Night World : Secret Vampire Chapter 2

Poppy Poppy could hear her obtains voice, notwithstanding she couldnt see anything. The kitchen floor was obscured by dancing black dots.Poppy, are you all veracious? Now Poppy entangle herm some others hands grasping her upper berth arms, keeping her anxiously. The pain was easing and her vision was coming back.As she straightened up, she saw crowd in look ofher. His face was almost expressionless, however Poppy knew him well enough to recognize the worry in hiseyes. He was holding the milk carton, she agnise. He must substantiate caught it on the fly as she droppeditamazing reflexes, Poppy thought process vaguely. really amazing.Phillip was on his feet. Are you okay? Whathappened?I-dont k outright. Poppy looked around, pastshrugged, embarrassed. Now that she felt better shewished they werent all staring at her so hard. Theway to deal with the pain was to ignore it, to non weigh virtually it. Its well(p) this stupid pain-I compute its gastrowhatchmacallit. You kn ow, some(prenominal)thing I ate.Poppys mother gave her lady friend the barest fraction of a shake. Poppy, this is not gastroenteritis.You were having some pain before-nearly a monthago, wasnt it? Is this the same kind of pain?Poppy squirmed uncomfortably. As a matter of point, the pain had neer really g unitary away. fewhow,in the excitement of end-of-the-year activities, shedmanaged to disregard it, and by now she was used to working around it.Sort of, she temporized. But That was enough for Poppys mother. She gavePoppy a dinky squeeze and headed for the kitchen telephone. I know you dont wish doctors, but Imcalling Dr. Franklin. I want him to take a look at you.This isnt something we cornerstone ignore.Oh, Mom, its vacation.Her mother c all overed the mouthpiece of the phone.Poppy, this is nonnegotiable. Go get dressed.Poppy groaned, but she could see it was no use.She beckoned to jam, who was look for thoughtfully into a middle distance.Lets at least listen to the CD bef ore I deplete to go.He glanced at the CD as if hed forgotten it, and put work through the milk carton. Phillip followed them into the hallway.Hey, buddy, you wait out here plot of ground she gets dressed. pack barely turned. Get a life, Phil, he said almost absently. mediocre keep your hands off my sister, you deve.Poppy nevertheless shook her head as she went into her room. As if James plowd about seeing her undressed.If only,she thought grimly, pulling a pair of shortsout of a drawer. She stepped into them, still shaking her head. James was her surmount friend, her very trump outfriend, and she was his. But hed never shown up to now the sligh turn up desire to get his hands on her. Sometimes she wondered if he realized she was a fille.Some solar day Im going to makehim see, she thought,and shouted out the door for him.James came in and smiled at her. It was a smile other people rarely saw, not a taunting or teetotal grin, but a nice little smile, slightly crooked.Sorry a bout the doctor thing, Poppy said.No. You should go. James gave her a keenglance. Your moms right, you know. This has been going on way too long. Youve lost weight its keeping you up at night-Poppy looked at him, startled. She hadnt told anybody about how the pain was worse at night, not even James. But sometimes James estimable knewthings. As if he could read her mind.I just know you, thats all, he said, and then gaveher a mischievous sideways glance as she stared at him. He unwrapped the CD.Poppy shrugged and flopped on her bed, staring atthe ceiling. Anyway, I wish Mom would let me have oneday of vacation, she said. She craned her neckto look at James speculatively. I wish I had a mom like yours. Mines always worrying and trying to fix me.And mine doesnt really care if I vex or go. Sowhich is worse? James said wryly.Your parents let you have your own a disjointment. In a building they own. Because its cheaper thanhiring a manager. James shook his head, his eyeson the CD he was putting in the player. Dont knockyour parents, kid. Youre luckier than you know.Poppy thought about that as the CD started. Sheand James both liked trance-the underground electronic sound that had conform to from Europe. James likedthe techno beat. Poppy loved it because it was real music, raw and unpasteurized, made by people who believed in it. People who had the passion, not people who had the money.Besides, world music made her feel a part of otherplaces. She loved the differentness of it, the alienness. sustain to think of it, maybe that was what she likedabout James, too. His differentness. She tilted her head to look at him as the strange rhythms of Burundi drumming change the air.She knew James better than anyone, but there wasalways something, something about him that was closed off to her. Something about him