by Giger, S. L.
“It’s a virus,” Mrs. Graham exclaimed. “We are not at war!”
“Not yet,” Patrick mumbled.
Valerie sneezed and everybody glared at her. For a moment, she looked around in shock, but then she caught herself.
“How about ‘bless you?’ This is just a cold. You’re right – I need some sleep.” She looked at Mrs. Graham, got up and rushed out of the classroom. Mrs. Graham sighed.
“Two kids from Monroe High disappeared,” Patrick started again. “Rumor has it they went looking for an underground guerilla fight group that’s led by Dr. Palmer.”
Mrs. Graham tried to talk some sense into the class. “If we all go crazy, that will create more damage than if we continue life as normally as possible.”
“You do that, and we’ll see where it leaves you.” Patrick sulked.
I wondered whether my sister was living through similar scenes in Switzerland. When Roisin and I were in Munich, daily life had been functioning as usual. Maybe it was because they had gradually gotten used to the constant fear of getting sick, so nobody cared as much anymore. Whereas here, the first deaths had just happened. Nobody had time yet to adjust to the fact that we weren’t safe here anymore.
After school, Alex and I met at Chickatawbut Overlook to go for a short hike. The trees and the small stone tower looked untouched. Whatever problems people had in the world, they hadn’t arrived here yet. I enjoyed the fresh breeze that smelled of trees. Once we had left the car behind us, I walked backward, slightly in front of Alex with my hands in my jeans pockets.
“When you start in the lab, you’d better find a solution to turn yourself into a Siren fast,” I said. “I don’t want to take any chances that the night flu hits you while I’m somewhere out and about.”
“It does seem safer to have supernatural powers right now, doesn’t it?” Alex responded. “Except if you show up on Dr. Palmer’s radar.”
“That’s why some magical creatures are going into hiding, as well,” I said.
Alex took a deep breath. “It’s so quiet up here. It seems even the birds have disappeared. You think that’s the calm before the storm?”
“That’s because it’s November. Don’t you start reading bad things into everything now, too.” I flicked my hand over his chest.
“You’re right.” He pulled me closer to him. In a hug, we made a half-turn and gazed over the city. Boston’s skyline looked phenomenal from up here. “I like living with you, as far as we can call this living together. I never thought that I would have a serious relationship so soon, but this gives me a good feeling about our future.” He kissed the part of my neck behind my earlobe, which made all the little hairs there stand on end.
“I understand what Cathy meant. Any Siren who loves someone wouldn’t want to let that person die. Even if I didn’t have permission, I’d try it with you if it came down to it. I couldn’t be without you anymore.” I hugged Alex a bit tighter.
“Don’t worry. I’m a survivor, and I have no plan of going anywhere.” I felt his smile even though I wasn’t looking at his face.
Chapter 13
More and more kids stayed home sick from school – either because they were exhausted from a lack of sleep and, therefore, really got sick, or because their parents were afraid they would catch the night flu at school. Marty was one of the more normal ones who still attended school.
“Your parents don’t allow you to stay home, either?” I asked him as he was walking in the same direction in the hallway.
“No, they’re strong advocates of medicine and are convinced that things will get back to normal soon,” he said.
“What do you think?” I asked.
He looked around as if to make sure nobody else was listening. “Sooner or later, there will be a solution for the flu. What worries me more are other people’s intense reactions. Not sleeping turns them into monsters!”
“Oh, I agree with you.” I smiled. “It seems like humans prefer to destroy the world and themselves before something in the world can destroy them.”
“Yeah, if that trend continues, we won’t have to worry what our parents think anymore. Our school will close down anyway.”
“And only a few weeks ago, I was daydreaming that this would happen,” I replied, then frowned. “Of course, not under these circumstances.”
Before returning to Alex that day, I finally remembered early enough that it was time to see how Rey was doing. Whenever I passed his house, I felt a pang of guilt that I hadn’t visited my lonely neighbor lately. But it had always been in the middle of the night when I raced past his home to go to Melissa and Luke’s.
The smoke that puffed out of the chimney in his shed was the only sign that he was still alive.
“Hey, hey.” I walked into his shed after knocking.
“Hey there, stranger.” Rey sat up from the single bed in the shed and rubbed his eyes.
“You were sleeping?” I asked, surprised. It was the middle of the afternoon, after all.
“Only napping. I have the luxury of arranging the day how I want it.”
“As long as you don’t feel sick, it’s okay.” I studied him with concern.
He snorted. “I’m perfectly fine. But even if I catch the flu, so be it. It’s not like I’d miss much of my life.”
“I’d miss you,” I said. When I had found out that Alex and my Siren family had lied to me and I just wanted to weep for the rest of my life, Rey listened and managed to help me feel better. It hurt to hear him speak like this and to know that he valued so little in his life.
“You raised that number by one-hundred percent.” One corner of his mouth wandered slightly upward. “But seriously, don’t worry about me.”
“I feel bad. I haven’t been a social neighbor lately.” I sat in my usual spot on the bench, my shoulders slumping.
“Ha, I have never been social. I forgive you.” He winked at me.
