Page 97 of For Your Own Good

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FALLON OPENS HEReyes, blinks a few times. No idea where she is.

White room, white sheets. Her own sheets are blue. And she’s up too high, raised off the floor. Her blow-up mattress is much lower. The curtains are drawn across the window, and she can’t tell if it’s day or night.

But there’s a tube in her arm.

An IV. She’s in the hospital.

The first thing she does is move her legs, then her arms. A wave of relief hits her. Everything works.

Fallon thinks back to earlier in the day. The last thing she remembers is being at school, teaching a class, when she heard a scream. She went out into the hallway to check on it.

That’s it.

She pushes the button next to her bed. A minute later, a woman appears. She’s young and smiley—like they’re in a hair salon instead of a hospital.

“Hello there,” the woman says. Her name tag saysTammy. “How are you feeling?”

“Why...?” Fallon’s voice croaks. The nurse rushes to get her some water, and she tries again. “Why am I in the hospital?”

“You collapsed when you were at the school,” Tammy says.

“I collapsed?”

Tammy nods, her lips pursed. Not so bright and cheery now.

“What’s wrong with me?” Fallon says. “Why is my throat so sore?”

“We had to pump your stomach. Unfortunately, it does cause some throat irritation because we had to put a tube down your throat. That should clear up soon, though.”

“Why would you...?” Fallon shakes her head, trying to remember what she ate. “Did I have food poisoning?”

Tammy sits down on the edge of the bed. She wears glasses—oversize, bright green—and they make her eyes look huge. “There was another event at Belmont. A number of people fell ill.”

It takes Fallon a long time to figure out what that means. “Poisoned. Was I poisoned?”

“They have to finish the testing, but right now it looks that way.”

Fallon pulls the covers up around her. “Oh my God.”

“You’re fine now,” Tammy says. “Are you hungry?”

“NotnowI’m not.”

“I’m sorry. That was a stupid question. You’ll be here overnight for observation, and then you can get back home.” She pats Fallon on the leg and stands up, straightening the covers. “Just press the buzzer if you need anything.”

Tammy walks out, leaving Fallon feeling like she’s in shock. Of all the things she had thought would happen when she returned to Belmont, being poisoned wasn’t one of them. Exposed for not having a college degree, yes. Fired, perhaps. Maybe even arrested, depending on how far she had to go to get Teddy fired.

But poisoned? Nope. That was not something she’d thought would happen to her. Or anyone else, after Sonia died.

A number of people got sick, Tammy had said. Fallon grabs the remote and turns on the TV. The breaking news banner on the screen makes her sit up so fast, she almost jerks the IV out of her arm.

MORE TROUBLE AT BELMONT ACADEMY: 1 DEAD, 6 HOSPITALIZED

The reporter on the screen is young and blond and wears too much makeup. She keeps talking and talking, and the words swirl together. It’s all a reworded version of the banner. Not once does she say the name of the person who died.

Fallon presses the buzzer.