Chapter 121: Just a Little Soda Pop

Blair scrambled off the bed in a frantic rush, practically diving toward her study desk to grab the laptop.

Daemus stopped talking, watching her with a confused expression. "Bunny? What are you doing?"

Blair’s eyes were wide as saucers as she rushed back, plopping down onto the mattress beside him. "Oh my God, I figured it out!" she squeaked excitedly.

"Figured out what?" Daemus asked.

Blair popped the laptop open and clicked the folder. The screen flickered, loading the image of the tattered, dirty paper covered in messy scrawls and the password prompt below it.

"Do you remember this?" Blair asked, pointing at the screen.

Daemus squinted at the image, nodding his head. "Yeah."

"I think they are ID numbers of beastmen at the academy!" Blair explained, her words rushing out in a breathless tumble.

Daemus frowned, leaning closer to the screen. "Why would someone write them all over the place like that on a random piece of paper? It’s covered in mud and blood, too."

A second later, Daemus’s eyes blew wide open. He gasped. "It’s a message!"

He grabbed her arm, his enthusiasm instantly matching hers. "Imagine if this leads to some crazy, black market supernatural shit!" Daemus grinned, practically vibrating with excitement.

"I just need to make a list of all the possible combinations," Blair told him, immediately flipping her notebook open to a fresh page.

It was going to take a very long time.

Blair hunched over her notebook, her pen flying across the paper as she meticulously mapped out the alphanumeric sequences. Daemus made himself as useful as a supportive boyfriend possibly could. He gently massaged her shoulders, and made several trips to the kitchen to fetch her plates of breakfast.

Clarice had indeed cooked up a literal storm. The plates Daemus brought up were piled high with three different kinds of eggs, sizzling sausages, crispy bacon, buttered toast, fluffy French toast, thick pancakes, golden French fries, perfectly browned hashbrowns, and massive slices of warm apple pie.

Daemus happily fed her bites of food while she worked. Blair couldn’t possibly eat it all, but everything tasted absolutely delicious.

"My mother only cooks like this when she is very happy," Daemus commented, popping a French fry into his mouth. He smiled. "I assume that means she and my father made up."

Blair bit her bottom lip, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on her notes. She only hummed in response. She knew exactly why Clarice was in such a celebratory mood; Clarice believed she had caught Blair and Jack on video. Blair busied her thoughts with the task in front of her. Clarice actually had nothing, so Blair didn’t have to worry about it.

An hour or two drifted by in a comfortable, quiet rhythm.

Daemus had dozed off and eventually woken back up. Stretching his arms, he pulled a can of soda from his sweatpants pocket. He popped the tab and took a large gulp.

He immediately gagged, pulling the can away from his mouth with a grimace. The warm soda tasted weird, but he was thirsty and too lazy to walk all the way to the kitchen for a drink.

"You want some?" Daemus offered, holding the can out.

Blair, completely engrossed in writing out the final column of combinations, blindly accepted the sip as he held the rim to her lips.

She swallowed the liquid and immediately scrunched her face in disgust. "What flavor is that?" she asked, coughing slightly. "It tastes weird."

"I think it’s just because it’s warm," Daemus reasoned, turning the can around to read the label. "It’s strawberry-cherry flavor."

He frowned, looking at the liquid inside. "No wonder someone threw it away outside. Strawberry-cherry sucks."

Blair’s pen stopped dead on the paper.

She slowly turned her head, her eyes wide with terror. "What did you say?"

"I said strawberry-cherry sucks," Daemus repeated, missing the panic washing over her face.

"No," Blair cut him off, her voice dropping into a frantic whisper. "Where did you find it?"

"Outside," Daemus shrugged casually. "But it was sealed, so it’s okay."

"Oh god," Blair breathed out.

Her mind spiraled into chaos. Jack had mentioned throwing away a soda he got from Clarice that he suspected was tampered with. There’s no way it’s the same soda, right? she prayed frantically. It has to be a coincidence.

But just as the thought crossed her mind, a sudden heat flared deep in her chest. The warmth quickly spread, flushing her skin and making her blood sing.

Daemus then pulled his t-shirt away from his chest, using his hand to fan his flushed face. "Is it just me, or is it getting really hot in here?"

Blair stumbled as she stood up from the bed. The room immediately began to dance around her. The edges of the study desk blurred, and the small closet seemed to bounce cheerfully against the wall. A dizzying fog clouded her mind, replacing her usually sharp thoughts with a throbbing, primal need.

She reached out, grabbing Daemus’s arm with a desperate grip. His skin felt like it was burning to the touch.

"We need to go to the professor," Blair gasped, her voice already sounding breathless.

Daemus let out a ragged groan, his silver eyes hazing over as he nodded.

They clung to each other like drowning sailors. Blair dragged Daemus toward her bedroom door, their feet tangling together as they stumbled out. The short walk through the living room felt like a trek through a scorching desert. Every single brush of Daemus’s arm against her shoulder sent a jolt of electricity straight to her core, making her knees buckle.

"Stairs," Daemus grunted, his hot breath fanning across the side of her neck as he leaned his weight against her.

They practically crawled up the staircase, tripping over the steps. Blair’s entire body felt like it was melting. By the time they finally reached the top, she could barely keep her eyes open.

She guided them down the hall, weakly lifting her fist to knock on the door of Jack’s bedroom.

A second later, the door swung open.

Blair looked up at Jack through half-lidded, glazed eyes.

"We drank the soda," Blair slurred out, her knees giving out beneath her.

She pitched forward, passing out as she fell into Jack’s chest. Jack caught her in his arms, holding her against him. He then took a step to the side as Daemus tipped forward, leaving him crashing face-first onto the floor with a thud.