Apocalypse Before Finals by Julie Steimle (electric book reader txt) 📕

After the seventh hour of class, the Pennington school bell rang, echoing in the halls, letting out all the youthful captives, free for another afternoon - all except for those unlucky students on detention. Zormna and Jeff's counseling sessions were held after school, so they were included in the unlucky ones. The FBI had their fill of recordings from those sessions as well. But none of those contained incriminating evidence either.

Jeff was regularly penned up in one room for 'anger management', while Zormna went to another room where she had to endure counseling involving trauma therapy and 'life choices', which included education about contraceptives and pregnancy. Neither counselor felt they were making progress with their sessions. Zormna was unresponsive, and Jeff didn't seem to take anything seriously.

"Do you understand, Zormna?" the counselor said with great maternal concern. "The vaccine for vaginal herpes would make you one less cancer victim. And considering the type of boy you have been spending time with, it will only be a matter of time before - "

"For the billionth time, we never had sex," Zormna muttered at the ceiling.

The counselor heavily sighed. "You don't have to lie to me. I won't judge you."

"Liar," Zormna muttered even lower. "You don't even believe the truth when I tell it to you."

The woman breathed in and out to remain calm. "You don't have to pretend for me. I'm not like those Mormon friends of yours. I know that - "

Zormna sat up sharply. "Hey. Don't you talk about them like that! They actually believe me, unlike you who won't listen - at all. Ever. For the last time. I. Am. A. Virgin."

"I won't slut-shame you," the counselor said, ignoring her words.

"Don't call me a slut," Zormna snapped.

Rubbing between her eyes, the woman tried again in a soft voice. "What I mean to say, is there is no stigma with me, if you admit the truth."

 "I am telling you the truth!" Zormna threw up her hands. "Stop assuming I am not! This is one thing I won't lie about."

The woman pulled back, blinking at her. "Then what are you lying about?"

Clenching her teeth, Zormna was slouched into her chair and folded her arms tight across her chest. "None of your business."

Closing her eyes, the counselor breathed in and out again. Then she said, "You don't have to protect him, you know. If he hurt you - "

"I could break his neck if he laid a finger on me, you know," Zormna muttered. "But for the millionth time, he is not like that. Jafarr is a gentleman."

"Who shoved your face in the mud in tug-of-war pit last year," the counselor reminded her.

But Zormna only smirked, hearing that. "But I beat him in the fight. I won."

The counselor groaned.

Jeff's counseling session went similarly, different topic.

"Coach, can't I go? I haven't been in a fight for over a month now. Don't you think this is a bit much?" he asked while in a weary slouch in his own chair.

The coach frowned at him. "Streigle. You lost your temper just last week in PE. I don't think you are taking this seriously enough."

Jeff rolled his eyes, his mind going over the lame incident in P.E. which had set him off in the first place. His temper really had been on edge lately, but that was due mostly to lack of sleep and the nature of the remarks people made when they saw him.

"And rolling your eyes at me doesn't solve your problem," his coach continued.

Jeff now stared at the man in exasperation. "But I don't have a problem with anger!"

His coach shook his head again. "Can you tell that to Jeremy Sills?"

Shaking his head, Jeff glared. "Jeremy Sills is a pervert."

"Personal remarks, Streigle. Remember. Didn't I say no personal remarks?" the coach chided. "How are you suppose to get over your anger if you keep pointing fingers?"

Jeff snorted. "Telling the truth isn't pointing fingers. Jeremy was saying nasty things about Zormna that I can't repeat."

"So you have resorted to name calling? Vent your anger in a more acceptable manner. Tell me how he made you feel, not what you think of him." The coach sat back with an authoritative glare.

Flopping into the chair, Jeff said very plainly, "I feel like Jeremy is a pervert."

It was late into the afternoon when the two teenagers walked across the school parking lot to Jeff's motorcycle. Only a few after-schoolers and the spying FBI watched them go together. But the day ended as ordinary as it had started. Zormna went to his house where they 'did homework', he practiced his musical instruments, and they had dinner together. And when Jeff took Zormna home, Jeff still didn't get around to telling Zormna about the two dead Tarrns.

            The timing just didn't feel right.

When you arrive at a fork in the road, take it - Yogi Berra -

Wednesday morning Jeff told Zormna about the dead Tarrns. He came early to her house and made breakfast for her before school so he could tell her without anyone listening in.

Zormna stared at him. She was still wearing her pajamas and had been sipping her orange juice when he decided to give her the bad news. When she heard him say it, she went white and swallowed.

