Fighting the sea of kids in the halls was a minor annoyance for once in her life. She was too deep in thought to care. Thrax had been distant the night before, even Grace quieter than usual. There were so many times she wanted to break the silence but didn't know how. It wasn't until she finally had something come to mind based off the show that was on, Thrax stood and went to bed. He always walked quiet but she didn't hear him move passed the hall leading to the bedrooms. She glanced in his direction to see him standing, watching her. At seeing her notice him, he disappeared.

"What did I do?" She asked.

Something like shame stared back at her. "It isn't you." Grace murmured. "You did nothing wrong."

She wanted to argue but didn't.

She trudged into science class, her gaze lowered. It wasn't until she reached her table she saw it was already occupied.

"You're here."

"Unfortunately." He looked up from his book cover as she sank into her seat. Silence fell between them. "Heard you were looking for me."

Heat spread across her cheeks. "It's embarrassing to sit alone when everyone else has partners. I was paired with Lucy and Dorian, do you know how terrible that was for me?"

He grew amused, she could tell. His eyes drifted past her to the two, swooning over each other. "Must have been terrible." He agreed.

"It was." She scribbled the date on her sheet for notes. "Never thought I had a gag reflex."

"Mr. Flavum." The teacher had appeared without her noticing. "Unexcused absences will not be tolerated in my classroom, understood?"

Annoyance flared in his face. "I was a tied up with some-"

"I'm well aware of where you were yesterday and frankly I don't care about it or you. Miss. Estrogen I suggest you find yourself a new seat."

She didn't move, stunned the teacher was being so blatantly rude. "There aren't any other seats." She heard herself say.

The teacher pursed his lips, making them seem a lot bigger. "Sure there are. You have 12 of them to choose from." He waved his hand dramatically towards the lab stations.

"I'm not moving."

There was a collective intake of breaths from around the room.

"You aren't alienating both of us. Him from me as a lab partner and me, away from the entire class."

The he-cell leaned in. "If you do not pick up your bag and books right now and move, I'll mark you down as not here, since you will not be in your assigned seat."

"Do it."

Her response surprised him, she could see it in his face. He had expected his last comment to be enough to scare her into obeying.

"Prepare to be taking this class again next semester then."

"Just move."

Lindi ignored Shaine as she watched the teacher move away.

"Did you hear me?"

"Yeah. I can't see the board from over there. So tough."

Nothing more was said between them.

….

Cerebellum Hall

Leah fidgeted as the clock ticked closer and closer to one pm, cells from all branches in the government were in the conference room. All except one. "Come on Tom." He was never late. If anything he was the first to show up to a meeting and the first to begin tapping his foot in anticipation. Mandy caught her eye, the girl's face beginning to show signs of the new-employee stress Leah was so used to seeing.

"I'll be back." She left the room and went to the mayor's office. The room was shadowed by low lights something that struck her a little odd. "Tom?"

No answer.

She went to the rear exit door, thinking maybe he was in the bathroom. The light shone under the door. Bingo. She knockmed. "Tom. Are you almost ready?"

Still no answer. She took a step back, weighing how inappropriate it would be for her to open the door on him. He could be doing anything. But there is no noise… She'd take her chances.

She didn't understand the scene at first but she quickly recovered. He was unconscious and looking like he had hit his head on the way down as plasma leaked onto the floor.

"Oh my god." She grabbed as many particle towels as she could get and pressed them against the wound. "Tom…Tom? Wake up." She shook him carefully, trying not to jostle him too much.

His eyes slowly opened and took a moment to focus. He tried to sit up; it didn't take much strength to keep him down. He's weak.

"What happened?" Even his voice was strained.

"I-you fell…you don't remember?"

"No." He stopped trying to move. "I feel like-" He abruptly trailed off as he swam in and out of consciousness.

Not wasting time texting, Leah hit the voice-over on her phone and spoke so the phone would type for her.

Mandy soon appeared. She squeaked, frozen at the sight of her employer. "What-What-"

"Listen to me." Leah cut her off. "Go downstairs and get Marjorie. Move." The girl quickly left.

….

"I'm just tired that's all. There's no need for all this, really."

The not-so-amused old cell sniffed. "Tom. With all due respect, shut up."

Laid back as he was personality-wise, Leah was glad he didn't take offense to the building's nurse's words. Marjorie couldn't be fired anyway; she was too good at what she did.

"How much are you eating?"

"I'm eating." His answer sounded a little forced.

"That's a not." The she-cell marked down a note. "Sleeping?"

He made an indignant noise. "Margi, everyone sleeps."

"So the bags under your eyes means you're falling asleep without issue and staying asleep?

He wasn't able to come up with a response fast enough.

"Really. This is getting a tad ridic-"

Marjorie's frown deepened as she zeroed in on something she thought was clearly wrong.

"What is it?"

"Stop moving!" She hissed when Colonic glanced at Leah upon her asking. "Look straight at me."

"Margi?" Leah drew closer.

"His pupils are dilated." She pointed. "Do you get headaches?"

"My life is a headache."

