Alex Rider: The Aftermath

Chapter 2: Trouble

  Alex felt considerably worse when he got to school. He was so bad, he shook as he got off the bike. He was sweaty, and yet he still felt cold. Tom Harris ran over to him...and saw that something was wrong.

 "Mate, what's up? You look like death!," he commented as they started walking into the building. 

 "M' okay!," Alex said sharply and glared at him, but with a hoarse voice and a pained face, it looked more dumb than anything. Tom raised an unbelieving eyebrow.

 "Sure. Let's just get to class," he said. Exactly 2 seconds later, Megan Chase stuck her head out from a bush in which she'd been listening to the boys in. 

 "Called it," she said with some triumph, then realized that if she wanted to keep keeping an eye on him, she would need a disguise. 

 So, the next time a female student passed her, Megan, without a sound, grabbed her and yanked her behind into the bush, sedated her, took her school uniform (surprisingly, she had an extra in her bag), and went into the building. She followed from a distance, dodging behind things if Alex or Tom turned around. The first class of the day was history. Megan, who'd only been to school for a small amount of time but knew most likely more than the average high schooler, found it excruciatingly boring up until the teacher mentioned something about torture and spies. Megan's head jerked up, but she noticed Alex still stared out the window, looking tired and worn out and half-asleep. 

 "...So, in all your opinions, what would be the worst form of torture?," the teacher asked. People raised their hands immediately. Megan suddenly felt as though the room was rapidly increasing in heat and she felt the scars on her back burn. She desperately needed to get out of there....NOW! It was bringing back way too many unwanted memories! Megan forced herself to calm down.

Drowning.

Whipped.

Him.

 No, no you're not being waterboarded, tortured and...raped. Relax...Megan took a few deep breaths and was able to calm herself down. She was an extremely tolerant person when it came to pain, so when she'd been tortured, she'd been able to handle it without coming out with too many mental injuries. Not even a bad case of PTSD for a ten year old enlisted in a spy agency. But that didn't mean she didn't have occasional flashbacks. That was her first...first time.  No one forgets their first time, isn't that what they say? And Megan would never forget him. That bast***! He had made it so hard for her to ever be close to a boy again (with the exception of Miles).

  So, when she found Alex, she'd vowed to never lose him. Because he was the only boy she thought she'd ever trust. Megan shook herself out of her thoughts as class ended. Thankfully, Alex and Tom didn't see her, so she continued to more or less stalk them. Eventually, however, it just got really boring. On her way back to her and Miles's apartment, she recounted in her mind what she'd found out.

 1: Something was most definitely wrong with Alex.

2: Alex had barely said a word the whole time she was there. Did he know he'd been watched? Probably. Megan sighed. She hated not knowing about things.

 Alex had a feeling he was being watched, so he hadn't said anything regarding his health until he saw Megan slip away. She always did have a habit of looking out for him, but at times it got really annoying. And this time, if anyone had seen her, they would think she was stalking Alex most likely. 

 "Now will you tell me what's up?," Tom asked. Alex rolled his eyes. 

 "Alright fine. I think I might be sick," he said. Tom didn't look impressed.

  "I thought it was actually important. Not that you being sick isn't important!," he added quickly because Alex gave him a 'seriously?!' look. Alex suddenly staggered, griping his stomach in pain! 

 "Alex, what is it?! What's wrong?!," Tom asked, concerned.

 "I think- I'm going to vomit!!," Alex yelled, and took off to the bathroom at top speed and Tom ran after him! Alex made it to the toilet just in time! The meager contents of his lunch ended up in the toilet. The teen sat leaning against it, coughing and shaking. Tom burst in seconds later. 

 "Alex, you need to call Ben and go home! You shouldn't be in class like this!," he said. Alex was about to snap that he'd just be making more work for Ben, but instead erupted into a coughing fit.  Alex felt miserable. To be quite honest, going home sounded very nice, but he knew he had already fallen behind enough in his classes. "N-no. I-I'm staying right here at school," he snapped, stuttering a bit. Tom, rolled his eyes, knowing he couldn't make Alex go. 

 "Fine Al. If you want to get people sick, that's fine with me," he said, hoping Alex would get the hint. Clearly, by the attempted death look on Alex's face, he did, but didn't seem to care at all. He staggered up, shaking on his legs, and left the bathroom, heading for the next class of the day

  

 Alex stumbled home after school. His body hurt, his head ached, his throat burned, and he was coughing every few feet. He stumbled into the flat, and collapsed onto the couch, falling asleep as soon as he hit the couch.

 Call her a yandere or stalker or maybe just a reallyyyy paranoid friend, but Megan followed Alex all the way home. She picked the lock to the flat and gently opened the door.

 "Alex?," she whisper-called into the house.

 No answer.

 "Alex?," she called again, normally this time, entering the house and shutting the door. She looked around and saw Alex asleep on the couch. "Alex," she said. Said boy did not stir. Then Megan heard his breathing pattern. She laid her hand on Alex's forehead. It was burning up with a fever! Megan sighed. Tonight could be a very long evening.

  

  A/N: AUGH!!! IT LITERALLY TOOK ME IDK HOW MANY MONTHS TO UPDATE THIS!!! DARN MY SCHOOLWORK!!!! Hopefully I can update this more now that it's summer! See y'all next time!