and held it out to me. He could hardly contain himself. "Wanna know what's in it? Wanna know, wanna know?"
"Okay, I'll bite. What's in it?"
"The answer to our prayers," he chimed. Then he and Baron giggled like a couple of schoolgirls. "Go on. Take it," he said.
I took the tiny vial. Inside, there was a luminescent, milky white liquid. "The antidote?" I asked.
"Yes, yes, yes!" He spun around like a whirling dervish. "This time next semester me and my homie here will be the two most popular guys at Salesian. Told you!" The two boys slapped a lame high-five.
"Where's Sybil?" I suddenly asked. "I'm surprised the three of you aren't out on the town celebrating this wonderful occasion." I hoped I didn't sound like a jealous child.
"Sybil hasn't been doing too well since the pageant," Baron said. There was genuine concern on his face. "She's home rest-
tog.'
"Oh." A twinge of shame rode through me. "Well... congratulations," I said flatly. I handed back the vial.
"No, no. You have to give it to Dirk. He's our guinea pig," said Milton.
"I'm not giving this to Dirk. I don't even know what's in it."
"But you have to!" squawked Milton.
"Yeah. The antidote only works if it's ingested by a zombie," Baron added. "We figured you'd want to be first."
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"Why would I want to be first?"
"I knew it!" Milton thrust an accusing finger at me. "You don't want him to change back."
"Chill, dude." Baron looked me in the eye and lowered his voice. "Can we talk?"
I stepped out onto the porch, and Baron walked me a few feet away from an agitated Milton. "Margot, you gotta do this. Our classmates are all zombies. I know you know that isn't right."
"Why me?"
"You're the only one who can get close enough. Your... boyfriend... is a zombie." The word boy friend seemed to stick in his throat.
"But what if it hurts him?"
"Margot, he's a zombie. J don't think his life can get much worse." He leaned in. "But think of what it will mean if it does work. When Dirk realizes you're the one who changed him back, he'll be yours forever."
Did I sense a note of sadness in his voice when he said that?
I looked into his hazel eyes. When I'd helped with getting the DNA, I hadn't believed they could pull it off. The self-assured boy standing before me was a far cry from the geek he was back then. These past several weeks Baron had transformed into the cool suave image he'd always tried to project. Or was it me who had changed?
"I can see why Sybil likes you so much," I said.
His eyes widened for an instant. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I don't know." I sighed. "I guess if this works we'll both get what we want, huh?" I'm not sure why I said it, but I was anxious to hear what his response would be.
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"I guess," he replied.
Not what I was looking for.
I stared down at the vial in my hand. It was suddenly hot and heavy. "Okay, I'll do it," I said, quickly stuffing it into my pocket. I shot him a small smile. "Let's hope for the best."
"Yeah," he said. "Let's hope for the best."
There was a hint of sadness on his face as he and Milton turned and walked away.
When I got back to my room, I discovered Dirk working himself into a frenzy, chasing and then trapping a spider. He caught the insect and wolfed it down as if it were a delicacy. Then it was like the shades had gone down in his eyes. Nobody home.
Baron was right. Dirk's life couldn't get much worse. I had the power to put an end to this.
A wave of relief washed over me, like a soothing lotion. For the first time in a long time, I had a chance to feel good about myself. I had the power to put an end to all my classmates' misery. Maybe Baron and Milton were right. Maybe I'd be a hero for helping save the day.
I went to my closet, pulled out my hip-hugger jeans and another of the sexy tops my father hated. Then I went to the bathroom and changed. This is how I wanted Dirk to see me when he got back to being himself.
I came back into my room, picked up the vial, removed the stopper, and poured the luminescent liquid over several hunks of raw meat I always kept handy for Dirk's visits. I picked up a sliver of the