I smiled. “Good. But if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to come knocking at our door.” Everybody needed somebody in such troubled times.
“All right.” He nodded.
We played a few rounds of Uno and later I said goodbye again. I waved at his shed as I walked away, not sure whether he was looking out of any of the windows.
A couple of days later, while I kept Alex company as he ate a late lunch, an explosion at a yoga center shook Boston. We didn’t feel the explosion directly because it was too far from Alex’s apartment, but we saw the videos of it on his laptop. The underground movement – which wasn’t just a rumor – announced in a video that they’d done it because the yoga teacher was influencing her group to become Alternatives. I was pretty sure that none of my friends went to this yoga studio, but it was right next to Sam’s university campus, so my heart faltered when I learned this news.
Alex and I both grabbed our phones to frantically type messages to everybody we knew and ask if they were okay. In the pub chat, everybody declared themselves as safe, and Phe and Joe sent a picture of themselves in somebody’s living room. Alex’s sister and his closest friends were fine, as well. With every message we received, we breathed a sigh of relief. The only one who didn’t respond was Sam. I waited for about two hours before I called him, but he didn’t pick up. Only when I called the third time did I finally hear the desired click in the line.
“Sam, why didn’t you write back or pick up before?” I reproached him because my nerves were strained.
“Nathalie.” He swallowed. He didn’t sound okay.
“Did anything happen to you?” I asked worriedly.
“No, not to me,” he croaked. “But one of my friends. It’s a sports studio, for God’s sake! People attend this class to have a calm moment to themselves. Why would somebody attack something like that?”
“I know, I can’t understand it, either.” I let go of the breath I had been holding since I heard about the explosion.
“My friend lost her leg. She’ll be a cripple for the rest of her life. Maybe that’s a
consolation if you compare it to the people who died, but it would have been a small price to pay to stay home and be lazy instead.”
“Then the people who did this accomplished their goal with the attack,” I countered, but I didn’t want to sound too aggressive because Sam was clearly upset. Therefore, I added, “But I’d also feel calmer if you stayed home and I knew you were safe. At least stay alert in public places.” I pressed my lips together before I continued. “My friends in France do the same, and there the bombings have been going on for much longer.”
Sam took a deep breath. “Maybe I’ll come home to Orleans for a while.”
“Yes, that would be nice. We could hang out again like in the good old times,” I responded.
“I have to go now. It’s kind of crazy here. Two freshmen have died and several others from my uni were injured.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “You stay safe.”
“You, too.” He hung up.
I joined Alex in the living room again. “Sam is fine,” I said as I sat down.
“In that case, why are your shoulders sagging like there’s a heavy weight on them?”
“People our age died during this attack, and they had nothing to do with the night flu.” I exhaled sharply. “The street fights you read about on the news and these bombings are an even bigger threat than the flu, and the terrorists all justify it with Dr. Palmer’s statement that the Alternatives are responsible for the flu. If Claire doesn’t find him, I have to figure out something else fast.”
Alex squeezed me against him. “You are not alone. Only two more days and I can finally start making baby cells in test tubes.”
“And you think that’s the right solution?”
“I won’t know until I’ve tried. All the great inventions needed a starting idea and a lot of determination after that. I’ve had many hiccups on my road, but it’s only gotten better with time. So, I’m convinced that we’re headed in the right direction.”
“With your positive mindset, it can only have a good outcome.” I dropped one corner of my mouth and shook my head.
“Yes!” he exclaimed. “And a small dose of positivity wouldn’t do you any harm, either.”
The next day, Roisin showed up at Alex’s place. I hadn’t seen her since she stormed out of our discussion about the Orbiters’ plan. She had been so upset that I thought it was best to give her some space. I wished I had her strength to oppose the others, but it was safest for Alex if we went along with the Orbiters’ wishes.
“Hey, what a surprise,” I said as I opened the door.
She shrugged and walked past me into the apartment, eyeing everything with keen interest. “You traded your jewel at the beach for a sardine can where you don’t even have a nice view?”
She had a point. Here, the walls and the floor were gray, whereas on Cape Cod the walls were painted in soft pastel colors and Melissa had put nice pictures of seashells on the wall. In addition, the living room and kitchen here were even smaller than on the Cape, and in the kitchen, there was a never-shrinking tower of plates and glasses piled up on the drying rack.
“Your place in NYC is even tinier,” I said, outraged.
“Yes, but I have a view.”
“I have an Alex,” I threw back with a chuckle.
“True – not a bad view, either.” She nudged me in the side.
“So, what brings you here?” I asked her.
“Over the past few days, I settled everything in order to go to Cappadocia. I will try and talk to any of the Minotaurs.” She looked at me. “I thought you should know.”
“Uh, yes, thanks,” I said, a little startled. “Does Melissa know?”
“Yes, I’ve told her.”
“Is anyone coming with you?” Surely, it wouldn’t be easy to find them alone, and it might also be dangerous.
“No, you have other things to do here,” she replied a little harshly.
