up and didn’t feel any remorse.
Why did Curtis call Paige his Seedling? AJ wondered. He’d need to ask him when he woke. He also needed answers to what the hell was going on.
AJ returned to the bleachers to watch Paige. This time, however, he hid in the shadows under the stands.
That girl can really run, he thought to himself, impressed. Even when she wasn’t trying too hard, she was the best.
“Take your Seedling,” the voice urged again. AJ felt the now familiar pull as well, vibrant and strong, compelling him to action. Though he didn’t know why, he ignored it more easily and remained in his spot.
You know, he thought conversationally, you sound just like my childhood nanny. I really didn’t like her, and she also had an irritating voice just like you.
Bossy as hell, too.
Her name was Francis. I think it suits you perfectly, Francis.
There was no reply to that, of course, and AJ couldn’t help but grin.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” A voice—this time a real one—asked from behind and AJ turned to see Mr. Jones, a science teacher, approaching.
“Just checking out the practice. I have a break in my schedule,” he explained.
The teacher frowned. “Your nose is bleeding. You should go to the nurse’s office,” he ordered.
Even before he’d finished his sentence, AJ shook his head.
“I’m fine,” he insisted, wiping the blood with his arm. It was only a few specks like last time, and he managed it easily. “Crap,” he mumbled, not wanting to deal with this again on top of everything else.
“That’s it,” the teacher said impatiently. “You are coming with me.” He took AJ by the arm and practically dragged him to the infirmary. He knew, somehow, that he could overpower the teacher, but that didn’t f
eel right. Mr. Jones only wanted to help him. AJ stole one last glance at Paige, needing to make sure she was all right.
CHAPTER FOUR
“What the hell is going on here?” River exclaimed, putting into words what all of them were thinking.
Mrs. O’Brian returned at that moment and rushed to the sick girl. “Jennifer? Are you all right?” The girl was unresponsive.
She snapped her fingers in front of her and Jennifer awoke as if from a daze. “Oh, my God,” she yelled, covering her nose with both hands, obviously hoping to stop the bleeding.
“You two.” The coach gestured toward two students. “Get her to the nurse’s office—now,” she ordered, and the guys helped Jennifer, guiding her away from the track.
The coach scanned her surroundings like an eagle or a sniper on a mission as Paige walked toward her with River in tow, a couple of steps behind her.
“Girls, our practice is canceled,” she stated without preamble. “Go straight to your dorms and wait for an announcement.” Her tone left no room for alternatives.
“What’s happening?” Paige asked, regardless, because that was simply the kind of girl she was.
Their coach shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve merely been told to get you back to your dorms.” With that, she gestured with her hands for them to disperse like they were a pair of stray cats or something.
“Weird, but whatever,” River replied, shrugging while flashing her sweet smile.
“I’m tired of running, anyway. I need a shower.”
They both headed quickly back toward the locker rooms, showered, and changed before stepping outside.
A lot of speculation about what was going on was tossed about between all the students, and Paige wasn’t an exception. She listened as she dressed but kept her thoughts to herself.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.
As they stepped out of the building, the wind started to blow. River tried to brush her black hair away from her face and behind her ears, but it instantly blew back again because it was way too short to stay put. The wind intensified with an almost eerie moan behind it.
As they passed other students, Paige noticed that some acted just like River did. They simply chatted away, happy that they had nothing better to do, but others looked as confused as she was.
A few that caught Paige’s attention in particular, because they weren’t socializing with their friends and they were definitely bewildered.
Paige felt a chill run down her body.
These kids stood motionless, staring past people like they weren’t even there. Their faces were very pale, resembling porcelain dolls, just like Jennifer’s had been moments before.
“Maybe they are doing the mannequin challenge. It’s all over YouTube,” River told Paige. Her gaze locked on her phone as she tried to find mannequin challenge videos to show her friend.
One of the dazed students walked past them, completely oblivious to his surrounding, while a speck of red started to appear at the edges of his nose.
Paige knew without a doubt that his nose was about to start bleeding, and she gulped.
He must have caught the same thing Chen had.
She tried to connect the dots, looking back at him. But what could make them space out and then force their nose to bleed?
Paige had never heard of a sickness like that, but she really wasn’t keen on catching it, thank you very much.
She forced her jacket way up, covering her mouth to limit her breathing just in case.
Silently, she linked arms with River’s once again, urging her to hurry, and when her friend looked questioningly at her, she whispered into her ear.
“We’ve got to get to our dorm room; people are sick.”
She didn’t want to alarm her, but she felt it was crucial they get away from there, and quickly.
River looked at her, clearly uncomprehending at first, but then she glanced around and, noticing all the weird people walking about, she simply nodded.
Some of the other students realized this as well and began a retreat toward the dorms.
