Vial 126

Chapter 16

I slept in the room next door to Annie's. We had decided that these people were good guys, we still watched our back, though.
During our stay, we studied the stone some more, we also tried to find a better cure for the vial.
We failed... Epically.
Once, the mixture blew up...
I skipped ahead in the story by four days, which means it's my birthday.
I got up and started to walk around in my room.
I had just woken up.
I decided to head for the cafeteria.
I was the first person up, I considered waking up everyone else, but I figured it would be better if I let everyone sleep.
A loud creek filled the silence when I opened the door, despite my efforts to stay silent.
I wondered if anyone would remember my birthday.
They sure couldn't get me a present way out here.
I tiptoed down the halls and walked into the cafeteria.I sat down at one of the tables and started to think.
Julius had barely even spoken to me the last couple of days.
I stood up and walked out of the cafeteria.
Stopped at the door way.
I was bored, I wanted to talk to someone so bad.
I walked down the hall and froze next to Julius' room. I stepped forward and raised my hand to knock. I pictured the awkward conversation that would take place if I woke him up.
I hesitated for a second then made a decision.
I turned away from the door and walked down the hall to Mika's room.
I pounded on the door, no answer.
I continued to walk down the hallway. I knocked on Fran's door. She, Mika, Strawberry, Annie and I had become friends over the past few days.
I knocked hard.
A faint reply came back. "Hold on, I'm gonna get ready." Fran answered.
I smiled to myself.
She was the most scientific person I knew. She had the strangest rules.
One of her rules was no throwing mandarin oranges at the lunch table. The strangest part about the rule is that we needed it.
Don't ask.
I leaned against the wall by the door.
Just then, Strawberry's door flung open, she was 2 doors down.
She burst out and ran up to me.
She yelled, "Happy birthday!"
"Thanks." I said.
She gave me a smile.
"I am waiting on Fran." I explained.
The door across from me slowly creaked open.
Annie came out of the room stretching.
"What's all the yelling about?" She asked.
"It's Katherine's birthday!" Strawberry shouted.
"Omg! Yeah, I remember, now! Hold on a second."
Annie ran back into her room.
A few seconds later, Fran busted out of her room wearing a Santa hat and holding a giant stuffed rabbit.
She jumped in front of me and whacked me with the stuffed animal.
"Giant stuffed animal fight!" Fran yelled.
Annie came out of the room with four more giant stuffed animals.
She threw one to each of us except for Fran who had her bunny.
She chucked the extra one on the floor by Michael's door. The door slowly creeped open until Michael poked his head out of his door.
"Let the giant stuffed animal war commence!" Screamed Fran. "Michael, you and Katherine, you are on my team!" She declared.
"Sorry, it is our birthday tradition." Michael explained as he walked toward me. "It's kinda like a pillow fight."
After she called captains meeting and explained some rather odd rules, then we went to war.
Mainly I was I following Michael around, getting whacked and whacking people.
I clutched my stuffed animal tightly in my hand and started to use it as a shield.
Mika suddenly appeared around the corner.
Her eyes widened.
Annie chucked her a stuffed animal.
Mika observed for a second, then she ran into combat.
We were harshly whacking each other with fluffy toys, (the eyes hurt like little rocks).
We were interrupted when Nigel came around the corner.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"Celebratory battle training!" We replied all at once.
He gave us a funny look and then walked off saying, "Well, ok, then."
We continue going until one of the stuffed animal eyes hits Mika in the nose and it starts bleeding.
After that, we surrendered.
I look at Michael and ask. "Do you guys do this often?" He responds
"No, it is just a birthday thing, we do build forts more often though." He responded.
"Do you win often?" I ask.
"Yeah, I am usually on Fran's team, this is the first time I have lost." He said looking over at Fran.
"I guess you need to do something to keep you occupied." I said.
He smiled.
"How long have you been here? Sorry for asking... I just want to know more about you guys." I asked.
"I don't really know, like a year and a half." He responded
"Annie said there were others, what happened to them?" I asked.
"They were taken away, they were too old to be with us. They had no use for them, they wanted younger people. They thought their minds had... Expired." He said.
I could tell this was a sensitive subject. I decided to leave it alone, for now.
"Do you have cake?" I asked to change the subject.
"Why? It's not someone's birthday, is it?" He said, acting as if this whole stuffed animal fight had never happened.
"Umm... No I don't think it is, I just want cake." I said, playing along.
"Ohh. So, you just want cake for no reason? Okay. If it was actually for someone's birthday, I probably would've said no, but since it's for no reason, I don't see why not." He joked.
We laughed.
"Wait, ok serious talk for a second. Are you and Julius as a couple?" Michael ask.
"Not really, I mean maybe. It's hard for me to talk to him, but I think we might be a couple." I said.
"Well, I am going to go wake up the others. Are you coming." I said.
"Nah, cry about the fact that we are absolute losers." He replied.
"Where are you really going?"
"To get changed." He responded.
"Ok." I replied
I walked over to Julius' room. I knock twice to let him know I was at the door.
"Hold on, I will be out in a minute."
He walks out a few minutes later wearing jeans and a black t-shirt. He smiles at me and says "Let's wake Eian."
"Sure." I say.
He escorted me out of the room and we walked to Ian's room.
As I walk in I see Mika sitting on a chair near Eian, who was still cozy in blankets.
They were in mid-conversation when we entered the room
"How did you get in here? You were just on the battlefield?" I asked.
"The battlefield is just down the hall." Mika said.
"What battlefield?!" Eian and Julius asked in unison.
"Duh, the one we were violently whacking each other in with stuffed animals." Mika said like it was common knowledge.
"Long story short, we had celebratory battle practice with stuffed animals for my birthday." I explained.
"Well, okay, then." Julius said.
"So, anyway, Mika, it looks like you and Eian are getting along well. I bet in just a couple of months you guys will be getting married." I joked.
She immediately looked embarrassed. Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned red. Ian's did too, but Julius and I just started laughing.
I then say "Okay, you guys need get dressed into better clothes." Directing this toward Mika who was still in her pajamas.
Eian got out of the bed and I saw that he had pajama pants on.
"Ok, but stop being such a mom." he said and rolled his eyes.
"What's that supposed to mean." I ask.

* * *

A half an hour later, we all meetup in cafeteria, except for Nigel and Reba who said that they had already eaten.
Everyone was dressed for the day.
Fran was wearing a blue t-shirt with a bunny wearing glasses on it that said 'free to be me' and jeans that were so dark that they looked black.
Michael was wearing a blank orange t-shirt and blue jeans.
Annie was wearing a yellow shirt with a smiley face that said 'be happy no matter what' and jeans.
And Strawberry was wearing a red shirt with a strawberry on it with sweat pants, she had a thing about how jeans were scratchy.