Academy for the Strange

Chapter 7: Work

            Fiona and Meredith had barely sat down in their usual seats in math, when Tyna, Aura, and Jordana joined them. They didn’t even have a chance to say anything before Tyna leaned in and said, “Did you hear?”

            The two roommates exchanged a look before Fiona shook her head. “Hear what?”

            “About the grade nine kid?” Jordana whispered.

            The way they spoke sent goosebumps rolling across Fiona’s arms while Meredith’s eyes widened. “What grade nine kid?”

            “Apparently, this grade nine girl just collapsed. Like, one minute she’s fine, the next, boom! Coma. Her roommate was freaking out about it last night. Everyone in Spirit dorm was panicking and stuff. A couple ended up over at our dorm and told us about it. Apparently the girl was a banshee or something, and now everyone’s worried about catching whatever it is she has. It’s crazy,” Aura said.

            Fiona could only stare. She supposed in the back of her mind she’d always felt that getting sick was a human thing, and that the Phasms would be immune to it. “Is it serious?” she asked. Then part of her began to worry about what would happen if a human caught a Phasm disease. Would she be immune, or would it be worse for her?

            “No one knows. That’s the worst part,” Aura said.

            She shivered and looked around. Everyone in the class seemed to have their heads together, whispering. Fiona knew how fast stuff travelled at her old school, and this was a closed campus. She wondered what they could and should do. Maybe she should talk to the principal…

            The classroom door opened and Ms. Griffith strode in. The whole class froze like a tableau as she raked them with her gaze. Finally she sighed. “I shouldn’t be surprised how quickly word travels here anymore. Before you ask, yes, we do have a student in a coma. No, the situation isn’t serious nor do we believe she’s contagious. Yes, Dr. Volkov is looking after her. No, visitors will not be allowed at this time. Now, if you’ll all turn your attention to what you’re supposed to be thinking about today.”

            Fiona could almost feel the class’s sigh of relief as all around people scrambled to get their books and homework out. Having someone with authority explain the situation made it seem like everything was under control, that it’d be alright. In her experience, teachers would fake confidence to help them get through, even if they felt anything but sure.

            She sighed inaudibly and glanced around the room. Almost everyone was watching Ms. Griffith as she began writing on the board. One of the few who wasn’t was Chay, and he was staring straight at her. She met his gaze for a moment then nodded. He must feel the same way and seen her expression.  Turning back to what their teacher was writing, she hoped he knew that even if the faculty was faking, it didn’t mean they weren’t doing everything they could about the situation.

            By the end of the class, the girl in the coma had all but been driven from Fiona’s mind. Ms. Griffith hadn’t given them any kind of leeway because of the excitement and had kept them going right up until the bell. “I swear sometimes she likes seeing us sweat,” Jordana said.

            “What do you mean sometimes?” Tyna quipped.

            They all chuckled before they split up. Jordana headed to her next class, Meredith and Fiona to going straight to English, while Aura and Tyna hurried to the bathroom first. Settled into what Fiona now considered their seats, Meredith turned to look at her. “They like you,” she said quietly.