Aftermath

Ch 44: Threat Assessment

Kota

Sean wore an annoying know-it-all smirk as he leaned back in his chair, his feet propped on the desk inside the nurse's office. "So how's it going?" he asked.

I grunted as I threw down my messenger bag and went to the back cabinet. It was time for lunch, which meant I had made it through four periods, the bulk of my day.

"Now you sound like North," Sean called out.

"You don't want me to say what I'm thinking." I found the three large thermoses on a shelf. I checked the contents, which were still warm enough to eat. I'm glad something's working out right.

Sean raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I am curious as to what you are thinking."

Where to start? "Morris was outside my house yesterday," I said. "His car was stuck in the mud." The conversation with Morris was weighing on me, and for a split-second, I thought about asking Sean if he knew what I was doing out on Monday night after my time with Sang.  I squelched the desire. I had kept the full extent of my memory loss secret from everyone except Dr. Roberts for almost a week now; if I could, I would keep it to myself forever. I still hoped that I would get my memories back, though as each day passed, my fears grew that I might never regain them.

Sean laughed. "Part of the hazards of being a stalker," he said. "I'm sure it was quite a sight."

"It was." I put everything back in the box, adding napkins, crackers, small bowls, and spoons. "I'm thinking that this school is a waste of time," I said.

"So Val didn't tell you anything," Sean guessed.

"Val wasn't even in class today," I answered. "Not that it would have mattered; Dr. Murray lectured most of the time."

"Maybe tomorrow," Sean said. He started typing into his computer, probably looking up Val's reason for not being at school.

I don't even want to think about doing this all over again tomorrow.

"Anything else happen of note?" Sean asked.

"I suppose you heard about my trip to the office," I said.

"I don't know much, but that can wait. I'm sure Owen's going to want a report this afternoon; no need for you to have to tell the story twice."

Ugh. I hadn't had a chance to explain to Owen about my mouthing off to Morris. Now that Hendricks knew. . . I could almost hear Owen's lecture on practicing forethought now. I wonder if sick leave will get me out of that.

"The main thing I wanted to do today was talk to Val. The rest of this is a waste of time," I said. "People are treating me differently. It's like I'm a—a—" I coughed, trying to hide my latest bout with aphasia. Why can't I think of the word? I was still experiencing minor episodes, though they were much less frequent than they had been. "A celebrity or something," I finished lamely.

"I heard the word hero a few times," Sean said.

Some hero. I apparently knew what was about to happen and stood by, letting everyone get hurt. What would my superhero name be--Captain Bystander?

"It says here that Miss Val Clemson's mother called in for the day, claiming an illness," Sean said.

Her mother? I had the impression that Val's mother wasn't around, though why I thought that, I wasn't sure. Of course, it could be something that had gotten scrambled in my messed-up brain.

Sean closed the computer window. "Perhaps the friendly doctor Ashley Waters should call and check on her," Sean added thoughtfully. "I wouldn't want anything contagious to get around."