Torey looked up from his phone as Chase got in his car and closed the door.

“Am back!” she announced.

The boy nodded at the huge cinema screen, which was now displaying the logo of the second movie's production company. “And not a moment too soon!” He shifted his attention to the box Chase was carrying. “So what did you get?”

The cannibal's hand froze halfway into the bag. She hadn't thought about this part. Obviously, she couldn't eat this in front of Torey. He didn't know her secret yet, and if she had anything to say about it he never would. “Uh...um...w-well...” She gasped and looked down at the bag. “Oh no! There bugs in! Much bugs is roll in food! I go have word with cook.”

Torey laughed in response. “What, seriously? Bugs? Lemme see!” He grabbed the bag and looked inside.

“No!” Chase cried.

The boy gasped in shock. The horror on his face was a mirror for the horror in the box. Chase's heart sank. Now she'd have to kill him, too. What a pity; the night was going so well.

As she started looking around for a murder implement, Torey reached into the box and pulled out its contents.

A heart. Breaded and deep fried.

Chase held her breath. For a second, she forgot all about finding a weapon, the wait for the other shoe to drop occupying her every thought.

“That is SO awesome. It looks real!” he commented, with an excited grin on his face. He put it back in the box and handed it back to her. “What'd they do, carve that out of a turkey breast or something? I didn't know they had something like that on the menu!”

With that, they watched Cannibal Cruise Liner VII: Full Sail Slaughter, and no one else had to die. Going into the movie, Chase was concerned that the titular cannibal cruise liner would be a cruise liner which ate other cruise liners, but when she saw it was, in fact, a cruise liner helmed and staffed by human cannibals, she was thoroughly pleased. Despite some inaccuracies with regards to the cannibal lifestyle, Chase received the film with great enthusiasm.

“So, you're saying you liked it?” asked Torey, immediately after Chase finished breathlessly reciting a five-minute list of her favorite lines and scenes. The credits were rolling, and he was rummaging in the center console for his keys.

“Yes! Like much!” Chase replied with fervor.

“Yeah, me, too,” he agreed. “That was like the third time I've seen it, but you made it a pretty fresh rewatch. I liked all your little comments, especially your jokes about how the characters could be improving their human flesh recipes. Your deadpan delivery was perfect.”

She giggled, relieved. She was worried her analytical nitpicking might have ruined his suspension of disbelief. “No REAL cannibal work on film, that for sure!”

Then, something came over Chase. Putting a hand on his arm, she looked at him with a gravity and significance that forced him to make eye contact.

“Tor, thank for bring me. You knew it make friends mad, but still you do. I very thank for that. See no films, in old life. Have lots fun.”

Feeling himself start to blush, Torey hastened his key hunt. He quickly found them, and turned away from the girl and put them in the ignition. “Y-yeah, well, if you liked that one, you should see the others. There's eight more.”

Chase couldn't believe her ears. Eight more? She didn't deserve such bliss. “Oh! Can we? Can we?! We come back next night?!”

Torey didn't expect that. “Uh, well, that wasn't really what I meant...they don't do showings that often, maybe twice a month. My brother doesn't make enough to keep the place open every night. And when he does do another showing, the movies probably won't be from the same series.”

He instantly regretted saying this when he saw the way the girl's face fell. He kicked himself for a moment, but then it gave him an idea.

“But, uh, you know...” he added, trying to sound casual, “...Maybe I could get him to do a private showing for us? Just you and me?”

..............

Caitlin touched her toes. “And?! What did you say?!” she gasped, hanging on every word.

It was Monday now, only five days to the Harvest Dance. Chase and the rest of her squadmates were doing warmup stretches and gossiping with one another: the usual first stage of cheerleading practice. Harvest was easily the most popular topic, but Chase, Caitlin, Alicia and Lindsey were discussing something far more serious: Chase's forbidden excursion to the Sandman Drive-In, and the possibility of a repeat offense.