They wasted no time heading straight to their rooms, suddenly quite eager to escape anyone who even potentially looked sick.
Paige hated being sick, and River was a nightmare incarnate during a common cold. Any sensible friend had to avoid being in the same space with her when that occurred.
Their dorm was built in an unusual new Gothic style complemented with high ceilings and strange carvings. The style hadn’t sat well with Paige the first time she’d come to the college, but eventually, it grew on her.
It could still seem pretty spooky during the night, of course, but it had a certain elegance to it as well.
Besides, the gargoyles on the facade represented guardians, and Paige had grown to like them. They reminded her of Hogwarts.
When they reached their common room, they were greeted by an eerie silence.
The place was packed with other girls, but the atmosphere was quite somber given what was happening. It was totally out of character for this bunch, who usually liked to chat and giggle.
They all stood around a TV that was mounted above their fireplace.
Only then did Paige notice that they were actually listening to the news, the real reason why they were so quiet.
A red panel with highlights scrolled with Breaking News.
Paige read the words a couple of times but still couldn’t believe them.
She understood them perfectly, but when they were placed all together, the meaning eluded her. It was too horrible to even contemplate that something like that was actually happening.
It read: A killer virus is spreading across the world. Stay indoors. Stay away from anyone showing signs of sickness. More information will follow.
CHAPTER FIVE
The breaking news and those words continued to flash across the screen, and Paige could actually feel the panic start to rise in her. She fought to tamp it down, willing herself not to indulge the hysteria that bubbled beneath the surface of her control.
Then River laughed like a crazy person and all heads turned in her direction. Paige didn’t like the sound of it. “Who set this up?” she asked between cackles. “Was it Brad?”
There was a second of confusion, but then it dawned on them. Paige also understood what she meant.
Brad!
He was one of the goofiest people on campus. And he was always trying one or another insane stunt. Usually, he could pull them off without anyone figuring out it was him. At least, the students knew, not the teachers.
But this is maybe going too far, Paige thought to herself.
“He really went all out for this one. Best prank ever,” River continued in the same manner. “I wonder how he managed to convince all those students outside to play along...” she mused out loud, then smacked herself across the forehead, remembering something.
“He paid them of course. His mother has more money than Oprah.”
“But it’s on all the news,” Tiffany, one of the heiresses of some place in Europe interjected.
“He obviously hacked into our system,” River responded matter-of-factually, and everyone seemed to relax a little.
Paige felt better as well but only for the briefest moment until something else dawned on her. Brad was good, but not even he could make the school cancel the rest of their classes.
Besides... “Chen wasn’t faking.” Paige voiced her fear out loud. “She was seriously sick.” All that blood coming from her nose wasn’t fake. There was no doubt about that in her mind.
“And Jennifer too,” Paige added, remembering how their practice ended.
River shook her head stubbornly. “I’m telling you, this is classic Brad. And to prove it to you, I’ll call him right now. He has a thing for me, so he’ll confess everything.” River delivered this assurance with confidence and dialed his number. Then she frowned. “It’s busy. But I’m telling you, girls, this is all just a prank.”
<
br /> “Last year, he stole the dean’s Bentley and painted it magenta,” Val interjected and some of the other girls chuckled, remembering the incident. He got away with it because his parents bought the Bentley for the dean—well, that was the rumor. And with all good rumors, they liked to believe they were true.
“That’s nothing. I heard he got a truckload of frogs and released them in the biology laboratory,” another other girl chirped.
As more and more girls stepped forward to say something, the more it began to feel like this was his doing.
“See,” River shouted trying to be heard above everyone else. “I told you, but he is still not picking his damn phone up.”
“Why don’t we just go to his room?” Val announced and instantly, everyone was on board.
Paige followed the mob of girls who chatted among themselves and planned how to take revenge on Brad. She tried to be on board, but something still nagged at her in the back of her mind.
The boy’s dorm was across a vast field, but the girls never actually made it outside.
They could see through the door and stopped in a huddle. A lot more affected kids walked about, many more than they’d seen previously.
Everyone hesitated, looking at one another, not knowing what to do next. Some were maybe even waiting to see what River would do since she’d become an unofficial leader of the group.
In the midst of all that, Tiffany’s own phone started to ring, and then another girl received a call as well. They answered, and by the looks on their faces, it was obvious that the threat was real.
It was no student prank but a real threat, and all their lives were at stake.
What are we to do now? The question was written on everyone’s face.
The silence felt as lethal as any killer virus. They all tried to comprehend what was happening, but when the truth was so hard, people tended to shun it.
How I wish this was just a prank, Paige repeated to herself, over and over again.
River squeezed her arm, seeking comfort, and the fear that she saw on her friend’s face matched her own.
Contamination (Invasion Survivor Book 1) Page 3