Out for Blood
Page 63
“No,” I assured her sternly. Chloe’s flare for dramatics could create a whole problem where there was none. Sometimes you had to cut her off at the pass. “It makes you a person who got used to taking vitamins, so try taking actual vitamins.”
“Huh. That actually makes sense.”
“And you might want to go talk to Theo. He’d know what to do.”
“Okay.” She took a deep breath, then another one. “Okay.” She picked one of her bras off the floor. “I’m still killing whoever did this. And I’m doing it before the steroid strength wears off.”
“Deal. I’ll help you.” My trunk poked out from under the bed, bursting with romance novels. I shoved it back under.
“Hunter?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for the whole steroid thing.” She picked up the compact mirror left on her pillow and stared at her upper lip.
“You don’t have a mustache,” I assured her.
“I could kill my mom for that. She nearly gave me a beard and a bald spot.”
I snorted a laugh, then tried to cover it up with a cough. She shot me a look but I could tell she was trying not to laugh too.
“It’s not funny,” she insisted.
“Of course not,” I squeaked, choking on a giggle.
“I could have looked like the wolfman!” she added. “Or my grandma!”
We laughed until we were crying. Fatigue and relief and tension made us slightly hysterical. We finally wheezed ourselves out and calmed down.
“We should get some sleep,” I croaked. “We have class in a few hours.”
“God,” Chloe groaned. “I have to face York. How fast am I going to get all weak and puny, do you think?”
“You were never puny.” I yanked my blanket over me. I couldn’t be bothered to change into my pajamas or to clean up the clothes piled messily around me. One of my boots was stuck under my pillow. I tossed it aside. “You’re just better with tech than with your fists. It’s no big deal.”
I was almost asleep when there was a timid scratching at the door.
“Are you kidding?” Chloe mumbled. “Do we have mice? I can’t deal with mice right now.” The scratch turned into a hesitant knock. I groaned and stumbled out of bed. “What now?”
Lia stood on the other side in pajamas with pink lollipops all over them. Her eyes were red and watery.
“Lia, what’s the matter?” I looked over her shoulder and down the hall, half expecting a Hel-Blar to jump out of the shadows. It was just that kind of night.
“It’s my roommate,” she sobbed. “She’s really sick. I don’t know what to do.”
I blinked blearily. “Did you tell Courtney?”
Lia shook her head, biting her lip.
“Why not? That’s her job. She’ll get one of the nurses.”
“No, you have to come. You can’t tell anyone.”
“What? Why?”
Chloe pushed in behind me. “Do you know what time it is?” she barked.
I grabbed Lia’s arm because she looked like she was going to run away. “Lia, what’s really going on?”
“Savannah’s sick.”
“And?”
She swallowed. I waited, refusing to let go. “Lia, if you want my help you have to be honest with me.”
Her lower lip quivered and I felt like a monster, but I stood my ground. When Lia finally spoke, it all came out in a rush of words that took a moment to sift through. “I don’t want to get in trouble and I promised her I wouldn’t tell but her lips are going blue and she’s breathing funny and I just don’t know what to do.”
“Okay, calm down,” I said softly, as if she were a wild bird and I had a handful of bread crumbs. “What’s the big secret?”
Lia reached into her pocket and took out three little white pills. “She’s been taking these.”
It was the same white pill Quinn and I had found in the common room.
I plucked one from her hand, growing cold all over. It was like an arctic wind was pushing through me, filling my lungs and freezing the blood in my veins.
“Chloe,” I croaked. “Look.”
Two letters were stamped in the center of the pill.
“TH.”
Trojan Horse.
Chloe and I bolted up the stairs, Lia hurrying after us. I called Theo from my cell and by the time we got up to Lia’s room, three of Savannah’s friends were hovering outside the door, worrying. Too many students had gotten sick already and too many of those had died for anyone to dismiss this as a simple flu, like the teachers were trying to tell us. The last thing we needed right now, though, was more attention and panic. Especially if Chloe and I had just discovered some sort of conspiracy, like I thought we had. We’d need witnesses eventually if we blew this thing wide open, but not right now.
“Is she going to die?” one of Niners asked bluntly.
“No,” I answered and pushed inside the room, shutting the door firmly.
Savannah lay in her bed, moaning. Her skin was clammy and damp with perspiration. She was hot to the touch and her eyes, when she pried them open, were bloodshot. Chloe hissed out a breath. We exchanged a bleak glance.
