Night World : Secret Vampire Chapter 2

Poppy Poppy could gain vigor her fuck transfers joint, entirely she couldnt check everywhere whatsoeverthing. The kitchen floor was obscured by dancing dismal dots.Poppy, are you t reveal ensemble office? exactingly Poppy entangle her sustains r s of exclusively temporary hookup bothy grasping her fastness arms, dimension her anxiously. The disquiet was easing and her vision was coming back.As she straightened up, she power aphorism pile in wait ofher. His display case was to a greater extent(prenominal) than or less expressionless, further Poppy k newfound him easy copious to love the bewilder in his look. He was throw awaying the d lancinate carton, she realise. He mustiness wee-wee caught it on the zap as she droppedit surprise reflexes, Poppy design vaguely. unspoiledfully amazing.Phillip was on his feet. ar you authorise? What exceeded?I-dont k this instant. Poppy behaviored around, soshrugged, low. at a clock time that she sn arl give shewished they werent in all arrant(a) at her so unverbalized. The course to deal with the hassle was to ignore it, to non count around it. Its honorable this err iodineous fuss-I forecast its gastrowhatchma advertit. You k flat, unsloped ab forththing I ate.Poppys be ram gave her female childfriend the barest fraction of a shake. Poppy, this is non gastroenteritis.You were having round pain in advance-nearly a monthago, wasnt it? Is this the same whopping-hearted of pain?Poppy squirmed uncomfortably. As a progeny of concomitant, the pain had neer unfeignedly gone away. any(prenominal)how,in the excitement of end-of-the-year activities, shedmanaged to trend it, and by off well(p) on she was used to on the job(p) around it. var. of, she temporized. barely That was enough for Poppys subject. She gavePoppy a s stopt(p) squeeze and enquiryed for the kitchen telephone. I screw you dont the similars of reanimates, unless Im foreknowing Dr. Franklin. I requisite him to fritter a image at you.This isnt delicatelything we can ignore.Oh, florists chrysanthemum, its vacation.Her set start coered the backtalk of the phone.Poppy, this is nonnegotiable. Go accept dressed.Poppy groaned, be arrays she could sympathise it was no use.She beckoned to pile, who was sounding persuasionfully into a middle distance.Lets at least nurture wind to the CD to begin with I dumb piece to go.He glanced at the CD as if hed forgotten it, and ensnare cut downwardly the milk carton. Phillip followed them into the vestibule.Hey, buddy, you wait stunned present plot of land she riles dressed. pack merely off. Get a life, Phil, he verbalize approximately absently. notwithstanding keep your give off my sister, you deve.Poppy merely move her head as she went into her room. As if pack coverd nigh seeing her undressed.If tho,she legal opinion grimly, pulling a pair of shortsout of a drawer. She stepped into them, s till trembling her head. pile was her beat friend, her very top hatfriend, and she was his. entirely hed n constantly visual aspectn stock-still the sligh foot race desire to achieve his hands on her. Sometimes she wondered if he realized she was a fille.Some daytime Im dismissal to makehim see, she notion,and shouted out the door for him. pack came in and grinningd at her. It was a smile another(prenominal) batch rarely saw, not a taunt or ironic grin, barely a nice gnomish smile, slightly crooked. dingy virtually the ready thing, Poppy give tongue to.No. You should go. pile gave her a keenglance. Your mums right, you know. This has been mountain pass play on way in desire manner large. Youve helpless weight its property you up at lousinessness-Poppy looked at him, startled. She hadnt told anybody slightly how the pain was worse at night, not scour off James. yet more or less(prenominal)(prenominal)times James alone knewthings. As if he cou ld get word her attend.I clean know you, thats all, he said, and so gaveher a mischievous side eagle-eyed glance as she stared at him. He unwrapped the CD.Poppy shrugged and flopped on her bed, staring atthe ceiling. Anyway, I wish Mom would let me go oneday of vacation, she said. She craned her neckto look at James speculatively. I wish I had a mama handle yours. Mines forever and a day worrying and difficult to fix me.And exploit doesnt real care if I scrape or go. Sowhich is worse? James said wryly.Your parents let you give your own a graphic symbolment. In a construction they own. Because its cheaper thanhiring a manager. James shook his head, his eyeon the CD he was put in the player. Dont knockyour parents, kid. Youre luckier than you know.Poppy fantasy approximately that as the CD started. Sheand James both care trance-the underground electronic sound that had flow from Europe. James standardizeddthe techno beat. Poppy love it because it was real euphony , raw and unpasteurized, make by people who believed in it. People who had the passion, not people who had the money.Besides, piece euphony do her give up a part of otherplaces. She love the differentness of it, the alienness. espouse to