forehead. I had no idea what happened to me out there. My head was swimming. It was not long after Mr. Amest left that Viper got back from school. I was thinking about the big pair of blue eyes I’d seen that night when I heard the front door slam and the sound of someone running up the stairs.
Viper shoved the door out of his way and ran into my room.
The moment he saw me smile at him I could see relief flood into his eyes.
“You’re awake.”
“Yeah, I am,” I said.
His face was so red it looked like he’d run all the way from school.
“I hear you were the hero Monday night.”
Viper swept the comment aside saying, “That doesn’t matter—how are you feeling? Has your temperature gone down?”
He took the last two strides separating us and put his hand to my forehead. I tried not to wince at how cold it was and wondered how he would be able to get an accurate reading from it.
“It’s still a little above normal but it’s gone down substantially,” he said. He sat on the side of my bed and looked into my face. “Are you feeling okay?”
I blushed. “I’m fine.” My voice squeaked.
“Are you sure?” he said. His eyes didn’t leave mine. “You’ve had us all scared for the past couple of days.”
“I know,” I said. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand what happened to me.”
“Neither do I.” Viper took off his backpack and pushed it against the wall. “One minute we’re talking and the next you’re on the ground screaming. Did you hear or see something?”
I stared at a spot on my ceiling. “I don’t know how to explain what happened, and it went by so quickly. It was … strange.”
“Quickly?”
I looked at him.
“It had to have been around ten minutes from the time you started to scream to the time you passed out. I tried talking to you, but I couldn’t get your attention. It was like you were … I don’t know … somewhere else.”
“Ten minutes?” I said. “It felt like everything took place within seconds.”
“Well, don’t worry about it,” Viper said, taking another towel from the basin. He squeezed out the excess water and replaced the one on my forehead. “Just relax, we’ll figure it out later.”
I frowned. There was that seemingly impossible request again. The front door slammed again and Mom and Mrs. Amest came into my room moments later.
“Okay,” Mom said. “I didn’t know what you wanted, so I got a variety of stuff. We have pizza, enchiladas, hamburgers, ham and turkey sandwiches, fried chicken, and fruit salad.”
Mr. Amest came in and placed a tray with plates, some silverware, napkins, and a glass of water on my bed. He put his arm around me and pulled me to a sitting position. Viper pulled my pillow up from under me and placed it behind my back. He took four of the plates and handed them to Mom and his parents and kept one.
“Any preferences as to what you want to eat?” said Mrs. Amest.
“Anything,” I said. “Everything. I’m really not picky right now.”
“All right,” Mom took the plate in front of me and started piling food on it.
“I’ll go get us some drinks,” said Mr. Amest.
“Oh, that’s all right,” Mom said. “There’s a little refrigerator in the corner.” She nodded to my side table. “The one with the blanket draped discreetly over it. I restocked Emma’s secret supply of soda while she was passed out.”
I stared at her. She smiled at me and put my plate back down.
“You know you can’t keep secrets from me, Emma,” she said with a wink.
“ You were the one eating my cookies, weren’t you?” I said.
At least some things were starting to make sense.
* * *
“How are you feeling now?” Mom said. She picked up my tray when everyone was done eating. I felt a lot better with a full stomach. It took a while but my muscles felt better, too, while they were getting used to movement again.
“Much better,” I said.
I kept my glass next to me. I had never been so thirsty in my entire
Viper shoved the door out of his way and ran into my room.
The moment he saw me smile at him I could see relief flood into his eyes.
“You’re awake.”
“Yeah, I am,” I said.
His face was so red it looked like he’d run all the way from school.
“I hear you were the hero Monday night.”
Viper swept the comment aside saying, “That doesn’t matter—how are you feeling? Has your temperature gone down?”
He took the last two strides separating us and put his hand to my forehead. I tried not to wince at how cold it was and wondered how he would be able to get an accurate reading from it.
“It’s still a little above normal but it’s gone down substantially,” he said. He sat on the side of my bed and looked into my face. “Are you feeling okay?”
I blushed. “I’m fine.” My voice squeaked.
“Are you sure?” he said. His eyes didn’t leave mine. “You’ve had us all scared for the past couple of days.”
“I know,” I said. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand what happened to me.”
“Neither do I.” Viper took off his backpack and pushed it against the wall. “One minute we’re talking and the next you’re on the ground screaming. Did you hear or see something?”
I stared at a spot on my ceiling. “I don’t know how to explain what happened, and it went by so quickly. It was … strange.”
“Quickly?”
I looked at him.
“It had to have been around ten minutes from the time you started to scream to the time you passed out. I tried talking to you, but I couldn’t get your attention. It was like you were … I don’t know … somewhere else.”
“Ten minutes?” I said. “It felt like everything took place within seconds.”
“Well, don’t worry about it,” Viper said, taking another towel from the basin. He squeezed out the excess water and replaced the one on my forehead. “Just relax, we’ll figure it out later.”
I frowned. There was that seemingly impossible request again. The front door slammed again and Mom and Mrs. Amest came into my room moments later.
“Okay,” Mom said. “I didn’t know what you wanted, so I got a variety of stuff. We have pizza, enchiladas, hamburgers, ham and turkey sandwiches, fried chicken, and fruit salad.”
Mr. Amest came in and placed a tray with plates, some silverware, napkins, and a glass of water on my bed. He put his arm around me and pulled me to a sitting position. Viper pulled my pillow up from under me and placed it behind my back. He took four of the plates and handed them to Mom and his parents and kept one.
“Any preferences as to what you want to eat?” said Mrs. Amest.
“Anything,” I said. “Everything. I’m really not picky right now.”
“All right,” Mom took the plate in front of me and started piling food on it.
“I’ll go get us some drinks,” said Mr. Amest.
“Oh, that’s all right,” Mom said. “There’s a little refrigerator in the corner.” She nodded to my side table. “The one with the blanket draped discreetly over it. I restocked Emma’s secret supply of soda while she was passed out.”
I stared at her. She smiled at me and put my plate back down.
“You know you can’t keep secrets from me, Emma,” she said with a wink.
“ You were the one eating my cookies, weren’t you?” I said.
At least some things were starting to make sense.
* * *
“How are you feeling now?” Mom said. She picked up my tray when everyone was done eating. I felt a lot better with a full stomach. It took a while but my muscles felt better, too, while they were getting used to movement again.
“Much better,” I said.
I kept my glass next to me. I had never been so thirsty in my entire
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