Thanks if you read, and/or reviewed. Umm... Oh, and I accept flames. Yes, I will accept them no matter how intense. I completely understand if you wish to form an angry mob, prod me with your pitchforks and wish to set my fanfic to a blackened crisp.
I do not own the Kids Next Door.
Chapter Two: His Condition
The door clicked when he shut it.
"'Ello?" his voice rang through the house. There was pitch black outside, and he'd stumbled on the walk home, and probably received a bruise. His throat still burned and his nose couldn't be put to its purpose of smelling. When the team arrived back to the tree house, he lay on the sofa, and Numbuh Three took his temperature. Despite that he had a high fever; she treated the entire situation as if he were one of her plushies…
"Son, you're home! Do you want dinner?" His mother called from the kitchen. So, Numbuh Four continued into the kitchen.
"No, I ate like twelve onion rings, you shoulda seen me!" Wallabee bragged to his mother.
"Twelve?" she asked, seeming a bit interested by her tone. "Why in the world did yeh eat twelve?" she turned around from finishing cleaning the dishes. She dried her hands in a towel and looked at her oldest son.
"Hoagie said I couldn't, but man I proved him wrong! Then I threw up…" he explained.
Mrs. Beatles gasped slightly.
"Are yeh alright?" she asked, because every good mother is concerned about her family.
"Umm...yeah!" Wally lied. This was a lie, because he felt dizzy and his cold was progressing into something worse. But, he'll tell his mom tomorrow, because it was going to be Monday and that would mean she would let him skip school…he hoped.
"Alright, dear, well I'm putting Joey in bed. And don't even think about falling asleep past your bed time" and with that she bent over to kiss her son on the cheek and continued upstairs. When she couldn't see him, he wiped his cheek off and continued to the empty family room. He hopped up on the couch, and turned on the television.
It felt good to lay down, especially with how weak he felt. It hurt with each word he spoke, and inhaling didn't feel very good. But, he had to breathe out of his mouth because he couldn't out of his nose. After being named the 'onion ring king', and throwing up all twelve, his head began to pound, at some moments harder and faster than others. But he still hadn't reviewed the fact that he couldn't eat for the rest of the week, because for the entire conversation where he made that bet, he couldn't see straight.
There was a blanket folded at his feet. He sat up, and clenched it between his fingers, then spread it out over him, and rested his head back down on the pillow. Feeling very warm and snuggly, he couldn't help but let his eyelids gradually drape over his eyes. Soon his mind drifted out of reality and his ears deafened to the television audio. At last, he was asleep before he could realize it.
"Wally, its time for school!" his mother's voice came. It pulled him from his dreaming and yanked him back into reality. His ears were soon able to hear.
"Wake up!" Mrs. Beatles called again, this time making sure her son heard her.
"I heard you the first time!" Wally shouted, his head spinning, throat burning, and his nose so stuffed that now his voice sounded odd. He turned around on his stomach and dug his head under his pillow.
His mother was now next to him, and shook him lightly. Of course he was still awake on the couch; he just was reluctant to step away from under the comfortable covers.
"Mum, I really don't feel good…" he confessed. "I think I caught a cold yesterday…" his words were muffled by the pillow over his head.
"Now how could you have gotten sick, my little marsupial?" she asked him, gently removing the pillow from her son's head to see his mop of scattered blonde hair that he's been tossing and turn on all night.
"Well, it was rainy and cold," he said, carefully trying not to tell her the truth: that he'd been outside in the rainstorm for two hours straight. He turned around on his back, but his face was a ghostly pale, and his eyes were slightly bloodshot with bags hanging under them. The skin on his face had also broken around his nostrils.
"Oh no! You're right, I'm taking your temperature," his mother decided, but remained calm. She placed her hand over his forehead, feeling just how warm it was. Then she disappeared and he heard her make her way up the stairs. As he waited, his back sinking into the sofa cushions with that cozy blanket still sharing his warmth, the doorbell rang. It echoed in his head and made his head pound extra, which made him a little grumpy for a moment.
Wally threw the blanket off of him.
