The Scaly Boy (G #3)

Change of Plans...Crocodiles

"I cannot believe the four of you." Mr. Wales sternly scolded us, his voice didn't show it but his eyes were red and puffy. "I am disappointed beyond belief."

"Sorry." Justin mumbled into the ceiling, we were packing up, Mr. Wales had decided that was enough of  New York for a while.

I was still feeling kinda down. Will and Tui were hit the hardest. Genny told me Tui had been in the girl's bathroom ever since we got back, crying her eyes out. Will was staring into a space and looking slightly green. He was kinda acting on edge around me, it ticked me off so I was giving him space.

We started packing up, our trip to New York seemingly at an end. I know Tui wanted to go back. We hadn't planned to stay for long anyway, we needed to get back to California and look at the stuff we had found. Or at least have all the smart people look at it then dumb it down so I could understand. Sometimes I just wish they'd give it to me straight. Anne Marie would have just told you regardless if you understood or not, you know that right?

I wanted to scream 'FORGET ANNE MARIE' at my brain. No matter how many times I told myself to shut up her cranky Asian features kept popping up. It was like she was so stubborn her memory would fight tooth and claw to stop me from forgetting. I hated it so much.

"Tyler?" Justin asked me suddenly, snapping me from my thoughts.

I glanced up from my spot leaning against a wall to stare at him. "What do you want?"

He gave me an amused look. "Nothing, you're just blushing that's all. Carry on then."

He shook his head and went back to folding up clothes into a suitcase. I opened my mouth to give a snappy retort, but when none came, I decided I was above it. For the next long expansion of time Mr. Wales tried to give me a job, but when he decided I might break whatever I came into contact with (to be fair I was still slightly worked up)  I was left to brood in the corner with my Rubik's cube and mutter curses under my breath. I had already solved the darn thing a million times, so often I let one of my friends (who were not at the level of genius I was) mess with it until they gave up. That was usually a good challenge. Will was by far the worst I discovered quickly.

I was fiddling with it again when Sabine came and sat down next to me. I don't know about you but the girls here were intimidating as heck. If Sabine wanted to talk with me, I would assume my butt was about to be kicked, so you can imagine my discomfort when she tried to  initiate small talk of all things.

"Is that new? I've never seen you play with it before."

I blinked. "No, I've had this one pretty much all my life."

She nodded. "I remember you."

I wasn't sure how to respond. "I remember you too? I mean we've been friends for a while now."

She shook her head, long green and purple streaked blonde hair waving slightly. "No I mean, when you were a kid, when I was a kid. We were in the Lab together, briefly. I only just know realized it was you."

Oh. "Oh. I don't have a really good memory."

She frowned. "Do you remember Icie?"

"Not before I met her...?" I replied, raising an eyebrow.

Sabine waved it off. "Nothing, if you don't remember that's good. Just something we were talking about."

    I was about to question her further when all of a sudden I heard the sounds of screaming from outside our hotel door. The two of us were up in a flash, I stared down the hallway and spotted a dark figure disappear around the corner. The walls were shredded and there was a ripped up towel laying dismembered across the floor. A terrified room service woman was crouching in a closet with it's door hanging hazardous by it's hinges.