This story is dedicated to my fellow pack: Sarah, Jasmine & my brother, Kyle.
My brother really really love monsters. He gave me this idea while I was reading this book called "Mean Ghouls". Since his b'day is coming, I decided to write it. It's the least I can do for that dork.
I also had some help by my friends, Chloe & Joey. Their really cool and I'm really thankful to have them. Anyways, I should stop talking and get on with the story.
Enjoy! :)
"I got the Zombitus," Jo said. Her new cell phone felt warm and heavy in her hand. She really hoped to get a phone for my sixteenth birthday, but that wasnt until next year. Getting the gift early was great,except that it was a pity present. Her parents felt sorry for her and wanted to do something "nice.
Sighing, she leaned back into the pillows on my bed and told Rachel, "Its a disease."
"Impossible," her best friend replied. "I've never believe that zombies exist? I thought you had the flu."
"So did I!" Jo exclaimed. "It turns out that when your legs start to lock straight and you start to moan uncontrollably, it's not the flu at all. Mom and Dad already suspect something but just to make sure they took me to see a special doctor. Dr. Shellby did a bunch of tests and the results were all positive."
"Bummer," Rachel said at last. "Especially that part about how if you get your head wound it'll never heal. And that part about how your skin might decay and fall off, that's bad too."
"No kidding," Jo agreed. "It's totally scary. Dr. Shellby said that zombitus is going around, and it's contagious," Jo told Rachel. "All kids with the disease have to be quarantined in boarding school. Apparently, there are Zombie Academy schools popping up all over the world. The doctor sad I'm lucky there's one within a few hours of here. Real lucky, I guess."
"I guess," Rachel echoed.
"Jake said that the doctors at Zombie Academies are looking for the cure."
Jake is Jo's twelve-year-old brother was completely monster obsessed. When the pediatrician said I needed to see a specialist, Jake was the one who suggested Jo to see Dr. Rosemary Shellby because she was both a doctor and the author of his favorite book: The A-Z Monster Encylopedia.
"Jake would know." Rachel agreed. "I bet he's seen every scary movie ever made."
"And now, he's making his own movie about—" Jo began, but Rachel interrupted.
"Hang on a sec, Jo. Doorbell."
With everything that had happened over the weekend, Jo had forgotten that the ninth grade theater club was meeting at the Roberts' house before school today. The cast was going to school early to hang posters for the show. Jo didn't do theater with Rachel. She played soccer instead.
She could hear Rachel chatting as she welcomed kids into her house. Jo's new phone was a basic model, but she didn't need video chat to imagine Rachel dressed for school in jeans and a T-shirt, her long bright red hair hanging straight down her back.
Jo's hair is as long as Rachel's, but where Rachel's hair was always neat, Jo's crazy curly and uncontrollable. I usually pulled it back into a ponytail. She actually wanted to have hair like Rachel's—
"Zombitus?!" a boy exclaimed. "What's that?!"
"Shhhh," Rachel told him. "She's on the phone. She can hear you."
"Give me that," the boy said.
"No. It's mine." Jo listened to Rachel's laughter as she wrestled to keep her call.
After a long minute, the boy announced with a sinker, "You lose!" Then, cheerfully, he said, "Hiya, Jo," into the receiver.
Jo immediately recognized Brett Hansen's voice because she was a Brett Hansen expert. It was embarrassing, really. She'd read Brett's online profile so many times she had it memorized. School pictures usually stunk but Brett's photo was amazing.
Jo didn't have any classes with Brett but she had math with his twin sister, Hailey. Hailey was popular and fashionable...and mean to everyone who wasn't popular and fashionable. Once, Jo wore a shirt and Hailey called "ugly", one Hailey's friend spilled Kool-Aid on her at lunch. Jo couldn't prove it wasn't an accident, but right after that, Hailey winked and waved.
Since then, Jo avoided Hailey and her friends as much as she could.
Brett wasn't like Hailey at all. It was hard to believe they were related.
"Hi," Jo said in a very small voice.
"Hey," Brett said, "Just wanted to say thanks."
"For what?" Jo manage to ask. She didn't knew what he was talking about.
"I didn't have cash on Friday and I was starved. Since you weren't in school, Rachel said I could borrow the leftover half of the brownie in your locker." He smacked his lips. "I left an IOU. When you get back to school, I'll buy you something at the snack bar. Anything you want."
"Um. Okay." Jo imagined them standing in line together. Brett made her nervous so she usually avoided talking to him. She didn't want to say something wrong. Hopefully, the snack-bar line would be extra-short that day.
"So, whats this bizarr-o disease you have?" Brett asked.
"Um..." Jo didn't know how to explain in just a few short words, so she didn't reply at all.
In the background, Jo could hear Rachel's mother offering the kids bagels with cream cheese and orange juice.
"Jo?" Brett's mouth was obviously full of bagel. He swallowed hard, then shouted into the phone. "You there? Jo?" Then, "Did I drop the call?"
"Give back my phone!" Rachel grabbed her cell phone from Brett.
"Jo?"
"Yeah, I'm here."
