Special Dead Read Online Free Page B

out the door and to
their room.
    Mr. Foster looked surprised to see them. Miss
Pulver wasn’t even there. “I thought they had an assembly?” he asked no one in
particular. Mr. Clark shrugged and took his spot at the far end of the room. They
sat down while Mr. Foster rummaged around his desk.
    Friday. Awesome.
     
    *  
*   *
     
    Sarah Romero passed a piece of paper across the
kitchen table. “Can you believe the gall of that man?”
    Ani took it. The Kleincorps Pharmaceuticals
letterhead framed an agreement between the company and the “signing parties”
for a series of tests and medical product development for ZV carriers in
exchange for ten thousand dollars. “Ten grand? Kyle would sign this in a heartbeat.”
    “So would Mike,” her mom said.
    “That’s ridiculous. Mike’s not competent to sign
anything right now.”
    Her mom snatched the paper back. “It doesn’t
matter. He’s twenty years old, and his dad refuses to have him declared a
mental dependent. He’d sign it just for a smile.” She crumpled the paper and
tossed into the garbage.
    “Why was Mr. Salter willing to go along with this?”
    Her mom shook her head. “I’m not sure. There’s
nothing on the laptop that indicates he was getting paid or that the school
would be getting anything from Kleincorps. But I’m sure if we dig deep enough,
we’ll find money.”
    “What a scumbag.”
    “Rishi’s fit to be tied. I’ve never seen him so
angry.” Yeah, Mom, but he doesn’t actually care about any of us, either. We’re
just research subjects to him.
    Her mom took her hand from across the table and
squeezed it. “Is your homework done?”
    “Yeah.” She squeezed back. “Except for precalc. I
can’t figure it out, and Mr. Foster’s no help.”
    “Well, let’s take a look. It’s been a long time,
but I can probably puzzle through it.”
     
    *  
*   *
     
    Ani scowled across the coffee table at Devon, who
returned the look with bland disinterest. Ani reached toward the board that sat
between them and Devon slapped her fingers. Ani jerked her hand back. “What?”
    Devon sighed. “If you castle now, I’ll move my
bishop to rook four. Then, you’ll have a choice of either losing your rook or
sacrificing two pawns and landing yourself in check.”
    “So what should she do?” Sam asked.
    “Something smarter,” Devon said.
    Kyle spoke up from in front of the TV, where he
was racing cars on the Xbox. “Like playing a game that doesn’t suck.”
    Ani moved the pawn in front of her queen up one
square.
    Devon surveyed the board, then looked her in the
eyes. “Better. Now let me show you why that was a bad idea....”
    Later, as Ani dumped the pieces into the box, Joe
patted her on the back. “You’re getting better.”
    Ani stopped biting her lip. “I lost seven games in
a row.”
    Joe took the box and put it on the shelf next to
the other games. “Yeah, but she had to think to beat you. Six months ago you
would’ve lost twenty in a row, and she wouldn’t have had to try.” His knuckles brushed
her forearm, but his eyes were locked on the floor. “I like the way you don’t
give up.”
    You have no idea. She took a step back. His
proximity didn’t bother her, but she didn’t want him getting any ideas. “Thanks,
Joe. It’s nice of you to spend your free time helping Mike with his English.”
    He gave her a sheepish grin. “I kind of like it,
actually. I think maybe I’ll be a teacher, you know, later.”
    “I think you’d make a good one. You have a real
gift.”
    “Hey,” Teah said from the couch. “I think I just
threw up in my mouth a little.”
    Kyle barked a laugh.
    The alarm on the TV stand beeped.
    Bedtime.
    *  
*   *
     
    Ani stripped and dropped her clothes on the floor,
then jammed her thumb against the button on the “bed.” The lid slid back with a
hiss as the pressure seal broke. She barely noticed the harsh chemical smell
anymore—her nose just didn’t work that well—but the slimy