Michael had been paying attention to Whitmore, but he sudden realized from the corner of his eye that he was being watched. He glanced and saw that the man in the black suit, Branson, was staring right at him. Surprised, he looked directly at the guy and then looked away when the man held his gaze. He had no idea why he had garnered such attention.
Dr. Whitmore was already going down the line, the yellow meter making a soft static crackling as he went. The noise was quiet and consistent as he waved it in front of each student. As Dr. Whitmore neared him, Michael glanced at the man in the black suit again, seeing that he was still being stared at. What was this guy’s problem?
The meter was now being used on the girl next to him and for the first time it made a noise that was slightly different. Whitmore waved it in front of her again, before realizing the change in sound only happened when he neared one side of her – the side closest to Michael. The guy then waved it in front of him, revealing that the slight change in static would disappear the moment he held it far enough to the other side. Michael wasn’t sure how to react, having no idea the significance of the test, but now all eyes were on him.
Dr. Whitmore looked over at Detective Branson as he spoke. “Well, we’ve got a reading here, but just barely – it’s low enough that it could be a glitch.”
Branson still hadn’t stopped staring at him. “What’s your name son?” He asked.
“Michael.”
“Last name?”
“Thorpe.”
“Well, Michael Thorpe, did you take a shower this morning?”
Michael couldn’t help but look at him in utter confusion. What did that have to do with anything? “Umm, yes sir, I did.”
The detective then immediately gave Dr. Whitmore a meaningful look, who nodded and then spoke to Michael. “Right, well if you’ll go with Detective Branson please.” He motioned for Michael to head towards the office.
Stepping out of line, he walked down the hallway, feeling the stares of the other students on him again like in the classroom. Detective Branson adjusted his black tie briefly before motioning for Michael to follow him into the administrative office. They walked through the cluster of desks, as the secretary eyed him curiously, before entering the principal’s private office.
Branson had Michael sit down in a chair in front of the large desk and then sat on the edge eyeing him suspiciously. He was silent for a few minutes, until the principal entered the room, followed by Dr. Whitmore. The two men took positions on the detective’s right side, and Branson finally addressed Michael.
“How are we feeling there Michael? Dizzy at all?”
Still having no idea what this was about, he simply nodded.
“How about fatigued? Yes? Any vomiting at all?”
“No sir,” he answered honestly. Although he did feel slightly nauseous at the moment.
“You don’t look like you’re feeling very well Michael. Any idea why?”
He had no idea where the detective was going with this. “Umm, because I have the flu?”
Branson smiled as if he found his answer amusing, although Michael wasn’t sure why him having the flu was funny. The detective decided to switch gears. “You likely don’t know this Michael, but they’re planning on building a nuclear powerplant about forty miles east of here starting sometime in the next ten years. In preparation for the new facility, new federal regulations have required towns and cities within a sixty-mile radius to install special meters that can detect radiation levels in the event of a system failure. Not all the meters in this area have been installed, but the ones that are up and running have been picking up some interesting signals in the last few days and I think you can tell me why that is.”
The principal interjected then. “Now, wait a minute detective, aren’t you being a little presumptuous? What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty?”
Without looking at the principal, Branson responded harshly. “I know radiation poisoning when I see it. I guarantee if we check his blood levels they’ll show levels high enough to warrant treatment.”
“Then maybe we should do that,” Dr. Whitmore added, also appearing uncomfortable by the detective’s outburst. “Have his blood tested and get him treatment if needed. I can’t imagine a teenager involved in…”
Michael interjected, completely confused. “Radiation poisoning? As in nuclear radiation?”
Dr. Whitmore jumped back in to take control of the conversation. “Yes, well there are many different types of radiation, some more harmful than others. The kind we’re concerned about is in fact nuclear radiation, although the signals we’ve received aren’t consistent with what we’d expect if someone were creating something like a bomb, for instance.”
“A bomb?!” Michael was shocked. Did they really think he was involved in creating a bomb?
“Now you’ve done it,” the principal said. “Everyone’s going to think someone’s creating a nuclear bomb in town.”
Detective Branson scoffed, as he spoke again. “Michael, this is very serious. If you are being exposed to some type of ionizing radiation, it will kill you eventually. By how you look, I’d say you are well into experiencing radiation sickness, which can quickly become fatal. What’s even worse is you might suddenly feel all better right before you die. So, if you’re involved in something, you need to come clean about it right now.”
Michael held up his hands defensively. “I’m not involved in anything, I swear. As far as I know, I just have the flu.”
Branson didn’t seem to believe him. “Would you rather we have this conversation in a police station?”
The principal chimed in again. “Now, come on detective, this is a little much. Why not just do a blood test and then go from there.”
It was obvious that Branson was annoyed, but he nodded in agreement. The principal then immediately left the room, only to come back a minute later with the nurse. She had dark skin, dark curly hair, and was wearing light-blue scrubs. She had a needle and empty tube in her hands, as well as plastic cup of ice.
