The days after Zoe’s craziness, I watched in horror as those news reporters stormed into the hospital while the security and nurses tried to stop them. Those people are news-thirsty, and if there’s a word for “madly eager,” it fits them perfectly.
One sweaty man with oily hair pushed me through the crowd and into a tiny room with his cameraman. He announced something to the camera and then jumped right into a long, life-taking conversation. For my mental health’s sake, I acted humble, but it just made it worse: he thought I was too shocked.
“So, Katina,” he said disgustingly sweetly, “why is your friend Zoe Quinn crazy? Did Dr. Hooter tell you anything?” He leaned closer, so close that I could smell his sweaty shirt and hot breath.
“I seriously don’t know.” And that’s my privacy. I added that in my mind because they were doing it LIVE. I could see the red light flashing, which made me think of Zoe’s shining yellow eyes. The reporter looked very disappointed as he tried to hide it. “Umm, well, then what do you see when she’s in that, like, mode?”
Talking about that again? My mind flew back to that terrible scene when Zoe’s eyes went yellow. Sweat raced down my neck as I thought of any possible answer to hide it. “Sorry, but I don’t want anyone to know. It was terrible. I do not want to repeat it.” The man looked even more disappointed.
“Maybe just give us a shallow memory?” he tried hopefully.
I looked at my feet numbly without a word as the news reporter finished the whole thing sorrowfully.
He stepped out, taking a last pitiful look at me. The noise came back, like someone slowly turned the volume up and then suddenly turned it back to silence. I stared at my shoelaces, pretending to be fascinated by them even though no one was watching.
My mind was screaming with despair and panic. Blankly, I got up and pushed through the buzzing crowd outside the room, feeling and ignoring those pulls and invitations, just fleeing numbly to the stairs and sprinting to Zoe’s room. I saw another bunch of nurses making a wall to block those mad people. One of the nurses saw me and made a tiny gap to let me squeeze in. I barely made it in before I saw yellow eyes staring at me.
I screamed. I got to my feet and started running toward the door, but it was stuck in the huge pressure of the crowd. Terrified and lonely, I turned my head back only to see Zoe and another boy.
The boy was like the male version of Zoe. His eyes were yellow, and his hair was midnight black. I could see the bandage on his hand. He looked so much like Zoe. I suddenly realized I had just screamed at their faces.
“Sorry.” I apologized to the twin-like children. “I’m sorry for screaming and waking you up.”
The boy smiled. “It’s fine. Are you Zoe’s friend? She talked to me about you. A lot.” He added, “Wait…” He stared at me in disbelief, and I started to recognize some of his features.
“Katina Crown?” he said.
“Oh! You’re Zach?” I exclaimed, starting to feel a little jealous of Zoe. Zachery Wilson—the LAC (Leafbrook Athletics Competition) school captain. He was the science teacher’s son, and he had a sister who was in grade 2. He was the most gossiped-about person in the class because so many girls liked him.
“So, you got bit?” I heard myself asking.
“What else? I got bit on my trip to my friend Jacob’s house. In case you don’t know, he lives here. I was just getting out of a car when a black snake bit me on my right hand. Man, it hurts.”
“And your hair and eyes changed color?” I added.
“Yes. Do you see all those news reporters outside the door? They’re annoying.” He protested, looking toward the door.
“For your mental health’s sake, don’t talk to them. I got interviewed, and that’s some kind of torture.”
Zoe had remained quiet for a long time. She finally turned her head to me.
“Hi, Kat. Looks like you’ve already met Zach.” She said, “I’m sorry for scaring you last night, but I just can’t control myself.”
“It’s fine. Dr. Hooter said you have venom in your brain.” I replied, “Do you want a biscuit? I’ve got some in my pockets.”
“Nah, I’ve got surgery this afternoon, so I can’t eat. I’m kind of nervous.” Zoe admitted, scratching the bed.
“You’ll be fine.” I smiled.
Mrs. Quinn came back into the room and informed us that the reporters were gone for good.
“Let’s go!” I purred happily.
“Finally.” Zach let out a long breath, stretching in a chair.
“Kids, do you want to go and have a look at some wild kittens?” Mrs. Quinn asked. “I found them under an oddly shaped rock.”
“I’ll be waiting for the surgery right here.” Zoe groaned, “I’m too lazy to get on my feet.”
“I’m going.” I said.
“Cool. I’m interested. I can’t wait; I am seriously rotting out here.” said Zach, getting on his feet.
He can wait. The rain was falling again, and we were sprinting back, cursing under our breaths, dripping wet.
“When can this stupid, annoying, horrible rain STOP!” Zach looked like he was about to throw himself off a cliff.
The afternoon remained quiet until Chloe rushed in.
“Katina! I’ve heard the thing.” She yelled at me as she sprinted across the hallway. I was grateful because she referred to “it” as “the thing.”
“Wait—are you Zachery Wilson?” She stared at the black-haired boy.
“Umm, yeah—my hair was brown—”
“And your eyes WERE green.” Chloe finished for him, winking.
Zach turned pink, as pink as a piggy bank. “Yeah—Chloe Park.”
I noticed Zoe in the room. I leaned on her and whispered, “See? He likes her.”
Zoe nodded, her eyes sparkling.
“Are you listening? Seriously: If you aren’t listening, you like him.”
“I am listening. So it’s true. Gotta get it spreading in the grade in the first second of grade 6.”
Chloe glanced at Zoe.
A creak of the door broke the embarrassing silence as it brought a ray of sunlight scattering into the room.