Chase was sitting right next to Caitlin on the gym mat, touching her toes as well. “Said yes!” she replied. Her legs were in the straddle position, so far apart she was nearly doing the splits. Her left arm was curving all the way over her head to touch her right foot.

Caitlin squealed. “Just the two of you? That sounds like a date!” she said eagerly. Alicia glared at her. “Sorry.”

Alicia went for crossed arms again. The gesture was probably meant to look stern, but since she too was seated for straddle stretches, she looked a little goofy instead. “Chase, that sounds like a DATE,” she echoed. This time, it was an accusation.

Chase turned red. “It...it not date! Him just want show me films! More cannibal boat!”

Something occurred to Lindsey. She looked at Chase as she switched from one foot to the other. “You know, I'm beginning to think the FIRST time was a date!”

“No! Not date!” insisted Chase. “Just hang out!”

“Who bought the food?” Lindsey rejoined.

This question reminded Alicia: “Oh, shoot. I gave you money for your ticket but I forgot about food. Sorry, Chase.”

“Oh, it no problem. Him pay.”

Lindsey and Alicia exchanged a suspicious glance. “So datey,” commented Lindsey.

“Yeah,” agreed Alicia.

Letting go of her foot, Caitlin straightened, then leaned forward, stretching out at the mat between her legs. “Aw, who cares if it's a date or not. From the sound of it, he's a nice guy. I thought he was gonna bully her.”

“Yeah, sure, he's a real nice guy,” said Lindsey. “If you think turning the woman he loves into a social pariah is a nice thing to do. You've worked really hard to get this popular, Chase. Don't blow it on some stupid boy.”

“Not this again,” said Caitlin, rolling her eyes.

“Him not love me!” argued Chase.

Lindsey sighed and closed her legs for a pike stretch. “I know, Cait. I don't like it either. In a perfect world, Chase would have nothing to worry about. But here in high school, she DOES have to worry. Not everybody's as open-minded as me. There's loads of kids here who would really hold it against her if she dated outside her social caste.”

Caitlin considered this, then said, “I hate to admit it, but you do have a point. I mean, I can't imagine what somebody like Victoria would say—”

“What I'd say about what?” Victoria sharply asked from behind her, nearly giving them all heart attacks.

…

Human – Male

Name: Jeremy Horowitz

Negative Target

Blood Type: A

Age: 15 years

Weight (Approx.): 150 lbs.

Criminal Record: N/A

Body Fat Percentage: 18.7%

Maximum Bench Press: 110 lbs.

Lung capacity: 4.1 liters

(cont.)

This was what greeted Melissa as she returned to Sunnycrest High. She was walking in the front doors, Jeremy Horowitz was walking out, and as soon as she laid her cybernetic eyes on him an array of stats and figures popped up in front of her, breaking down every detail of Jeremy Horowitz's physique in an attempt to assess his threat level.

“Ack!” she exclaimed, as the two passed each other. She threw up her hands as though batting away an insect, instinctively trying to wave the popup off.

Realizing with embarrassment how stupid she probably looked, she stopped and glanced around to see if anyone was staring. This was a mistake, as every person she looked at only caused another of the popups to appear.

Slowly, she began making her way down the hall, trying to fight off the wave of information from her fellow students (which she quickly, and with great annoyance, began calling their 'TMI Index'). She thought 'I really need to turn this thing off' and to her relief, that was all it took. In an instant, the text vanished.

Along with her other enhancements, Lawrence had explained this analyzing function to her in the lab, and she'd activated it while walking up the front steps of Sunnycrest without thinking about it. She didn't really need it, anyway; some of the information might prove useful after she actually located her, but the Positive/Negative Target indication almost seemed like a joke. Her target was a girl who killed and ate Melissa's closest friends and held Melissa prisoner for two weeks. Melissa was pretty sure she'd recognize her.

…

Alicia stood up and turned to face her assistant captain with very guilty haste. “Oh, h-hey Victoria! How's it going?”