She glared daggers at him telling him he was pressing one too many of her buttons.

"Sometimes. Everyone gets them."

The NP studied him. "You live alone do you not?"

"Yes."

In a flurry of snappy movement Marjorie began putting her instruments away. "Tell Gracie to give me a call."

….

Espho-Landing Apartments

8:06pm

"I'm really sorry to do this to you." Grace said for what seemed like the millionth time as she and Lindi made her bed.

Lindi shrugged. "I don't mind. Not like we're handing my bed over to Aunt Matilda."

"Be nice!" Grace scolded while laughing. "It's true though." She admitted after a second.

"Do you remember what she asked when she came to visit that first time, about Thrax?"

"I'm surprised you even remember and don't remind me."

Lindi had to hold onto her headboard as she stifled her laughter. It was contagious, as Grace unsuccessfully tried to hold in her own amusement.

"You know they're recruiting." A different voice piped up from the doorway, making mortification sprint across Grace's face.

Lindi immediately clamped her mouth shut and tried to swallow the giggles.

Thrax was leaning against the frame. "The male-escort service."

Grace shut her eyes. "She would be your first customer."

"And then all of her friends from the knitting, book and cooking club would follow." Lindi added.

"Okay-stop. I'm getting terrible images."

A knock on the front door interrupted them.

Tom looked sick. Margi had said she was concerned about some sort of tumor. Grace thought differently. The way he stuck to darker areas of the room, avoiding the light. His face haggard: from no sleep, nausea and pain. She'd be more willing to bet he wasn't being truthful about the headache question that he had blown off. He tried to protest, for less than a minute, when Grace told him to go to bed. He hadn't put up too much of a fight. She checked on him a half-hour after he disappeared into Lindi's room. The room was pitch black as he had pulled the blinds. Brain cells don't get headaches…they are the brain. There is only one reason why someone like Tom would be sick like this.

"He's asleep." Thrax's murmur in her ear didn't startle her. She hadn't heard him come, but she felt his presence before he spoke.

She nodded her agreement and followed him to their bedroom where Lindi was already asleep in the corner on a cot from Leah's apartment.

"I think Leah should put the manual mode on tomorrow. She's acting mayor if Tom is out of the picture."

He paused, watching her. "Make Frank go to a doctor." He wasn't questioning.

"Yeah." Grace leaned to make sure Lindi was still asleep. She looks like she is. "Tom is a brain cell. Brain cells don't get headaches…unless a metamorphosing stage is occurring."

His glowing eyes flickered towards Lindi. "How long is he staying here?"

She shrugged. "As long as Margi says to. Why?"

He ran his hand through his dreads, unconsciously and usually out of agitation, Grace noted.

"If he's turning cancerous, there's a small window of time that you have to act." He paused. "I won't hesitate to kill him."

His words stunned her. She hadn't expected the thought of cancer or Tom being a carrier or worse, a contagious spreader. A chill ran up her spine. She couldn't acknowledge it so she forced herself to nod.

Silence fell between them, just before her hand reached the lamp's on/off switch she asked. "How would you do it?"

He was quiet for a moment. "Burning. Leave nothing left."

…

One week later

Lindi tiptoed into her room to grab her bag as Colonic slept. Grace was downplaying his condition that much she knew, he wasn't getting worse but he wasn't improving either. He spent most days sleeping, only awake for short stints. There's nothing I can do about it. She turned and left, fighting with Luka to keep her out of the room.

…..

Plasma-dodge was fun. Lindi wasn't apart of any one clique. She didn't have any use for the bullshit, but when the gym teachers decided on plasma-dodge usually when they didn't feel like putting much work into an actual agenda for the day, both sides would suddenly seek after Lindi. The girls in the class would use the class period to wear tight sportswear, checking their nails and shrieking when a ball would come flying at them. The guys would laugh it off and shower them with attention but Lindi would get more, something she knew irked the girls. She was fast, even the teachers agreed and commented occasionally. When it seemed she was about to be nailed by a ball, she wasn't and her aim was dead accurate every time.

There was a groan from Troy as Aaron; the other chosen team captain got to choose first. Naturally Lindi was first. She waited quietly behind Aaron as the picking of students per team continued. Her attention wandering, she noticed three figures leaning against the outside of the gym's doors, watching the class. She recognized the hoodie that partly shadowed Shaine's face.

"Everyone divide. Troy you're over there." Ms. Gland blew her whistle, making Lindi wince. Shrill noises always hurt, worse than the other kids she was sure since none of them ever reacted to the noise, even the ones standing right next to the teachers. "On my mark…GO."

Lindi didn't make a mad dash to the balls lining the middle line. She preferred to wait for the guys on the other team to start trying to take her out. Right on cue, Linus threw a ball at her as hard as he could. She caught it easily, earning a groan. She deflected another ball that sailed at her face with the one in her hands; without much effort she nailed Kid in the stomach. Another ball whizzed by her head caught by Aaron who gave it to her as he caught another ball. Troy was near the back of his group, pumping ball after ball across the middle line and hitting some of his targets. He had three guys spread in front of him, forming a protective wall.

