Prey Read Free Page B

could never place and her worldly air, Ms. Mandisa, as far as Chelsea knew, was the opposite of OCD.
    â€œYeah,” Chelsea said. “I like animals.”
    Geez, I sound like I’m three years old. Maybe I should make some animal sounds for her too. I like the cow. It goes moo.
    â€œI know. I’m an animal lover myself,” the teacher said. “It’s what you want to study in college, yes?”
    Chelsea nodded. “I want to major in animal behavior at the University. I…I’m sorry about that first test.”
    She’d erased the first paragraph a thousand times,until the rough paper was as thin as onion skin.
    Ms. Mandisa shook her head. “Don’t be silly. Your essay was the best in the class. You just should have told me about your condition sooner. That which does not kill us makes us stronger, no?”
    Unless it maims you.
    â€œIn fact…” The slight woman scanned Chelsea’s face. Chelsea felt an awkward urge to count the long seconds they stood there, but before she began, her teacher completed the thought.
    â€œI’ll be leaving early for winter break, heading home before it gets too cold. Never did get used to the snow.”
    Chelsea was disappointed. Not only was Mandisa her favorite, this meant a sub would be there for the midterm, someone new she’d have to explain her “condition” to, in case she needed extra time to finish the exam.
    â€œPoint being, I’ll need a pet sitter while I’m gone. Someone interested in animals.”
    Chelsea brightened immediately. “A dog? A cat?”
    Mandisa’s eyes twinkled mischievously. Her lips tightened into something between a grin and a frown. “A little more involved. It’s a bit of a challenge. I’ll need someone I can trust to do everything just right.”
    That was Chelsea. The OCD made sure of that. “Okay, so what is it?”
    Mandisa’s eyes flared. “Something wonderful, really. Amazing. It’s a…good-sized monitor lizard. Koko. That’s his name. You see, before I came to Bilsford to teach, I was a herpetologist in Egypt, in a small research facility in a city called Kom Obo. Mostly we studied crocodiles, but I specialized in monitors. I had seven in my lab. They’re the most sophisticated lizards in the world. Smart as dogs, really. Probably smarter. There was this one who stood out as really different, really wonderful. I just couldn’t give him up no matter how hard I tried.”
    Chelsea fought an urge to count the fluorescent lightbulbs. “Didn’t some guy get eaten by his pet monitor?”
    Mandisa’s sparkly laugh at once made Chelsea feel foolish and at ease. “That was four years ago in Oregon. He had six full-sized water monitors, let them wander around his apartment freely and hadn’t fed them in over a month. When he died of a heart attack, they just did what came natural. And that’s probably the only story you’ll find about a monitor attacking its owner. Ten or fifteen people a year are killed by dogs. Even more by domestic horses. Koko iswell fed, gentle, and in a very, very secure cage. I wouldn’t even expect you to take him out. You’d just have to feed him and make sure his temperature’s regulated. I’d pay you three hundred dollars for the two weeks, and if you want, you could write a little paper on him for extra credit in class. Just the kind of thing that would look good on a college application.”
    â€œUmm…thank you. Thank you so much. I’d have to talk to my parents.”
    â€œOf course. Have them call.” She scribbled a number on a piece of paper, handed it to Chelsea, smiled again, and turned to leave.
    Chelsea stared at the number. She counted the little blue lines, counted the pen strokes that made up the numbers. She’d lied. She didn’t have to ask her parents. They’d be thrilled at her doing something even a