1. P R E V I O U S L Y : On "ZooPhobia"

CHAPTER VI

The next week at school, Damian grinned cruelly from his spot between Jack and Zill while the latter lay flat on his desk, unwilling to even show his face.

"Zill...?" Jack asked quietly. "Bro, you okay?"

Zill covered his head with his hands.

"He's so broken!" Damian crowed.

Jack glared at him.

"So broken," Damian whispered, leaning into Jack's personal space.

Jack's glare grew fiercer.

Ignoring this, Damian sneered, "So how was your week in the locker, eh, Jackster?"

Jack prepared to offer a retort, but decided to pull a page out of Damian's book and ignored him. Instead, he leaned across Damian's desk and said to his best friend, "Zill, you know Kay's just really riled up. She'll calm down eventually, and then maybe you could make it up to her—"

"I forgot our three-year anniversary, dude!" Zill cried, turning and grabbing Jack. "One of the most special days of her life and I forgot it!" He flopped back onto his desk, moaning, "She's gonna hate me forever!"

"Heh heh! You suck," Damian commented.

"HEY!"

The three students quickly turned to the front of the class.

"Save yer soap opera for after my class, ya hooligans!" snarled Ms. Cide, the ornery (and elderly) math teacher.

"Sorry, Ms. Cide," Jack and Zill apologized (though Zill's apology was muffled, as he'd returned his face to his desk).

"Seriously though, Zill," Jack whispered out of the corner of his mouth. "It's Kayla. I doubt she could stay mad at you."

-

"AARRGGH!!"

An Aquian student named Orion drew back in terror, frantically attempting to parry every attack Kayla launched at him. The two were sparring in fencing class, but Kayla's onslaught seemed far too intense for practice.

"THREE YEARS!" Kayla raged. "ONE DAY!" She let out a roar of anger before easily managed to place her blade at Orion's throat.

"Whoa! Kayla, are—are you feeling alright today?" Orion stammered, lowering his weapon quickly.

Kayla removed her helmet and snapped, "I'm feeling FINE!" before hurling her sword into the wall and storming away.

Orion gulped.

-

Cameron wrapped her arms around herself and shivered as she walked down the currently-empty halls of Z.P.A. It's way too quiet in here, she thought. I know I've been here a while, but when it's like this, it still puts me on edge...

She paused and glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was creeping up on her.

However, she should probably have kept her eyes forward, because as soon as she turned back around, two Draconians—Malcom, the flight teacher, and Perci, the language arts instructor—appeared out of nowhere and shouted, "CAMERON!"

Cameron jumped—or leapt, rather, practically into the ceiling—but somehow managed to keep from screaming.

"What's the haps?!" Malcom asked excitedly.

"How are you today?" Perci inquired, his voice pitching wildly.

Cameron cringed, trying to stop shivering. "Is scaring me like a sport for you people?" she asked.