"What?" he snapped when he swung the door open to see Numbuh Five and Numbuh Two.
Numbuh Two let out a quick gasp at his sickly friend's ghoul-like appearance.
"Are you going to school like that, man?" Numbuh Five asked, gaping at Wally.
"My mum's gonna take my temperature, but I probably won't go anyway" croaked the Aussie. His throat was dry and caused his voice to be very raspy, making it burn when he used his vocals.
"Well, you can drink water, okay buddy?" Numbuh Two sounded worried. He hoped that their bet wouldn't make Wally even sicker. Guilt would stab him so hard if the situation came to that.
Wally finally remembered. He was going to put himself under an even worse condition because of that stupid bet between two immature boys? No food for a week, though, he would definitely win. From knowing Hoagie, Wally knew that he eats more than a healthy amount. So of course he would crack first…right?
"Numbuh Five thinks the boy can drink whatever he wants!" she said, turning to Numbuh Two. Obviously, she didn't know about their bet.
The cold air hit Wally, whose clothes were wrinkled because he fell straight asleep in them when he came home. He crossed his arms against his chest and felt his nose running so he tried to sniff. That didn't work, so he wiped the snot on his sleeve. Numbuh Two remained silent, which seemed suspicious to Abby, while Numbuh Four watched the two.
"Then you ain't coming to school, Numbuh Four?" Abby finally asked him after glaring at Hoagie. Wally swayed his head slowly side to side, which made his temple pound again. He blinked to rid his dizziness.
"Then Numbuh Five'll be sure to tell Mrs. Thompson," she smiled, and the two turned to walk away. Numbuh Four slammed the front door shut and ran back to his warm, cozy sofa, hiding under the blankets again before they lost their heat. Joey was making noise in his play pen, so Wally pressed his palms against his ears to drown him out. The blanket was over his head, as well, until his mother removed it carefully.
"Here," she said, in between her fingers was the line of glass known as a thermometer. He took it from her, and placed it in his mouth. "Under your tongue," she reminded him. Her son obeyed, and tightened his lips around the object. For a moment she stared down at him, examining his pale face and his ruffled layer of hair that fell into his eyes, which were in the process of closing again. By instinct she already knew that Wally wasn't in the best of his conditions, but still had to have an accurate analysis.
"Okay, let go," her voice entered his blank mind, and made his eyes flickered open once again. He popped the thermometer out of his mouth and handed it to her. To get a good look, she turned on a lamp and held the fine numbers on it under its shade. After getting a read, she released a gasp, and Wally groaned, taking it as a bad sign.
"What is it?" he asked, his voice still as raspy.
"One hundred one," she sighed, and Numbuh Four groaned again. "Can I put on my pajamas?" he asked her.
"Of course," she said, still concentrating on the thermometer. Therefore, he swung his legs over the couch, and his feet didn't feel the carpet, for his socks were over them. Making his way up the stairs, a feeling of worry was within. Despite his knack for mishaps and trouble, this wasn't smart. It wasn't smart at all. Something terrible could happen to him if he's already un-well and won't eat. For example, his condition could be carried to worse points, such as him declining to pneumonia. Never before has he had that illness, but he heard that it was simply horrible from some other kids. One of those descriptions included that pneumonia could end your life. Since it wasn't from an expert doctor, Wally wasn't sure whether to believe it or not. But he knew that the process of been under it wasn't pleasant one bit.
But why must young Wallabee proceed in starving himself in the act of such a simple, inferior bet, instead of something meaningful? Well… Numbuh Four is very brash. The Tough Guy, if you understand. He believes it is his duty to hustle, push through, and come out on top despite the circumstances of whatever he must do; in this case prevent himself from eating for a week. Either Numbuh Two would tell about the bet, or it would spread around the school when someone asks why Hoagie skipped lunch, for he usually takes a large helping for himself. There was something that Wally couldn't unclear about Hoagie not eating for a week. The human hog, actually holding out on his name. It just didn't seem right, but Numbuh Two is very honest. He wouldn't lie and trick his friend, despite it would entertain him to win.