“Wait.” Michael couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “You’re going to draw my blood now? Don’t you need, like, parental permission or something?”
The nurse was the one to respond. “We have parents sign basic medical consent forms every year to administer rudimentary treatment and tests to assess the health of our students. This is just a blood draw, not surgery.” She was already readying the stuff on the table next to the detective.
Dr. Whitmore then added. “And if you have been exposed to radiation, even unintentionally, this could be a matter of life and death depending on how severe the levels are in your body. You might die within a matter of days, if it’s bad enough.”
Michael didn’t like this at all. He needed time to think. What if it came back positive? He knew he hadn’t been exposed to anything out of the ordinary, other than one thing – Miriam. Was she radioactive? Was she the reason why he was sick? If it did come back positive, then it might lead them to finding out about her. And for all he knew, she was already visible on the school’s security footage, just waiting to be found out. He needed to stall, to give her time to cover her tracks in case this was caused by her.
“Umm, can I refuse?” He asked as the nurse began bringing over a swab to clean his arm. He also didn’t want to show them his bruising, which would only confirm the detective’s suspicions that something was going on. He was pretty sure he didn’t have any major bruising on his right arm, except for the upper portion, but what if she insisted on the left where most of his forearm was bruised?
Detective Branson immediately eyed him suspiciously. “Hiding something are we?”
“N-No, I just don’t like needles is all.”
The nurse dropped her hands to her sides as she addressed his concerns. “If you want, we can go ahead and give your parent’s a call. Unfortunately, minors can’t refuse treatment if their parents consent to it.”
“Yes, well I’m confident my parents will be mo
re than willing to allow me to have this done at an actual hospital, instead of the principal’s office.” Michael really didn’t want to involve his parents, but he also didn’t want to give Miriam away if he really did have radiation poisoning.
Detective Branson crossed his arms as he considered the situation, seeming more collected. “If you’re innocent, then what’s the harm in having it done now?” He asked.
Michael wasn’t exactly sure what to say, but he knew that getting too defensive wouldn’t be a good idea. “Well, because I have an intense fear of needles…and I don’t have radiation poisoning! I have the flu. Just ask my dad – I’ve been at home every night this week. I haven’t been messing with any kind of radioactive anything.”
The nurse began speaking again in response to hearing he might have the flu. She reacted like the flu was her worst nightmare – much worse than potentially lethal radiation. “Let me grab a thermometer and take your temperature.” She then disappeared, so Michael continued.
“Besides, if I have radiation poisoning now, then won’t I still have it tomorrow? So, then what’s the rush? Why can’t I just go to the hospital tomorrow and have my blood drawn after I’ve had some time to mentally prepare?”
Branson considered his proposition while the nurse returned. She held up a thermometer to his forehead and it beeped almost instantly. “Yep, you’ve definitely got a fever. Really we should be calling your parents and sending you home.” Michael realized his fever must be pretty bad if it was still showing up even after the medicine he had taken this morning.
He tried to avoid seeming suspicious by immediately agreeing to going home. Although, being sent home was exactly what he needed right now, because he felt like the danger threatening Miriam right now was far more pressing than the potential danger threatening him.
However, the detective didn’t seem to like that idea. “If you send him home, then what’s stopping him from skipping town altogether?”
“I’m not a criminal!” Michael retorted, sincerely annoyed. “I’ve got good grades, have great attendance, and I don’t do drugs. You’re literally harassing me just because I’m sick. I already don’t feel well as it is.”
The principal chimed in then. “Actually, what Mr. Thorpe is saying is true. We’ve never had any problems from him.”
Branson seemed slightly annoyed, but he couldn’t argue with their defense. “Fine, then let’s contact his parents and give them instructions on getting the blood tests done.” He then pointed a finger at Michael. “But don’t be running off anywhere or else we’ll have to escalate this situation to a point you’ll wish we hadn’t.”
Michael nodded in response, and then looked at the principal and nurse. “So then, am I free to go?”
Chapter 10: Poisoning
Michael tried not to run on his way to his car. He hoped Miriam would know he had left school and meet him at home. She had said that he was like a beacon for her, so he couldn’t imagine she would have any trouble finding him wherever he went. He wondered if she had noticed that he had spent time in the principal’s office.
As soon as he got in his car and started the engine, he quickly sent a message to Riley asking if she could take his sister home, explaining that he was going home sick. He would have asked Grayson instead, since it was less out of his way, but he still wasn’t sure why Amelia had gotten mad at him yesterday and he didn’t want to put her in an uncomfortable situation.
He then drove home in silence, wondering how to explain all this to Miriam. What if they already know? He wondered, regarding the authorities. What if they’ve already seen a demon on camera? He doubted that kind of information would be allowed to become public knowledge, not to mention that most people would probably think it was a hoax.
Considering what computers could do nowadays, no one would believe even the wildest miracles on camera, because the same things could just as easily be recreated on a computer. Movies seemed so real now that even a security officer watching a live security feed might think it was a hoax – that someone had hacked the system and was showing modified footage.
