Survival

18

Here's the next chapter, completing the mix-up!!! 

*nervous laugh* hehe

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I waited until Kit had left the house in the morning. He left me alone, knowing that was what I really wanted. Last night he had done a check up on me, and of course, the symptoms were clearing up slowly. He thought I was clear to go to school. But I knew better. I knew he really wanted me to go to school, so I got ready and dressed, but I sat on my bed, staring at the note again. I had found myself staring at it more and more since finding it, and I was tempted to call it more than once in the past couple of days. But if I did that, he would know something was wrong with me.

It was a number. A phone number.

My fingers glided over my screen, dialling the number in seconds. I waited, hearing the monotone beep, before someone picked up.

"Thompson"

Hearing his name and his voice snapped me straight out my grieving and ill state. I actually felt like growling as soon as he finished saying his name.

"Where's Coop?" I demanded, and Thompson inhaled sharply.

"Victoria, lovely to speak to you again. I was growing concerned" Thompson said, acting casual as though he hadn't dognapped my dog. "I see you found my note"

"Where's my dog?" I demanded again, and Thompson sighed this time. I was slowly counting the seconds before I lost my temper completely. Keeping all my emotions bottled up while in this state couldn't possibly be good for someone with a flare.

"He's being well looked after, I assure you. But if you want to see him again, you have to promise to tell the truth" Thompson reasoned, and I could almost imagine him picking his nails as he spoke, unconcerned.

"So this is what you resort to when I get you kicked off Loggerhead? Taking my dog and trying to blackmail me?" I couldn't believe this guy. He worked for the government, and yet he's allowed to do this to a group of kids? Did Kit fulfil the threat of sending the complaint? I doubt it by the way things have turned out. My headache began to come back, slowly but surely growing.

"It's not blackmail. It's a compromise" Thompson corrected me sharply. Compromise my ass. "I'll give you what you want, if you give me what I want. And that means all four of you"

"No" It slipped from my mouth quickly. Just the thought of Thompson getting his hands on the boys made my body shudder. "They aren't part of this"

"You come together or not at all" Thompson spat rather venomously down the phone at me. I couldn't ask the boys to do that. Not for me, or Coop.

"They have nothing to do with this. Whatever Chance told you about them isn't true. It's only me" I tried to persuade him, but he only chuckled.

"So you went to go and see Master Claybourne. Did you get the answers you wanted?" he asked, and something about his clipped tone told me he already knew the answer. I said nothing. "I'll let you and your friends talk about your decision" and with that, he hung up.

My body deflated with a sigh, and I dropped onto my back once I threw my phone at the pillow. What was I supposed to do? It seemed to be a recurring question, along with the fact we were in deep trouble. What were they doing with Coop right now? Was he locked up in a cage? Or were they experimenting on him? I was in no state to be going anywhere near government labs. They would know as soon as they saw how ill I was that something was wrong.