“Is any of you Zoe Quinn?” a young nurse glanced around the room as Zoe stepped out, shivering slightly. “Well then, come here and lie down so I can give you a bit of anesthetics. It won’t hurt at all if you stay still; you’ll sleep during the process.” The woman instructed quickly, pushing a needle into Zoe’s arm.
“You’ll be fine!” I whispered encouragingly.
I watched as the nurse pushed Zoe, who was already falling under the medication. The door swung back, and I ran and curled up on Zoe’s empty bed while Zach pulled out his phone.
“If you are watching the news, you are the oldest dude in the school.” Chloe teased.
“I don’t mind. Here—the news said that there’s a landslide on New Factory Road!” He exclaimed.
“And the Anthony Bridge is damaged by the flood—oh no.” My eyes widened because I just realized—
“We’re trapped in the town with the snakes!” I hissed, seeing the petrified look on Chloe and Zach. “The landslide was probably caused by the overflowing of snakes—those nasty snakes! The eggs—they’re not from the rain clouds!” I barely held myself together with desperation.
“What rain clouds?” asked Zach.
“And what about the bridge?” Chloe looked puzzled.
I explained the whole thing to them: the snake encounter, the venom, and Zoe’s research.
Before either Chloe or Zach could speak, the clear news sound broke in: “A terrible event has cut right to the heart of Leafbrook—a new type of snake-like creature which took 7 lives and injured 2…who made a miracle by living over 8 days…”
“He’s talking about me and Zoe…” Zach looked at the screen.
“How long has it been since you were bitten?” I asked.
“Hmm, I’ve been bitten last Tuesday…and it’s Friday now…that’s 11 days.” He calculated.
“News!” Chloe reminded us by snapping.
I turned my head only to see Zoe’s face—no, faces—flashing on the vibrant screen: the before and the after. Before, she was so dazzlingly beautiful with glossy silvery blonde hair; her gray eyes were cold but stunningly pretty in the sunlight. But after, her cheeks sank into her bones, leaving a hard, bony face. Her angry yellow eyes stared into the camera blankly, and her hair was messy and curled.
I wet my lips with my tongue in sadness. Zoe was once so beautiful.
In the uneasy silence that went on for what felt like centuries, Chloe broke it with an awkward sentence.
“Zach, where’s your mother?”
“Um, she…was, um, too…” Zach answered carefully, avoiding Chloe’s curious gaze.
“She was too sad to come. The moment my hair turned black, she wouldn’t look at me again and just sent me to the hospital.” He spat the truth out honestly.
The screen showed Zach’s before and after. I watched it as I noticed Zach shared some features with me—brown hair, green eyes, and an astonishingly similar nose.
“You look alike.” Chloe attempted to joke but was stunned after she realized how much truth there was in the sentence. The rain slowly stopped as the first ray of sunlight shot into the room from the window.
Zach shot out of his bed, smiling, and sprinted to the window with incredible speed as a sports captain. But the smile froze on his face. I got to my feet and peered through the window.
I shook my head just to be sure that I wasn’t imagining things. The view was just a mass of dark gray paint spilled on the green and blue canvas. The once-lively woods were now dead, and the only greenery was the huge tree where the treehouse stood, standing out like a gem in a pile of rocks. The river, I don’t know, seemed to be wider. Chloe padded behind me to take a look, and I could feel a hot gasp on my neck.
Sorrow flooded my mind as I turned to see Chloe sobbing. Yes, Chloe doesn’t cry often; she’s not the Ninja Girl in the school but a strong woman in my mind. But she now looked so small and weak. I understood that. The forest was like another home to her, a shelter, a refuge. Chloe was now trying hard to hold back her tears, and it had done little effect. Zach, who had his mouth open, stepped toward Chloe but was speechless in comforting her. I trotted toward the awkward pair, gave a look toward Zach, who immediately understood and backed off. I half-led, half-pushed Chloe outside the room and outside the hospital, where her mother stood.
“The forest…” Chloe whimpered, running into her mother’s chest.
Chloe’s mother gave me a questioning and pitiful look and led Chloe to her bike.
I walked back in from the outside and returned to the room.
The room was now quiet. Zach was napping on his bed, so I waited quietly in a chair, suddenly feeling so tired. I’ve been hiding for three days now, and I barely slept through these days. I melted into the chair, feeling so stressed, and the last strength left me as I sank into a soft, black surface with a dreamless sleep.
Or was it sleep? The world above me didn’t vanish into a mist of darkness. Instead, it turned into twirls of colors, floating above me, moving swiftly. I could sense something happening, but I couldn’t move, nor could I hear.
Horror struck me like lightning. As much as I rely on my sight, I also need my hearing. Hearing nothing (no bird tweets) in the woods probably means danger is lurking in the shadows. The sky above me now had white clouds, spinning with the other colors wildly. The sky finally darkened with a last tuft of white mist vanishing into the air.
In the blackness, a pair of yellow lights started shining brightly, so bright that I had to squint my eyes shut to avoid turning blind as well as deaf. Soon it died, and I was back in the hospital chair, staring at the ceiling, but something yellow stood out from it. I took a moment to process that it was Zach’s eye.
“You okay? I saw you fell asleep on the chair. Zoe’s absent. You can sleep on her bed. It’s a long surgery, you know; I’m getting worried.”
“She’ll be fine. Though I heard they are getting rid of something in Zoe’s lungs.” I groaned, pushing him away.
“Wait—what do you mean by ‘getting rid of’?” Zach stammered, suddenly alarmed.
“What else?” I said carelessly, knowing Zoe would be absolutely alright; she has to— “Cutting.”
“Scary,” said Zach.
Outside the door, a squeaking sound made me jump in surprise.
The door slowly opened, and I saw Zoe lying breathless on the stretcher.