Another reason for Wally's unbelievable decision was that if he lost, he would be faced with a consequence. A long time ago he and Hoagie had sworn that among their bets and challenges, if accepted by both ends, the winner had the choice to inflict any consequence on the loser. They usually didn't set consequences for each other, because winning was enough for both of them. Though…this bet seemed too good to give up. And Wally just knew that Hoagie had something big planned for him if he lost. So, to save his ass he decided to accept whatever condition he was going to be dwelling in, and just because he played in the rain and got himself sick, that wasn't going to be easy for him.
And to make matters worse, he had to hide this entire issue from his mother. She would talk him into eating, and then he would lose to Hoagie and have to face the music… If you were him, which means if you had the same limitations on your intelligence and thoughts, would you have done the same thing? Or would you give up every challenge you ever won against your best friend, and be titled as a loser who would be forced to do the stupidest and most daring thing that Hoagie could probably think up?
Too bad Wally isn't smart enough to ever simply think of backing out. No, that idea never came to him. Why, you ask? Well, because he's a moron. That's why.
Now that he was more comfortable in his orange feety pajamas, Numbuh Four drowsily walked down the stairs. He dragged his feet, which weren't bare because of the blue padding under them and orange material covering his legs, stomach, chest, and arms. A zipper was sewn into the center of the torso running up to his neck. His casual sleep-wear.
When he collapsed onto the sofa, his mother sat beside him.
"Tell me what hurts," she said, looking at her oldest son with Joey in her arms. He's quite a handful, just like his older brother. They also share the same haircut as their father, as it runs in the Beatles family.
"My throat, my head, my nose," he said, trying to make his list short because he would prefer not to speak.
"Okay, dear. Hold Joey," Mrs. Beatles commanded, and stood up to go fetch Wally's medicine.
Although he was weak, he could still manage a baby. Wally secured his arms around Joey's waist, as he trying to squirm out of the firm grip. Soon he tired, and rest still on Wally's lap, with his back against his brother's stomach. Wally isn't the kind of person who simply melts at the sight of an adorable baby or something. No, he's far from that.
Mrs. Beatles returned with her son's medicine. She returned the baby onto her own lap, and extended her arms to keep the liquid out of Joey's grasp. After pouring a certain measurement of it in a small plastic cup, she handed it to Wally.
"Just drink it," she assured him, observing her son's hesitation. Wally looked down at the red pool of medicine sitting in the cup between his fingers. Knowing how bad it tastes, he really wasn't willing to drink it. But he did anyway. He titled the plastic cup, and he contents washed across his tastes buds and in one gulp down his throat. He cringed at the displeasure.
"All right, I'll give you something for yeh head later," she spoke, and carried the baby into another room, leaving Wally to the couch. His pajamas were warm enough for him, so the blanket he was previously under lay rippled on the floor.
He was satisfied to rest his head back on the sofa's arm. A remote was in his palm, and the TV was turned down low enough for him not to gain another throb through his temple, but at the right volume for him to hear it. Although his eyes were on the television screen, he couldn't help but wonder what each of his friends were doing at that precise moment.
Numbuh Five was probably sitting in class with an empty desk beside hers. And Mrs. Thompson was probably blabbing on and on and on and on…He remembered when he thought Mrs. Thompson was the most wonderful teacher on the face of the Earth. But at the moment Abby explained to him that their teacher had the word 'Mrs.' in her name, his heart sunk so low, and he became rather upset. He's not sure why. By now he's recovered, but its too bad that he's not as motivated to do his homework, because he no longer cared whether Mrs. Thompson would be proud of him or not.
Of course, Numbuh Two wouldn't be paying attention in his class today. His stomach was probably growling furiously, by this point past breakfast, Wally guessed. Instead of concentrating on the teacher, he was probably making sketches for a new weapon or aircraft.
