A few hours later, we find ourselves in an empty classroom, in front of a blackboard making our notes.
"Okay, so it all started with Tanya and Mike." I write their names on the board. "What links them?"
"They were hooking up," Alice says.
"Right, so the logical conclusion is that they either got whatever this is from the same thing, or one gave it to the other."
"Is it possible there were other victims before them?" Edward asks.
"Of course, it's possible. But if it were anyone in this school, they'd be dead already. Right?" Emmett hops up onto one of the desks, his feet dangling nearly down to the floor. "I say we treat Tanya has patient zero."
"And who else has a connection to these two?" Alice asks.
I draw a line down from Mike's name and sadly write Jessica's name. I hate to say I've given up hope that she's alive somewhere, but every time I ask the teachers, they claim they don't know. I see the look in their eyes. They know.
We also write down the names of the teacher who helped Tanya in the hallway, who has been MIA, and Tanya's closest group of friends.
"So, generally, the symptoms have taken what? Two to three days to appear in some cases? Where were Mike and Tanya over the weekend, but before he went out with Jess on Saturday?" I ask.
"My party," Emmett says. "They were both at my party, remember. They were hooking up in the woods and stumbled across that-"
"Dead deer," Edward interrupts. "Could it be the deer?" He turns to Alice. "Did they touch the deer?"
"Tanya said she accidentally put her hand in the blood. She wiped it off the best she could and washed her hands inside the housebut."
"So, it could be either transferred by bodily fluids, or air."
"And if it's option two, we're all fucked right?" Emmett scoffs and looks down at the floor. He's grown more and more anxious as the conversation has gone by.
We take another few minutes and write down all of the symptoms that we witnessed, as well as what we're being told to look out for by the medical team and teachers in the school.
"I'll send this to my dad and see what he says," Edward takes a few photos of our chalkboard lists and shoots off some quick texts to his dad. Speaking of, I wonder if my dad still has his phone on him.
I pull mine out and take a minute to text him.
U ok?
I breathe a sigh of relief when I see he's typing. Ok.
I don't know how much power he has if he's still locked up in a cell, but I figure it can't hurt to let him know we're sending info to Dr. Cullen.
Find Carlisle Cullen, I send him. He responds almost instantly with a G2G, so I tuck my phone back in my pocket. If we were in any other situation, I'd be proud of his texting skills.
"This is just bullshit!" Emmett yells, smacking the desk so hard that I swear I see a dent in the top. "We're just caged in here waiting to die. They don't even care if we die!"
"Em..." Edward starts.
"No, Cullen! You can't smart ass or joke your way out of this. It's coming for all of us. We're all dead. I'm not just going to sit around and wait for it." He hops down and storms out of the room, Rosalie following.
"Let us know if your dad answers, Edward." Alice offers a small smile as her and Jasper leave the room.
Edward slouches down into the teacher's empty seat and closes his eyes. Although I don't like his delivery, Emmett is kind of right. I get a sense that Edward uses his wit and charm to get his way out of tricky situations, not because he's trying to manipulate people on purpose, but it's his defense mechanism. So he doesn't have to feel the rest of it.
I walk over and stand in front of him, my legs bumping against his knees.
"It's okay to be scared." I reach out and run my fingers through his hair. "You don't have to hide it."
He surprises me when his hands find my arms and then my hips, and he pulls me down into the chair with him, into an all enveloping hug.
We sit there for a few minutes before I hear someone clear their throat out in the hallway. I turn my head and see one of the CDC medics at the doorway.
"We suggest you maintain distance," he says, cold and robotic.
"I suggest you move along," I snap.
He shakes his head and continues down the hall.
"Damn, Bella. Getting all defensive and stuff, it's kind of hot," Edward says, smirking.
"Back to you, I see." Without thinking, I lean down and kiss the top of his head. Then I freeze because I can't believe I just freaking did that. "Sorry."
"I'd risk contamination for a kiss from you anyday."
I can't help but laugh. "How romantic." I glance at the clock. "I should get back to check on Ang, she's probably wondering where I am."
"Sure." He nods.
"Are you going to be okay?" I ask, standing.
"Absolutely." He leans back in the chair and throws his hands behind his head. "You know I could get used to sitting in the teacher's seat."
"Enjoy it while you can." I turn toward the door. "Talk to you later."
"Later, Swan."
I find Ang back in our room on her cot, her knees pulled up to her chest, and her head buried. She's crying.
"Hey," I say, rushing to her side. "What's going on?"
"Jess is d-d-dead," she stuters. "They, they told me. I kept asking and they finally told me."
I figured that much. I feel terrible about losing Jess, she was one of my first friends here in Forks, but it's not as bad for me as it is for Angela. They've been best friends since they were five.
When she looks up at me, I freeze.
"Ang..."
I hold my breath, partly from shock, and partly because I don't want to breathe the air.
The blood coming out of her nose is deep red, leaving a large spot on her sleeve where her head had rested.
"What?" She sniffles, and the moment she tastes the blood, I see it in her face.
"Just stay there, I'll get help."
I back away and rush out of the room. By the time I reach the end of the hall, I hear her in hysterics. I hate to abandon her. I know she's scared. I'm scared too. But I can't risk it, even if there's a good chance I'm already exposed.
I yell at the first medical person I see.
"We need some help!" I motion for him to follow me, but I stop just outside the door.
"We have a code red, I repeat, code red!" He speaks into his radio, and in less than a minute, the others swarm the room.
"This way, please," one of them orders me. My heart races as they quickly usher me down the hallway and down a set of stairs that I don't recognize. I pretty much stick to the few places I have classes, but this is new.
They push me into a room with plastic walls, sealed up on each side, ceiling and floor. I turn around as they zip me inside, all alone except for a single showerhead in the middle, and some kind of makeshift drain.
"Remove your clothes, and stand under the decontamination shower, please," someone says over a loudspeaker. I look behind me and see the troop that led me here has disappeared.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Quickly, please. Place your clothes into the bin in the corner. Stand under the shower until it shuts off."
My hands shake as I tentatively pull my shirt up over my head, tears springing to my eyes.
I glance up, looking for cameras, feeling embarrassed and vulnerable.
"No one will be watching, miss. When you are finished, please step through the door on your left. Inside, you'll find some new clothes for you to wear."
That doesn't really ease my fears, but I guess I have to trust it.
I remove the rest of my clothes and place them into the bin before standing beneath the showerhead.
The ice cold water suddenly rains down on my naked body, sending shivers from my head down to my toes. I close my eyes and wait for what feels like forever before the shower shuts off.
Shaking, my arms wrapped around my body, I follow the instructions and enter the next room. Inside, there's a set of what looks like scrubs sitting on a plain white cot. A toilet sits in the corner of the room, but other than that the room is empty.
A metal door slides shut behind me, and I'm locked inside with nothing but a small window the size of a computer screen. I pop up on my toes and look outside. The shower room is being moved by a small troop of CDC workers dressed in complete suits. I can't even see their faces.
Once it's removed, I see other doors just like mine across the way and all around me. And faces, some I recognize, some I don't, peeking out at me just like I am them.
"Oh, God." I step back from the door. This is the second tier quarantine. And I'm in it.
A/N: Happy Sunday!
Things are starting to get even more scary on the inside. What will happen to Ang? Did Bella get exposed? And what will Edward think when Bella suddenly disappears?