Stalking Shadows (Scary Mary) (5 page)

“I knew you’d be upset if you heard I went out with her.”

She stopped ignoring him. “Oh, so now we can talk about it?”

He winced. “I didn’t want to try explaining it in notes with my right hand.”

“Was it your first date?”

“Officially, yeah.”

“There were unofficial dates?”

“We’d gotten together a few times to study, and there were group things.”

“You hung out with her friends?”

His back stiffened. “It was Key Club stuff. She’d joined, too.”

“So you hung out in Key Club and studied together. For someone who doesn’t like her, you sure do hang out with her a lot.”

“I don’t dislike her.”

She had figured that out, but hearing Cy say it still felt like a punch in the gut. “Hanging out with me must really piss her off.”

“She’s not thrilled about it, but she can’t pick my friends. She knows that, and she’s cool with it, but I guess my friends think they can pick who I date.”

“Oh no, you don’t get to play it like that. I was never the bad guy here. You didn’t tell me squat. I didn’t even know you liked her. In fact, I thought you didn’t like her, Mr. ‘I could feel my IQ dropping from osmosis,’ now suddenly, you two are dating? What? When? How?”

“You forgot where.”

“I know where. The movie theater. What did you two see?”

“
Moon
Rain
.”

She was really starting to hate this conversation. She, Rachel, and Cy had talked about going to see that movie together. It would've been their first non-school time together since the séance. She looked over at the copier and hurried to it when she saw it was free. She needed to get away from him. Forget dreams with a non-comatose Vicky, this was a nightmare.

She slapped her notebook onto the scanner bed and fed the quarters into the machine. She hit the green button.

“Look, I’m sorry I kept my thing with Vicky from you, but I didn’t want to make it into a big drama, especially if nothing happened. It was one date. We aren’t a couple.”

“Now she’s in a coma, and you’re sitting by her bedside until she wakes up.” She flipped a page and jabbed the green copy button.

“I’m worried about her.”

“Is it just worry? Would you have gone out with her again if the accident hadn’t happened?”

He didn’t reply. She halfway ripped out a page of her notes as she turned it to scan the final sheet. When the last page spat out, she grabbed up the sheets, shoved them at him, and stormed out of the library.

“Mary!”

She ignored him. It was what one was supposed to do with strangers.

She walked down the hall toward the stairs. She was trying hard not to think, because she didn’t like anything currently swirling around in her head. She needed a distraction, something to take her mind off Cy, Vicky, and the joke that was her love life. She couldn’t stop the gurgly laugh that came out at the thought of her having a love life. Who was she kidding?

“Mary?”

She tried to pretend to not hear Kyle, but he didn’t get the hint that she didn’t want to talk. “Hey, Mary, wait up.”

She stopped and turned toward him, but she couldn’t bring herself to raise her eyes from the floor. “If you’re looking for Cy, he’s in the library.”

“Thanks, but he’ll find me. I’m not his nursemaid.”

She smiled thinly and turned towards the stairs.

“Are you all right?”

She didn’t turn around. “I’m peachy. See ya, Kyle.” She began walking to the stairs.

“Mary, wait!” She didn’t stop. Instead, she picked up her pace. She needed to get away from school. It was way past time for this day to be over. She couldn’t take anymore.

She was halfway down the stairs when Kyle called down to her from the top. “He’s a jerk. You shouldn’t let him bother you.”

She stopped and looked up at him. “That’s rich, coming from you.”

His face fell. She knew it was wrong to have said that, but she was hurting and wanted to lash out. Kyle wasn’t one of the people hurting her, but one of those people was in a coma, and the other had an arm in a sling. She couldn’t lash out at them. She shook her head.

“Don’t listen to me, Kyle. I’m a jerk too.” She turned and finished going down the stairs. He didn’t call out to her again.

As she was walking home, Rachel rolled up in her mom’s station wagon. “Get in. We have some serious cramming to do.”

The whole drama with Cy had made her totally forget her promise to help Rachel study. She climbed into the car. “Sorry, I got held up after class.”

Rachel looked her over. Mary knew she didn’t look good. “You still up for this?” Rachel asked. She nodded. Rachel began driving again. They were headed to the library. “Did you talk to Cy today?”

She sighed and slumped down. “Yeah.”

“And?”

“He likes Vicky. He knew it would upset me if he told me. They’re totally a couple.”

“Seriously?”

She nodded again. Rachel shook her head in silent commiseration. Mary straightened in her car seat. “I’m done dwelling on it. Let’s get you all biology-ed up.”

“Now you’re talking.”

“Hey, did your crafts teacher agree to write the recommendation?”

“Yeah, but Dad said that if I don’t get my grade up in biology, he won’t let me volunteer. I have to ace this test.”

“Wow, that’s like even more incentive to study hard.”

“You say incentive. I say pressure.”

“You’re gonna ace it. Where are the flash cards?” She reached into the back and grabbed Rachel’s book bag.

Rachel’s eyebrows rose. “I think studying in the car on the way to the library is like an example of the absolute reverse of procrastination. Is there even a word for that?”

“We’re studying bio, not English. Now, while studying a cell through an electron microscope, you note the following: numerous ribosomes, a well-developed endoplasmic reticulum, chloroplasts, and a cell wall. What did this cell come from?”

“A plant.”

She flipped the card. “Correct!” She flipped to the next card. “The bonding of two amino acid molecules to form a larger molecule requires what?”

“The release of a water molecule.”

She flipped the card. “Correct again!”