Wally wondered if his friend was really sticking to their deal or not. He is one of the most honest people Wally knew, and he never cheated before…Knowing Hoagie, if he had ever cheated unfairly, the pressure would start effecting him and he'd confess. It happened once or twice. But Hoagie has been known to by tricky, the clever boy he was. Hoagie was able to twist words around leaving Wally unknown to his plan. But if Wally had accepted whatever it was they were doing even if the words were deceiving, that would let Hoagie win fair and square. And this is why Wally's worried, incase Hoagie had tricked him. Since he couldn't quite confirm every word that was said during the visit to the diner yesterday, trying to remember came difficult.
The young man stopped wondering about the whereabouts of his friends and that absurd bet he made to absorb the television screen.
The time had flown by unknown to him, and his mother served him a bowl of soup. Once he saw food, the thought of the bet ripped into him. His mother returned into the kitchen, leaving him to polish the bowl off.
He picked up the bowl from the small table next to the couch. When he sat it on his lap, he could feel the warmth press against the surface of his pajamas. It would comfort his throat so perfectly…Besides, Hoagie wasn't there to see, was he? Wally looked down into the bowl, trying so hard to resist. His throat was simply shrieked for him to take a mouthful. That broth would soothe his throat so excellently. His conscience –yes, he had one—was speaking differently, though.
But if he did just throw his chances of winning down the drain, he knew he'd create havoc for himself. Not only would his pride be lost, but he would also hesitate to confess, since Hoagie wasn't there to see him lose for himself. For a while, he knew he'd bottle it up, and maybe ending up never telling. And that would just rip at him, wouldn't it?
He finally decided to set the bowl back down on the coffee table.
"Did you finish your soup, Wallabee?" his mother called from the kitchen. Oh no, his mom was expecting him to eat it! He hastily made up an excuse.
"It…err…tastes weird…." Numbuh Four replied, with a soft sigh of relief.
"It'll make you're throat feel better," she insisted. His conscience was now unavoidable, as it wouldn't let him do as his mother said.
"It tastes like crud, though!" Wally argued hoarsely. Then he remembered that Hoagie said that Wally was aloud to drink water, instead.
"Well, you need to have something!" she told him. Wally tried to think back on all the words Hoagie had said that consisted of an edible substance, and then he was stricken with a line he stated.
"Can I have some water?" Wally asked his mom.
"Are you sure that's all you want?" Mrs. Beatles asked him. She hoped her son wouldn't begin rejecting his meals because of his illness.
"Yeah,"
After that, she poured him some tap water in a cup and added some ice. She exchanged that for his bowl of soup and its untouched contents, and returned to the kitchen.
So, he sipped on his ice water for a while. All the thought about food began to make his stomach feel empty, but not yet growl.
And that's how he spent the day, resting and sipping water. Actually, it was pretty much all that Wally had strength for. He just hoped there wouldn't be any missions, because he just knew it would be a disaster for him.
The day continued as Wally spent it watching TV and ignoring the sounds from his stomach. How he never tired of action movies, sports channels, and animated programs, his mother didn't know. Every now and then, he'd change the position he was sitting in. Whenever Mrs. Beatles insisted he eat something, her boy would not accept, until she finally stopped bothering him. Since it was a weekday, Mr. Beatles was attending his job, and wouldn't return before the evening. He would call to check up on his wife, though. And that was all that consisted of Numbuh Four's day.
The day after, he still wasn't present at school. When Numbuh Two and Numbuh Five arrived at his doorstep, Hoagie's stomach was actually howling! Wally couldn't help but chuckle, although his stomach wasn't exactly silent either. And Numbuh Five already suspected that something was up with the two.
Again, Mrs. Beatles tried to make her son eat something, besides drinking water over and over. Wally found himself at the kitchen table with a bowl of macaroni and cheese set on the table right in front of him. The scent drifted into his nose so very temptingly, to the point where he had to sit on his hands so they would not lift that fork.
"You aren't moving until you eat at least a spoonful, Wallabee," his mother demanded strictly.
"But mum," Wally whined, "I don't wanna eat!"
She glared down from beside him. There was a pause of silence that allowed him to try and make up an excuse. Nothing came to his mind. He returned her stare, folding his arms defiantly.
