The Virus Within: Third Wave (Book 2)

Chapter 20

"Hurry up, or I'm going to drag you out by your ankles," I told my sister through her closed bedroom door.

"Oh! I'm in favor of watching that!" Nicky chirped from behind me.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Jess's muffled voice replied. "Patience is a virtue, you know."

"And I save mine for when I'm about to ambush something," I retorted, "so you probably don't want to be quoting that proverb at me."

The door was flung open, revealing a flustered-looking Jess who was valiantly trying to wrestle a hairbrush through her disheveled brown hair. "I'm trying! But I can't go down like this!"

Nicky skipped forward and gawked at her. "Wow. There ought to be a medal for getting that many knots in straight hair."

"Tell me about it," Jess grumbled, still fighting with one of the many knots. "The entire reason I cut my hair at my shoulders was to avoid this."

"Let me go grab my hairbrush," Nicky said. "If it can handle my curls, those knots aren't going to stand a chance." She paused. "You don't have lice or anything, do you?"

"No," Jess replied, wrinkling her nose at the thought of such parasites.

"Good!" Nicky scampered down the hall and swiftly returned with a hairbrush that was missing half its bristles. "Hold still."

Within several minutes – and with a few squawks and squeaks from Jess – her hair was finally under control and knot-free.

"There you go!" Nicky proclaimed. "Now let's go down and get some breakfast before all the good stuff is gone!"

I went with them, although the dining hall was busier than I liked. While Nicky and Jess grabbed some food, I continued to the table where Nina and Daniel already sat. More than a few people welcomed me back with murmured greetings, which I awkwardly returned without stopping. When I reached the table, I sat in my customary corner with a sigh.

"They missed you," Nina observed, taking a bite of her toast.

"No kidding," I muttered, glancing back the way I had come. "You would have thought I was Queen Cleopatra or something."

"Not quite, but they do see you as a nighttime protector whose presence was missed."

I snorted. "More like a shadowy assassin that gives them nightmares and keeps them from going outside at night."

"But you're on their side," Nina replied logically, "and that makes all the difference. You aren't seeking their blood – you're defending it."

What was it with people trying to use logic this early in the morning? I shook my head and dismissed the conversation. Nicky claimed the seat beside me, leaving Jess at the end of the table where a fifth chair now permanently resided.

"I assume you were the one who brought the side-by-side back?" Daniel asked.

"Getting it out of the tree was interesting. Jess didn't mention they had parked it in such a safe place."

"It was in a tree?" Daniel glanced at me in surprise.

"Wedged between two trees, actually," I replied in a bland voice.

A young man sitting at the next table happened to be hunching his shoulders as the details came forth. His friends were hiding their growing smirks, clearly enjoying his reaction. I suspect I found the driver, I thought to myself, keeping half an eye on him in case more clues came to light.

Daniel shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe it actually ran after that."

"I was dubious about that as well. But it runs, even if one of the tires needs to be straightened. Stopping is a different issue – the brakes are long gone."