"We can't get him!" Taye growled to Aaron as he threw another ball; it sailed into a cluster of girls who all squealed. "The wuss, he's hiding behind those idiots."

Lindi sized up the field, mentally adding the figures in her head. Then she let the ball sail and watched as it climbed high towards the ceiling and then started its slow arc down. Just when she thought she misjudged and it was going to be a penalty headshot, it hit his throwing arm, making him drop the ball he had been about to chuck.

Aaron and Taye stood, blinking stupidly. Even Ms. Gland and Mr. Himlic were dumbfounded at the impossible shot. Then Aaron recovered. "Fucking awesome man! High-five."

She laughed as Troy swore loudly on the other side of the gym and slapped him a high five right before she caught another ball.

…..

"How do you do it?" Maddie asked, her mouth full. "Troy and his goons were bitching all morning about the 'person who nailed him.' He's so mad."

Lindi shrugged. "I'm a natural."

"Apparently."

Maddie gagged on her slime shake as Shaine sat down next to her. Max and the other friend Lindi still didn't know the name of, hung back slightly; sitting at the neighboring empty table but facing them.

Maddie opened her mouth, to say what Lindi didn't know but then she seemed to think better of it and resumed drinking her shake.

"Did you watch the whole time?"

Shaine shrugged. "Mostly until nosy Greggs started towards us, you'd think he would have had higher ambitions than being a crab-ass hall monitor." He fell quiet.

Just as she was about to ask why he was there, he spoke again.

"You know you don't move like a cell right? No cell is as accurate as you were 100% of the time, nailing those guys."

It was her turn to shrug. "I'm a natural." She repeated.

"Maybe."

"Is there something we can help you with?" Maddie interrupted.

"No."

"I didn't think so." Her tone suggested he move on.

"But I'd like to sit here and talk to Lindi, if you don't mind." Shaine held her gaze. Maddie narrowed her eyes and shot Max and the unnamed friend a look.

Lindi felt her face burning at the mention of her name. She wanted to put the mild snips at each other to rest but she kept her mouth shut. Shaine wasn't rude to Maddie, yet.

"What are you doing after school?"

Lindi could see Maddie freeze out of the corner of her eye.

"Nothing. Why?"

"How convenient. I'm not doing anything either." He stood up with a slight smile and left the cafeteria.

"Are you seriously going to go with them after school?" Maddie lost no time asking.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? He just invited you."

"He just asked what I'm doing after-"

"Lindi, honey. You can't be that dense with guys. He wouldn't have said he wasn't doing anything if he wasn't alluding to you and him spending time together."

Thrax's behavior came back to mind as she sat, listening to Maddie. The irritated emotions the virus had at the mention of Shaine and the asking specifically how much contact she had with him.

She glanced towards the doors he and his two friends had left through. "I don't know." She said again.

…..

Final bell

2:30pm

She had decided on going home until she saw him and the other two leaning against his car in the student parking lot. She paused, torn.

Thrax didn't patrol Frank, which was a plus for her but plenty of his coworkers did. She had no doubt if another officer of the 13th Precinct saw her with Shaine Thrax would be first to know. Especially since he was arrested and brought there. But Thrax never said to not be around him. "Thrax is going to kill me."

"We better not do anything illegal." She said once she was within earshot.

He grinned for the first time and didn't appear insulted. "Not with you in the car. To be nice we'll stick around your area."

…..

Lindi had only been to the C-vertebras a few times. It was a weird spot, with pearly white bone curving down until she couldn't see anymore. The spinal cord crackled with electro-energy.

"We aren't gonna get fried here are we?" The friend asked apprehensively.

"That's Ash. Don't think you two were formally introduced." Shaine glanced over his shoulder. "Why don't you come over and find out?"

Ash didn't move.

"It's in a protective casing you moron." Max thumped Ash in the back on his way by and sat on the fence bordering the drop-off.

Hesitant. Ash inched closer but didn't move past the hood of the car. "Freakin' weird man."

"We make a game out of it. Four times a week we drive to the weirdest spot of the body." Shaine sat on his hood.

"What was the last trip?" She asked.

"The Gynecomastia." Max answered, his face finally lighting up. Even Ash was joining in the smiles.

"The what?"

"Boobs…man-boobs."

"Why am I not surprised? Frank doesn't have man-boobs."

"You sure about that?"

She wasn't.

"We only went there because we liked the name." Ash added. "Has a nice ring to it."

It was funny and hardly surprising to her for some reason that they would go to the weirdest places in the body. Guess they aren't the thugs everyone makes them out to be. Loud crackles snapped by Max, making him jump and fall off his perch backwards.

"Nice."

"Shut up." He grumbled.

….

It was like Shaine knew what time to get her home. It was 6:15 when he dropped her off in front of her apartment.

"Thanks for the ride. I had fun."

"Welcome. We'll do it again if you want."

She fidgeted a little. Not entirely sure about the situation but nonetheless liked the fact that he was willing to spend more time around her. "I'd like that."

"Alright then. Night."

"Bye."

She watched until his car disappeared into traffic.