"Why don't you want to eat anything?" she finally asked, softening up a bit. Wally always ate if he was sick, she knew, even if it tasted unpleasant to him.
"I told you, it tastes like cruddy sewer water!"
After another pause of only glares, Mrs. Beatles let out a defeated sigh. Wally gave a smile, relieved to get away with another of his mother's attempts to get him to eat, and therefore costing him the bet.
"Crazy kangaroo…" she called him as he returned to his den.
Another day he skipped school. By that point, his tummy began gurgling so frequently that he could barely sleep. His throat and nose began to return to their normal states, and his headaches were no more. Then fateful Thursday approached.
"Time for school, Wally!" his mother greeted him in his bedroom. After giving him a gentle shake his eyes opened.
"I'm going today?" he groaned. He liked his lazy lifestyle. Then again, he did miss his friends.
"Whether you like it or not," she made her way out of the room. "And you're eating breakfast, too!"
Wally knew Hoagie had to have eaten something by now. The kid's a lean, mean, eating machine, for crying out loud!
He remained in his bed, because he hadn't fallen asleep until far past midnight. His stomach felt so empty, that spiders could probably produce cobwebs in there! It was also roaring so loudly, that whenever his mind would have faded away into dreamland, his stomach would sound, causing him to pry his eyes open and stare into the deep darkness of his room. Eventually, he decided that he couldn't gain anymore sleep even if he wanted to, and ripped the blankets aside.
Stepping over the objects coating the bedroom floor, Wally reached the closet and exchanged his pajamas for his common outfit. A backpack lay against the foot post of the bed, which he picked up and slung onto his shoulders. It was light because he hadn't used it since last Friday. Hurriedly, he exited his room and crossed the hall into the bathroom. There he brushed his teeth. When he was done, he trampled down the stairs, making a racket of course.
Numbuh Four met his mother in the kitchen, as well as Mr. Beatles.
"Hey, sport! You're finally betta, eh?" his father greeted him in an Australian accent deeper than Wally's.
"Yup,"
Mrs. Beatles gestured towards a plate sitting on the table, but Wally shook his head.
"Eat it!" his mother ushered crossly. His stomach once again produced sound.
"Err…. I'll take a pop-tart… instead," he muttered, and took one from the cabinet. His mother set her eyes on him, waiting for him to take at least a bite. Now that he wasn't sick, she was beginning to worry since he still seemed unwilling to eat. Mrs. Beatles just hoped that nothing was inflicting harm on him mentally.
Before she could repeat herself, fortunately for Wally the doorbell rang.
"That's my friends, bye mum!" Wally said over his shoulder, swiping his paper bag lunch as he sprinted to the door. The door swayed open, and Numbuh Four slammed it shut.
"What's the rush?" Numbuh Two asked him as he, Wally, and Abby proceeded to the bus stop.
"Uhh… I thought I'd be late," Numbuh Four replied in a tone that made his words sound more like a question. His eyes scanned for something to dispose his un-opened package of pop-tarts in. He just tossed it into the neighbor's trashcan.
"Why you skippin' breakfast?" Numbuh Five asked him. Soon she heard his stomach growl, and her eyes widened.
"Numbuh Five knows you ain't starvin' yourself!" she shouted, stricken with concern. Wally gave Hoagie a nervous look, but he nodded slowly. Therefore, both of them explained to Abby about the bet and how neither of them was eating.
"Boy, you're crazy! You really didn't eat anything while you were sick!" she yelled at him. A pang of guilt effected Wally, whose stomach was aching so much with hunger. In fact, both boys were literally famished. Now that Abby knew of the ridiculous challenge, Hoagie would silence on how much he needed to eat something, anything that he could live through digesting as long as he didn't have to be so hungry.
Numbuh Four just didn't understand how Hoagie couldn't have cracked yet. He did feel slightly bad for being so certain…And then he realized that sensitivity was trying to get under his skin, but he didn't let it. He also wished Hoagie would stop his blabber about food…
During the ride on the school bus, something odd happened to Wally. He was doing just fine; (except for the fact that he hasn't eaten for three entire days) talking to Numbuh Two about what he'd been doing during his time at home that week.