"I knew it," Zormna uttered, blinking at the space before her. Her eyes fell to the floor. Then so did her tears. "I could feel it. I could...." She then whipped up a glare at Jeff as if he had slapped her in the face. "Why? You knew yesterday. Why didn't you stop me from accepting Brian's offer for Prom?"

Jeff sighed. He knew she was going to be mad. That was her default setting when under stress. Gathering the courage, he looked at her squarely. "Because I knew you would react like this." Then he said, his feelings plainer, "We can't go."

Zormna scowled at him, tears running down her pale face. "You're terrible, you know that?"

Jeff shifted his eyes back to the floor. He did feel terrible, but it had to be done. She was headstrong, and he had to protect her with whatever means he had at his disposal.

"This is the worst..." she shook her head, teeth clenching. "I am wasted here, hiding while the rest of them die. I was trained - "

"No!" He whipped his eyes up, meeting hers. He sounded more frightened than angry. "Don't you dare think about going back right now."

Zormna pulled in reverse, angrily blinking back her tears, mouth open in protest.

"No, Zormna. You can't. The Kevin knew it when he sent you here, and you know it yourself," Jeff said. The Kevin referred to the main commander of the Surface Patrol of Mars whom Zormna had regarded like a father. The rest came from former arguments. "You know what would happen if you returned to Arras prematurely."

Growling first through clenched teeth, she burst into tears. She threw herself onto her kitchen counter, pounding on it because beating up on him would deprive her of an ally which she sorely needed. She also kicked the lower cupboards in her anger, much like a spoiled child in a tantrum, though it was more done in frustration because she knew he was right.

"I think it would be best if we continued with our original plan," Jeff persisted in his somber tone. "Lay low until the year is over, and then we can see about returning home."

Zormna jerked her head up. Through streaming tears, she shouted, "Why can't we go now and save that last Tarrn? You said an Effron is out there, Jafarr. Why can't we go?"

Jeff just gazed at her, not saying a word. He had already given her the answer. She already knew it. He was convinced she was the answer to the ten-thousand year old prophecy and it was his job was to protect her. And the prophecy made it clear that she would be the only survivor of her family. They had discussed it countless times, but she didn't want to accept it. She didn't want her family to die, even if they were only distant, far removed cousins. Zormna dropped back against the counter, sobbing heavily into the tile. Grief swelled over her. He could feel it also. It was like swimming in a whirlpool, trying to keep his head above water, and failing.  

After letting her cry by herself for a fair moment, Jeff finally walked closer to her, extending a hand around her back to comfort her.

Zormna jerked away. But when she looked up into his understanding eyes, she threw herself into his arms and wept. Jeff held her sobbing, shaking body, trying to give her some strength. He knew what it was like to feel alone. He knew the grief of losing all. The misery in her shuddered, rippling into his own heart as part of the same cord. Tears rolled down his cheeks and dropped onto her back. He hadn't wanted to be the answer to prophecy either. Such people never had peaceful lives.

The FBI saw nothing but a slight outline etched by kitchen lights against curtains. Zormna's house, like always, was kept completely bug free. They couldn't overhear a thing.

That morning on, most people at school noticed Zormna was out of sorts. She hardly talked. She kept her eyes to the floor most of the time. She didn't play hard during P.E. and passed up on the ball when normally she would have chased after it like a cheetah. She hardly seemed to hear anyone when they spoke, including the coaches and her teachers. And she didn't eat much during lunch.

They also noticed Jeff keeping closer to her than usual. He offered a shoulder every so often, and she leaned on it not saying anything at all. This was peculiar because Zormna was strictly a no-touch kind of girl - unless you wanted to be kneed in the groin and thrown over her shoulder with her heel at your throat. And though Jeff was the only one who ever dared set a finger on her, most days he gave Zormna a wide berth. His friends found it peculiar. Brian especially was unsettled by it, as Zormna was his official Prom date and he and his pals were sure Jeff and Zormna were not a couple.

Jennifer and Joy tried to cheer Zormna up, asking what was wrong yet getting the brush-off. Jessica, however, used that opportunity to pull Zormna aside for an 'emotionally moving' portrait, which would probably win her an award in the final art show at the end of the year. Oh, and also to create an excuse to hang out with Jeff who lingered not far off during the portrait session.

But because of her extreme moodiness and Jeff sticking close to her, that Thursday Zormna's school counselor had showed up in Zormna's History class and took Zormna