Meanwhile Atlas lay on his bed, pretending to be asleep but watching Jelo through half-closed eyes.
Something strange was happening.
From where Atlas lay, he could see Jelo standing in the middle of the room, his body tense, his breathing uneven. It looked like Jelo was undergoing some kind of transformation, even though Atlas couldn't really see what was happening. There was no visible change, but something was definitely going on. Jelo's posture kept shifting, his muscles twitching slightly, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.
Atlas watched in silence, his curiosity growing.
Then Jelo suddenly started acting woozy. He swayed on his feet, one hand reaching up to clutch his head as if he had a terrible headache. His face contorted in pain, and for a moment, it looked like he might collapse.
Atlas wanted to ask what was wrong. He wanted to get up and check on his roommate.
But he hesitated.
He felt he shouldn't push. Not after what had happened earlier. Jelo might already suspect him of stalking him. So Atlas stayed silent. He kept watching, kept pretending to be asleep.
He decided that if things got out of hand, then he would step in. But until then, he would wait.
Eventually, Jelo stumbled toward his bed and collapsed onto it, falling asleep almost immediately.
Atlas stared at the ceiling for a long time before finally closing his eyes.
-----
The next morning, when Jelo woke up, his headache was much worse.
It felt like someone was hammering nails into his skull from the inside. Every heartbeat sent a fresh wave of pain through his head, and his vision swam every time he tried to focus on something.
The system flickered to life in his mind, cold and clinical.
Jelo groaned and forced himself to sit up. The room spun around him, and he had to grip the edge of his bed to keep from falling over.
This was bad. Really bad.
But he couldn't just stay in bed. He had classes. He had to keep moving, keep acting normal. If he showed too much weakness, people would ask questions. Teachers would get involved. And the last thing he needed was more attention.
So Jelo went about his preparation for class, woozy, in pain, and disillusioned.
He stumbled to the small bathroom area and splashed cold water on his face. It helped a little, but not much. He pulled on his uniform with shaking hands, fumbling with the buttons. Every movement felt like it took twice as much effort as it should.
Atlas noticed.
"Hey," Atlas said, watching him with concern. "You okay? You look terrible."
"I'm fine," Jelo muttered, not meeting his eyes.
"You don't look fine. You look like you're about to pass out."
"I said I'm fine."
Atlas frowned but didn't push further. He just watched as Jelo kept struggling and stumbling his way toward the door.
They left the room together and headed toward the main building. Jelo's legs felt like lead, and every step was a battle. He kept having to catch himself against the walls, his balance failing him again and again.
On the way, they met Ken.
Ken's usual easygoing smile faded the moment he saw Jelo. "Whoa," he said, stepping closer. "Jelo, you look like death. What happened?"
"Nothing," Jelo said, forcing the word out. "I'm fine."
"You're clearly not fine. Did something happen last night? Are you sick?"
"I'm fine," Jelo repeated, more firmly this time.
Ken exchanged a worried glance with Atlas, but neither of them pressed further. They just walked alongside Jelo, ready to catch him if he fell.
And Jelo did keep stumbling. He lagged behind constantly, his pace slowing with every passing minute. By the time they reached the classroom, he was practically dragging himself forward.
He struggled through the first lesson.
The teacher's voice sounded distant, muffled, like it was coming from underwater. The words on the board blurred together into meaningless shapes. Jelo couldn't focus on anything except the pounding in his head and the growing weakness in his limbs.
He didn't know how he made it through. But somehow, he did.
-----
During lunch break, Jelo was still in severe pain, woozy, dizzy, barely functional.
He managed to get to his seat in the cafeteria, but it took everything he had. His legs almost gave out twice on the way there. When he finally sat down, he slumped forward, resting his head in his hands.
Atlas and Ken sat across from him, both of them watching with worried eyes.
Jelo forced himself to eat. He picked up his fork, scooped up some food, and put it in his mouth. But it felt empty. Tasteless. It did nothing to help him. The hunger remained, gnawing at him from the inside.
"Jelo," Atlas said quietly. "Talk to us. What's going on?"
"Nothing," Jelo mumbled.
"That's not nothing," Ken said, leaning forward. "You've been like this all morning. You can barely walk straight. Just tell us what's wrong so we can help."
"I don't need help."
"We can take you to the clinic," Atlas offered. "Nurse Caldwell can.."
"No." Jelo shook his head, wincing at the pain the movement caused. "No clinic. I'm fine. I just need to… I just need to push through."
Ken and Atlas exchanged another look, frustration and concern mingling on their faces. But Jelo refused to budge, and eventually, they stopped pressing.
Lunch break ended, and they went their separate ways.
-----
In the next class, Atlas and Jelo were together again, but Ken was in a different class.
Jelo sat slumped in his seat, barely conscious, as the teacher, a stern-looking man with gray hair and sharp eyes, stood at the front of the room and addressed the students.
"Today," the teacher announced, "we will be going on a field trip."
Jelo's head lifted slightly, his attention caught despite the fog in his brain.
"We will be visiting one of the zones where the Dabba still exist," the teacher continued. "You will observe their habitats and see firsthand the damage the aliens caused to our planet during their attacks. This is an educational trip, so I expect all of you to pay attention and take notes."
Jelo heard the words through his dizziness and pain, and for a moment, he thought he might have imagined them.
Dabba.
They were going to a place with Dabba.
Relief washed over him, so powerful it almost made him dizzy, or dizzier than he already was. It felt like a miracle. Like fate was finally throwing him a bone. They were going on a field trip just when he needed a Dabba's heart.
Immediately, his mind started working, pushing through the pain and fog.
He started to question and wonder. Could he arrange something during the field trip? Could he find a way to get a Dabba's heart without anyone noticing? It wouldn't be easy. There would be teachers watching. Other students around. Security measures in place.
But he had to try.
His life depended on it.