Chapter 4: What happened?

Christine ran up the stairs of Elizabeth's apartment building, Spot and Dutchy right on her heels. The talk of something happening to one of their friends has gotten them all ready for the run to Elizabeth's house.

Christine knocked on the door, "Liz! Liz it's us!"

It was no more than five seconds before the door was opened by Jack, "He's in Java's room."

Christine nodded as she pushed passed him taking off her coat on her way to Elizabeth's room. When Christine reached the open door she saw Elizabeth sitting on her bed next to Mush, who looked washed out and exhausted even though he was sleeping.

"How is he?" Christine asked, crawling onto the bed next to him.

"I'm not sure. It seems like he's just passed out. Can you tell if he has a fever?" Elizabeth asked as Racetrack came into the room with Spot.

Elizabeth stood up from the bed and walked over to Racetrack who wrapped his arms around her.

Christine ignored them even though she desperately wanted to ask what was going on but instead she pressed the back of her hand to Mush's forehead, "I don't think he has a fever, but I can't really tell." Christine sighed and leaned over, placing a long kiss on Mush's forehead, "No he doesn't have a fever."

Spot felt his body jerk a little when he saw Christine kiss Mush. He wasn't sure what it was that was making him feel this way but he didn't like it. For a brief moment it almost felt as if he hated Mush and he just wasn't sure why.

"I can't figure out what's wrong!" Christine shouted irritated, "He doesn't have a fever, he has no swollen glands, nothing, no signs of what would make him pass out like this!"

"Maybe he just passed out of exertion? We did stay up pretty late last night." Racetrack suggested looking down at Elizabeth who was still wrapped in his arms.

Christine sighed, "Maybe, I guess all we can do is wait and hope he wakes up soon."

"Come on, let's go sit in the living room." Spot said holding his hand out to Christine.

Biting her lip Christine nodded and took hold of Spot's hand, letting him help her off the bed.

Spot wrapped his arm around Christine's shoulder as he lead her out the door and into the kitchen so that she could sit down and relax for at least for a little while.

"Are youse alright?" Dutchy asked when Christine and Spot walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, "Ise hoid youse scream 'in."

Christine smiled as Spot sat her down at the table still keeping one hand on her shoulder at all times, "I'm fine." Christine said, "I just can't believe I couldn't find anything wrong with him. You all haven't even been here two days and already something has happened to Mush. What will happen next?"

Dutchy looked sadly at Spot as Racetrack brought Elizabeth into the room, making her take the chair next to Christine.

"We need to find something to do. We have to take our mind off this somehow, just until Mush wakes up." Jack said walking into the kitchen where is seemed like everyone was now gathering.

Christine thought it weird how she had only really known these boys for a day and she was already in love with them. Maybe not in the since that she would marry any of them but that if one of them was hurt it panicked her. All of these boys where now a part of her family and she knew that no matter what they always would be.

"I'm hungry." Blink said looking over at the uncooked pancake supplies.

Christine looked up from her thoughts then, "I could make cookies and ya'll could watch a movie or play a card game."

Elizabeth nodded, "Alright let's do that. I could use a distraction. We could play poker."

All the guys smiled and agreed quickly except Racetrack, "I think I'm gonna help Lilies with the cookies."

Everyone blinked at the boy that stood in front of them.

"Are you sure this is the real Racetrack?" Bumlets asked, "The Racetrack I know would never turn down a game of poker."

Race glared at Bumlets for a moment, "I just figure we shouldn't just leave Lilies in here all by herself and since you all want to play poker I'll stay her with her."

Spot felt that slight feeling of hatred run threw him again at the thought of leaving Racetrack alone in a room with Christine.

"I can stay and help her. I'd be happy to." The words had left Spot's mouth before he had a chance to stop them.

Everyone looked at Spot, knowing it was not a typical thing for Spot to say.

"Thank you Spot," Christine said smiling, "But I think I'll be alright, Race is welcome to help if he wants but he can also go play as well."

Spot nodded. He wasn't happy but he figured if she didn't want him around then he better just except that and go play poker with everyone else.

"I'll stay and help you Lilies." Racetrack said as he walked over to the stove and studied the buttons, "Um…what do I do?"

Christine smiled, "She the knob with all the numbers on it?" When Racetrack nodded Christine continued, "Turn it so that the line on the top matches up with the number 350."

As everyone left Christine heard Dutchy saying, "350's a popular number."

Christine laughed as she pulled the butter out of the fridge. "Hey Lilies. Where are your parents? I know you and Java are only 17 so where are they?"

Christine looked over at Racetrack, who was fiddling with a bag of chocolate chips, "My parents live in Alabama. About 4 hours away from here."

Racetrack looked confused at this prospect, "Well why are they so far way? Did youse run away or somethin?"

Christine smiled, "No I didn't run away. My parents sent me to this boarding school. It's kind of fun I guess, as fun as you can get at a school."

Racetrack still looked confused, "Why would your parents send you here?"

"Well I wasn't doing so well at public school and there was no way my parents would home school me, you see my parents just had another baby and my mom had to take care of her. So my dad found this place and it looked like it would set me up with a start on the future." Christine explained as she milted two sticks of butter in the microwave.

