A Different Virus - Laura's Story

Chapter 21

I watched as Mark played with the train set. Agatha was setting up our next lesson, so we had some free time. Elisa was putting a dress on a Barbie. The Barbie interested me even less than the train did.

I glanced up at unfamiliar voices. Two men were talking with Agatha. The one turned to look at us and I dropped my eyes to the train tracks and started moving a train to pretend I hadn't noticed his attention. He had no name tag or badge.

I was pretty sure my expression would give me away, so I kept my eyes on the train and watched them from the corner of my eyes. Both men were looking around the room with curiosity, but I really didn't like how they were looking at Elisa.

Why didn't Agatha make them leave? They shouldn't be in here from what Diane had told me. The men currently had their backs to me while watching Agatha as she spoke about what lessons we were going over today. I noticed her glance at me and I quickly shook my head, pointed to them and pointed to the door.

Agatha didn't seem to pick up my hint. "Children, do you want to meet our guests?"

I swiftly turned around to play with the train, pretending I hadn't heard her. Both Mark and Elisa went up and said hi. The men started asking them questions and I knew that they shouldn't be answering them, but they were. Didn't their parents warn them too? I guess not.

I heard a knock on the door and glanced back. A Raider leaned against the door frame, it looked like he had just finished his work and came up. He still had all of his Raider gear on. Agatha smiled at him, "Ah, Neil, just the person we were waiting for. Children, please come to the table and Neil is going to tell you about what the Raiders do."

I noticed that the two men quickly excused themselves and left. I sighed with relief as I got up and went to the table. He told us about the different kind of training the Raiders had to go through and showed us the thick protective pads on his uniform that protected him in case a zombie grabbed him.

I already knew most of this from talking to Nathan, but I noticed that this man wasn't giving as many details regarding zombies or when they encountered them inside of the buildings. After a while he left. Mark and Elisa started coloring a scene from the stories he had told us, but Agatha took me to the side.

She knelt down in front of me, "Why didn't you come say hello to our guests?"

"Diane told me to stay away from strangers with no name tags or badges."

She looked shocked and sounded upset, "Why did she tell you that?"

"Because they might cause trouble."

Agatha shook her head in irritation, "I can't believe she told you that. I will talk with her later."

I shifted nervously, I really wanted this conversation to end, "Can I go color now?"

Agatha sighed and nodded. I quickly went to the table to color. A while later a Forager stopped in to let me know that Diane was going to be a bit late, but not by much. Agatha thanked the lady for stopping by to let us know.

Mark and Elisa were picked up by their parents, leaving me and Agatha waiting for Diane. Agatha still seemed somewhat upset by my earlier behavior.

             

I glanced up and ran over to give Diane a hug. Agatha walked up behind me, "Diane, could I have a word with you?"

Diane nodded easily, "Sure, what's up?"

Agatha gestured to the table, "Come sit down. Laura, if you like you can go play with the toys."

I didn't like those toys, so I shook my head and sat beside Diane. Agatha elected to ignore me as she focused on Diane, "Why did you tell Laura that people without badges are strangers?"

Diane sat up straighter in surprise, "What happened?"

Agatha took a deep breath, "A couple of people with no name tags came in to see what our setup looked like. While they were facing me Laura was behind them in a corner, she shook her head no, pointed to them and then to the door. When I asked the kids if they wanted to say hi, Laura pretended to be playing so hard with a train set that she didn't hear. I know she doesn't really like the train set either."

Agatha was preoccupied with her story and didn't seem to notice Diane's reaction. I was watching Diane, so I saw her eyes narrow as her calm and relaxed posture disappeared. Her muscles seemed to tense up a bit and her eyes got a bit brighter. She was not happy.

Agatha continued her rant without noticing, "When they finally left I asked her why she didn't like them and she said that you wanted her to keep her distance from people without name tags or badges if they wanted to talk to her..." Agatha paused as she finally noticed Diane's expression.

Diane was watching her like a hawk with sharp piercing eyes, "Who were they, how long were they here and what did they express the most interest in?"

Agatha blinked in sudden confusion at the barrage of questions, "Why would that matter?"

Diane shook her head in slight frustration, "You can ask Matthew later, if he tells you, that is his choice. I don't want any of those without name tags near her. Can you answer my previous questions? It is quite important."

Agatha looked even more confused, "They didn't mention their names. They were here only about ten minutes before an off duty Raider came to help me with a lesson and they left when he arrived. They were curious about everything we did and how we taught the children. They were looking for ideas for the place they were going to build."

Diane sighed and did not look impressed with what she heard. Agatha glanced at me, "Why don't you want them near Laura?"

"I am not at leave to say. They also do not know about the restriction. If you want more details, go see Matthew. But I do not want them near Laura, and they are never to be alone with her, for even a few seconds. Honestly, I would not leave them alone with any child. As it is, I will be letting Matthew know that they came here."

Wow. They really didn't want me to be left alone with strangers. Diane transferred her sharp gaze back to Agatha, "Do not go about talking to others about what I have told you, it may do far more harm than good."

Agatha frowned, but slowly nodded. Diane took a deep breath and seemed to be trying to calm herself down, "Was there anything else you wanted to speak to me about? Or any other detail about their visit that stands out?"

Agatha shook her head, "No, but what if they come back? How should I tell them that they are unwelcome?" I really hoped that they would never come back. People rarely came to the classroom unless Agatha had asked them to stop by and talk to us.

Diane thought for a few moments, "I kind of suspect that they may be back or ask more questions later. Be careful when answering questions about their schedule and yours, as they should not be left alone with a child. You can glance at the clock and say something like you are expecting someone or you are going for a visit with other areas as a learning experience. Go places with lots of people or one that has a Guard or two on post, such as the nursing area or playground."

Diane shrugged, "You can tell them that the children are shy. In Laura's case, it is well known. Just say that she does not do well with strangers and ask them not to make her nervous by keeping their distance. I am sure that you can think of a couple of believable excuses."

Agatha nodded, but was finally silent. Diane sighed as she sensed the discussion had come to a close, "Thank you for looking after Laura, hopefully they will not return. Have a good evening."

Agatha was silent and remained where she was as we left. I was quiet too. Diane's explanation didn't quite line up with what Trish and Rick had told me. They had made it seem like Diane was going to be breaking up fights, but from what Diane said, it sounded like someone was trying to kidnap a child. This reminded me far too much of the one mystery book I had read in my old house where that had happened.

I could see why they wanted to keep that a secret from the kids. Some like Elisa would endlessly worry and be unhappy if they found out. I didn't understand why the teacher didn't know though. It didn't make any sense to me.