When he got to his dad’s house, he immediately rushed inside, planning to open the window in his bedroom. Thus, he was startled when he opened the front door to find Miriam already standing in his living room, waiting patiently. He quickly closed the door behind him.
“Miriam, we have a problem.”
“What is it?” She asked concerned.
Michael immediately realized that her question meant she hadn’t already heard. She hadn’t heard him whisper to her in his first class, nor had she heard what happened in the office. He wasn’t sure why he was so surprised. She had great hearing, but clearly it had at least some limitations. He also didn’t know how far away she had been from the school. Surely, she probably wouldn’t have heard if she was like a mile away – that would be a little unbelievable even for a supernatural creature like her.
He quickly tried to explain what he thought was the most pressing issue. “The cameras. They can see you – the human illusion you create doesn’t work on them.”
She twisted her head slightly in confusion. “Can you show me?”
He rapidly pulled out his phone. “Okay, make yourself look human.” He then took a picture, confirming that she had brown hair and brown eyes in the image, as well as no horns or wings. “Now, look at this and tell me what you see. I see you as human right now in this picture.”
Miriam looked at the screen, her eyes widening immediately. Her illusion then vanished, prompting him to look at the image again to confirm what he already knew. Now he could see what the camera had really captured too.
“How does that work?” She wondered, even more concerned.
Ironically, he had the same question about her ability, but decided to answer her question first. “Well, umm, I don’t really know how to explain, but cameras can capture video too. There are some at my school, by the entrances.” When she appeared confused again, he quickly took a short video with his phone and then played it back for her. “The ones by the school probably record continuously.”
“And these are everywhere?” She asked breathlessly.
“Well, not everywhere exactly, but they are in a lot of places. In malls, at hospitals, even at street intersections. Some people even have them outside their houses.”
As Miriam’s brow furrowed in deep concern, Michael realized she was trying to figure out how to solve the problem without having any idea how it worked. “Miriam…you should be able to fix this easily. You just need to sneak into the school and delete the security footage.”
Her eyes widened as if she hadn’t expected him to have a solution. She then became pensive. “Clearly I need to catch up on what humans have been up to for the last century.” She then began thinking out loud to herself. “How did we miss this? Even though it’s been awhile for me, someone is almost always here.”
“Where do they normally…hunt?” Michael wondered. He felt awkward about calling it what it was.
Miriam met his gaze as she answered, her crimson eyes reserved. “Well, recently they’ve been on the continents Africa and Asia. No one has visited this side of the human world in a while.”
“Well, that’s probably why they didn’t notice.” Michael explained. “The world has developed at different rates. Our technology is more developed than a lot of other places, although that’s quickly changing. Everyone’s catching up.”
Miriam nodded again, seeming to understand.
“Oh!” He had briefly forgotten about the other part. “But that might not be the worst of it. They might be able to detect you from a distance.” She cocked her head again, as he continued. “They had a machine that picked me out of a lineup – it detected radiation. They thought I was involved in making a bomb or something. They said they had picked up signals in the area in the last few days.”
“What’s radiation?” She asked.
“Oh, umm, you might have to search for that on the internet. I d
on’t know enough about it to give a good explanation.”
“Where can I find the internet?”
“Oh, we have it here of course! You can look it up on my computer.” Michael quickly headed to his room and pulled out the chair to his desk for her to sit. She gave him a confused look again before complying. He then opened his laptop and gave her a quick basic tutorial on how to use it.
She was truly shocked. “How did humans get so advanced, so quickly?” She wondered, seeming slightly annoyed.
Michael really didn’t have an answer for her, so he just kept quiet. He was surprised by how quickly she picked up on everything. She had only watched him type once and suddenly she was doing it as if she had done it all her life.
However, what even surprised him more was the fact that she seemed to read so quickly. She was glancing at pages for only a few seconds, her eyes barely moving, before clicking on a link and moving on. In passing, she made comments to herself, like, “I’ll have to borrow one of these radiation meters to see how it reacts to me.”
Michael decided to occupy his time sitting on his bed admiring her. It was strange seeing her in such a mundane environment. Here was a demon girl, wearing a stone bikini, sitting in his chair while clicking away on his computer. The fact that she was so beautiful only further made the scene surreal. It was truly a bizarre sight indeed. He felt like he must be dreaming.
Unexpectedly, Miriam suddenly snapped her head towards him. “Michael? Do you have radiation poisoning?”
He was stunned that she had brought that up on her own. “Umm, well, that is what they thought at school, but I didn’t want to get tested if it would lead them to you. Although, I’ll probably have to get it done tomorrow…Hopefully it really is just the flu.”
Miriam abruptly stood up and walked over to him. She leaned down towards him, providing him with an excellent view, before quickly snapping back up. “I thought you smelled funny this morning. You smell like…like you’re dying…”
Demon Seer (Demon Demigods Book 1) Page 13