"Sounds like an exciting day."
"That was just the morning." I told him about my finger and Dr. Alvarez and the deer. I blurted it all out, barely pausing to breathe.
He was completely silent on the other end. My eyes darted back and forth. Had he hung up? I wouldn't blame him if he thought I was crazy or a magnet for trouble. It certainly seemed that way. Finally, he spoke. "I'm coming over now. We don't have to go out. We'll stay in and talk until you feel better."
"No, I'm okay. Really. Besides, Melodie is with me. She'll keep me company until our date."
"Are you sure you still want to go out? Because we don't have to. I'll completely understand if you want to cancel."
"Actually, I think I need to go out. And I really want to see you."
"Good." He paused. It was one of those awkward moments at the start of the relationship where neither person knows what to say and worries about freaking the other one out. "I, uh, want to see you, too."
"Good. Then five?"
"Five. See you then." He hung up.
"Want to come inside?" I asked Mel.
"Depends. You got anything that will erase my memory? Just for the past six hours or so?"
"If I do, you'll have to fight me for it."
We went inside. Mom would be home soon, and I had to get ready for my date, but there was still time for some cookie dough ice cream to numb the pain of the day. Without a word, we headed straight for the kitchen. Melodie got the spoons, while I grabbed two pints from the freezer. Mel was strictly a chocolate girl. I put them on the table, and Mel stuck the spoons right in. Times like this called for eating right out the container-no need to be bothered with bowls. I scooped a big spoonful and put it in my mouth, letting it dissolve on my tongue.
"Much better," Melodie said, with her mouth full.
We made it through half our containers before Mom walked in on us. "Girls, girls, girls," she scolded, grabbing a spoon from the drawer. "Don't you know ice cream can't solve your problems?" She took the rainbow sprinkles from the cabinet and dumped them right into the containers. "Ice cream and sprinkles, on the other hand, can solve just about anything." She took a heaping spoonful of chocolate-like Melodie, she wasn't a fan of cookie dough. She'd been taking a lot of heat from her boss. Apparently, his boss was on his case, and he was taking it out on Mom. I hated that. She worked so hard for the little money she made. I knew she only kept the job for the medical benefits. There was no way she'd put up with her boss' idiotic behavior if she didn't have to take care of me. The thought brought another big helping of cookie dough to my lips.
We had almost finished the ice cream when we heard a noise upstairs. "What was that?" Melodie asked, looking at the ceiling. "Did you guys get a cat or something?"
"No," Mom said. "Jodi, did you leave any windows open?" Even in the dead of winter, I liked fresh air. I was about to say no when I realized what had made the noise.
"Um, you know, I think I did. I bet the wind knocked my stuff off my desk again. I'll go close it."
Mom and Melodie got back to the ice cream while I headed upstairs. I went slowly, making sure I didn't make any noise on the stairs. I didn't want to let Alex know I was coming. I had to catch him off guard, see what he was looking for in my room and whether he'd left me any more presents.
I hesitated when I got to the door. I'd left it open, but it was shut now. Apparently, Alex needed privacy for whatever it was he was doing in there. I wrapped my fingers around the doorknob, being careful not to let it jiggle at all. I held my breath and silently counted to three before swinging the door wide open.
Alex threw himself down on the other side of the bed. I was a little disappointed. For a stalker, he wasn't very stealthy.
"Looking for something? Or are you planting another dead rat in my room?"
He stood up and brushed off his shirt. "Sorry about the rat, but I had to make sure I was right about you. You wouldn't talk to me, so I had to resort to other methods of confirming my suspicions."
"Confirming your suspicions? You're the one who's sneaking around and acting all suspicious."
"I'm doing what I have to. If you would've talked to me in the first place, you could've saved us both a lot of trouble."
"I could've saved us a lot of trouble?" I lowered my voice, realizing I was talking way too loud. If Mom or Melodie heard me, they'd come upstairs to see who I was talking to. I couldn't exactly explain having Alex in my room. "You're the one causing all the trouble here. And how did you get in my room? Do you pick locks?"
