Just One More

We made our way to the station which was equipped with a sink and a range of sharp-looking tools. Blake and Bryan strode our way as Chrissy got the cat ready, softly stroking its matted fur, the dead googly eyes glazed and lifeless.

“Thanks for the note,” said one of the men. “I’m Blake, this is my brother Bryan,” he noted with a lopsided grin.

That smile got to me. From someone who looked like an Adonis, I wasn’t expecting anything but a dazzling flash, the kind that movie stars routinely show with capped, too-white teeth. But his smile was genuine, reaching his eyes, the kind that could make you melt.

And disappear into a puddle Chrissy did.

“Oh hi,” she said breathily. “I’m Chrissy, this is my friend Callie. Where are you guys from? We’re so excited to have you join Canterdale. Just ask if you have any questions,” she burbled. “Callie and I have been here forever.”

“Thanks,” growled the other twin. “Yeah, we have a ton of questions, it was kind of an unexpected move as senior transfers and all that … but is your friend okay? Callie? Callie?” he said urgently, his voice fading in volume.

Because despite my best efforts, I was losing it.

“Um, I’m fine,” I said weakly, gripping the lab countertop. “Welcome to Canterdale.” But I wasn’t okay at all. With a loose sigh, I began to topple, the world moving in slow motion as dizziness overcame me, images blurring at the edges.

I was just lucid enough to feel a pair of strong arms catch me before dropping into a daze, the haven warm and reassuring.

2

Callie

I woke in the nurse’s office, my body stiff, my head spinning.

“There, there,” clucked Nurse Jane. “You’re going to be fine, it was just anatomy class.”

Just anatomy class? I groaned internally. More like we’d been in a confined space with a bunch of dead animals, their innards pumped full with poisonous antifreeze.

“I can’t go back,” I said weakly from my prone position, not even trying to get up. “I just … can’t,” I finished weakly.

“Shhh,” said the nurse. “Nobody’s making you go back, you had a scare. I’ll let Mr. Grimes know that you’re under the weather and won’t be back today. In the meantime, you can thank these two young men for carrying you over,” she said with a beaming smile, nodding to the corner.

And I turned slightly to look over my shoulder. There, like twin sentries, sat the Blake and Bryan, gazing at me with quizzical frowns.

“You okay?” drawled one. “You had us worried there for a sec.”

“Yeah,” added the other. “Your friend started screaming and it was pandemonium in room, everyone scrambling trying to get you help.”

I shook my head tiredly. Oh god, no. Just what I didn’t want – a ruckus. You see, I’m somewhat allergic to scandal and crises. My family is so messed up that I try to stay under the radar as much as possible, drawing as little attention to myself.

But I didn’t want to seem like a weakling, some incompetent girl unable to take care of herself. So I struggled to sit, to get up a bit and look alive.

But it was fruitless. I was just too weak, too dazed from the chemical smells and ghastly presence of dead cats.

“Try to rest,” clucked Nurse Jane. “Don’t get up, these nice young men will keep you company. In the meantime,” she said. “I’m going to update your records, I need to log this in our system,” she said kindly before stepping out.

“Um, thanks for your help,” I said shyly, looking at the twins. God, I hope I didn’t look terrible. I patted my hair self-consciously and was relieved to feel the brown curls more or less in place. I flushed when I realized that the boys were observing me closely, the edges of their mouths lifting slightly.

“No worries,” said Blake … or was it Bryan? “We wanted to make sure you were okay, it was lucky that we were there otherwise you might have fallen and hit your head. Is Canterdale always so accommodating?” he asked casually.

“What do you mean?” I said confused.

“Well, where we’re from,” he said slowly. “People take care of themselves.”

“We’re lucky if there’s even a nurse on campus,” his brother added dryly. “You guys got a lot of bells and whistles around here.”

I shook my head in confusion again. Having a nurse on campus was an extra amenity? I mean, Canterdale was a private school but I’d never thought of it as anything fancy. Most of us were here because the local public school was atrocious and our parents couldn’t stand to send us to a place where we’d have to go through metal detectors each morning.

“Um, I guess so?” I said softly. “I mean, I’m a scholarship student so I’m not exactly like everyone else, but I guess the school does okay.”