“Savannah.” I lowered my voice when she jerked at the sound. “It’s okay, we’re here to help. Savannah, this is very important. Can you tell me where you got those pills?”
“Huh. That actually makes sense.”
“And you might want to go talk to Theo. He’d know what to do.”
“Okay.” She took a deep breath, then another one. “Okay.” She picked one of her bras off the floor. “I’m still killing whoever did this. And I’m doing it before the steroid strength wears off.”
“Deal. I’ll help you.” My trunk poked out from under the bed, bursting with romance novels. I shoved it back under.
“Hunter?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for the whole steroid thing.” She picked up the compact mirror left on her pillow and stared at her upper lip.
“You don’t have a mustache,” I assured her.
“I could kill my mom for that. She nearly gave me a beard and a bald spot.”
I snorted a laugh, then tried to cover it up with a cough. She shot me a look but I could tell she was trying not to laugh too.
“It’s not funny,” she insisted.
“Of course not,” I squeaked, choking on a giggle.
“I could have looked like the wolfman!” she added. “Or my grandma!”
We laughed until we were crying. Fatigue and relief and tension made us slightly hysterical. We finally wheezed ourselves out and calmed down.
“We should get some sleep,” I croaked. “We have class in a few hours.”
“God,” Chloe groaned. “I have to face York. How fast am I going to get all weak and puny, do you think?”
“You were never puny.” I yanked my blanket over me. I couldn’t be bothered to change into my pajamas or to clean up the clothes piled messily around me. One of my boots was stuck under my pillow. I tossed it aside. “You’re just better with tech than with your fists. It’s no big deal.”
I was almost asleep when there was a timid scratching at the door.
“Are you kidding?” Chloe mumbled. “Do we have mice? I can’t deal with mice right now.” The scratch turned into a hesitant knock. I groaned and stumbled out of bed. “What now?”
Lia stood on the other side in pajamas with pink lollipops all over them. Her eyes were red and watery.
“Lia, what’s the matter?” I looked over her shoulder and down the hall, half expecting a Hel-Blar to jump out of the shadows. It was just that kind of night.
“It’s my roommate,” she sobbed. “She’s really sick. I don’t know what to do.”
I blinked blearily. “Did you tell Courtney?”
Lia shook her head, biting her lip.
“Why not? That’s her job. She’ll get one of the nurses.”
“No, you have to come. You can’t tell anyone.”
“What? Why?”
Chloe pushed in behind me. “Do you know what time it is?” she barked.
I grabbed Lia’s arm because she looked like she was going to run away. “Lia, what’s really going on?”
“Savannah’s sick.”
“And?”
She swallowed. I waited, refusing to let go. “Lia, if you want my help you have to be honest with me.”
Her lower lip quivered and I felt like a monster, but I stood my ground. When Lia finally spoke, it all came out in a rush of words that took a moment to sift through. “I don’t want to get in trouble and I promised her I wouldn’t tell but her lips are going blue and she’s breathing funny and I just don’t know what to do.”
“Okay, calm down,” I said softly, as if she were a wild bird and I had a handful of bread crumbs. “What’s the big secret?”
Lia reached into her pocket and took out three little white pills. “She’s been taking these.”
It was the same white pill Quinn and I had found in the common room.
I plucked one from her hand, growing cold all over. It was like an arctic wind was pushing through me, filling my lungs and freezing the blood in my veins.
“Chloe,” I croaked. “Look.”
Two letters were stamped in the center of the pill.
“TH.”
Trojan Horse.
Chloe and I bolted up the stairs, Lia hurrying after us. I called Theo from my cell and by the time we got up to Lia’s room, three of Savannah’s friends were hovering outside the door, worrying. Too many students had gotten sick already and too many of those had died for anyone to dismiss this as a simple flu, like the teachers were trying to tell us. The last thing we needed right now, though, was more attention and panic. Especially if Chloe and I had just discovered some sort of conspiracy, like I thought we had. We’d need witnesses eventually if we blew this thing wide open, but not right now.
“Is she going to die?” one of Niners asked bluntly.
“No,” I answered and pushed inside the room, shutting the door firmly.
Savannah lay in her bed, moaning. Her skin was clammy and damp with perspiration. She was hot to the touch and her eyes, when she pried them open, were bloodshot. Chloe hissed out a breath. We exchanged a bleak glance.
“Savannah.” I lowered my voice when she jerked at the sound. “It’s okay, we’re here to help. Savannah, this is very important. Can you tell me where you got those pills?”
