Marks

Sick

The next day, I had started to feel light-headed. I wasn't sure why, I had felt fine the day before. So, I brushed it off as a cold.

Although, people started telling me to go to the Infirmary once I started coughing. I insured them I was fine though.

But after the first time I threw up, I couldn't pretend I was fine anymore. Everyone knew that I wasn't. I was told by Cheif herself that I had to go to the Infirmary.

"Are you hurt or sick?" I was asked once more as Abbi raced by. I replied with a nod and she pulled me into a separate room with a gloved hand.

"Symptoms?" She asked, studying my face for answers.

"Um, light-headedness, throwing up, little bit of dizziness..." As I continued on, she seemed to understand.

"I shouldn't have sent you in with that little boy. I had no idea what he had was contagious. Than again, I have no idea what he has..." She mumbled and rushed out of the room. Moments later, she returned with a vile of what seems to be the stuff I made yesterday. "This helped him, it should help you."

I gave thanks, than drank it. There was a bitterness to it, which made me purse my lips. Dawson tend to worry, so I didn't want him to know. But I realized that he will wonder where I have gone if he doesn't.

After all, what I have is contagious. If Abbi doesn't know what it is than Cade won't know, so nobody knows. How do you cure something unknown?

"Can I have every book you have on sicknesses?" I asked. Since there isn't anything better to do I might as well try and find out the problem.

But I regreted asking for the books after reading boring material for 3 hours. There were a couple sicknesses that I was considering though. Later, when I told Abbi, she said they had already tried treating the boy for them. A heavy sigh left my lips as she took away the books I no longer had use for.

My symptoms had gone down considerably. But, it didn't help when I heard Dawson on the other side of the door. "Let me in!"

"We cannot let you in. Letting you in wouldn't help either of you." Cades voice shut Dawson up for a couple seconds.

"She is my sister." Dawson seethed, and I saw the haddle wiggle before it stopped.

"6D, stop." This voice, I haven't heard it in a while. Almost sadness, maybe sympathy. But who it came from was what made it different.

"Chief..." Dawson's voice was almost soundless. As if he was breathing out in awe.

"I apologise for your sister being ill, but it is out of your control." I knew Dawson would have hoped for her to take his side, but we both know that isn't likely.

"I know, but I can't just not see her." He tried to protest.

"I cannot allow you to become ill."

"I'm sorry," I saw the door handle wiggle again.

"Stop! You are not aloud to enter." Cheifs voice was deadly, almost daring you to disobey. But it hald fear, fear that was there for a reason I might know.

The wiggling stopped. "I..." Dawson trailed off, and I heard one or two footsteps. "I won't enter, but can I speak to her?"

"Of course, she's probably hearing everything." Cade replied nonchalantly before I heard him walk away.

"Hey," I stated casually. Dawson let out a shaky reply of hello. "Nice drama, almost wished I had popcorn."

"Um, you're welcome?" I laughed at his reply. He chuckled awkwardly.

"6A, how are you feeling?" I heard Cheifs muffled voice ask. I answered with a simple 'ok' before asking if either of them had any idea what I have.

"Unfortunately, no. I have never heard of anything like this." Dawson sounded distraught and tired.

Dawsons POV

Weakness. It's a plague. Something that spreads like wild fire, burning away the chances of survival like fragile leaves.

Another word for weakness is love. Caring for another person, not wanting them to get injured. Longing to be with them constantly and willing to die for them.

At least, that's what Cheif told us. But I couldn't help it. I loved multiple people in different ways, and there was no stopping that feeling in my chest.

I had felt one version for the first time when I was 9. Yes, a crush. I had always been shy and unnoticed, but when she helped Ava and I figure out some math we both didn't understand, I felt it.

Maybe my 9 year old self was feeling appreciation at the time, but by the time I was 12, I knew I was feeling love.

I know, totally cheesy, but completely true. The thing is, I thought I had no chance for the longest time, and it made my chest clench.

Right now, my chest felt like it was a thousand pounds heavier and someone was punching it every little while. Ava's sick.

Getting sick in the base is not good. Sure, the common cold hits and we lay in bed a day or two. But how are two teenagers going to find the cure to something unknown?

We'd have more luck with curing cancer.

I swiftly moved down the hall towards the library. Fortunately, Cheif decided that all the information in these books could prove useful, so we left it the way it was.

Maybe there's something I missed? Something helpful? Any information at this point would be like gold to me.

I ran my fingers over the spines of the books as I walked along one of the shelves. Ahead of me a book cought my eye. The gold writing against the red of the spine stood out nicely, and I discovered that the front of the book looks the same as the spine.

"Extremely rare and deadly diseases".