Then it happened. Right there, in the middle of a sentence, he stopped talking, and stared out in front of him. It seemed the gears in his brain froze all of a sudden. For a moment his mind just went blank. He couldn't hear the chattering among the students seated all around. The patched up bus seat that he was gazing into went unexpected by Wallabee. And nothing but gray appeared in his vision, but that was what he saw. Just gray, because he concentrated not on reality, but on that shade of gray on the television screen in his mind.
His senses snapped back into use once again, but he was still speechless to what the hell could have just happened. Numbuh Four was not daydreaming, nor did it seem anything like spacing out from his experiences. That never ever happened to him before, and it left him bewildered.
"Earth to Numbuh Four…?" Hoagie called, frantically waving a hand in front of Wally's face.
"Sorry…I err…just spaced out," he replied, knowing that wasn't true. But he didn't let it bother him, because Numbuh Four isn't a worry wart. In fact, he wasn't quite familiar with safety cautions in general. So, the boys continued their discussion all the way into the hallways of Gallagher Elementary school.
Some people acknowledged Wally's return, or waved a hand at him. Soon, he saw that oh-so familiar back of a green sweater and the long, black hair lying against it. Numbuh Three seemed to be talking to someone, and when he turned at an angle to see just who. The Kid, of course. But why should Wally care? Why should he be enraged at the thought that while Wally wasn't there, Ace had probably been with Kuki the entire time? Well, Wally really wasn't clear on that yet. But another thought reached him, one that cooled him down.
Numbuh Four walked up to her, and dabbed his fingers on her shoulder. Numbuh Three turned around, and when she realized who tapped her, Wally watched her face brighten up. The sight gave him an impulse of warmth for a second or two.
"Numbuh Four's back! Yay!" she cried with delight, pulling him into a hug. His heart pounded against his chest as he was near her, and he could just feel that rosy color in his cheek.
While Kuki couldn't see him, he smirked over at The Kid, who looked a bit shocked at the moment. Then you could see a sore expression upon his face when he saw Wally's look.
"You're all better now, right?" Numbuh Three asked eagerly after letting go of him. The people associating in the hallway drowned out the constant noise from Wally's stomach.
"Yeah," he answered, feeling awkward about lying to Numbuh Three. The truth was, he just wanted to collapse onto the floor. He felt weak, and honestly, would even eat a bucket of fried worms if it would consume his terrible hunger. You could just see it in his eyes that he was so vulnerable, and ached so much. But little oblivious Kuki Sanban couldn't tell, and instead was fooled by his words. Even his tone of voice gave away how Numbuh Four is such a bad liar…
Then a bell shrieked over the halls flooded with kids gossiping, chatting, and discussing other matters and such. It signaled for them to scurry off to class and sweep the hallways clean from their presence.
When Numbuh Four entered his class room, he seemed to be one of the last to arrive. Truthfully, every morning he was scarcely tardy. That just reflects how much he actually cares about sitting at a desk in nothing but boredom for an entire morning.
"Mr. Beatles, glad to see you back!" Mrs. Thompson said sweetly. Wally only grunted in response without even looking at the teacher and pulled out his seat. When he fell down onto it a feeling of satisfaction sunk into him. He leaned over and rested his head on his palm while a very dull glint set into his eyes.
All Numbuh Four could concentrate on was his stomach. In fact, all the way until lunch the entire class couldn't ignore Wally's stomach. The teacher even noticed. But Wally was too overwhelmed by the hole where his stomach used to be even to look up. He hugged his stomach with his arms and shut his eyes firmly.
Meanwhile, Abigail was seated next to the boy in quench for anything edible. She stared down at him instead of her text book along with the rest of Mrs. Thompson's students. Numbuh Five thought Wally may not be the most remote person she knew, maybe even the most daring of them all. But this was one of the worst conditions she's ever seen him in. Maybe even up there with that piano fiasco.