Rachel whisper into the phone, "Don't be so self-conscious. Brett's easy to talk to." Then she laughed. "It cracks me up that your crush is playing my crush in the school play."
Jo joined in Rachel's laughter at her awkwardness. "I hope I'm back in time to see it..." Her voice trailed off. Then Jo said softly, "Someone from zombie school is coming to get me soon. I better go finish packing."Rachel's voice softened as she began to realize that Jo was really leaving Acer Point. "Can I call you there?"
"Call. E-mail. Write letters." Jo hoped she'd get news from Rachel every day. "You have to keep me inform of the play!"
"You mean about Brett," Rachel said with a little giggle.
"Maybe," Jo admitted. "Just tell me everything that happens at school, okay? Even if you think it's boring, I want to know."
"I promise." There was a long pause oh heavy silence before Rachel said, "Well, bye, then."
"Yeah," Jo said with a deep, sad sigh. "See ya."
Rachel hung up.
Jo crashed back into the pillows on her bed. She hated werewolfitus and hated leaving Acer Point Middle School. She covered her head with a pillow and growled, "Uhhhh-uhhhhh." She also hated that she couldn't stop moaning.
"The call of the dead," Jake whisper in a ghostly voice. "Music to my ears."
Jo popped up. "Where'd you come from?" she asked.
"The hall," Jake replied, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. "Duh."
Jo slapped Jake with a pillow. "You know what I mean, dork."
Jake laughed. "Don't tackle the guy who's risking his life to bring you breakfast." He pointed at a loaded tray on her desk, then brushed his hair off his forehead. Everyone said that Jake's straight brown hair and football-player build came from Mr. Taylor's side of the family, while Jo's blonde curls and facial features came from her mom's.
Jo walked over to the tray, even though she wasn't hungry at all. Suddenly, she turned to face her brother. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "You're not wearing your sanitary gear!"
"Mom and Dad are terrible hall guards. Besides I'm not scares of catching the disease," Jake said. "Honestly, I'm kinda jealous. I mean, I'm the one who loves monsters and yet, you get to be one."
Jo reached back, swooped the pillow off the floor, and smacked him with it again. "I'll trade. You can be zombie," she said.
"I have a better idea." Jake puckered and made smacking sounds. "Since the disease is contagious, if you kiss me, I can come with you."
"You really are a dork," Jo said, shaking her head. "Mom and Dad need you here. I'll get better and come back soon." Crossing her fingers as she glanced at her breakfast, Jo hoped it was true.
The tray was covered with a paper towel. Jo lifted if and gasped. The stuff on the plate looked disgusting. Pink and lumpy. "What is this?" She turned to her brother.
Jake raised his eyebrows. "Brains."
"No..." Jo was horrified.
"I just wanted to help you adapt," Jake told her. Laughing, he admitted, "It's spaghetti. With blush sauce and sausage links."
That didn't sound so bad, but Jo turned it down.
"There's more." Jake told her to look under the upside-down drinking cup. Beneath it was some spoiled blueberries. They'd grown black spots and were stuck together like a big lump.
"I knew you'd like the dessert." He winked. "Spoiled fruit. The classic treat."
She still wasn't hungry, nut weirdly the spoiled treat really did look yummy. Zombitus had some very strange symptoms! Jo grabbed a spoon and ate all of if in one big gulp. They were delicious. "Thanks," she told Jake.
"Josephine Taylor!" Mrs. Taylor called from downstairs. "Your ride's here."
Jo looked out her bedroom window. A long black limousine was parked in the driveway. A painted banned on the side said ZA TRANSPORT.
"Zombie Academy." Jo rolled the name of her new school around her tongue. "Acer Point Middle School" sounded better.
"Tell Jake to get out of your room!" Mr. Taylor shouted up the stairwell. "We know he's in there."
"He needs to put on his protective mask and gloves," her mom added.
"They might not be good hall guards," Jo said, "but they are good parents." She grinned.
"Eyes in the back of their heads," Jake agree.
"There isn't even a monster name for that kind of vision." He grabbed a bag arhat he'd set down by the door when he came in. "I have presents for your trip."
"More presents?" The pity phone from their parents would be hard to beat.
Megan took Jake's sack and opened it. Inside were some balloons he'd made from Dr. Shellby's protective gloves. He'd decorated a few germ preventing face masks, each with a different monster sneer or grin. And there was a strangely shaped key on a chain.
"A skeleton key," Jake said with a laugh. "A necessity for every monster!"
"Skeleton?" Jo put the key around her neck as Jake explained how it could open any lock.
Jo had no clue how the key could be useful, but the name was funny. "Thanks," she said as she reached to take the last thing out of the bag.
Stuffed in the bottom, Jo found a T-shirt that said EVIL GENIUS across the front. "This is your favorite shirt," Jo said. She tried to give it back to him.
"I know it won't fit you, but maybe you could pin it to the wall or something," Jake said, leaping forward and hugging his sister tight. He buried his head in her shoulder. "I'll miss you."
"I'm gonna miss you, too, dork," Jo said and held her brother until the limo driver honked.
It was time to go.