Chapter 2

“You look like a puddle of stale cookie dough,” Akemi said, as she slipped into his room. “Nikki said to leave you alone, but what does she know?”

Eitan was laying on top of the sheets with a damp sweat coating his body. Nikki had wanted him in a pair of pajamas, but he could barely tolerate his tighty-whities as he lay on top of the bottom sheet of his bed.

“Was it this bad for you?” Eitan said, slightly above a whisper. She sat on the bed at his hip, still looking down at him. Her school uniform was rumpled, and her shirt was untucked.

“No,” Akemi said, taking a bite of her apple. “I was younger than you though. Dr. Hobart says the more exposure you have to toxic stuff, the harder the nanobots have to work. I guess you got exposed to a lot of crap.”

“Lucky me,” Eitan said. “I’m sweating like it’s one of those hot shower steam rooms.”

“It’s called a sauna, dork,” Akemi said. “Nikki and Joseph are worried about you. They’re tiptoeing around whispering a lot, which is weird for them.”

Eitan shrugged. “What’s Sten doing?”

“He’s camping out in my room, hiding on the other side of the bed on the floor, reading another Batman comic. I can tell that Sten is a puzzle for you. I mean, you share a room with him, and you probably wonder if he is actually here with you.”

Eitan shifted. A gas cramp was started to build in his gut, causing him to break out in a new upsurge of sweats. “Yeah.”

“Nikki says that it’s the opposite, that Sten is hyperaware of everything around him. She says that he saw some shit.”

Eitan snorted despite himself. “Nikki did not say the word ‘shit’” He twisted his middle, trying to do something about the pain in his belly. “O God, Akemi, can you help me?”

“What?”

“I need the toilet, like now!” Eitan said, almost crying. “I can’t get there. My legs...”

“NIKKI,” Akemi yelled as she jumped from the bed and flew out the door. “HURRY, HE’S GONNA BLOW.”

Eitan felt strong arms sweep him up and carry him down the hallway. His underwear was yanked down just as he was placed on the seat. Eitan held his arms straight down with his fingers curled as the first wave of pressure burst through his butthole. So strong was the burst that water splashed up, glazing his cheeks.

A second jet burst forth and Eitan was amazed at the force of the gunk coming out of his little body. He half-wondered if his butthole was going to break from these bouts and never close right again. His arms relaxed. He dropped his face into his hands, letting whatever foulness was inside drop into the water without comment. The smell was horrendous.

“Mercy flush,” Akemi called from the hallway. Eitan heard Joseph reprimanding her, but his butthole burned too much to laugh. Still, he smiled. He reached behind him and hit the handle.

“Thank you,” Akemi called out before giggling again.

“You’re welcome,” Eitan said softly. Everything about his body felt diminished. His muscles slackened, and his body felt cool again. His skin was crusty though, and his scalp was itchy. Even so, he genuinely felt like he was on the other side of a terrible storm.

The door cracked opened a bit and Joseph called out, “catch.” Eitan caught the well-aimed package of wet-wipes in their baby-blue package with little ducks and teddy bears printed on the wrapping. He did not care, anything but the hard rasp of toilet paper on his butt was a gift.

He took a quick shower and found a clean pair of pajamas waiting for him on the closed toilet seat. Dressed and relieved, Eitan padded to the kitchen in his bare feet and plopped down at the table. He was exhausted, yet he had no desire to go back to his bed. Nikki put a mug of warmed chicken broth in front of him and sat down at his right.

“You had a tough go there,” she said. “The worst is over. I’m sorry you had to go through the pain and the purge. Everyone who comes to live in the village with Dr. Hobart is given the first series of nanobots. You probably don’t appreciate it now but many years from now, you will understand this gift.”

“First series?”

Nikki gave him one of her gentle smiles. “Not everyone needs or qualifies for any of the other series. You must ask Joseph why because I don’t work in that area of research. I’m just a data compiler. The other news: getting sick does not excuse you from homework. There is a pile waiting for you on the counter.”

“I think I’m feeling sick again,” Eitan said, only to receive a quick slap on the forearm that did not hurt.

Eitan dug into his stack of homework. His two teachers explained to him that the last five months of school had not stuck, which was understandable. Even more, the studies moved quickly in the village, faster than his old school. He was behind before his parents died. The difference now was his class was only five students.