A New Infection

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"I'm back!" Bella heard the front door click shut. Well, to call it a door was generous; it was more of a movable wall - virtually impenetrable. Freddie's usually smug tone seemed shaken. Something must have happened. Something bad.

"Are you okay? Did you find the salt?" Bella kept her voice casual, so as not to raise suspicion around her prying questions.

"I'm... fine," the boy in front of her seemed smaller than usual, his shoulders quivering as he slammed a container on the table. "And yes, I got the salt. I'm not that incapable." He seemed defensive, hiding something important, a groundbreaking revelation that shook him to his core. Internally, Bella shrugged, trying not to care too much, not to treat him like an experiment. He'll open up in time. Probably.

"Anything interesting happen? Besides, you know, typical end of the world stuff." She tried to keep her tone light, fighting her insatiable curiosity, which burned to interrogate him. If she was ever presented with a mystery, be it fiction or fact, Bella could spend hours picking it apart, trying to discover what made it tick. However, she had learned through her best friend not to apply those standards to people, since her social skills weren't the most accurate after six years of isolation at school. That wasn't too say she couldn't communicate, quite the contrary; when required, Bella could wheedle almost anyone into compliance. She'd spent months watching politicians' speeches, and how her peers interacted. Nevertheless, she treated the entire experience almost identically to learning to code or perfecting her fluency in a different language - a removed, impersonal process to better herself intellectually.

Bella was determined to put her polished skillset to good use in finding and solving whatever was troubling Freddie.

"Umm ..." he had a contemplative look on his face. He's hiding something. Bella narrowed her eyes imperceptibly.

"I tested out a new formula I developed." Freddie brightened, all too ready to brag again about his genius.

"Oh?" She raised her eyebrows, prompting him to continue.

"You take a portion of whatever you want to stick to, dissolve it into the fluid, smear it on something, like your hands, and wham! You have Spiderman powers. So far the most extreme angle I've tried it on is vertical surfaces, but I'm positive that it will work upside down."

Bella smiled fondly. She loved his childlike excitement - a side of himself he didn't often reveal.

"So," she prodded, smirking. "You read comics?"

"What? No!" he spluttered.

"Old Marvel heroes aren't well known these days. To name a hero and know their powers would indicate you've read at least one. And anybody who's read a comic knows you can't just read one."

Freddie smarted, the tips of his ears going red. Bella backpedaled.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. I love heroes too! The secret identities, the epic battles, the powers..." she trailed off, getting lost in her thoughts. Later. I'll have more time then. I have to fix this now.

Looking back at Freddie, she saw his pink hue hadn't faded. In an attempt to comfort him, she decided to reveal a secret of her own. "Look, comics aren't a bad thing. We all have guilty pleasures. I mean, I'm 15 and I love cartoons. You know, the ones we watched as little kid on tablets?"

Freddie nodded, finally seeming reassured. Bella sighed inwardly, triumphant, even if it was a small victory. Even a little progress is still progress.

It was a couple of hours later, as they were settling in for the night that Freddie spoke up.

"You know how you asked how I was doing earlier. How my trip went?"