Carnivora

Carnivora Part 2 of 4

2

The Friday after the Sandwich Incident, Jake caught the unmistakable aroma of baked chocolate on his way out after school. He pictured chocolate-chip muffins hot out of the oven, steam curling up from the surface, chips melted a little, everything moist and rich. Jake indulged himself, following that happy, delicious aroma to the Home Economics room.

Under the rich tide of mouth-watering, oven-warm chocolate, Jake picked up a tinge of another smell. It was also of chocolate, but cheaper and chalkier and almost overwhelmed by the better stuff. It was familiar for some reason and Jake dallied outside the room to see what he'd remember.

A mixed group of students appeared at the top of the corridor. Tiffany was amongst them, and another boy, Simon, who had surprised Jake a few days back when he'd enquired how Jake found the school. He now tipped his chin at him and Jake returned the same. Tiffany gave him a wan smile. She'd chatted with Jake since the Sandwich Incident, telling him his face looked better. She'd told him he had a good sense of smell, to which he'd shrugged and said, "Yeah, it's pretty acute," and left it at that.

Today she looked off though. Wan and pensive.

Simon unlocked the Home Economics door. Chocolate smells flowed out like the steam of a Candyland sauna. It crowded out just about every other scent, which was wonderful. The latter chocolate scent still nagged at Jake though. What was it?

He watched from the doorway. Inside, chocolate cupcakes were removed from their trays and rested on cooling racks. The group murmured and grinned in approval. Yet Jake was filled with a sense of warning. Something was wrong here and it had to do with that second chocolate smell. 

For some reason it had brought John Roach to his mind. Roach had been a wicked kid at his old school, the kind who'd smear clear glue on a chair seat and spray graffiti in the boys' bathroom.

Some girls spread wax paper on two trays and a boy used stainless steel tongs to transfer the cupcakes onto it, one by one. Some of the girls giggled. Tiffany barely smiled. She grabbed a bag of napkins and they all proceeded out, led by two girls who carried the trays. Simon locked the Home Economics door and they started back the way they'd come, wafting twin chocolate fragrances in their wake.

Worry chewed at Jake. That second aroma. He knew he'd encountered it before...something Roach had once done to a boy...

The incident shot into Jake's mind like a flare. He dashed after the group. They'd just taken the corner at the top. Jake grabbed the edge of the wall and flung himself around, shoes skidding on the tiles.

"Wait!" Jake said.

The students stopped and looked at him, questions and a little annoyance on their faces.

"You can't eat those," Jake said. "Someone put chocolate laxative on them."

All eyes remained locked on him.

"I'm not kidding," Jake went on, awkward under their gazes. "It's on there."

Simon spoke. "We know dude. We put it."

An Asian girl pulled in her lips as she tried not to giggle. Jake wondered if he looked as hot and foolish as he felt. They stared. Jake wanted to vanish into thin air.

Simon explained, "We're paying back the football team for not cleaning the equipment room this entire term. Just a light dose, to give them something to think about."

"Oh," Jake said, cheeks burning. A few more snickered.

Simon looked at him askance. "But how'd you know?"