The first bell rang as Kim entered the school, looking tired. Two more pods
had been planted in her room: she had also had to kill one in her brothers'
room. This was getting extremely dangerous.
People were whispering in the hall, and Tara, a cheerleader, ran up to Kim, eyes anxious. "Kim," she whispered, eyes darting around. "Do you know what's happening to my sister, Lila?"
Kim looked down the hall to see a calm, cool, and collected Lila at her locker. This was highly unusual, as Lila was almost always bubbly, loud, and fidgety.
"Is she acting weird?" Kim asked Tara tiredly. Tara nodded. "I can't help you," Kim said monotonously. "Just stay away from weird pod-like things."
Leaving Tara staring after her, Kim walked on down towards her locker, and passed Bonnie on the way down. "Hello, Kim," Bonnie said. Kim braced herself for an insult, but none came.
Bonnie continued walking down the hall, not even giving her a glance back. Kim sighed. It looked like the pod-people had Bonnie as well as Lila and Kim's mom.
Ron stepped up. "KP," he said quietly. She looked at him, and knew instantly. "Oh, Ron!" she cried, hugging him tightly. "I'm sorry!" "Now you've lost your mom, and I've lost my dad," Ron said, his voice cracking slightly.
"We'll just have to stick together," Kim resolved. "Watch each other's backs." Ron nodded fiercely.
"Yeah. It's the only thing we can do, really."
Kim turned on the Kimmunicator. "Firebird," she said automatically. "Violin," Wade answered with a wry smile. "Look, Kim-by my estimate, at least 50 people in Middleton and about half the population of Upperton are pod-people. We've gotta stop this fast."
"I'm on it," Kim said, turning to Ron. "Looks like we're gonna miss school." Ordinarily, Ron would have been excited by this news, but now he just looked at her, grim resolution in his eyes. "Looks like," he said.
Kim didn't like the look in his eyes; like a part of him had died. Rufus came out of his pocket, and blew his nose.
Apparently, even the naked mole rat was upset. "C'mon," she said. "It's go time."
After the first period bell, Kim and Ron emerged from the bathroom, and opened Bonnie's locker. The contagious flowers were practically spilling from every corner.
Kim went out and burned them as Ron confiscated Lila's locker, with the same result.
Now, they went around Middleton, searching for pods. They destroyed almost 30, but were too late several times.
Kim went home utterly depressed. Even Coach Barkin was a pod now. With Ron spending the night, she decided to make some popcorn.
She went into the kitchen, and again, her dad was there. "Hello, Kim," he said automatically in a calm, monotonous voice, with no sense of emotion whatsoever.
Kim froze, and turned slowly to him. He smiled coldly at her, and she swiveled around again, and when she spoke, her resignation spoke as well. "Hello, Dad," she said. "You want some popcorn?"
The pod replied in the negative, and Kim fixed the popcorn and went upstairs to her room, where she found Ron, Rufus, Tim, and Jim in her room.
"What are you tweebs doing here?" she asked.
"Dad was acting all weird, trying to make us smell some flowers, and so was Mom," Tim explained. "But we remembered what you said, so we figured your room was safest," Jim said.
"You're good kids," Kim smiled, tousling their hair.
"Here's the popcorn, Ron," she said, handing him a bowl. "Sorry about your dad, Kim," Ron said softly.
Kim didn't answer for a while. "He's in a better place," she said eventually. "At least he doesn't have to suffer and wait for our turn...like we do."
She turned on the Kimmunicator. "Firebird," she said. Wade smiled. "Kim, what are you talking about?" Kim was silent for a while, and stared at Ron.
"Nothing, Wade," she answered, and turned it off. "Even Wade," she whimpered, sounding like her spirit had been crushed. "Even Wade," she repeated.
The twins stared at each other in distress as Ron laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You did the best you could..." he started, but Kim turned and looked at him, her eyes glowing with a fire.