“Roisin, I didn’t volunteer for this, either.” I pressed my lips together. “But this task is the reason why they don’t hurt Alex. We don’t have a choice. Besides, they might not even succeed.”
Roisin swallowed. “What if they do, though?”
I shook my head, a little irritated. “That would be great! It would mean that there are more Sirens like Luke. And Sirens could have healthy relationships.”
Roisin released a breath and nodded slowly.
“What exactly don’t you like about this?”
She grimaced contritely. “It’s just dangerous.”
“Oh, and running halfway around the world on your own to find out about a killer is not dangerous,” I retorted. “Somehow, this doesn’t fit you. There has to be something else.”
She glanced sideways and I raised my eyebrows.
“What?” I asked.
She swallowed. “It’s ridiculous.”
“Well, now I am curious.” I crossed my arms and watched her expectantly.
She sighed and dropped onto the couch. “I love my life the way it is. Guys love me,” she emphasized.
“That’s nothing new.”
“Yes, but what if there suddenly are many male Sirens and they’re immune to our aura?”
“Really? You aren’t worried that someone might get killed – you’re afraid that you’ll end up alone?”
“I told you, it’s ridiculous.” She also crossed her arms.
“And the chance of that happening is nonexistent. There will always be more humans than Sirens. Moreover, there will be a chance we can love Sirens.”
“Up to now, I always felt special. This would somehow take it away. You couldn’t relate to that since you’ve been special from the beginning.”
I snorted. “Which I never chose to be!”
“Yes, sorry, I know that.” She pressed her mouth into a thin line. “So, I don’t know how long it will take me to find a Minotaur. I assume that after what happened to Tarik, they’re even more careful. But if these bastard killers could find him, I can find them, as well.” She had a determined look in her eyes.
“Is there anyone who can help you over there?” I asked.
“First, I’ll try to find some Sirens in Turkey, and if they can’t tell me anything, I’ll look for other magical creatures.”
I raised an eyebrow. “It's possible to contact other races, although we’re supposed to stay out of each other’s territories?”
“In times like these, we need to stick together. Someone always knows something.”
I bit my lower lip and nodded. “Okay.” I placed my hand on hers. “Good luck.”
“Thanks. I might need it.”
“Just don’t take any unnecessary risks. We’ll need you here, as well.” I gave a crooked smile.
She nodded.
“In the meantime, I might go check out these bunkers in Nevada,” I said.
“The ones our government set up so that they could pretend they were doing something useful after the night flu hit in Las Vegas?” Roisin asked, unimpressed.
“Yes, those bunkers. Yesterday, Alex and I saw a mass exodus of people being evacuated on the news.” Army men stood at both sides of the queue to ensure that the procession into the underground of the desert would go civilized. “I mean, why are they going into a bunker with hundreds of other people?” I thought aloud. “Don't they see that it’s like marching into a death trap with all the bacteria around?”
“Those bunkers are monitored as thoroughly as a mother bird would watch her nest. They are safe,” Roisin insisted.
“I guess so, but I want to have a closer look at one.”
“If you think it helps. Just don't get stuck in the bunker,” she joked.
I shook my head and accompanied her downstairs. We hugged and I wished her luck again.
“I will come back, you know,” she said.
“Yes, but who knows when? This feels odd.”
“It will be all right.” She smiled one of her carefree Roisin smiles and waved before taking off.
While she
was about to run halfway around the world again, I was only running halfway across the country. Twenty minutes later, I filed myself into the queue that led to the bunker’s entrance. Everybody was allowed to bring one small backpack, but from how much they all dragged along, they obviously hoped to get around that rule. Children were crying from waiting so long in this dry climate, and mothers tried to quiet them. With all these heartbeats, the conversations of the waiting people, the crying children and the shouts from the soldiers that we should go slowly and only bring one bag, this place was like a heavy metal festival for my ears.
That's why a group of people a little further ahead in the line stood out – because it was much quieter around them. Apart from not having heartbeats, they further stood out because they were all wearing stylish hats and sunglasses, although the sun was not that strong. It still left them handsome in a way that could make you assume they were in a hipster band. But since their hearts weren’t beating, they had to be something else, and they couldn’t be Sirens because several men stood among them.
I became restless and didn’t want to wait in line anymore. What were they? I tried to push forward to them, but of course, I only earned angry stares and a few other loud remarks from the people I wanted to push past. I wouldn't reach them this way. I walked along the line next to the people, and soon the group had sensed my presence, as well. They nodded at each other and subtly pointed their heads at me.
“The end of the line is over there,” a soldier told me.
I swallowed. “I don't want to go in there, I just need to talk to someone.”
“This isn’t the time for that,” the soldier said.
The creatures avoided my gaze and pretended not to hear my exchange with the soldier. That piqued my curiosity about their reason for going into hiding even more. They slowly advanced toward the bunker.
“But my cousin forgot his heart pills,” I yelled. “He’ll die without them! I brought them for him.” I pointed to my jacket pocket.
The soldier narrowed his eyes. “Okay, be quick – I'll watch to make sure you leave again.”
“Thanks,” I said, and joined the group, which shoved me into their center.
