Army Interlude 2 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]
Gunther couldn't say that he enjoyed army life -- no one could enjoy being summoned from bed at the crack of dawn
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-- but he was getting used to it. He didn't mind doing laundry, which was good, because both the Mullner boys had inherited the slob trait.
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And living in the barracks meant that he got to see Hajar occasionally...
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...even if he did have a tendency to behave like an idiot around her. What had possessed him to show off his muscles? Especially considering that he didn't have much to show.
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But they were gradually becoming friendly enough to play the occasional game of chess, and Gunther felt comfortable enough to talk to her about something mysterious he'd noticed.
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"Have you ever noticed anything strange about Sheila?" he asked. "I've never seen her eat anything -- she just drinks coffee."
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"She's freakishly strong. I mean -- George is a rock, but she was able to take him down in no time when they were sparring."
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"Plus there's that raincoat she's always wearing. Who needs a coat and hat when it's broiling outside?"
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"And don't forget those hissing noises she makes sometimes," said Hajar. When Gunther's eyes widened, she laughed. "She's a vampire, Gunther. It's no big deal. She has a stock of plasma juice to drink."
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"But I agree, there
is something strange going on. Go look in the girls' bathroom, and you'll see what I mean."
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Gunther didn't know what to say. You might expect something like that in the jungles of Selvadorada, but Strangerville was a desert.
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"And haven't you noticed that the townies can be kind of weird sometimes?" Hajar continued. Yes, Gunther had noticed that. "Talk to Johan," said Hajar. "He's been doing some investigating."
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Gunther felt a severe pang of jealousy that Hajar would recommend he talk to Johan, but he did follow through. "There's a book you should read," said Johan. "I picked it up from that guy down at the curio shop."
"The one with the colander on his head?" asked Gunther.
"According to him, we should all be wearing colanders," said Johan. "Read the book, you'll see."
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So Gunther started reading
Avoiding the Watchful Eye. The title wasn't promising. It seemed to Gunther like wearing a colander would be a good way to attract the Watchful Eye, but once he started reading the book, he couldn't put it down.