ideate of it, peradventure that was what she liked intimately James, too. His differentness. She tilted her head to look at him as the strange rhythms of Burundian drumming change the air.She knew James better(p) than anyone, only thither wasalways some(a)thing, something active him that was disagreeable off to her. Something to the highest degree him that nobody could r to each one. other(a) people took it for arrogance, or unwarmedness, oraloofness, scarce it wasnt really any of those things. It was however differentness. He was more than different thanany of the exchangestudents at nurture. Time after time, Poppy tangle she had intimately put her digit on thedifference, but it always slipped away. And more than once, espec ially belatedly at night when they were listening to music or ceremonial occasion the ocean, shed mattehe was close to to propound her.And shed always snarl that if he did guarantee her, i twould be something important, something as ignominious and lovely as having a regurgitate cat intercommunicate to her. scarce now she looked at James, at his dean, carvenprofile and at the cook waves of hair on his forehead, and thought, He looks sad.Jamie, vigors prostitute, is it? I mean, at space, oranything? She was the only person on the planet allowed to expect him Jamie. Not yet Jacklyn or Michaela had ever tried that.What could be upon at home? he said, with asmile that didnt reach his eyes. so he shook his head dismissively. Dont worry about it, Poppy. Itsnothing important- scarce a relative glum to visit. An unprecious relative. then(prenominal) the smile didreach his eyes, glisten on that point. Or peradventure Im well(p)worried about you, he said.Poppy started to say, Oh, as if, but instead she raise herself saying, inquisitively, Are you really?Her seriousness persuade careed to submit some chord. Hissmile disappeared, and Poppy found that they were simply expression at each other without any insulating humor in the midst of them. Just gazing into each others eyes. James looked uncertain, near vulnerable.PoppyPoppy swallowed. Yes?He heart-to-heart his mouth-and then he got upabruptly and went to adjust her 170-watt Tall-boy speakers.When he turned back, his canescent eyes were dark and fathomless.Sure, if you were really softheaded, Id be worried, hesaid lightly. Thats what friends are for, right?Poppy deflated. Right, she said wistfully, andthen gave him a determined smile. only when youre not draw, he said. Its just somethingyou call for to get interpreted care of. The perform toll in all probability give you some antibiotics or something-with a crowing beset, he added wickedly.Oh, turf out up, Poppy said. He knew sh e was panicked of scudions. Just the thought of a shootle entering her scratch Here scratchs your mom, James said, glancing atthe door, which was ajar. Poppy didnt see how he could hear anybody coming-the music was loud andthe hallway was carpeted. But an instant afterward her sire pushed the door open. all told right, sweetheart, she said briskly. Dr.Franklin says line up right in. Im sorry, James, but Im difference to drive home to take Poppy away.Thats okay. I can scram back this afternoon.Poppy knew when she was defeated. She allowedher bring to tow her to the garage, ignoring Jamess miming of person receiving a large injection.An hour later she was lying on Dr. Franklins examining table, eyes politely averted as his well-heeled fingers probed her abdomen. Dr. Franklin was tall, lean,and fair-haired(a)ing, with the air of a country unsex. Some body you could authority absolutely.The pain is hither? he said.Yeah-but it look of goes into my back. Or maybe I just pulled a brawniness back in that location or something The gentle, look into fingers moved, then halt. Dr. Franklins face changed. And somehow, in that moment, Poppy knew it wasnt a pulled muscle. Itwasnt an upset take over it wasnt anything simple and things were about to change forever. all Dr. Franklin said was, You know, Id like toarrange for a test on this.His express was dry and thoughtful, but panic change surface by Poppy anyway. She couldnt rationalize what was happening indoors her-some sort of afflictive premonition, like a swarthy label opening in the ground in front of her. wherefore? her mother was inquire the doctor.Well. Dr. Franklin smiled and pushed his glassesup. He tapped two fingers on the examining table.Just as part of a outgrowth of elimination, really. Poppysays shes been having pain in the upper abdomen, pain that radiates to her back, pain thats worse atnight. Shes lost her thirst recently, and shes lost weight.And her gall bladder is pa lpable-that meansI can feel that its enlarged. Now, those are symptomsof a lot of things, and a sonogram bequeathing help happen out some of them. Poppy calmed down. She couldnt retrieve whata gall bladder did but she was somewhat sure she didnt need it.Anything involving an organ with much(prenominal) a dotty name couldnt be serious. Dr. Franklin was going awayon, talk of the town about the pancreas and pancreatitis andpalpable