The shining silver vehicle pulled into it's regular space in the parking lot. The moon shone, fading slightly as the sun began to rise, slowly into the gradually brightening sky. Five people piles out of the car, all covered from head to toe in the same kindof nameless, colourless goo that smely strongly of rotten eggs and sour milk. They were laughing and talking as they all began to make their way towards the huge building that loomed over them. The building seemed menacing to some people, but to the five people making their way ttowards it now, it was like coming home after a long holiday, friendly and comforting.
"I hate bugs!" Jenny said, to Nick, who laughed. Connor was trying to unattached his arm from his side, which appeared to have gotten stuck with the amount of worm-go that had been sprayed all over him. His nose still hurt."No," Jenny corrected herself, "You know what, I don't hate worms! I just hate THOSE ones!" She said, pointing at nothing in particular, "First they get into some office building, and then, eight months later they turn up in a nursery in the middle of the night! They're really asking for it!" She said, in all seriousness, causing Nick and Sarah to burst into laughter.
"Not a morning person, then?" Connor Temple, a dark haired student with a tendancy to say the wrong thing piped up, making everyone but Jenny stiffle more laughs.
"I am a perfectly fine morning person," Jenny insisted, wiping a gooey hand on even gooeyer black leggings, "But 3 o'clock at night is not morning!"
"Especially," Nick Cutter, a slightly eccentric scientist with a soft spot for Jenny put in, "When we spent all of yesterday chasing tiny little prehistoric ponies around a waterpark!"
There was alot or agreeing muttering and nodding of heads.
"They were cute though!" Abby Maitland, a young and enthisuastic zoo-keeper who had been present at teh very first anomaly said, and Sarah Page, an Egyptologist who had stumbled on one of the most recent Anomalies, laughed.
"Yeah, too bad you couldn't take one home as a sourvenir!" She teased her friend, gently, referring to the tiny and incredibly cute celulosorevus that she and Connor kept in the flat they shared, Rex. Abby smiled and blushed, appropriately, her eyes on Nick, who just smiled at her. He knew she still elt guilty, often, for going behind his back to keep the little flying Lizard who could be the undooing to their operation, but he also knew that she cared for Rex more that anyone on the planet and that she would do anything for the little guy.
As they laughed, Nick pushed open one of the doors to the main Opp's area and they were met by a very tired, very impatient looking Lester.
"Oh, dear god!" He said, rolling his eyes as they all trudged in and twitching his nose, "What is that horrendous smell? Am I to believe that it is theā¦slime that is all over you?" He said and the team nodded, all looking like naughty children except Cutter, who just smiled like the Cocky one of the popular group at school.
"Excuse me," Jenny said, turning to the team, "But I am going to get changes!" She said, with a smile at Sarah and Abby, who quickly followed her. She walked into the ladies locker rooms and opened her own. There, inside, there were three different sets of clothing that she kept here. For times like this, and times like when she fell into the lake. She blushed as she thought about it!
"Just as I thought!" A voice said behind her and she turned to see Abby and Sarah exchanging conspiratory glances.
"Oh, I don't know, do you Abby?" Sarah said, obviously making fun, "But Jenny looks as though she's got a little colour in those beautiful porcelain cheeks, don't you think!" Sarah finished, stepping forwards and pretending to fan Jenny's face. Jenny simply rolled her eyes and turned back to her locker.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" She lied, putting on her most bravado voice. She heard Sarah pout in disbelief and when she turned, they were right on top of her.
"Spill!" Abby said, her face inches from Jennys. Sarah, the taller of the two ambushers, put her hands on Jenny's shoulders and pushed her onto the bench, kneeling on the floor in front of her. Abby grabbed a chair from beside a few of the lockers and straddled it backwards.
"Seriously, I have no idea what your talking about, can I please get changed now?" She said, trying to stand up again, but Abby followed and applied pressure to her shoulders once more, lowering her into a chair.
"I'm not getting out of here until I tell you...what exactly?" Jenny said, genuine confusion taking hold now, knowing what the subject was going to be, but not what they wanted.
"What is going on between you and Cutter?" Abby said, her eyes alight and Jenny rolled her eyes, smiling slightly the way she had done all the time. It was her 'hell no' smile. The one that she had worn when Nick, Lester and *shudder* Oliver Leek had first tole her about the anomalies.
"Oh, please, no!" She mumbled, dropping her head into her hands for a mili-second before she lifted her head, throwing back her hair, "OK you wanna know whats going on?" She asked, her eyebrows raised.
Sarah and Abby both nodded like Churchill bobbleheads. Jenny looked at them, her eyes bright, her cherry red lips curling into a slight smile...Sarah and Abby were sitting up, slowly, waiting for the answer...their eyes growing brighter and brighter, anticipation showing in their features...
"Nothing." Jenny said, dropping her shoulders and standing up, "There, now you know!"
Sarah and Abby were still looking anticipating, as though they were unable to believe that Jenny had really just said it. As though neither of them had actually heard her properly. Abby was the first one to recover, and she did so as Jenny swapped her white-vest top for an off-the shoulder black jumper. She was buckling a belt around her waist when Abby spoke.
"Seriously?" She said, standing up and moving to her own locker. Sarah's head snapped up, as though she had just come out of a trance.
"Seriously what?" Jenny asked, pulling on a pair of black tights and leather boots.
"Seriously, is that all we get, after that bug build up? Nothing?" She mimicked Jenny, unkindly, making Jenny laugh.
"No, that's not all you get! That's all I get, apparently!" Jenny corrected, standing and brushing through her hair as Abby pulled on a pair of blue jeans with heeled, brown boots and Sarah slipped into a fitted, wool, blue dress.
"Whats that supposed to mean?" Sarah said, slapping her thight. Before Jenny could answer however...
Beep. Beep. Beep.
"Saved by the bell!" Abby said to Jenny as she hurried out of the locker room ahead of them, pointing and mimicking laughing at them. Abby and Sarah exchanged a glance as they exited.
They were going to get to the bottom of this! No matter what!
