Despite our general lack of energy from our sleepless night, we were all power walking somewhere. Our time was getting really short, so it was pretty now or never if we were gonna get this experiment done.
“Diast didn’t tell us what the fang ice cube experiment is,” Oka said. “So we can either guess and wing it, look through a textbook, or search it in the library.”
“I’m trying on my phone and I’m just getting results about the company that makes our science textbooks.” I said. “Who also publish a series about princesses that actually…looks pretty good. One kinda looks like Raina Starlight…”
“Zeta, quit drooling over someone that only kind of looks like Raina Starlight and focus!” Oka said.
“Hold on, if you’re going to the library, it’s gonna have to just be you two,” Kalei said.
“Why?” Oka asked.
“I kinda…” Kalei scratched her head. “Got banned from the library for the month.”
“Wait, what?” I asked. “When was this?”
“I didn’t want to tell you because it’s embarrassing!” Kalei said.
“Why, did you get caught looking at…inappropriate websites?” I asked.
She scratched her head again. “I mean…”
“Kalei!” Oka said.
“Please explain,” I said, already giggling. “I demand the story.”
“No,” Kalei said. “I already said too much!”
“You said very much not enough!” I said.
“Zeta, quit drooling over this admittedly hilarious incident Kalei got herself into and focus!” Oka said. “We can chide Kalei about her internet browsing later. We need to finish this thing or we’re taking a major hit to our grades!”
“But…but I need to know!”
“Wait, shut up,” Kalei said.
“Don’t try to deflect,” I said.
“I’m serious, shut up,” Kalei said, holding a hand close enough to my mouth to cover it, but I flinched away from her. “Is that Soleri?”
“I hear Caya too,” Oka said, and motioned for us to hide.
Caya was talking to Soleri at an intersection in the hallway ahead. We put our backs against the wall to listen as Soleri sighed deeply.
“Every year I hear that sigh,” Caya said. “How’d the preliminary sweep go?”
“Pitiful,” Soleri said. “If I see one more fang ice cube experiment, I’m instantly failing them.”
We all exchanged glances at that. Caya chuckled.
“Maybe we should just fail all the fang ice cubes if they don’t do anything interesting with it.” Caya said.
“That’d be the only entertainment I find today,” Soleri said.
Their voices were getting farther away. Kalei peeked around the corner to check.
“OK, they’re gone,” Kalei said. “I’m just gonna say it, let’s see what Iris’ plan is.”
“But…” Oka said.
“We can at least hear her out,” I said. “Because my energy is starting to run out."
“Me too,” Oka said. “But that Volleyball Muscle also has me a bit jittery."
“I think we’ve given it all we can give.” Kalei said. “I’m sure Iris’ plan can’t be that stupid.”
* * *
“OK, I so here’s my idea,” Iris said when we told her we’d given up and were listening to her plan. “One time I didn’t want to go to the dentist, so I got Feral Flu. Then I did it again another time when I didn’t want to go to the dentist. Then another time when I didn’t want to go on a camping trip. And when I didn’t want to hang out with a friend one time.”
“You can get Feral Flu on purpose?” I asked.
"Wait hold on, was this all when you got your fangs in?" Oka asked. "Wouldn't that have only been like a few months ago? You gave yourself Feral Flu that many times over the last few months?"
"I mean...yeah?" Iris said.
“This is the stupidest plan I’ve ever heard,” Kalei said.
“Oh, whatever like you have any good ideas, beam for brains.” Iris said. “It’s worked for me before.”
“You wanna say that again?” Kalei asked.
"Yeah wait, did you mean beam for brains as in like beam chasers, or did you mean to say bean for brains?" Oka asked.
"Why would I say bean for brains? Is that even a good insult?" Iris asked.
"I don't know, maybe!" Oka said.
“Hey hey, calm down!” I said. “We’re trying to work together here. Do we have any better idea than Feral Flu?”
“It’s either that or actually try to do the presentation.” Oka said.
Oka, Kalei, and I looked at each other.
“Alright, Iris, how are we all gonna get Feral Flu?” I said.
“I know someone in our grade who has it,” Iris said. “We just have to find em and blam, Feral Flu.”
“Is it that easy?” I asked.
“This is an Iris idea, so I am concerned there.” Kalei said.
