Free Fiona Frost: Order of the Black Moon by Dr. Bon Blossman

be in there , and she w as stealing a bag full of stuff.”
    Her eyes narrowed, anger fuming onto her face. We moved a few steps towards the buffet line.
    “What ! What was she trying to steal?”
    I waved my hands in the air and shook my head in disgust. I paused as the girl in front of us nonchalantly turned to gaze at us, attempt ing to eavesdrop.
    “She had Petri di shes, agar, gloves, and ethanol, ” I said quietly as I fought a surge of tears, the taste of panic in the back of my throat.
    “What ? That doesn’t make sense. She was doing a microbial study or what ? ” she shrieked, pulling a cafeteria tray out of the stack and handing it to me.
    I signaled for her to lower her voice, nodding towards the girl in front of us who wanted in on our conversation.
    “No idea. Nothing she does shocks me, Maddie. Hate is a strong word, but i t’s simply not strong enough to describe my feelings towards her.”
    Switching from the norm of pizza and fries , I opted for a quick pita sandwich. I had n’t actually gained my appetite back since my world had collapsed; food still tasted bland to me for the most part . We grabbed our usual seats in the cafeteria , and I couldn’t help but unload my problems.
    “Janice was admitted to the hospital with bacterial meningitis . People actually die from that. My parents won’t allow me to visit because it’s contagious . ” I choked out the words as the world around me blurred like a bad connection .
    Her eyes were filled with sympathy. She appeared to contemplate her words carefully as she paused, tilting her head to the side .
    “I ’m so sorry, but I do have faith she will pull out of it in no time . ”
    I fought a swell of tears , compressing my temples to push the despair out of my head, before I continued, “And Luminal is still at the vet. They said he has a tumor in his salivary gland , and it is growing so large, it’s bursting the skin open in his neck. I never imagined that tumors could grow so fas t . ”
    “ Oh my gosh, how horrible. W hen is the last time you felt along his neck? I mean, how fast can this stuff grow? ”
    “ To be honest, I usually pet his ears , back and belly. They might have been growing a while , his fur is pretty thick there, I wouldn’t have noticed. But the vet is removing them today , and there’s a chance that he won’t make it out of the surgery because the blood vessels are so intertwined with the tumor,” I said glumly as a lone tear streamed down my face.
    Maddie’s forehead creased with worry, her eyes saddened as she reluctantly nibbled on her French fry.
    “Oh, Fiona . I’m so sorry. All of this isn’t fair, is it? You are too good of a person to have to go through all of this.”
    I sighed deeply, drop ping my head towards the table. Principal Dinges startled me as he shouted on his bullhorn at some boys that were break dancing in the middle of the cafeteria . He demanded they immediately take their seats at the table.
    “ And I see you’re still being followed around by that agent dude —saw him parked in front of your house when I left for soccer practice this morning . No word on Gerald Smith, huh?”
    “Of course not. When bad luck rains, it becomes a torrential storm. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before Gerald Smith shows up at my dad’s office to get him,” I sparked sarcastically, picking up my pita and inspecting it , searching my mind for a glint of appetite . Nothing. It looked like cardboard to me.
    I raised my chin towards the ceiling to draw my tears back into the tear ducts. My heart palpitated as I drew in long breaths , and she rubbed my hand to comfort me.
    I couldn’t stand it any longer. I threw my pita back down on my tray , deciding to just go for it .
    “And I don’t know what is up with Wolfe . Why is he acting so weird towards me ? ”
    I couldn’t bring myself to say the words. I wanted to tell her how I felt about him , and what he had said to me in the cave, but the