Invisible (36 page)

S
EA ANEMONES ARE CANDY-COLORED SQUISHY ANIMALS
so delicious looking, you’d want to pinch off a piece and pop it in your mouth. You wouldn’t get that far, though. The instant you touched it, a coiled stinger buried beneath a trap cell door would lash out and punch a painful poison into your skin. It’s the law of the ocean: the prettier something is, the more dangerous it is
.

Anemone mouths are pursed tight in the middle of their juicy little bodies. On the opposite ends are pedal disks that glue them into place on a rock or piece of coral. They can creep along very slowly, and some can swim, but on the whole, they usually prefer to patiently wait for food to find them. Their cute little selves just sit there, arms waving delicately in the water, and an octopus or a starfish or a fish can’t help it. They swim over to take a look and pow! The anemone grabs them, stuns them with poison, and leisurely nibbles away. That’s another law of the ocean
.

Curiosity will kill you
.

•  •  •

The news crawled through school like a centipede, climbing up and down the walls and across all the floors, its little legs working busily. By second period, it was all people were talking about. Peyton sat there and wished someone, anyone, would just freaking change the subject.

“I heard it was a gas leak,” Hannah said.

Gerkey’s didn’t operate on gas.

“They found drugs in the locker room.”

Probably Ronni’s prenatal vitamins, the ones she took
just in case
.

“I heard a boiler blew up and people got burned.”

Yeah? What boiler would that have been, the one in the next county over?

Mrs. Milchman sat on her desk, swinging her legs like she was proud of them. She wasn’t as bad as Peyton’s Spanish teacher, who always wore low-cut shirts and tight skirts that made it particularly gross when she was acting out a scene for them. “I don’t think so, guys,” Mrs. Milchman said. “The front office would have gotten calls from your parents.”

Hannah nodded. “This is a safety zone.”

“You mean tornado zone,” someone corrected.

“No, safety zone. Like if there was a terrorist act or something. This is where people would go.”

“Like Black Bear’s a training camp for terrorists.”

“I’m just saying.”

They were all just saying, but none of them knew. Peyton had passed Eric in the hall earlier, and even he’d looked a little worried.

“They don’t put people in quarantine for an industrial accident.” That was Hannah Know-It-All. “They just hose them down.”

“You learn that from
Criminal Minds
?”

Laughter.

“Someone poisoned the lotion and
that’s
why the EPA’s there.”

“Poisoned lotion. Ooh. Scary.”

More laughter.

Peyton wondered if the EPA had badges and guns. Maybe they were corralling everyone outside on the parking lot.

“I’m just telling you what I heard.”

Maybe nanoparticles sank to the bottom of a person and rose to fill every organ, until a person couldn’t breathe or swallow. Or maybe they started on the outside and pressed their way in through a person’s pores. Maybe it had all been there, right in front of them, and no one had been able to see any of it.

Everyone was staring at her.

Milchman said gently, “That’s all right, Peyton. Never mind.”

When the bell rang, Peyton was the first one out the door.

After gym, while everyone was getting changed, Peyton stood in the entryway, just around the bend in the wall that kept the boys from seeing in but far enough out of the tiled room so there’d be cellphone reception. A couple of other girls huddled nearby with their own phones pressed to their ears.

Her dad answered on the third ring. There was background noise and he spoke loudly. “Peyton? Is everything all right?”

“What’s going on?”

“Hold on.” The noise dissipated. He must have shut a door or something. “You heard the EPA’s here?”

“Everyone’s talking about it. They’re saying there’s poison in the sunscreen.”

“Goddamn it.”

Peyton was shocked. Her dad never swore.

“Well, you know better, right?”

“But Dana said—”

“I don’t care what Dana said. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

“She found that stuff on my coat, Dad. And what about those Chinese scientists?”

“This is how rumors get started.”

“Stop treating me like I’m stupid.”

“I’m not doing that.”

“You’ve been doing it since Mom got sick.
‘Everything’s going to be okay. It’s not a big deal. Lots of people get kidney disease.’
Well, it wasn’t okay, was it, Dad? You made me think it was! You made me think it was okay to go to school and forget about it.”

The other girls were looking at her. She glared at them until they turned away. “Tell me the truth for once, Dad.”

“The EPA showed up this morning. They talked to Brian. He’s been showing them all over the plant, and they’ve been collecting samples.”

“Like Dana did?”

“Pretty much.”

“Are they closing down the plant?”

“Of course not.”

She heard the truth in his voice. Okay. Things couldn’t be that terrible, then. But still. “Have they found anything?”

“Not that I know of.”

Maybe it took time to know. “What if they do find something?”

“Then it means we have to tighten up on our safety protocols.”

That made sense. Maybe they had thicker masks that would work. She lowered her voice. “It was Dana who called them, wasn’t it, Dad?”

“I don’t know.”

Yes, he did. He knew as well as she did. “The EPA wouldn’t have shown up if she was wrong about this, Dad.”

“I’m sure they have to investigate every complaint, even the ones that don’t make sense.”

Peyton hadn’t known that. The other girls were straightening up and shoving their phones in their pockets. A teacher must be coming. “I have to go, Dad.” She hung up before he could say another word.

•  •  •

Eric was waiting for her after school, leaning against her locker. “Hey,” he said, pushing himself up.

“Hi.” She worked the lock and swung the door open. “I missed you at lunch.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I stayed behind to do a chem lab.”

They pushed through the school doors. The parking lot was emptying, cars screeching out, radios blasting. The track team ran laps around the football field. Balls thudded in tennis courts so new Peyton could still smell the paint.

“Crazy day, huh?” He took her hand, the callus on his thumb from the sax scratchy along her palm.

“Dana was the one who called them.”

“I figured.”

