Wrong dose

Chapter 13 (Skylar)

Everything had been strangely normal during the past few days, reflected Skylar as she sat down with Jake at their usual table, the din of the cafeteria assaulting her ears. Besides trying to help Jake make sense of what they had overheard Clarice say, nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Clarice had not contacted them, and besides the occasional sneer and snide remark from Megan White, she and Jake hadn't been disturbed.
"Don't you find it strange," remarked Skylar as she munched on her sandwich, "That Clarice hasn't contacted us at all these days? Especially when she was saying that the scientists were looking for us, so we had to stay in touch?"
Jake's face darkened. "Oh, there is no telling what will happen with Clarice as our only help. How are we supposed to trust her? I mean, I know she lied about where we were, but that makes her even less trustworthy. She could be lying about the whole scientist story in the first place."
"Yeah," Skylar sighed in agreement, "Now who do we trust?"
The two friends continued eating their lunch in silence. Skylar was worried. What if the scientists were looking for them this very moment? What if they had already found them? She needed answers even more than before.
Skylar's prayers were answered because a few seconds later, a faint, unfamiliar ringtone reached her ears. She shot up, quivering with excitement. Her mind flashed back to when Clarice had slipped the phone in her hand. She must have put it in her backpack without noticing.
"Jake, did you hear that?" She exclaimed, "It's coming from my bag!"
Jake's eyes widened. "Then get it out, what are you waiting for! It's got to be Clarice's phone!"
Skylar practically dived under the table to reach her backpack before the phone stopped ringing. She tore the zipper open and furiously rifled through the contents, throwing out crumpled papers, candy wrappers and stray pencils until her hand brushed the sleek plastic of the phone. Hand shaking slightly, she took the phone out of her backpack, accepted the call, and brought the phone to hear ear. Jake leaned in as well.
"Hello?" Nervously asked Skylar.
"Hello? Skylar, is that you?", came a breathless voice from the other side of the line.
Skylar barely had time to reply before Clarice's voice overlapped hers.
"Skylar, this is very important. The scientists have found out about you and Jake. Come to the usual place with Jake right after school."
The call ended, and an anxious silence descended between Skylar and Jake.
"I was expecting this to happen, but not this soon," whispered Jake.
Skylar was a mess of nerves, adrenalin pumping through her body. Clarice had proved she wasn't exactly the most trustworthy person, but what choice did they have?
"Yeah," she agreed softly, "So I guess we just go to the Starbucks this afternoon. There's nothing else we can do, really."
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When the bell rang, Skylar grabbed Jake by the arm and practically dragged him out the door. Clarice's words had left her restless and distracted for the rest of the day. The stakes were so much higher now that the scientists knew where they were. The threat was looming right over her and Jake, and they only had Clarice to rely on to tell them where it would come from. Skylar had long since given up trying to understand how Clarice knew those things.
"We have to hurry!" Said Skylar, increasing her pace even more. Jake nodded breathlessly and stumbled after her.
Skylar yanked the door of the café open and practically pushed Jake inside. She looked toward the table they usually sat at, only to find the Clarice was already seated there.
"Clarice!" She and Jake exclaimed at the same time.
Clarice looked up and Skylar immediately noticed that she looked even worse than the last time they had met. The bags under her eyes were even more defined than before, and hints of wrinkles had appeared at the corner of her mouth. In short, she looked exhausted. But at that moment, Skylar didn't care--she wanted answers, real ones.
She sat down at the table and was soon mimicked by Jake.
"We're ready," she said simply.
Clarice nodded tiredly, her eyes flickering from Skylar to Jake.
"I'm afraid I don't have much time", she said quietly, "So this will have to be short." Her eyes sweeped the area before continuing. "All the scientists know are your names and where you go to school. They don't know what you look like, where you live, or your families, so you'll have to use that to your advantage. They will most likely find some way to visit your school and find out more about you." She locked gazes with Jake, and then Skylar. 
"So, you have to stay away from each other as much as possible. There isn't a huge resemblance between you two, but it is enough for the scientists to spot it if you're together. The next thing is rather obvious. Jake, you have to wear baggy clothes that will cover your leg braces as much as possible. Skylar, you will have to refrain yourself from using your strength. The scientists know what happened, meaning that they will already be expecting to find one especially weak and one stronger child." Clarice's tone had become faster, more clipped, and underlayed with a sense of urgency as her speech continued.
"And, finally, you will have to begin wearing these at all times during school hours and until you get home." Finished Clarice. She reached into her bag and pulled out two small cases. She slipped them across the table to Skylar and Jake. Skylar opened hers, to find one dull, brown contact lens inside. It matched the color of her "normal" eye perfectly. She glanced at Jake's box to see a lens that matched his blue eye.
Skylar looked at Clarice questioningly. "Why do  we need these?"
Clarice sighed. "You would be much too recognizable with your bright green eyes. The scientists will be looking for unusual signs such as these ones, I'm afraid."
Jake, who had been oddly quiet throughout their encounter spoke up. "So, basically, we have to be as normal as possible until this all blows over--if it ever does." He confirmed bitterly.
"I suppose so, if you want to put it that way." Replied Clarice sadly, before standing up. "I have to go now, sorry that we didn't have more time. Remember what I said and always wear your contact lenses." She said hurriedly, and in a matter of seconds she had disappeared out the door.
Skylar turned to Jake, who looked as lost and scared as she was.
The fact that this wasn't a game anymore had sunk in for both of them.
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AAAND that was another chapter!!! Don't worry, things will be moving faster in the next few chapters, I promise! Vote and comment!!