Purcell's Pairings | ✔

XIII

     TWO DAYS AFTER Vinnie's wedding ceremony, Annalise began to suspect something unusual had changed around her. Her roommates, both male and female, had fallen unusually quiet. The house had become silent; the smallest creak in the floor could be heard throughout the entire building. Chaotic Carter Kriss, as Maisie had nicknamed him, was a man who had practically devoted his entire life to the dusty old piano that was placed in the backroom of the house. He hadn't touched it in days. Even John had fallen quieter, and although he was quick to scold when he wished to, he wasn't as easily annoyed as he used to be. Annalise hadn't the slightest clue of what was happening. She'd fallen into a robotic-like routine that consisted of a lot of tidying and embroidery to keep herself busy, and hadn't had the chance to get out to see what was bugging everyone. Whenever an abandoned newspaper was spotted on the table, she turned and headed in another direction. She didn't dare risk getting on John's nerves again, despite her hungry curiosity. Unfortunately, though, there were only so many days one could go on for before they starved.

     This morning, it seemed as though not a single soul was around to accompany Annie. Annalise, to be quite honest, was not as well aware of what the other pairs were up to as she supposed she should be been. She understood Evelyn was not at all a good fan of Eden Scarlett, much due to their large indifferences. She had, however, begun to speak to a well-built man who, coincidentally enough, also had a good amount of experience in the lumber industry. Annalise was not sure if anything romantic had sparked between them, but she was truly happy for her friend. Esther, unsurprisingly, had spent the majority of her time in the presence of James Trevor, and Annie hadn't a clue what Maisie was up to. The young woman changed her mind far too often for anyone to successfully keep up. Many seemed to have a similar mindset at the young Purcell, running around with a different person every day, but it wasn't often the house was empty. She had no way to contact anyone, and although she kept telling herself that everything was okay, her mind continued to leap into panic mode. Was there a reason why she was alone? Usually, Annalise appreciated the silence, for it was soothing and gave her time to relax and focus on herself. However, not only had she forgotten what it felt to be at ease with her surroundings, but the deadness that floated around her provoked an anxious flip-flop motion in her stomach. Rubbing her hand gently over the spot that felt unsettled, Annie let out a heavy sigh through her nose, then cautiously approached the paper on the table. Her eyes darted back and forth but not one person was within sight. What could they have possibly been hiding from her? She feared John was behind this, as per usual, but to hear absolutely nothing from her two sisters seemed a bit worrisome. Her hands trembled ever-so-slightly as they inched forward, her fingertips brushing against the rough sheet. Back flipped upward towards the ceiling, the papers' discoveries remained an absolute mystery to those who had yet to read it. Annie took the chance, grasping the top corner of it. She yanked it over, then jumped backward, as if afraid it would injure her.

     In the middle of the first paper, big, bolded letters read: HAS SCARLET FEVER TRAVELLED TO AMERICA?

     Annalise felt her heart drop right into the pit of her stomach, and she inhaled a sharp breath. Scarlet fever in America? She'd been informed that it was rapidly spreading across England over the past year, but her parents had been convinced it would strictly remain in Europe. Europe seemed to always develop these diseases, and they attacked everyone like it had been rained down on the citizens, but the Europeans always had a way to prevent it from traveling further than their borders. Was this reporter correct, or was this yet another faux statement that had been thrown into the papers to create further drama in the town? Was that why nobody was around? Her heart rate picked up as she pondered over that, increasingly gaining more strength until it felt like it was hammering up into her throat. Were people truly sick? If they were, why hadn't anyone informed Annalise of this incident? Where was everyone?