"You should see your face ! I'm joking, alright ? It's a joke ! But you both are so serious, really..."

Shameless, the teenage girl continued to smile while taking one of the candies bags and opened it. She started to eat happily, like a hamster putting everything in its mouth out of fear that others would take it.

Nora let a helpless smile play on her lips before she reached for a snack.

She knew her sister's personality too well. Millie could be described as a lively and joyful girl with a liking to beautiful things. And she was the first to hate when the mood was gloomy. No matter what, she needed to lighten the room, and with her carefree and cheerful mind, she tended to succeed. Now, Nora could sense some of Daisy's tension against her was a bit reduced already.

Not that much, but it's a good start. They needed to be a strong group if they wanted to live together in this hospital room.

Nora threw the sweet wrapper in the bin next to her. It's been a while since she vomited and her stomach felt a bit empty. She took a bite and started to chew before she stopped suddenly.

No flavor. The candy was supposed to be with chocolate and nuts. But she didn't taste a thing at all.

She swallowed it and took a different one.

Still nothing.

"Millie... Is it... tasty ?"

Her sister took her time to gulp her mouthful before answering.

"h.e.l.l yeah ! I didn't eat anything since yesterday, it feels so great !"

"Okay, but... what does it taste ?"

"Chocolate, of course, you just ate one, don't tell me you already forgot ?"

"But I can't taste it."

Daisy and Millie looked at each other, surprised.

"You can't taste it ?"

"Nope."

"Maybe the accident made a thing to your tongue ?"

"But it can't be, the zomb...uh... What I ate before was delicious."

Daisy's face turned a bit green while Millie choked on her snacks. She drank a full gla.s.s of water to calm down. When her breathing became less labored, she turned toward her sister.

"Disgusting. Yuck. But if your tongue has no problems, maybe you can just eat... what you ate ?"

Nora was totally depressed at the thought. Farewell burgers, chips and other delicacies. Welcome to zombie snacks.

Even herself was disgusted. The meat was amazing and all, but when you know where it comes from...

No thanks.

Millie seemed to notice her unhappiness and tried to cheer her up.

"Well, the positive thing is... you can't run out of food now, right ? Wait, wrong line. Maybe I'm just wrong, and you can eat... other things. Why don't you try that ?"

She put a snack after another in the arms of her sister. Before Nora could do a thing, she found herself under a pile of sweets. But Millie didn't stop there. She opened her sister's mouth and put a candy in. She waited until Nora ate it before asking :

"Do you taste a thing ?"

"Not at all."

She took another one and fed her sister in the same forceful manner.

"And now ?"

"No."

"And now ?"

"Uh-uh."

A few minutes pa.s.sed before Nora had a reaction.

"This one ! I can taste it !"

"Really ? The strawberry one ?"

"Strawberry ? I just taste meat, though."

Daisy and Millie looked blankly at her. Meat ? Where did she come up with meat ?

"I knew you were an odd one..."

"Millie, I can recognise what I eat, and this one tastes like meat. Remember when I told you it was an apple and you swore it was a pear ?"

"I was sick, that doesn't count ! But how could you taste meat when it's clearly strawberry flavored ?"

"I can even tell you it seems to be pork meat."

"Why do you even sound proud of it ?"

"Uhm..."

Daisy intervened timidly, her left hand was holding a pink packet.

"Maybe... It's the gelatine... ?"

Millie bent over the packet and read the content.

"There really is gelatine... Is there gelatine mentionned on the others ?"

"Only those three..."

"Nora, try those !"

Obediently, Nora took the sweets and ate them, one by one.

"Yep, there is the meat flavor."

"Wow, I'm impressed ! How did you guessed it ?"

Daisy was embarra.s.sed by their stares but she softly explained.

"I... Know gelatine comes from animals... I'm a vegetarian so..."

"Oh, so you checked it, of course ! That helps a lot, thanks ! So what you can eat, Nora, is not just the zo... what you ate, but it can be... meat in general ?"

"That would be so much better... I'd feel crazy to... Ugh... I really thought... I can't already feel my heartbeat, if I was really a zombivore..."

"Your heartbeat ?"

Puzzled, Millie looked at her sister before an idea seemed to emerge. She stood up and went quickly to the table. She turned around, holding a stethoscope in her hands.

"I found it on the first day we were locked in and I played with it to calm down. The whole situation was so stressful, I swear... We can try this, right ?"

She gave merrily the medical tool to her elder sister. Nora tried to put it in her ears, but the fear stopped her. Faster than ever, she pushed it back in Millie's arms.

"I can't !"

"What ?"

"If my heart really doesn't beat, that means..."

"But if it does beat, wouldn't that be rea.s.suring ?"

"Then do it !"

Millie placed the membrane side of the stethoscope under Nora's t-s.h.i.+rt, on the skin. But she quickly stopped.

"No, you do it !"

"Why ?"

"It's your heart !"

"Why can't you do it ?"

"What if it doesn't beat ?"

"That's why I'm asking you to do it for me !"

"But I'm to scared that it doesn't beat now that you mentioned it !"

"Me too !"

"Uh... I could... ?"

The two sisters turned their heads toward Daisy. Her shy face still held some fear, but much less than when Nora entered the room. Millie's joke had cut the heavy uncomfortable mood Her baby was peacefully sleeping, as if the world outside of his dreams had nothing to do with him. His soft, calm appearance and the discussion between the girls was so easy-going that she started to relax little by little. When Millie and her sis showed their problem, even she who was not good with people felt like helping them with this.

Nora and Daisy didn't even need to think more about it.

"Do it !"