Elude

That's My Job, Matthew.

"Why yes, he said that only a few hours ago," he tells me. "He also talked about the incident from a week ago in the Dome. What do you have to say about that?"

"He made me host a formal dinner for the kids going into college," I recall. "It wasn't that bad."

"You spent the night in a girl's room."

"Not like that!" I say hurriedly. "I just fell asleep there. I walked her back to her room."

"You mean passed out."

"Yes..." I say. "Why is everyone making such a big deal about this?"

"Because that's my job, Matthew. Thank you." Everyone, including Caelan, leaves. But not soon after, Jace comes into my room.

"Thanks a lot," I say. "That was not fun."

"I don't know, you sounded like you were having plenty of fun until the fifth shot," he says.

"I certainly wasn't having fun this morning," I snap. "Do you know how mad Caelan was?"

He picks up my tablet and stands it up on my bed.

Then he walks over to me, glaring. "Do not talk to me like that," he says. Then he slaps me across the face and I crumple to the ground.

"Crap," he says and then taps something on the tablet.

"What was that for?" I ask angrily.

"That," he says and taps a few more buttons, "was your payback."

I get up, go over to my bed, and lie down. "What are we going to do?" I ask. "Pretending that we hate each other, keeping it from Caelan and the rest of the world... And for what?"

"I should just hate you and make everything easier," Jace says. "There's so much to hate."

"I could say the same for you," I mutter. My head starts to hurt and I take a long sip of water.

"I don't know why Caelan dislikes me so much," he says. "Do you?"

Now that I think about it, no.

"It has something to do with that year he was my intern, that's all I know," he replies and sits down on my bed.

"You never told me much about that," I say.

"It's a long story. Remember when I had to live on the run for seven years?" he asks. "And how it was because Winter framed me for something? I'm not sure how, but I ended up in Ashendale. I overheard someone talking about their plans to rob a hospital in Celestia, so I followed them to the hospital. I think that's how it happened.

"Anyway, I was posing as a doctor there when I received an actual patient. We found out that he had a concussion. Then the person I'd followed decided not to see the plan through. I was going to confront him about it, but then he recognized me. Threatened to turn me in. He went to tell them, so I took the patient and ran.

"I stole a hovercraft and used it to get to Exlyn. I found us a place to stay. When his concussion was gone, I told him who I was and then the whole thing got set up.

"He said his name was Caelan, Caelan Prince. He claimed to be the future leader of Enderlin. I taught him almost everything I knew, really," Jace concludes.

"Was he good?" I ask.

"At most things," Jace says. "He never was good at disguises, though."

"He's a pretty bad liar, too," I say.

Jace laughs. "That's what everyone thinks," he says. "It's actually what he's best at: lying, charming, persuading."

"Really?" I ask. I had absolutely no idea.

"Yes," Jace says. "That guy could make you believe anything if he puts his mind to it."

"He really doesn't seem all that great at it," I say.

"And that's half of it!" Jace says. "He purposely makes it easy to catch him so when he's really trying, you can never tell. Not even me."

"Do you think he's lying to me about anything important?" I ask.

"Yes," Jace says immediately. "There's always something he's not telling you."

"What did you come in here to tell me?" I ask.

"Are you telling me to leave?" he asks.

"N--" I begin, but he's already in the elevator.

"Oh, and look at the news," he says then the doors close. "Your appointment is tomorrow morning."

I pick up my tablet and look at the news. There's an article about a sickness that just broke out in Allegan's capital.

Early on symptoms include coughing, sneezing, headaches, and dizziness. This stage lasts for a few days to a week.

Then it progresses into a high fever around 104 degrees. You can't really move or you'll start vomiting. It lasts about a week.

The final stage begins when you make a miraculous, complete recovery. Or so it seems. Twenty-four hours later you'll start coughing up blood, then you only have a day or two to live.

So far there are seven reported cases in Allegan. Two have already died, and it's easily spread.

How did I not hear about this sooner?
The good thing is that a cure is expected to be ready in almost two weeks. Based on what Jace said, I'm probably getting tested for the disease,
which is called Acute Hemoptysis Disease, or AHD.

What if someone at the party had it? Oh, well. Thank goodness for Celestia and their advanced medical knowledge. Even if it's not going to be fully ready for two weeks, they'll have something that can delay the disease in a week.

So nobody else will die. I hope.

•          •          •

I decide to go to the marketplace in the poor district for dinner. Once I arrive, I'm shocked to see everyone in tons of small lines, and officials are everywhere. Stands are left completely unattended, and it's silent.

"Get in line," an official says and prods me with his rifle.

"This is a misunderstanding, I'm not--" I break off when he lifts the rifle.

"I'm under strict orders to shoot anyone who refuses," he says. "It's a mandatory exam both for our purposes and for finding plague victims."

"I have an appointment tomorrow, can I go?" I ask. Does he really not recognize me? A glance from him makes me get into the nearest line.

"What's going on?" I ask the person in front of me.

*Author's Note--

Sorry I haven't been updating. I'd do a few polls about the story so far, but so far nobody has really replied to stuff like that •~•