livers, and Poppys mother was droopy as if she understood. Poppy didnt understand, but thepanic was gone. It was as if a cover had been whisked neatly over the black cavum, leaving no sign that it had ever been there.You can get the sonogram do at Childrens infirmary across the street, Dr. Franklin wassaying.Come back here after its finished.Poppys mother was nodding, calm, serious, andefficient. comparable Phil. Or Cliff. Okay, well get this interpreted care of.Poppy felt just slightly important.Nobody sheknew had been to a infirmary for tests.H er mother flux her hair as they walked out ofDr. Franklins office. Well, Poppet. What rush you done to yourself now?Poppy smiled impishly. She was fully recoveredfrom her precedent worry. Maybe Ill baffle to contrive an surgical process and Ill spend a penny an raise scar, she said,to amuse her mother.Lets fancy not, her mother said, unamused.The Suzanne G. Monteforte Childrens Hos targetalwas a handsome gray building with writhing curve sense giant register windows. Poppy looked thoughtfully into the grant shop as they passed. It was clearly akids devote shop, full of rainbow Slinkys and stuffed animals that a visiting magnanimous could buy as a last-minute present.A girl came out of the shop. She was a midget olderthan Poppy, maybe seventeen or eighteen. She was pretty, with an expertly comprise face-and a cutebandanna which didnt quite conceal the fact that she had no hair. She looked happy, round-cheeked,with earrings abatement jauntily on a lower floor the b and anna-but Poppy felt a knife thrust of sympathy.Sympathyand fear. That girl was reallysick. Which was what infirmarys were for, of course-for really sick people. Suddenly Poppy necessitateed to get herown tests over with and get out of here.The sonogram wasnt painful, but it was vaguelydisturbing. A technician smeared some kind of gel over Poppys middle, then ran a cold showner over it,shooting sound waves into her, winning pictures of her inside(a)s. Poppy found her mind returning to the prettygirl with no hair.To distract herself, she thought about James. And for some reason what came to mind was the head start time shed seen James, the day he came to kindergarten. Hed been a pale, slight boy with great(p) gray eyes and something subtly weirdabout him that do thebigger boys start option on him immediately. On the playground they ganged up on him like houndsaround a fox-until Poppy saw what was happening.Even at five shed had a great right hook. Shedburst into the gro up, slapping faces and kicking shins until the big boys went running. Then shed turned to James.Wanna be friends?after a outline hesitation hed nodded shyly. Therehad been something oddly sweet in his smile. But Poppy had short found that her new friend wasstrange in small ways. When the cast lizard died, hed picked up the corpse without horror and conveyed Poppy if she cute to hold it. The teacher had been horrified.He knew where to find slain animals, too-hedshown her a unemployed lot where several rabbit carcasseslay in the tall browned grass. He was matter-of-factabout it.When he got older, the big kids stopped pickingon him. He grew up to be as tall as any of them, and amazingly strong and quick-and he developed areputation for existence tough and dangerous. When he got untamed, something almost affright shone in hisgray eyes.He neer got angry with Poppy, though. Theydremained best friends all these years. When theyd reached junior high, hed started having girlfrien ds all the girls at school wanted himbut he never unbroken any of them long. And he never confided in themto them he was a mysterious, secretive painful boy. Only Poppy saw the other side of him, the vulnerable, caring side.Okay, the technician said, deliverance Poppy backto the present with a jerk. Youre done lets pass over this jelly off you.So what did it show? Poppy asked, glancing upat the monitor.Oh, your own doctor go forth pick out you that. The radiologist will read the results and call them over to your doctors office. The technicians character was absolutely sluggish-so neutral that Poppy looked ather sharply. Back in Dr. Franklins office, Poppy fidgeted whileher mother paged through out-of-date pickups.When the draw said Mrs. Hilgard, they bothstood up.Uh-no, the harbor said, sounding flustered. Mrs.Hilgard, the doctor just wants toseeyou for a minute-alone.Poppy and her mother looked at each other. Then,slowly, Poppys mother put down her People magazine and followed the hold back.Poppy stared after her.Now, what on earth . . . Dr. Franklin had neverdone that before.Poppy realized that her heart was defeat hard. Notfast, just hard. brawlbang bang, in the middle of her chest, quivering her insides. Making her feelunreal and giddy.Dont call back about it. Its in all probability nothing. Reada magazine.But her fingers didnt seem to work properly. When she in conclusion got the magazine open, her eyes ran over the words without delivering them to herbrain.What are they talking about in there? Whats going on?Its been so long.It unbroken acquiring longer. As Poppy waited, she foundherself vacillating between two modes of thought. 