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| AndrAIa studied the wet cloth in her hand, the one she had been using to wipe diner tables. A look of irritation again spread across her face. “Where are they?” she muttered, tossing the cloth from hand to hand. “They should have been back seconds ago! How long does it take to get ice cream, anyway?” She walked to the window for what must have been the zillionth time, dropping the cloth on her way over. The sound of a broom slamming to the floor echoed through the building. Everyone jumped. Dot stood by the fallen broom, her stare concentrated on the cloth. “AndrAIa!” she yelled. “Pick that rag up! What do you think you’re doing?!” She span around to face Mouse’s and Ray’s surprised faces.. “What do all of you think you are doing?! User! I work so hard to keep this place clean!” AndrAIa raised an eyebrow, but picked up the cloth. “Anything else, Master?” she muttered uner her breath. Mouse, calmer than the rest, walked over to Dot and placed her hands on her shoulders. “What is the matter with you, sugah?” Dot appeared as if she would again yell, but she sighed and shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m in such a rotton mood. I guess I don’t feel very well. That headache still won’t go away. I”m sorry if I’m taking it out on you guys.” Mouse nodded sympathetically. “Maybe you should go lie down a bit.” Dot’s eyes widened in horror. “Are you serious?! I have to watch the diner!” Ray laughed. “You can’t be that ill! Sounds just like our old Dot.” Dot smiled weakly. “It’s okay,” said AndrAIa. “Go rest. We’ll stay here.” “Well...” Dot bit her lip. “If you’re sure. I’ve been feeling lousy ever since that game; I could use a break.” She tossed a set of passwords to AndrAIa. “Be sure to lock up.” AndrAIa giggled. “Nice password ring.” She held up the miniature blue guardian doll. Dot blushed, either from embarrassment or illness, and left the diner. AndrAIa turned to Mouse and Ray. “She said she got sick in the game. Why aren’t the rest of us sick?” Ray shrugged. “One of those things, I guess. She seemed okay until we came here, when she announced she had a headache.” He grinned at Mouse. “Why do you ladies always say that?” Mouse slapped him. “Shush.” “Huh?” Enzo exited the kitchen, an energy shake in his hand. “What about girls having headaches?” Ray opened his mouth, but Mouse quickly put a hand over it. The door opened, and in flew Keya, followed by a very disheveled Matrix. “I gotta ride the zip board!” Keya said proudly. “I’m good at it.. A’least I got to ride part of the way. Matrix held me the rest.” “That’s why we’re late,” Matrix explained. “She kept trying to leap off.” “I was gonna fly!” she illustrated, moving toward the counter where she found a straw dispenser to entertain her. AndrAIa smiled at Matrix. “So how was it? Isn’t she adorable? For a little sprite?” Matrix stared at her, frowning. “Well? Come on, Sparky. Pretend you don’t hate kids and judge her from there.” “I admit she’s a cute kid,” he muttered. “A bug, but cute. She kept running off. User, she actually had me scared at one point.” Driven by AndrAIa’s questioning look, he told her about the attack. “And then there was this really annoying nurse lady who kept bothering me.” He pulled out her card and placed in on the counter. “What do you think attacked the binome?” she asked. Matrix hesitated before answering. AndrAIa had heard as much about typodemons as head. She knew they were a load of wasted diskspace. “Haven’t the slightest idea.” AndrAIa scrutinized his face. “Oh, you don’t?” She would never believe him. Even he didn’t believe himself. No matter. It was just a stupid thought that had passed through his head. “You want what I think? I think maybe a web creature got in. Realistically, I think it was your basic attack.” She nodded, satisfied. “Keya didn’t see the body, did she.” “I doubt it. She wasn’t near it.” “What? I wasn’t hear what?” Hands full of straws, Keya joined them. “You were talking about me! My mommy says that’s rude!” “They’re grownup sprites, Keya,” said Enzo. “They ALWAYS talk about little sprites.” “But I’m not-“ “No,” interrupted Enzo. “They think you’re little.” “That’s not what I was saying,” she pouted, but she joined Enzo in glaring at AndrAIa, Matrix, Mouse, and Ray. Ray supressed a grin. “Why don’t you little scamps go play with Frisket or something? So we can talk about you in peace?” Keya didn’t even smile. “But I hate that dog.” Seconds later, Dot walked slowly toward the diner, drowsy from the medication she had taken. The nap hadn’t helped. If anything, she actually felt worse. And who knew what state the diner had been left in? She couldn’t trust the others one bit, not in situations like this, anyway. She shivered. She always hated being out after shut-down. The normally bright streets of Baudway became dark shadows full of who knew what.... Finally, the diner came into view. With a sign of relief, Dot hurried over and pulled out a spare password. The diner didn’t look much different than how she had left it. No, she was being harsh. The place was clean enough, and most of the stools had been placed under the counter. Dot just didn’t like the straws scattered about. Oh, well. She grabbed a stool and dragged it toward the counter. She felt like screaming when she reached it. They had left a peice of paper! Didn’t they wipe up? Fuming, she grabbed it and looked at it. It was a business card: Star Dotstar, R.N.A. Medical Department of Mainframe University. Dot smiled in spite of herself. A nurse. Had the others left it there for her to find? Not that a nurse could do much. Nonetheless, it was a sweet gesture, though probably nothing more than a kind joke. She would have to give Nurse Star a vid, juts to humor them back. She finished straightening up and left. She really should get back home and rest. Her head was pounding, blurring her vision of the ground beneath her feet. She spread out her hands to steady herself. A nearby bark echoed through the street, causing Dot to scream. The bark sounded again, this time closer, more familiar. “Frisket?” she called. The bark came again. She felt relieved. She headed in the direction the barking had come from, back toward the diner. “Frisket?” she called again. “Come here, boy.” As Dot turned the corner to the back of the diner, a shape darted out in front of her. She pressed up against the building. The figure sped off, a shock of black hair waving behind it. “Keya?” Dot called, surprised. No response. She just kept running. But it was definitly Keya. Dot was somewhat sure of that. Who else could it be. And what was she doing out this late? Certain people were going to get quite the lecture... She was about to follow the little girl when she heard a soft moan. She turned around. A gasp escaped her throat. Frisket was lying motionless on his side. His eyes were closed, and he was breathing softly. On closer expection, she found two small punctures on his furry neck. |
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