Grimm Reaction: A Price to Pay

Chapter 1: Strange occurrences

"I'm gunna fail." My best friend, Liz, groaned as we walked through our school's parking lot. Her brown hair was pulled back into a short ponytail, leaving her bangs to cover her forehead. She wore a red jacket and black jeans. Her backpack hung over her left shoulder. I gave her a sideways look, "Only if you want to."

She huffed angrily at me, "That only works for you." I laughed. Liz was always stressed out, and it was my job to keep her from going insane. Which wasn't always easy.

I cleared my throat. "To fail. Or not to fail. That, is the question, and whether or not to, is up to the beholder of the test." I said dramatically. I waved my hand in the air to exaggerate, and bowed in front of her.
She crossed her arms over her chest, "I thought you hated Shakespeare."

I looked up at her, still bowing.

"No. I hated Romeo and Juliet. Hamlet, on the other hand, wasn't bad." I said, straightening my posture.

She snickered. "And the award for best actress goes to..." She said in an announcer's voice, her hand holding a nonexistent mic, "A random slacker from Forestry's finest, Max Wodahs!"

I held my heart and stumbled back, miming getting shot in the chest.
"Ouch! That's harsh. Calling me one of our school's finest students. What an insult!"

Liz playfully pushed my shoulder, "Well, you would be if you'd actually do your work instead of acting like an idiot."

I chuckled, "Hey, I try hard to keep my grades average."

She rolled her eyes and continued walking. I followed beside her. Other students filed into the building in front of us. The sky was only just beginning to lighten from the rising sun, making the gray building even more drab than usual.

My friend sighed.

"I just don't get it." She said quietly.

I gave her a questing look, "You don't get what?"

"How you can just breeze through everything? You never pay attention in class, yet you can help me with my work just fine. And the answers you give me are always right," her dark brown eyes locked onto mine. "It's almost like you really are trying to keep your grade level low."

I frown. 'Has she really been playing that much attention?' I wondered. I quickly grinned, hoping to myself that she didn't notice my reaction. "Isn't that what I've been telling you?" I asked. Liz blinked and looked away, obviously deep in thought. 'Great. Now it won't be long until she asks why...' I rubbed the back of my head, trying to figure out a way to explain it. Though, truthfully, I had no idea why I did it.

We were both quiet as we walked into the school. People chatted loudly amongst friends before the first class began. Lockers slammed shut on both sides of the hallway. I stop suddenly; a strange feeling crept up my spine. I felt unsteady, like the floor was trying to move out from under me.

"Hey! Max, are you okay?" Liz's voice sounded like it was coming from underwater. My vision blurred slightly. I closed my eyes tightly, trying desperately not to throw up.

"Max?!"

Just as fast as it came, the feeling subsided. I slowly opened my eyes, and discovered that I had fallen to my knees. 'What the heck is that?'

"Max?" Liz reached out and gently touched my shoulder. I looked up at her. Her other hand covered her nose.

"I'm fine." I mumbled as I attempted to stand. My knee buckled, causing me to drop back down. Liz quickly caught me by my elbow and helped me up.

"You don't look fine." she said worriedly. I gave her a fake smile, but frowned when I saw red liquid drip from her covered nose.

"Neither do you," I said, "your nose is bleeding."

Liz shot me a blank look, "No. I just stuffed ketchup up it."

I laughed uneasily, "Nice sarcasm. But, seriously. What's that smell?"

I looked around the hall to see if anyone else was having problems with it, but nobody seemed to have noticed.

"I don't have a clue. But, whatever it is, it looks like it only bothers us. It's probably just some sort of perfume that some jerk sprayed." Liz concluded.

I nodded. "Yeah, makes sense...I guess." I said, unsure.

A loud ringing filled the hallways. Warning that the first class would begin in one minute.

"We better get to our classes." Liz said as she wiped her nose with a tissue from her backpack.

"Right. See ya next hour." I replied. I watched as my friend reluctantly moved down the hall, waving reassuringly at her. My fake smile disappeared when she stepped out of sight. I leaned against the wall, feeling completely drained.

'Why do I feel so cold?'