that nobody could r for each one. another(prenominal) people took it for arrogance, or coldness, oraloofness, but it wasnt really any of those things. It was just differentness. He was much different thanany of the exchangestudents at school. Time after time, Poppy felt she had almost put her finger on thedifference, but it always slipped away. And more than once, especially late at night when they were listening to music or watching the ocean, shed felthe was about to advertise her.And shed always felt that if he didtell her, itwould be something important, something as shocking and lovely as having a depart cat speak to her.Just now she looked at James, at his dean, carvenprofile and at the brown waves of hair on his forehead, and thought, He looks sad.Jamie, nothings wrong, is it? I mean, at planetary house, oranything? She was the only person on the planet allowed to call him Jamie. Not even Jacklyn or Michaela had ever tried that.What could be wrong at home? he said, with asmile that didnt reach his eyes. whence he shook his head dismissively. Dont worry about it, Poppy. Itsnothing important-just a relative threatening to visit. An unwanted relative. hence the smile didreach his eyes, glinting there. Or maybe Im justworried about you, he said.Poppy started to say, Oh, as if, but instead she rear herself saying, especially, Are you really?Her seriousness seemed to strike some chord. Hissmile disappeared, and Poppy found that they were simply looking at each other without any insulating humor between them. Just gazing into each others eyes. James looked uncertain, almost vulnerable.PoppyPoppy swallowed. Yes?He open up his mouth-and then he got upabruptly and went to adjust her 170-watt Tall-boy speakers.When he turned back, his gray eyes were dark and fathomless.Sure, if you were really sick, Id be worried, hesaid lightly. Thats what friends are for, right?Poppy deflated. Right, she said wistfully, andthen gave him a determined smile.But youre not sick, he said. Its just somethingyou get to get taken care of. The doctorll probably give you some antibiotics or something-with a big gather uple, he added wick edly.Oh, keep out up, Poppy said. He knew she was terrified of injections. Just the thought of a needle entering her skin Here comes your mom, James said, glancing atthe door, which was ajar. Poppy didnt see how he could hear anybody coming-the music was loud andthe hallway was carpeted. But an instant later her mother pushed the door open.All right, sweetheart, she said briskly. Dr.Franklin says come right in. Im sorry, James, but Im going to have to take Poppy away.Thats okay. I can come back this afternoon.Poppy knew when she was defeated. She allowedher mother to tow her to the garage, ignoring Jamess miming of someone receiving a large injection.An hour later she was lying on Dr. Franklins examining table, eyes politely averted as his gentle fingers probed her abdomen. Dr. Franklin was tall, lean,and graying, with the air of a country doctor. Some body you could trust absolutely.The pain is here? he said.Yeah-but it sort of goes into my back. Or maybe I just pulled a muscle b ack there or something The gentle, probing fingers moved, then stopped. Dr. Franklins face changed. And somehow, in that moment, Poppy knew it wasnt a pulled muscle. Itwasnt an upset stomach it wasnt anything simple and things were about to change forever.All Dr. Franklin said was, You know, Id like toarrange for a test on this.His voice was dry and thoughtful, but panic curled done Poppy anyway. She couldnt explain what was happening interior her-some sort of dreadful premonition, like a black pit opening in the ground in front of her.Why? her mother was asking the doctor.Well. Dr. Franklin smiled and pushed his glassesup. He tapped two fingers on the examining table.Just as part of a process of elimination, really. Poppysays shes been having pain in the upper abdomen, pain that radiates to her back, pain thats worse atnight. Shes lost her desire recently, and shes lost weight.And her gallbladder is palpable-that meansI can feel that its enlarged. Now, those are symptomsof a lot of things, and a sonogram volition help rule out some of them. Poppy calmed down. She couldnt telephone whata gallbladder did but she was pretty sure she didnt need it.Anything involving an organ with such a silly name couldnt be serious. Dr. Franklin was goingon, talking about the pancreas and pancreatitis andpalpable livers, and Poppys mother was drooping as if she understood. Poppy didnt understand, but thepanic was gone. It was as if a cover had been whisked neatly over the black pit, leaving no sign that it had ever been there.You can get the sonogram done at Childrens Hospital across the street, Dr. Franklin wassaying.Come back here after its finished.Poppys mother