“Well, it was going pretty good, until I overheard three of my so-called friends and one undesirable gossiping about me,” she replied. They didn't have time to notice how she charitably classified only one of them as an undesirable, before the girl gouged: “So what were you saying? WHAT I'd say about WHAT?” When they hesitated, she picked a target. “Alicia?”

“Uh-uh! Well, I! We!” the redhead stammered. Put on the spot, she wildly threw something out. “Animals!”

Victoria stared at her. “Animals. You can't imagine what somebody like me would say about animals.”

“In the workplace,” added Lindsey, trying to salvage it.

“Animals in the workplace,” repeated Victoria slowly. “Well, I suppose it would have to depend on what animal, and what workplace.”

“Very true,” observed Caitlin.

“Us not thought of it that way,” said Chase.

Reassured by their impressed reaction to an answer she honestly thought was pretty dumb, Victoria allowed her head to swell before she continued. “After all!” she said, giving a condescending bark of a laugh, “Everyone KNOWS a dogsledder would obviously need animals around HIS workplace. And yet, at the same time, one can plainly imagine how a pack of bears roaming around an office building would be highly distracting, not to mention dangerous! There are simply too many variables for a proper answer, I'm afraid.”

“Such great profundity at such a young age. I had no idea you were so wise,” admired Lindsey, helping things along by stroking Victoria's ego.

Unfortunately, her flattery worked a bit too well. Victoria was now in such a good mood that she decided to do them the courtesy of stretching with them. Sitting down between Chase and Caitlin, she explained, “Well, I don't like to brag. So, did you hear Lauren MacNamara's going to Harvest with Gary?”

“Really? Wow!” commented Alicia, quickly rejoining them. She pictured the two together, and it occurred to her what a great couple they'd make.

“I know, right? I don't know what he sees in her,” Victoria replied. The rest of the group cringed.

Caitlin shook her head. “What's wrong with Lauren MacNamara? He probably sees a good-looking, nice girl.”

“You've heard of that, right? Nice?” provoked Lindsey.

Victoria didn't bite. Affecting her most haughty, high-handed air, she asked, “Nice? Oh, you mean that thing people can be if they can't be anything else?”

“Yeah, maybe if you tried it, you could get a date to Harvest too,” Lindsey confirmed.

This got her. Knocked her back on her heels, Victoria blustered: “I...I could get a date! Loads of guys have asked me! Loads! I just know better than to settle for any of them!”

“Is that right?” asked Caitlin.

The little blonde composed herself, stretched out her left leg, and wrapped her fingers around the matching foot. “Of course, it is,” she said. “You think I really want to go to Harvest with the kind of mundane run-of-the-mill guy that goes to this school? The same kind of guy that EVERY other girl is going to be taking? Hardly. I'm a bit out of their league, don't you think?”

“Oh?” asked Alicia excitedly. “Are you going with a guy from another school?”

Victoria smirked. “You could say that, yes.”

Even the others were begrudgingly interested. This was huge. “What school?” asked Caitlin. “Otsego County?”

“Not Northview, I hope,” said Lindsey. Even uttering the name of Sunnycrest's rivals made her skin crawl.

“St. Anthony's Reformatory School for Hooligans and Bad Boys?” whispered Caitlin, getting excited just thinking about it.

Victoria was loving this. “Nope, nope, and nope.”

A pair of girls jogged past, laughing about something. “He can't be from Baldridge City,” ventured Alicia. Lindsey and Caitlin trembled at the possibility. Baldridge City was, well, it was right there in the name. A city. If Victoria had scored a big city guy she'd be the talk of the dance. They couldn't handle the ego boost that would give her.

“Close. Think bigger,” hinted Victoria. She gave a self-satisfied grin. “Try...Alpine University.”

For a second, it simply didn't register. It was too large to sink in all at once. When they'd finally grasped it, they screamed, “YOU'RE BRINGING A COLLEGE GUY?!”