"They took my parents," she said through gritted teeth. "They even took one of my best friends. But I swear, they will not get you, Rufus, the tweebs, or Monique. They won't succeed."
People were whispering in the hall, and Tara, a cheerleader, ran up to Kim, eyes anxious. "Kim," she whispered, eyes darting around. "Do you know what's happening to my sister, Lila?"
Kim looked down the hall to see a calm, cool, and collected Lila at her locker. This was highly unusual, as Lila was almost always bubbly, loud, and fidgety.
"Is she acting weird?" Kim asked Tara tiredly. Tara nodded. "I can't help you," Kim said monotonously. "Just stay away from weird pod-like things."
Leaving Tara staring after her, Kim walked on down towards her locker, and passed Bonnie on the way down. "Hello, Kim," Bonnie said. Kim braced herself for an insult, but none came.
Bonnie continued walking down the hall, not even giving her a glance back. Kim sighed. It looked like the pod-people had Bonnie as well as Lila and Kim's mom.
Ron stepped up. "KP," he said quietly. She looked at him, and knew instantly. "Oh, Ron!" she cried, hugging him tightly. "I'm sorry!" "Now you've lost your mom, and I've lost my dad," Ron said, his voice cracking slightly.
"We'll just have to stick together," Kim resolved. "Watch each other's backs." Ron nodded fiercely.
"Yeah. It's the only thing we can do, really."
Kim turned on the Kimmunicator. "Firebird," she said automatically. "Violin," Wade answered with a wry smile. "Look, Kim-by my estimate, at least 50 people in Middleton and about half the population of Upperton are pod-people. We've gotta stop this fast."
"I'm on it," Kim said, turning to Ron. "Looks like we're gonna miss school." Ordinarily, Ron would have been excited by this news, but now he just looked at her, grim resolution in his eyes. "Looks like," he said.
Kim didn't like the look in his eyes; like a part of him had died. Rufus came out of his pocket, and blew his nose.
Apparently, even the naked mole rat was upset. "C'mon," she said. "It's go time."
After the first period bell, Kim and Ron emerged from the bathroom, and opened Bonnie's locker. The contagious flowers were practically spilling from every corner.
Kim went out and burned them as Ron confiscated Lila's locker, with the same result.
Now, they went around Middleton, searching for pods. They destroyed almost 30, but were too late several times.
Kim went home utterly depressed. Even Coach Barkin was a pod now. With Ron spending the night, she decided to make some popcorn.
She went into the kitchen, and again, her dad was there. "Hello, Kim," he said automatically in a calm, monotonous voice, with no sense of emotion whatsoever.
Kim froze, and turned slowly to him. He smiled coldly at her, and she swiveled around again, and when she spoke, her resignation spoke as well. "Hello, Dad," she said. "You want some popcorn?"
The pod replied in the negative, and Kim fixed the popcorn and went upstairs to her room, where she found Ron, Rufus, Tim, and Jim in her room.
"What are you tweebs doing here?" she asked.
"Dad was acting all weird, trying to make us smell some flowers, and so was Mom," Tim explained. "But we remembered what you said, so we figured your room was safest," Jim said.
"You're good kids," Kim smiled, tousling their hair.
"Here's the popcorn, Ron," she said, handing him a bowl. "Sorry about your dad, Kim," Ron said softly.
Kim didn't answer for a while. "He's in a better place," she said eventually. "At least he doesn't have to suffer and wait for our turn...like we do."
She turned on the Kimmunicator. "Firebird," she said. Wade smiled. "Kim, what are you talking about?" Kim was silent for a while, and stared at Ron.
"Nothing, Wade," she answered, and turned it off. "Even Wade," she whimpered, sounding like her spirit had been crushed. "Even Wade," she repeated.
The twins stared at each other in distress as Ron laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You did the best you could..." he started, but Kim turned and looked at him, her eyes glowing with a fire.
"They took my parents," she said through gritted teeth. "They even took one of my best friends. But I swear, they will not get you, Rufus, the tweebs, or Monique. They won't succeed."