The Virus Within: Blood Moon (Book 3)

Chapter 22

After a single knock and without opening my door, Jess asked, "Ready to go down for breakfast?"

"Sure."

Jess waited for me to come out with remarkable patience. Before we reached Nicky's room, her door opened, and she plodded out. She peered at a white object in her hand with a confused expression.

"Is something wrong?" Jess asked Nicky.

"Have you ever taken the time to read the directions on a stick of deodorant?"

"No. Why?"

She scratched her head and held up the container for Jess to see. "It says 'remove cap and push up bottom.' I've seen how some people follow directions. Someone could have easily assumed this thing was meant to fragrance the rear-end powderpuffs."

With a sigh, I wondered just how specific instructions had to be to prevent some people from interpreting them the wrong way.

Jess made a face. "I can't see anyone trying that."

Nicky shrugged and tucked it into her pocket. "I hope not, although it would have been an ingenious way to turn a bad night of beans into an air freshener."

I almost wished Ben had been around to hear Nicky's comment, although it was probably best not to tempt fate. Especially if the dining area served beans sometime this week.

"Oh, and I need two more of those cubby shelves," Nicky said.

That was the last thing I expected to hear this morning. I raised an eyebrow at Nicky and wondered what she was up to. It wasn't easy to turn a messy person into a neat freak, especially not overnight.

"Will two more even fit in your room?" I asked her dubiously. Her room wasn't much bigger than mine, and the cubby shelf I'd given her hadn't been small.

"I had to measure to make sure, but they'll just fit."

I wasn't sure what to make of this latest development. Maybe she had finally seen the carpet and decided she liked the color. Or maybe she had finally noticed the big spider hanging in the corner of her room and took the hint.

"If one doesn't fit," Jess commented as we descended the stairs, "I'll take it."

"Why am I not surprised?" I muttered. I might as well drag several shelves to the border, and the next time these two tagged along on a patrol, I could load them on the side-by-side.

Jess grinned at me. "Because you helped me bring back a bunch of shelves already and there's still room for more?"

I snorted faintly and didn't reply. Nina, Luke, and Logan were coming out of the lab stairwell as we reached the main floor.

"What are your plans for today?" Nina asked us as we walked down the road to the main building. This discussion usually didn't happen until everyone was sitting and eating, so she must have something in mind.

Jess didn't notice anything amiss. "I'm probably going to finish organizing everything on those shelves and check how the leaves are drying and steeping. That will probably take up most of my morning. Then I should ask the doctor if he is running low on anything."

Nina tilted her head. "Could that wait until this afternoon?"

"No reason why it can't," Jess replied, giving Nina a confused look.

"I was wondering if you guys wanted to go fishing this morning?"

Jess's eyes lit up. "Oh, I'd love that!"

Nicky scratched her head. "Trinity just gave me the 'work first and play later' lecture yesterday."

"Trinity patrols all night, and we've simply given up telling her to relax during the day," Nina said, ignoring the face I made. "Jess frequently goes down to the lab before breakfast and after dinner, so she's also doing extra work. The same goes for Luke and Logan. We're only going fishing until lunch, and we do plan on bringing fish back for dinner."