was nodding, calm, serious, andefficient. like Phil. Or Cliff. Okay, well get this taken care of.Poppy felt just slightly important.Nobody sheknew had been to a hospital for tests.Her mother ruffled her hair as they walked out ofDr. Franklins office. Well, Poppet. What have you done to yourself now?Poppy smiled impishly. She was fully recoveredfrom her earlier worry. Maybe Ill have to have an operation and Ill have an interest scar, she said,to amuse her mother.Lets hope not, her mother said, unamused.The Suzanne G. Monteforte Childrens Hospitalwas a handsome gray building with sinuous curve linchpin giant picture windows. Poppy looked thoughtfully into the gift shop as they passed. It was clearly akids gift shop, full of rainbow Slinkys and stuffed animals that a visiting adult could buy as a last-minute present.A girl came out of the shop. She was a little olderthan Poppy, maybe seventeen or eighteen. She was pretty, with an expertly made-up face-and a cutebandanna which didnt quite conceal the fact that she had no hair. She looked happy, round-cheeked,with earrings dangling jauntily beneath the band anna-but Poppy felt a stab of sympathy.Sympathyand fear. That girl was reallysick. Which was what hospitals were for, of course-for really sick people. Suddenly Poppy wanted to get herown tests over with and get out of here.The sonogram wasnt painful, but it was vaguelydisturbing. A technician smeared some kind of jelly over Poppys middle, then ran a cold scanner over it,shooting sound waves into her, taking pictures of her insides. Poppy found her mind returning to the prettygirl with no hair.To distract herself, she thought about James. And for some reason what came to mind was the first time shed seen James, the day he came to kindergarten. Hed been a pale, slight boy with big gray eyes and something subtly weirdabout him that made thebigger boys start picking on him immediately. On the playground they ganged up on him like houndsaround a fox-until Poppy saw what was happening.Even at five shed had a great right hook. Shedburst into the group, slapping faces and kicking shins until the big boys went running. Then shed turned to James.Wanna be friends?After a brief hesitation hed nodded shyly. Therehad been something oddly sweet in his smile. But Poppy had soon fou nd that her new friend wasstrange in small ways. When the fellowship lizard died, hed picked up the corpse without revulsion andasked Poppy if she wanted to hold it. The teacher had been horrified.He knew where to find pulseless animals, too-hedshown her a vacant lot where several rabbit carcasseslay in the tall brown grass. He was matter-of-factabout it.When he got older, the big kids stopped pickingon him. He grew up to be as tall as any of them, and surprisingly strong and quick-and he developed areputation for being tough and dangerous. When he got angry, something almost frightening shone in hisgray eyes.He never got angry with Poppy, though. Theydremained best friends all these years. When theyd reached junior high, hed started having girlfriends all the girls at school wanted himbut he never unplowed any of them long. And he never confided in themto them he was a mysterious, secretive hard boy. Only Poppy saw the other side of him, the vulnerable, caring side.Okay, the te chnician said, bringing Poppy backto the present with a jerk. Youre done lets move done this jelly off you.So what did it show? Poppy asked, glancing upat the monitor.Oh, your own doctor entrust tell you that. The radiologist will read the results and call them over to your doctors office. The technicians voice was absolutely neutral-so neutral that Poppy looked ather sharply. Back in Dr. Franklins office, Poppy fidgeted whileher mother paged through out-of-date magazines.When the foster said Mrs. Hilgard, they bothstood up.Uh-no, the nurse said, looking flustered. Mrs.Hilgard, the doctor just wants toseeyou for a minute-alone.Poppy and her mother looked at each other. Then,slowly, Poppys mother put down her People magazine and followed the nurse.Poppy stared after her.Now, what on earth . . . Dr. Franklin had neverdone that before.Poppy realized that her heart was beating hard. Notfast, just hard. Bangbang bang, in the middle of her chest, shaking her insides. Making her feelun real and giddy.Dont think about it. Its probably nothing. Reada magazine.But her fingers didnt seem to work properly. When she finally got the magazine open, her eyes ran over the lyric poem without delivering them to herbrain.What are they talking about in there? Whats going on?Its been so long.It kept getting longer. As Poppy waited, she foundherself vacillating between two modes of thought. 