Racetrack smiled, "What do you mean by 'A start on the future'?"

"Well," Christine started, "I don't have a roommate, so I live on my own and have to take care of myself. If I wanted to I could get a job work at some of the stores or consetions that they have on campuses."

Racetrack looked intrigued by this notion, "So you have a job?"

Christine smiled, "No, my parents have been giving me all the money I would need to take care of myself but now that Liz,"

"Java." Racetrack corrected.

Christine rolled her eyes, "Right. So now that me and Java have all of you to take care of we both may have to get jobs. After all it's not like any of you can get jobs since there are allot of people that know what you look like."

Racetrack looked confused, "What do you mean? Have we met them before?"

Christine shook her head, "No, no you haven't. But we have shown them your pictures before."

She was trying not to panic. She didn't think that the boys were ready to know that they are from a movie.

"Oh," Racetrack said, "I guess that makes since. But why couldn't we go outside?"

Now was when panic was really starting to set in. How was Christine going to dig herself out of the hole she was slowly starting to dig herself. "Well you can go outside but I just want you all to be safe so Java and I are going to do anything we can to keep you safe."

Racetrack smiled as he jumped up to sit on the center, "That's real sweet Lilies. I knew it was a good idea comin to youse and Java."

Christine smiled, "And I'm really glad you did come to us."

There was a long moment of silence that fell over them as Christine mixed all the cookie batter together.

"Hey Lilies." Racetrack finally filled in the silence, "Do you want a homemade

popsicle? Me and Java made them last night."

"That sounds great." Christine said as she closed the oven door, leaving the cookies to bake.

Racetrack climbed down off the counter and made his way over to the freezer, he pulled out a tray full of red and orange popsicles. "Youse want Cherry or Orange?"

"Orange please." Christine said as she made her way over to where Race was standing.

He handed her the popsicle and took a cherry one for himself before they both made their way to the living room where everyone else was.

Christine sat down on the green love seat that was just to the left of the coffee table everyone was play around.

Christine watched as everyone played poker, a game she knew nothing about. They laughed and joked and had a great time.

Christine felt as if there was nothing in the world that could make her happier then she was right at that moment. She loved these people and even though Mush was passed out in the next room from something that they didn't understand, she knew that with all the love that was coming from the group he would be fine.

The oven beeped, sounding that it was time for her to go and take the cookies out of the oven. But as Christine stood up and made her way to the kitchen she started to feel light headed and dizzy.

Before she knew it she was falling and she couldn't stop herself. The last thing she remembered was being caught and looking up into Spot's worried and panicked eyes before her world faded into nothing but black.

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Elizabeth looked up from her poker cards when she heard Christine stand and make her way to the kitchen.

She smiled at her friend as she passed and then turned her attention back to her cards. She didn't look back up again till she heard a very worried Spot saying, "Lilies, Lilies are youse alright? Open youse eyes Lil."

When Elizabeth looked up she saw Christine laying limp in Spot's arms. Her brown hair was slightly covering her face and her eyes were closed, "What happened?" Elizabeth asked worriedly, "Did she pass out?"

Spot nodded, "Yeah just out of nowhere I say her rockin and then she was falling."

Elizabeth was more confused than ever now. What could be happening that would make two people in her house pass out?

"Take her to Jack's room. Jack show Spot the away." Everyone nodded and help Spot stand up.

As everyone was making their way down the hall Elizabeth grabbed hold of Racetrack's arm, "I need you to tell her what exactly happened while you were in the kitchen."

Racetrack nodded and followed Elizabeth into the kitchen. As Elizabeth took the cookies out of the oven she listened to Racetrack tell her what all they had done.

"...and then wesegot us some popsicles and went into the other room."

"Wait," Elizabeth said, "You got popsicles? Mush ate a popsicle after breakfast this morning. Did you ever eat yours?"

Racetrack shook his head, "No Ise left it on a plate in the other room."

Elizabeth rushed to the Freezer and pulled the clear try out. Examining the popsicles Elizabeth saw that in each of the frozen treats there was a small half dissolved white pill.

"Those are my fast acting sleeping pills." Elizabeth said as she put the try in the sink. "Someone put sleeping pills in the popsicles."

"What's a sleepin pill?" Dutchy asked as she walked into the kitchen with everyone but Spot. Elizabeth assumed he had stayed with Christine.

"They're these little white pills that you take at night to help you fall asleep. I use them when I have to get up early the next morning for classes or something."

"Well how'd they end up in there?" Bumlets asked.

Elizabeth bit her lip, "I'm not sure. If none of us did that would mean that someone was in here last night whale we were sleeping or at Chris's place."

"Lilies" Everyone corrected in unison.

"Her nickname is not important right now." Elizabeth scolded, "We have to figure out who put those pills in the popsicles."

Everyone nodded and started to walk back towards Jack's room when Mush walked into the living room looking wide awake and just fine.

As everyone looked at him in amazement he simply asked, "What?"

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Thank you to everyone what reviewed the last couple of chapters. I have been doing a lot more writing now that school is out so hopefully chapters will be coming more often.

Adrian