"You're wasting time with all these questions."
I looked at the clock on my nightstand. "You're right about that. I have a date to get ready for."
Alex's face turned cold. "You can't go out with Matt."
"Is that what this is about? Because Matt and I are dating, and you don't really get a say in the matter. So, if you've got some kind of bizarre crush on me, you're going to have to get over it."
"Don't flatter yourself, Jodi." He turned toward the window and gazed out it. "Like I've been trying to tell you, we need to talk."
"Then, talk." I held my arms out at my sides. "We're alone. You got your way. So, talk."
"Do you know what's been happening to you? The things with the animals?" He turned back around and faced me.
"What do you know about that?"
"The deer you hit. It died. Until you bled on it and brought it back to life."
"Brought-"
"And the rat I left in your room. It was dead, Jodi. Until you bled on it. Just like the squirrel."
"Stop!" My voice was getting loud again.
"And then Dr. Alvarez. You weren't expecting that one, I'm sure. The cut on your finger infected him. Your blood poisoned him, turned his own blood toxic and killed him."
"Stop! didn't kill anyone!"
"Jodi!" Mom yelled. I heard her feet on the stairs. "Are you okay?"
I whipped my head toward the door and then back at Alex. Mom couldn't find him here. I rushed over to him and grabbed his arm, shoving him toward my closet. "Get in, don't move, and stay quiet." I shut the door, not sure what was happening to me. I mean, what kind of girl hides her stalker in her closet?
Chapter 10
"Jodi?" Mom walked into the room and looked around. "Who were you talking to?"
I reached into my back pocket and took out my phone, trying to act like it had been in my hand this whole time. "Some guy from school. He keeps asking me out, and he can't take a hint. He's really getting on Matt's nerves."
Mom frowned. "Honey, just because you're seeing Matt doesn't mean you should be mean to other boys. Especially ones who like you. Think of how you'd feel if the guy you liked was dating someone else and kept turning you down."
I wasn't in the mood for a Mom lecture, so I nodded. "You're right. I'll try to be nicer to him."
She walked over and kissed my head. "That's my girl. Melodie said Matt's coming by at five. You better hurry up and get ready."
I smiled and watched her leave. As soon as she was out of sight, I shut the door and headed for the closet. Alex was already stepping out of it.
I crossed my arms in front of me. "What did you mean about my blood poisoning Dr. Alvarez?"
He walked over to my bed and sat down. "You told Mr. Quimby your birthday was December eighth."
"So?" I didn't see how my birthday mattered.
"So, you were born under the thirteenth sign of the zodiac. Under Ophiuchus. That makes you different. It makes you dangerous."
"Dangerous." I almost laughed. I was the least dangerous person I knew; I hardly raised my voice. At least I hadn't before I met Alex. "You don't know anything about me."
"I know you have Gorgon blood running through your veins. I know that blood has the ability to bring the dead back to life. And make the living fall dead." I started to protest, but he grabbed my left hand just below the Band-Aid. "How long did it take for Dr. Alvarez to collapse?"
I didn't answer.
"I'm guessing not long at all. Just long enough for your blood to work its way through his system, shutting down every part of his body."
Tears welled up in my eyes. "I called 911, and the nurse used that AED thing almost immediately."
"It doesn't matter. Modern medicine is useless against Gorgon blood."
"What do you mean Gorgon blood? Gorgon like as in Medusa?" I pulled my hand back from his.
"Weren't you paying attention to Mr. Quimby's lesson? The whole reason he focused on mythology this semester was for you. To teach you about who you really are."
"How long has he been teaching at Lambert?"
"He started the same time you did. In September. He needed to be able to watch over you. We knew you'd be coming into your powers soon. It was the absolute worst time for your mom to stop homeschooling you. You were going to be around regular people all the time. We had to get someone in that school to protect you. And to protect others from you."