“My dad said the EPA had to come out, but I don’t know. Maybe she’s right. Maybe this nano stuff is dangerous.”

Eric didn’t say anything.

“Hello?” she said impatiently. “Did you hear what I said?”

“I heard.” They stopped at the intersection to wait for the light to change.

“Doesn’t that freak you out?”

He shrugged.

Why was he being like that? She persisted. “So what if it turns out she was right?”

“I told you. The government wouldn’t let people use nanotech if it wasn’t safe.”

“You were the one who said it was a good thing that Dana was checking things out.”

He frowned, staring at the light. It glowed, a long steady red. At last, he said, “My dad works there.”

“So it’s okay to talk about it when it’s just about my mom, but when it’s about your dad, we can’t?”

He didn’t answer.

So there it was, that thick solid line between them, the one that had always been there but that she hadn’t seen until now. She stood on one side looking over with longing, and he stood on the other, looking away. She pulled her hand out of his and wrapped both her arms around her books.

“I’m sorry,” Eric said at last.

He never said he was sorry. He meant it, though; she could tell. Was she ready to let it go? His profile was to her, his mouth turned down. He was her best friend. He knew her like no one else did. “Forget it,” she said.

He didn’t look at her, but his face firmed with relief. “Okay, then.”

“Okay.” She let him take back her hand.
Okay
.

 [DANA]

N
ICE AFTERNOON, ISN’T IT?” THE WAITRESS FLIPPED
the thick white mug over and filled it with coffee. Her nametag read
Leslie
. “You ready to order?”

“I’ll stick with coffee, thanks.”

“Oh, sure, but if you want any chocolate silk, better let me know right away. We’ve only got a couple pieces left.”

The plump pieces of pie were prominently displayed on the counter behind her.
Homemade
, the hand-lettered sign announced, and normally, I would have succumbed to temptation. But I couldn’t bear the thought of eating anything, so I just said, “I’m fine. Thanks.”

She moved to the booth behind me. “You hear about the trouble down at the plant?” she said to the people sitting there.

They grumbled a reply. I tuned them out.
A tube of sunscreen poked out of my purse. I’d automatically started to apply it that morning and caught myself just in time. A new tube, an expensive brand filled with antioxidants. I couldn’t bring myself to throw it out. Was the danger in the manufacturing process or in the product itself? Until I knew, I’d hold on to it, just in case. It would
serve as a reminder of all the other things I’d have to be on the watch for. Athletic socks, glass cleaner, shampoo. Toothpaste.

Bells jangled. Two men stood in the doorway, one tall with a short brown beard, the other younger, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. It had to be them. They had the weary look of not belonging.

I raised my hand, and the older man nodded. The two of them threaded between the tables toward me. “Dana Carlson?”

I couldn’t tell from their expressions whether or not they’d found anything. “Thanks for meeting me, Dr. Neuberger.”

“Bill, please.” He shook my hand, then indicated the shorter fellow beside him. “This is Dennis Hoffmeyer from Moorhead University. I called him after we spoke yesterday afternoon. This sort of thing is his field of expertise.”

“Hey.” Dennis slid into the booth after Bill, and the waitress came over.

“You didn’t tell me you were waiting for someone.” Leslie beamed at the two men. “Can I get you fellows anything? We’ve got the best pie in Black Bear, make it every day, seven, eight different kinds.”

“Sure,” Bill said. “Coffee, and whatever pie looks good.”

“Make that two,” Dennis said.

“All righty.” She turned over two cups and filled them. “You change your mind about that chocolate silk, honey?”

“I’m good,” I said. “Thank you.”

“No problemo.”

She moved off and I leaned forward. “Did you find anything?”

“It’s still too early to say for sure. We did pick up some elevated readings throughout the plant. We took soil and water samples, too.”

I let out my breath. “I forgot to mention that the wheat hasn’t been growing all around town.”

Dennis looked interested. “We didn’t notice that on our way into town.”

“I saw it from the air. It’s gradual, something you wouldn’t spot from the ground.”

He turned to Bill. “We should check that on our way out of town.”

Bill nodded. “Hard to imagine, though.”

“But something could be seeping into the ground and preventing reproduction from occurring.”

“You read anything about that in the literature?”

“Something’s ringing a bell. I’ll go back and look.”

They were fired up about this. That was good.

Leslie returned carrying two plates of pie, lemon meringue jiggling with meringue. “The lemon’s out of this world.” She topped off my cup and winked at me. “I brought an extra fork in case you wanted to share. Let me know if I can get you anything else.”

“Will do,” Dennis said.

I waited until she’d walked over to greet two more customers. “Did you get that link I emailed you?”

Dennis nodded. “I read it on the way over. It’s a preliminary finding. Its primary function is to suggest where research should be focused. I’ve emailed the research team to see if they’ve done any work in that area. We’ll see what they say. There may be data they haven’t released yet.”

“Okay.”

“Dennis is going to take the samples we collected back to his lab to conduct the chemical analysis,” Bill told me. “The EPA’s not funded to monitor nanotechnology.”

“I can’t believe I had an opportunity like this right in my own backyard,” Dennis said. “Everyone’s trying to get research going in this field. Sunscreen manufacturers are notoriously secretive.”

I wasn’t interested in the research potential. “How long will it take before you know something?”

“I’ve got a few grad students who can help. Say, a couple of days.”

Bill turned to Dennis. “I’ll be in your neck of the woods day after tomorrow. Why don’t I drop in, see what you’ve got?”

Dennis forked off a bite of pie. “I should be in all afternoon.”

Great. They were rushing the analysis, and following up quickly. I’d know something soon. Maybe within days. “My niece was wearing a mask when she spilled powder all over herself, just one of those disposable paper ones. Do you think she breathed in any of it?”