I Melt With You

Chapter Seven

I jolted awake, the sound of my alarm slicing through my room. I had a horrible headache. The ordeal at the zoo the previous day had left me hurting all over. I rolled towards my alarm and snatched it up, throwing it across the room. It broke into pieces and lay silent on my floor. I groaned, shoving my face into my pillow. I really didn't want to go to school that day. But Harvey would be there...I might not see him otherwise. I had to go, even if it was only for him. I heard a faint knock on my door and groaned in response. My dad entered with a plate of food.

"I made some salmon rolls, honey!" he said.

"Salmon?" I asked, completely unconvinced.

"You know me too well," he said, cheerfully popping a "salmon" roll into his mouth.

"I don't understand why you eat that stuff," I groaned "Most of the other cult members don't."

"Yeah," my dad said, shrugging "Your mom is the one who's really into the whole cult business. She believes in their cause and all that. I just like good food and homestyle cooking. That's why I'm involved."

He popped another "salmon" roll into his mouth.

"Mmm," he said "Juicy!"

I rolled my eyes and slowly got out of bed. My dad exited the room, singing to himself.

"Oh, the red flesh of the human," he chirped joyfully "Is really mighty fine! You can harvest it in winter, or in the summertime!"

He closed the door and I begrudgingly pulled on my school clothes, making my way downstairs. My mother was sitting at our dining room table, counting a jar of donations from an event they had held the previous week. She looked up at me.

"Your father is going out," she said "He's visiting Mortimer and they're scoping out a new retirement facility just outside of town. I'll be driving you to school today."

I cringed. Not only was my mother cold and condescending, but she was an extremely aggressive driver. She once tried to mow down a neighbor kid after he drove a toy ATV in front of her car. She missed, but it grazed him. If she had been driving a 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata, I'm sure it would have hit the kid. The targeting accuracy on the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata is impeccable.

I reluctantly followed my mother outside to her car, hopping into the passenger seat. Thankfully, her driving was rather tame on the way to school. She brake checked just three drivers, and only once did she nearly run someone off the road. When we pulled up outside of River Valley High School, she turned to me.

"Listen, Maya," she said "I'm sure you've already come to realize just how much this Harvey boy has impressed me. He seems genuinely interested in our organization. I would encourage you to keep him around."

I stared nervously into my mother's eyes. She gave me an indecipherable look.

"Have a good day at school," she said, turning away from me "And let me know if you can get in contact with Harvey's parents. I'd like to get to know them."

I felt a pang of anxiety as I exited the car and walked towards the school. I hadn't even thought about Harvey's parents myself. Who were his parents? I had never once heard him speak about them. I figured I might as well ask him once I met him inside. I walked into the school and noticed a large sign posted in the entryway. It read: "Mandatory assembly for all students and faculty--please meet in the gymnasium by the first bell." I had figured there would be something like this following the incident at the zoo the previous day. I made my way to the gym and noticed Alia walking a few feet from me. I stepped towards her.

"Hey," I said "You doing alright?"

She looked at me with an expression that was difficult to read.

"I'm ok," she said "I'm just worried about you, Maya. I hope you realize that."