Mana

Happy Birthday

Chapter 1

"Ma, bring Brandon downstairs! We're gonna have cake!" My hands were full with the extra large cookie cake. I heard footsteps and a giddy three-year-old coming down the stairs. Everyone crowded around: Chi, Mason, Cam, Katie, and Brandon. Brandon sat on my lap and looked at Ma lighting the candles. When those were lit and the lights went out, the basement was alive with song.

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Ari. Happy birthday to you!"

"Brandon, help Mana blow out the candles!" He drew in a little breath and blew, only moving the equally little flame. I helped, and he clapped his hands thinking he blew out the candles.

"Make a wish, Ari!" I made my wish to myself: I wish none of my friends come down with GS-66 any time soon.

"I made my wish, now let's eat!" We dug in, ate, laughed, and were merry until movie time came around. By that time, Brandon had fallen asleep on a full tummy and was being carried upstairs by Ma. We all huddled onto the couches and began "The Martian".

¤¤¤

The next day at school, I rocked my new "I Don't Care" sweater from Katie and browsed for dresses on my phone. For once I wasn't listening to music, and I could hear some girls talking from down the hall.

"Did you hear that Emily came down with that crazy sickness?"

"Poor thing. She isn't in today, is she?"

"I hope not." I knew which Emily they were talking about; the girls talking were her friends. Emily sat next to me in Biology. I wouldn't be seeing her today because of the rotation regardless of if she were sick or not. No matter. She and I were only colleagues, anyways.

By the end of B period, Cam and I were walking to lunch and had found out a few people were sick with GS-66 and in school today. They were isolated in an empty classroom upstairs, but they had still shown up.

"I think it's inconsiderate of them, honestly," he said. "They're coming to school sick with this new disease that we don't know what it does yet, and they're putting us at risk of being infected." Next to us, the new kid piped in.

"I agree. I heard that the disease could be airborne, so we're all at risk."

"Really?" He nodded. "Fantastic. Watch this thing causes total organ failure and tumors and stuff." We broke off from the new kid and took our seats at the usual table. While Cam went off to get lunch, other band friends gathered at the table and I texted Ma letting her know I was at lunch.

¤¤¤

As soon as I'd gotten home, I laid back on the couch and switched the TV on. Not even 15 minutes into Jerry Springer and a warning message came across the top of the screen. The TV sounded that horrible alarm sound that could get a deaf person's attention.

"ATTENTION. AFTER A HEAD COUNT AT 12:35 P.M., DOCTORS HAVE CONCLUDED THE FOLLOWING: 6 CASES OF GS-66 IN RHODE ISLAND, 4 CASES OF GS-66 IN MASSACHUSETTS, 10 CASES OF GS-66 IN CONNECTICUT..." The message scrolled on and on, and in total there were 27 cases of GS in New England.

"Splendid," I huffed to myself. "Because people can't stay home when they're sick and feel the need to not cover their mouths when they cough." I sank deeper into the couch and played Plague Inc., feeling like a total hypocrite. At least this was a simulation, and no actual people were dying.

"Mana! A Mana!" Great. Brandon woke up just as I was about to get into improving my disease. I dropped my phone into my pocket and went to go pick him up.

"Hi, saboroso."

"Hi, Mana." He laid his head on my shoulder, obviously groggy. I sat back down on the couch and continued my game of Plague Inc. He sat up as soon as he heard the theme music, excited to see the game. "Mana."

"Yes?"

"Game?"

"Yeah, game. Say, 'Plague Inc.'."

"Pway ink." Brandon was a premature baby, so he was a little delayed with speech. That didn't stop bim from being a bright, little boy. He loved the cats app I had on my phone, and he was interested in Plague Inc. as much as I was.

"Can I have a kiss?"

Freshly, he said, "No." I pretended to cry, and he purposely directed his attention back to the game. I rolled my eyes and continued to play.

¤¤¤

As the days passed, more and more people in school were coming down with GS. None of my friends were infected yet, but I wasn't about to say that out loud. In the morning, most of the group gathered in the library. It was emptier than last week.

"Do you think doctors are finding out anything else about GS?" Chi asked. I shrugged, Cam was checking for news on GS cases in the area.

"By the looks of it, it's not lethal, but it causes those that have it to have flu-like symptoms. The worst it can do so far is give you a fever of over 100." I breathed a little sigh of relief, but I had a gut feeling that it would get worse. Why would it be placed on a disease watchlist if it was so tame at this stage? Unless something was going on that the public didn't know about?

My thoughts were interrupted by the bell. I picked up my stuff and headed off to first period.

"Maybe there'll be so few kids in class that we just won't do work." I got some nods of agreement. Down this hall, then a right, then straight down and there was the Geometry class. Honest to god, not counting Cam, Chi, David, Katie, and I, there were only three kids in class.

"Have a seat, guys. Everyone's come down with this new disease and they're absent, but that's not gonna stop us from doing some work." The eight-person class groaned collectively; this man may be rude and all over the place, but we could deal with it for an hour.

Each period passed faster and faster, then lunch rolled around and I got some news from Ma.

"Hello?"

"Ariana?"

"Yeah? What happened?"

"John's come down with GS. I'm headed over to the hospital now to see him."

"Mom, please be careful. You could be next."

"I'll be wearing a mask, don't worry. Vovo's gonna pick you up after art club and bring you over to Memorial Hospital, okay?"

"Alright. How's Brandon?"

The conversation continued on: Brandon was home from school and napping early, work had been busy in the morning, standard talk. We bid farewell to each other, and I rejoined my friends in the half-full lunchroom.

¤¤¤

I was late to art club as usual, having picked up my horn ritualistically. Chi, myself, Mrs. Machado, and a few upperclassmen were the only ones in the room. Chi and I did a little happy dance; our two least favorite people weren't here. We didn't know why, and we didn't care. We could finally work in perfect peace.

Cam, Tatiana, and David joined us fifteen minutes into art club.

"Short meeting today?"

"Yeah, just basic stuff." All three took a seat and collaborated on one paper, despite a lack of artistic skill on David's part. Things felt so peaceful and there was no noise but the music in our ear buds; it was a safe haven once more.

Mrs. Machado cut the TV on at one point. Tatiana had been listening since the start, and she made us all stop to listen.

"Doctors have found that GS-66 is a bacterial infection, possibly fatal. Fever symptoms have gone from the 101 range to 106, and some report severe headaches to the point of passing out." My heart raced at the thought that Brandon could contaract this disease. I should have wished for him to stay healthy, too. I prayed that when I got home, he would be alright.