"And whatever it is, we can't control it," said Hi.
I hesitated. Once spoken, the next words could not be withdrawn.
"I think we caught something from Coop."
Silence. Then, three voices at once.
"How is that possible?" Ben.
"You said we couldn't catch parvo!" Shelton.
"We're screwed!" Hi.
"I don't know what happened. But Coop must be the vector; he's our only common link." I turned to Shelton. "Canine parvovirus can't infect humans. I double-checked. It has to be something else."
"What?'
"I don't know. But we won't panic." I tried to sound confident. "It may not be serious."
"Do you even have a guess?" Shelton asked.
"No," I admitted. "I won't lie. I've never heard of anything resembling our condition. Whatever we've caught must be extremely rare."
"Great," Hi said. "A magical mystery virus. Lucky us! The very first Virals."
"Karsten's experiment." Ben frowned. "The secret tests. We don't know what he was doing."
I nodded. "But we're going to find out."
The boys stared.
I soldiered on. "We should lay low for a few more days, get stronger. And keep our condition secret. I don't think we're contagious."
"Why not?" Shelton looked skeptical.
"No one else has gotten sick, at home or at school. But let's keep to ourselves just in case. If this thing is contagious, we don't want to spread it."
"Keep it secret?" Shelton's voice rose even higher. "We could be dying!"
Gulp. Here goes.
"Karsten knows we stole Coop."
"What!?" In chorus.
I told them about my interview. All of it. Karsten's accusations. Why he'd questioned our health.
Three shocked faces.
"So we can't see a doctor," I said. "Karsten will be looking for that."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Ben sounded angry.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to cause panic. Besides, Karsten has no evidence." Lame. I knew it.
Hi dropped his head.
Shelton opened his mouth.
I cut him off.
"Just hold out a few more days. If we don't improve, we'll get medical help. Promise."
Shelton flashed a peace sign. "Two days. That's it. Then I'm telling my mom."
"Good enough."
"Say we do recover." Hi was looking from me to Shelton to Ben. "What then?"
I spoke with grim determination.
"Then we find out what the hell Karsten is up to."
CHAPTER 43
I slammed my locker door.
Lunchtime.
Shelton and Hi intercepted me en route to the cafeteria. We trudged down the hall, a sorry-looking group.
The morning had begun with a school-wide assembly. Speakers had droned on about the need for energy conservation. I thought I'd qualify for Medicare before they finished.
The four of us had huddled near the back, breathing only on ourselves. Nervous. Hoping to avoid infecting the entire student body.
Because of the program, both lunch periods had been combined for a special buffet menu. Organically grown vegetables. Free-range chicken. For the first time that year I hadn't packed a lunch.
Shelton still felt lousy. So did Hi. No new reactions, but the lingering sickness did nothing for their spirits.
I felt crappy too, but kept it to myself. At least I hadn't attacked another rodent.
Ben was waiting at the cafeteria entrance. We entered as a group.
The line was long, but moved quickly. After purchasing our selections we commandeered a table in one corner, near an emergency exit.
I dug into the veggies. Carrots. Snap peas. Buttered asparagus. If this option became standard, I'd never brown bag again.
I was chasing a pea across my plate when a strangled whine interrupted my thoughts. I looked up just as Shelton dropped his fork. His hands flew to his head and his lids slammed shut.
"No," he muttered. "Not here."
"Shelton, are you--"
The clatter of Ben's fork caused me to turn.
Ben's eyes were vacant. Spit bubbles foamed at one corner of his mouth.
"Ben?" I said softly.
No response.
"Hey! Blue!" A little louder.
Across the table, Hi dropped his utensils.
"Chicken," he whispered. Then his hand shot out and swept veggies from his plate. Zucchini and squash splattered the tabletop.
"Hi? Hiram?"
Oblivious, Hi grabbed a chicken leg and stripped off the flesh. Shoved it between his jaws.
Beside me, Ben gnawed a drumstick, grinding both meat and bones with his teeth. I watched juice dribble down his chin and dampen his shirt.
Horrified, my eyes scanned the room. So far, no one seemed to have noticed the drama playing out at our table. That wouldn't last. Hi and Ben were making a mess.
I was debating a course of action when Shelton clamped a chicken breast with his teeth and shook it savagely.
My eyes dropped to my own plate.
SNAP.
Boiling oil rushed through me. My brain jumped the tracks.
Oh no.
The odor of poultry overrode all other sensations. On instinct, I stuffed a piece of chicken into my mouth. The taste was indescribable. Drool covered my tongue.
Stop! STOP!
Closing my eyes, I dug my nails into my palms. Hard. Until it hurt. Willing my higher centers to regain control.