“You know Mr. Hutchins said that you shouldn’t allow too many distractions while driving, or you could end up in an accident.”

Mary looked through the windshield. “We’re at a stoplight.”

“One should always be vigilant.”

She tucked the cards back into Rachel’s book bag. “Fine, but we’re getting through all of them at the library.”

“But don’t you want to do some research into Vicky’s demonic stalker?”

“And how am I supposed to search for it? I don’t know anything about it except it claws at her.”

“Vicky didn’t tell you anything else?”

“No, she didn't.” She wasn’t really comfortable having this conversation because 1) Vicky was in a coma, 2) Vicky was supposedly talking to her in her dreams, 3) It was something spooky weird, and of course, she was supposed to know something about it, but in reality, she didn’t have a clue what was going on, and 4) Cy was totally dating the cheerleader. “And stop trying to wheedle out of studying by researching ghosts and goblins.”

“Ooh, do you think it’s a goblin?”

Mary groaned.

*    *    *

“Ask Mr. Fletcher.”

Mary ignored Rachel and read the next index card. “In humans, primary oocytes are located in the--?”

Rachel ignored her back. “Ask him.”

“Answer the question.”

“Ovaries. Ask him.”

She put the cards down and looked at the ceiling. They were in the microfilm section. It was deserted because no one used microfilm if they didn’t have to. “Mr. Fletcher, are you here?”

She waited for an acknowledgement. Nothing happened. Rachel could tell she didn’t get a response. “Hey, Mr. Fletcher! We got a research question!”

“Rach!”

The living librarian stuck her head around the corner. “Do you girls need help?”

Mary was shaking her head when Rachel said, “Yes, ma’am. Can you show us how to get information about patients at the hospital?”

The librarian strolled back to them so Rachel wouldn’t continue shouting across the room. This was supposed to be a quiet area. “You want patient information?”

“Yes,” she said. She rolled her eyes a little. Mary wanted to kick her.

The librarian, whose nametag said Elizabeth, took Rachel’s response in stride. “I’m afraid patient information is very sensitive. The hospital only gives that out to the patient, close family, or to someone with a court order. What exactly are you trying to find?”

“How many coma patients are at the hospital?”

Elizabeth blinked. “I’m sorry, girls, but that sort of information won’t be available.”

“How about, how many coma patients died at the hospital?”

She shook her head. “I’m really sorry. But that kind of hospital specific information is not available. I could maybe find you national numbers if you’re interested in those?”

Rachel shook her head. “Thanks, but we were interested in only the local hospital. We’ll surf the net for something else.”

Elizabeth nodded. “Well, just get me if you need any help.”

When the librarian was gone, Rachel sighed and cradled her chin with her fists. “I suppose Mr. Fletcher didn’t show up while we were talking to her, did he?”

“No. We should get back to studying. That
is
why we’re here.”

Rachel made a face, but couldn’t deny her statement.

“What is found in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells?”

Rachel stared into space. Mary waited for her to answer. While she waited, she flipped the card and looked at the answer. Rachel still didn’t appear ready to answer.

“It starts with an ‘R’.”

Rachel straightened with enlightenment. “Mom!”

“What?” She didn’t follow.

“I can ask her how many coma patients there are. Come on, I gotta get home.” She stood and slung on her book bag.

“But what about studying?”

“I’m good. I haven’t gotten one wrong, have I?”

Mary looked at the small stack of cards that they’d gone through and the much larger stack still in her hands. “Rach, you’re procrastinating.”

“No, you’re avoiding your duty.”

“What?”

“You have to help Vicky, but because she’s like spite incarnate and dating Cy, you don’t want to help her, so you’re dragging your feet when you should be marching around this library asking for Mr. Fletcher.”

Mary narrowed her eyes. “What’s found in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells?”

Rachel screwed up her mouth.

She flipped to the next card. “When hydrogen ions are pumped out of the mitochondrial matrix, across the inner mitochondrial membrane, and into the space between the inner and outer membranes, the result is what?”

Rachel crossed her arms and stared her down.

“Are you not answering because you won’t or because you don’t know the answer?”

Rachel lifted her chin.

She flipped to another card. “What possesses a microtubular structure similar in form to a basal body?”

She watched Rachel closely. She still stood defiant, but there was uncertainty around her eyes. Mary lowered the flash cards. “Maybe the reason I’m not all gung-ho to help Vicky is because I don’t know the answers either.”

“I know the answers,” Rachel muttered.

“Prove it.”

Rachel turned her nose away, but she did sit back down.

“What possesses a microtubular structure similar in form to a basal body?” Mary repeated.

Rachel rocked a little in her seat.

“It starts with a ‘C’.”

She rocked more.

“I can’t give you anymore hints because, frankly, I have no idea what this question is talking about.”

She waited for her to reply, but Rachel was in one of her monumentally stubborn moods. Mary sighed and pushed the cards toward her. “Look, what I need to know will not be in any book or newspaper. I have to go to the hospital and walk around if I’m going to get any idea about what is hurting Vicky, but the hospital isn’t going to just let us snoop. We need to enter the volunteer program, and the only way you’re going to get into the program is if you ace this test, so let’s get studying. All right?”

Rachel worked her jaw a bit but finally said, “Centrioles.”

She glanced at the note card. The answer was correct.

Rachel looked over at her with a small grin. “You know, we’re going through an awful lot of trouble for Vicky.”

“Don’t remind me. Focus on all of the other nameless patients that we might be helping.”

“Yeah, it’s too bad none of them contacted you in your dreams for help. Does this mean she has, like, psychic ability?”