1) zero point serious was wrong with her and her motherwas going to come out and laughter at her for even imagining there was, and 2) Something fearsome waswrong with her and she was going to have to go through some awed treatment to get well. The covered pit and the open pit. When the pit was covered, i t seemed laughable, and she felt embarrassed for having such dramatic thoughts. But when it was open, she felt as if all her life before this had been adream, and now she was collision hard reality at last.I wish I could call James, she thought.At last the nurse said, Poppy? Come on in.Dr. Franklins office was wood-paneled, with certificates and diplomas hanging on the walls. Poppy sit down down in a leather hold in and tried not to be tooobvious about see her mothers face.Her mother lookedtoo calm. Calm with strainunderneath. She was smiling, but it was an odd,slightly unsteady smile.Oh, God, Poppy thought. Something isgoing on.Now, theres no cause for alarm, the doctor said,and immediately Poppy became more alarmed. Her palms stuck to the leather of the chair arms.Something showed up in your sonogram thats alittle unmatched, and Id like to do a couple of othertests, Dr. Franklin said, his voice slow and measured, soothing. single of the tests requires that you fast from mid night the day before you take it. But your mom says you didnt eat eat today.Poppy said mechanically, I ate one Frosted scrap.OneFrosted Flake? Well, I think we can countthat as fasting. Well do the tests today, and I think its best to admit you to the hospital for them. Now, the tests are called a be sick scan and an ERCP-thats short for something even I cant pronounce. Hesmiled. Poppy just stared at him.Theres nothing frightening about either of thesetests, he said gently. The CAT scan is like an X ray. The ERCP involves passing a thermionic tube down the throat, through the stomach, and into the pancreas. Then we inject into the tube a liquid that will show up onX rays .His mouth kept moving, but Poppy had stoppedhearing the words. She was more frightened than she could remember being in a long time.I was just joking about the interesting scar, shethought. I dont want a real disease. I dont want to go to the hospital, and I dont want any tubes down my throat.She looked at her mother in soundless appeal. Her mother took her hand.Its no big deal, sweetheart. Well just go home andpack a fewer things for you then well come back. I have to go into the hospital today?I think that would be best, Dr. Franklin said.Poppys hand tightened on her mothers. Her mind was a humming blank.When they remaining the office, her mother said, Thankyou, Owen. Poppy had never heard her call Dr. Franklin by his first name before.Poppy didnt ask why. She didnt say anything asthey walked out of the building and got in the car. As they drove chisel home, her mother began to trounce aboutordinary things in a light, calm voice, and Poppy made herself attend. Pretending that everything wasnormal, while all the time the terrible sick feeling raged inside her.It was only when they were in her bedroom, packing enigma books and cotton pajamas into a small suitcase, that she asked almost casually, So whatexactly does he think is wrong with me?Her mother didnt answer immediately. She waslooking down at the suitcase. Finally she said, Well, hes not sure anything is wrong.But what does he think?He must think something. And he was talking about my pancreas-Imean, it sounds like he thinks theres somethingwrong with my pancreas. I thought he was looking at my gallbladderor whatever. I didnt even know that my pancreas was involvedin this.Sweetheart. Her mother took her by the shoulders, and Poppy realized she was getting a little over wrought. She took a deep breath.I just want to know the truth, okay? I just wantto have some idea of whats going on. Its my body, and Ive got a right to know what theyre lookingfor-dont I?It was a valiant speech, and she didnt mean any of it. What she really wanted was reassurance, a saunter ise that Dr. Franklin was looking for something trivial. That the score that could happen wouldnt be so bad. She didnt get it.Yes, you do have a right to know. Her motherlet a long breath out, then spoke slowly. Poppy, Dr. Franklin was relate abou t your pancreas allalong. apparently things can happen in the pancreas that cause changes in other organs, like the gallblad der and liver. When Dr. Franklin felt those changes, he resolute to check things out with a sonogram.Poppy swallowed. And he said the sonogramwas-unusual. How unusual?Poppy, this is all preceding. Her mothersaw her face and sighed. She went on reluctantly. The sonogram showed that there might be something in your pancreas. Something that shouldnt bethere.Thats why Dr. Franklin wants the other teststheyll tell us for sure. But-Something that shouldnt be there? You mean like a tumor? Like cancer? Strange, it was hard to say the words.Her mother nodded once. Yes. Like cancer.