1) Nothing serious was wrong with her and her motherwas going to come out and laugh at her for even imagining there was, and 2) Something awful waswrong with her and she was going to have to go through some dreadful treatment to get well. The covered pit and the open pit. When the pit was covered, it seemed laughable, and she felt embarrassed for having such melodramatic thoughts. But when it was open, she felt as if all her life before this had been adream, and now she was collision hard reality at last.I wish I could call James, she thought.At last the nurse said, Poppy? Come on in.Dr. Fran klins office was wood-paneled, with certificates and diplomas hanging on the walls. Poppy sat down in a flog chair and tried not to be tooobvious about scanning her mothers face.Her mother lookedtoo calm. Calm with strainunderneath. She was smiling, but it was an odd,slightly unsteady smile.Oh, God, Poppy thought. Something isgoing on.Now, theres no cause for alarm, the doctor said,and immediately Poppy became more alarmed. Her palms stuck to the leather of the chair arms.Something showed up in your sonogram thats alittle crotchety, and Id like to do a couple of othertests, Dr. Franklin said, his voice slow and measured, soothing. One of the tests requires that you fast from midnight the day before you take it. But your mom says you didnt eat breakfast today.Poppy said mechanically, I ate one Frosted Flake.OneFrosted Flake? Well, I think we can countthat as fasting. Well do the tests today, and I think its best to admit you to the hospital for them. Now, the tests are called a CAT scan and an ERCP-thats short for something even I cant pronounce. Hesmiled. Poppy just stared at him.Theres nothing frightening about either of thesetests, he said gently. The CAT scan is like an X ray. The ERCP involves passing a tube down the throat, through the stomach, and into the pancreas. Then we inject into the tube a liquid that will show up onX rays .His mouth kept moving, but Poppy had stoppedhearing the words. She was more frightened than she could remember being in a long time.I was just joking about the interesting scar, shethought. I dont want a real disease. I dont want to go to the hospital, and I dont want any tubes down my throat.She looked at her mother in mute appeal. Her mother took her hand.Its no big deal, sweetheart. Well just go home andpack a few things for you then well come back. I have to go into the hospital today?I think that would be best, Dr. Franklin said.Poppys hand tightened on her mothers. Her mind was a humming blank.When they left the office, her mother said, Thankyou, Owen. Poppy had never heard her call Dr. Franklin by his first name before.Poppy didnt ask wherefore. She didnt say anything asthey walked out of the building and got in the car. As they drove home, her mother began to chat aboutordinary things in a light, calm voice, and Poppy made herself practice. Pretending that everything wasnormal, while all the time the terrible sick feeling raged inside her.It was only when they were in her bedroom, packing conundrum books and cotton pajamas into a small suitcase, that she asked almost casually, So whatexactly does he think is wrong with me?Her mother didnt answer immediately. She waslooking down at the suitcase. Finally she said, Well, hes not sure anything is wrong.But what does he think?He must think something. And he was talking about my pancreas-Imean, it sounds like he thinks theres somethingwrong with my pancreas. I thought he was looking at my gallbladderor whatever. I didnt even know that my pancreas w as involvedin this.Sweetheart. Her mother took her by the shoulders, and Poppy realized she was getting a little over wrought. She took a deep breath.I just want to know the truth, okay? I just wantto have some idea of whats going on. Its my body, and Ive got a right to know what theyre lookingfor-dont I?It was a endure speech, and she didnt mean any of it. What she really wanted was reassurance, a prom ise that Dr. Franklin was looking for something trivial. That the worst that could happen wouldnt be so bad. She didnt get it.Yes, you do have a right to know. Her motherlet a long breath out, then spoke slowly. Poppy, Dr. Franklin was concerned about your pancreas allalong. Apparently things can happen in the pancreas that cause changes in other organs, like the gallblad der and liver. When Dr. Franklin felt those changes, he decided to check things out with a sonogram.Poppy swallowed. And he said the sonogramwas-unusual. How unusual?Poppy, this is all preliminary. Her mothersaw he r face and sighed. She went on reluctantly. The sonogram showed that there might be something in your pancreas. Something that shouldnt bethere.Thats why Dr. Franklin wants the other teststheyll tell us for sure. But-Something that shouldnt be there? You mean like a tumor? Like cancer? Strange, it was hard to say the words.Her mother nodded once. Yes. Like cancer.