The time seemed to inch by far more slowly than it really did. The teacher kept speaking about the lesson, but no one heard her, as they were too distracted by Wallabee's stomach. He would usually be sleeping at this time, but he just couldn't. By now he'd adjusted to his condition, but the feeling still prevented him from slumber.
At last, the sweet sound of another bell interrupted the lesson. It blared through Wally's ear drums, echoing through his skull. Because it is a routine for him to be excited when lunch time comes, he immediately sprang onto his feet as the class was flooded through the door.
Before thinking he scrambled through the door as well and waited for Numbuh Five. When she came they walked beside each other in conversation. Wally felt people looking at him. He looked at each side of the hallways to see kids from his classroom staring at him with a mixture of suspicion, and concern. Numbuh Four shot looks back to each of them in return, thinking that they probably thought he was weird or something. After receiving his paper bag containing his lunch from his locker they continued to the lunch room.
The cafeteria was where everyone gathered to meet their friends. You had to shout over the other voices just to speak sometimes. But no one exactly paid mind to it.
Wally and Abby peered across the room teeming with people until they spotted Numbuh One next to Lizzie. When they moved closer, they could see that the couple was sharing a table with Numbuh Two and Numbuh Three.
Hoagie was in a similar position to Wally's when he was in the class room. He threw his paper bag lunch onto the table and opened it. Hoagie's head shot upward quickly with a bewildered expression on his face. Numbuh Four noticed the movement and looked at him.
"Oh…" Wally stood up with the bag tucked in his hand and slumped over to a trashcan. Looking down at the bag in desire, he tossed it into the trashcan's mouth and returned to the table.
When he came back, everyone but Numbuh Two was gawking at him. He sat down next to Numbuh Three so she was between the two boys who were now literally willing to jump off of the school roof as long as they were promised anything edible.
Numbuh Four stared down at the table, then up at his friends wondering if they were in a conversation or not. But there was only silence amongst them as they stared at Numbuh Four and Numbuh Two.
"What?" asked Wally.
"You just threw out your lunch…" Numbuh Three breathed in disbelief.
"Numbuh Four, are you alright?" Numbuh One asked in concern.
"No, he ain't right in the head, and neither is Numbuh Two," Abby replied to him. Lizzie, Nigel, and Kuki turned their stares to her for an explanation. Hoagie was too busy burying his head into his arms across the lunch table to look at her and Wally seemed to be spacing out.
But he wasn't. No, Wallabee Beatles was experiencing something far more different. Just like what had happened on the bus this same day but more intense. He couldn't hear Abby who was explaining the bet, nor could he see the looks of shock and disbelief in his friends' eyes. All he could do was see that gray screen in his mind, but still wasn't quite concentrating on it. He also wasn't thinking about anything, as if he was dead but his eyes were wide open and his organs were functioning.
When the feeling ended, he was left bewildered once again. What is this that keeps happening to him?
Lunch ended, and by this point the team and Lizzie had returned to their classrooms. Numbuh One scolded his two male teammates, saying that it was utterly ridiculous and that if a mission came they'd be beaten to a pulp. Numbuh Three was also furious because she was so worried. And all except for Hoagie and Wally were extremely astonished when they both agreed they still weren't giving up until the next Sunday approached. It was only for a week that Wally had to feel so completely miserable.
And now we find Wally sitting over his desk staring at the chalkboard. He felt far worse after being tempted at lunch. His mental state was now affecting his physical condition, or in other words actually smelling food made him even hungrier.
Wally wondered what had happened to him at lunch and on the bus. He thought it was spacing out at first, but then the second time it happened made him think further.
Suddenly, he felt like he was just going to fall. Startled, he stood up as the teacher was reading something aloud to the class.
"Wallabee, could you please sit down?" Mrs. Thompson asked him. But Wally didn't answer. Instead he just stood there with his mouth slightly open. It seemed as though all of the life was drained from him; his face went pale; his eyes were widened and seemed to decrease in color; and his muscles were strained as he trembled.
A flash of pure white blinded his vision for a split second, and all in one motion he fell. Just fell. He fell not onto his hands or knees, but flat onto his back into a numb position.
Wallabee Beatles had just fainted.