“Thanks for the vote of support,” Iris said. “I hear some kids have it over by the dumpsters out back.”
We followed Iris out to a little alcove of dumpsters behind the auditorium. There were only two students there, Snake Riley, the fennec fox Kanibari, and her friend Ema Kari, who was currently in a crude cage.
“Zeta, I’m frightened,” Oka said. “Aren’t those the…bad girls that gave you a rough time in the garden?”
“You know I exist too, right?” Kalei said.
“Kalei, I’m frightened,” Oka said. “Aren’t those the…bad girls that gave Zeta a rough time in the garden?”
“How should I know?” Kalei said.
"I just know they were the ones that did tail stomps." Oka said.
"Well, we don't have tails." Kalei said.
"And Rain isn't around to tell them to stomp on me, so we have that going for us." I said.
Oka squinted. "Right...remind me of that again after all this when I have more sleep in me." Then she quietly added, "I'm still plotting my retribution for that..."
"What was that last part?" I asked.
"N-nothing!" Oka said.
“Well, anyways. So it’s Snake and Ema that have Feral Flu?” I asked. “Can we trust this?”
“I don’t know if there’s a trustable way to spread Feral Flu.” Oka said.
“I mean more in that they’re really stupid, so they might have screwed this up,” I said.
“I think we need to stop asking logical questions here and just dive in,” Kalei said.
“Yeah, quit with the logic crap!” Iris said.
Ema Kari thrashed around in her cage that looked like it was made from materials plucked out of the garbage. There was a cardboard sign in front of it that said:
“FERAL FLU BITE FIVE BUCKS”
“We fancy ourselves to be entrenenpenturs,” Snake said, completely mangling the word. “Ema got fang flu so I thought, why not kickstart our business empire?”
“Ah,” Oka said. She could barely conceal how bad an idea she thought this was.
“You’re lucky to catch us when you can read the sign,” Snake said.
“How come?” Iris asked.
“It’s pretty genius if you ask me, but it flips down when a teacher walks by.” Snake said. “So we can be all sneaky about it and stuff.”
“And they don’t say anything about Ema in the cage there?” I asked.
“Not really.”
“Let’s get this over with already,” Kalei said. “Who has money?”
We all checked our pockets and handbags. Iris sighed when we only had a few coins total.
“Y’all owe me for this.” Iris said as she handed a twenty-dollar bill to Snake.
“It was your idea.” Oka said.
“Hang on, just let me count this,” Snake said. She pointed at each of us, looking back at the twenty-dollar bill each time. “One…that’s five…two…that’s five plus five…three…that’s five plus five plus five…”
“The math works out! Can we just do this?” Kalei asked.
“Now I have to start over,” Snake said. “One…that’s five…”
“Can you just count later?” I asked. “We’re kind of on a time crunch here.”
“Fine, but if you swindled me, I’m kicking your asses.” Snake said.
I looked over at the rabid looking Ema, who snarled at me. “Wh-what do we do, exactly?”
“Hold your arm out, and she’ll bite you.” Snake said. “Then you get Feral Flu.”
“I don’t want to get bitten!” I said.
“Zeta, seriously, stop questioning things.” Kalei said. “You go first because the rest of this aren’t gonna be babies about this.”
“Huhuh, yeah,” Snake said. “Don’t be a baby, Zeta.”
“Fine, whatever,” I said, rolling my right sleeve up. “So I really just…go up to her?”
“Yes, go!” Kalei said.
I inched over to Ema. When I barely got my arm out, she grabbed it with both hands and bit me really hard.
“OW!” I yelled. It felt like she scratched me with claws too. I managed to get away as Ema let out a wild, pig squeal sounding laugh. Her bite left four little marks in my forearm, breaking the skin just a little.
I felt naturally really panicked about our really stupid plan as Oka, Kalei, and Iris each got bit by Ema. She seemed to hold on tighter and for a lot longer with Kalei, who had to shove her off to get away.
“Well…we actually did this.” Oka said, rubbing her bitten arm.
“I don’t feel anything.” I said.
“It takes a few minutes, idiot.” Snake said.
“Alright, well good luck with your business, we are all going to go wait inside for this to kick in.” Oka said. “Right, guys?”
Ema snarled and nearly broke out of her cage, making our move back inside a much speedier action.
