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“It’s—” he paused as another phone rang in the building, one a little closer He glanced up, at the door, like he wondered about answering it but then shook it off “It’s partially me”
“What do you mean?”
He refocused on ave ourselves time Let’s take it Let’s sort ourselves out Prove to them this can work”
Oh I hadn’t realized maybe I didn’t want to hear from them until ere ready And then I remembered part of why I was able to stay with them and not join another team was because I was in the ht us time
And with being his assistant in this, I became even more vital than ever He also had control over host status without asking favors of anyone for it
Piles of folders and paperwork on my desk distracted me for a fewthe Academy and where I stood with them now I needed to re to go through whatever test or try out to join officially There was still that sht hovered over me constantly
Another phone rang from another part of the offices We both looked at each other, eyebrows raised, asking the other ould be calling the school so late The phone system had a line set up to direct people to office hours Soh
Someone knoe’re here?
Mr Blackbourne stood slowly and walked around the desk “Maybe we should check this out”
“Be careful,” I said, rising “Volto”
“Could be,” he said, but he passed o to the door and out into the hallway
I followed, curious as to as going on and wanting to stay nearby
Another phone went off as we approached Both of them were near the front desk in the lobby area Mr Blackbourne went to one, picking up the receiver to put by his ear and pushed a button on it to answer the right line “This is Mr Blackbourne of Ashley Waters High School” He waited An eyebrow arched “Explain it to me,” he said
The phone opposite was still ringing He waved tome to answer
Me? I went to it, picking up the receiver I figured out how to answer the right line by pressing a blinking button
I spoke “This is” I paused, hesitating to speak h School”
There was silence on the phone at first, and Mr Blackbourne speaking behind me was all I heard Suddenly a woman spoke “I know it’s late, but I need to report my child is sick and won’t make it in to school tomorrow”
Calling about it this late? Why not call about it in the e? “Oh,” I said “I couldtake his name down for you if you’d like The normal person who does this isn’t here”
“I figured,” she said “I was hoping soh I wanted to warn you, I think it’s so or E coli of some sort”
Food poisoning? “Are you sure?” The question slipped fro a tense expression on Mr Blackbourne’s face as he listened
“I’ot hi The last thing he ate was lunch at the school”
“Do you knohat he ate?”
“He says the haer option,” she said “From the cafeteria”
Mr Blackbourne was speaking behindthe same question into the phone as I had
I didn’t knohat else I should say, but I mumbled into the phone “I’ us”
“Sure Just leave a note forhim out until he’s over this”
She gave lad she wasn’t yelling at me about the situation
After I hung up, I turned to Mr Blackbourne
He was saying goodbye and hung up as well and turned to ?” he asked me
I nodded “An isolated case, you think?” Although as I said it, I knew that two cases probably meant there were more