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“Virgo!” The bang of my door rebounding off the wall beside my head, jolted me awake.
Scrambling up, I stared around me. Aries was leaning against my doorframe, his eyes red and sweat lining his skin.
“What’s the matter?” I stifled a yawn as he weakly gestured for me to follow him.
“It’s Natalie, she’s burning up. Something’s wrong.”
Aries pushed himself off his leaning post and disappeared. Grabbing my cardigan, I pulled it on over my nightdress as I went after him. He was walking down the stairs, his fake legs wobbly as he clung to the side. It wasn’t just Natalie who was unwell...which meant...
“Come on,” Aries hissed, trying not to wake the others.
Rushing down the stairs, I overtook him in the living area. His bedroom was the only one downstairs. The door was between the living area and kitchen. Going in without knocking, I went straight over to the bed.
Natalie was writhing on the mattress. Her breath was shallow and her skin was boiling to touch. Wiping the sweat from her brow, I looked over my shoulder when Aries came in.
“What’s wrong with her?” he asked, lowering himself slowly on the other side of the bed.
“The same thing that’s wrong with you. Fever.”
Instructing him to lay down, I ran from the room. Going to the kitchenette, I poured a bowl of cold water and tipped ice into it. Grabbing a bunch of clean towels, I went back into the bedroom.
A jug of water was on the side, so I made both of them sip from a glass. “Natalie, how are you feeling?”
Her eyes fluttered open as she winced. “The light’s too bright. My head’s pounding.”
Going to turn the dimmer switch down, I left enough light for me to work with. Wringing two towels in the water, I placed them over both their foreheads.
“I’ll be right back.” Leaving them, I went back to my room.
After picking up my medical kit, I paused on the balcony, a thought striking me. Going over to Libra’s door, I knocked gently. Capricorn opened it immediately, making me jump.
“Libra’s just woke me up, she’s not well.”
A cough came from inside the room. Getting hold of Capricorn’s hand, I dragged her out. “You need to get out, so does Saggi.”
The other zodiac heard me and jumped from her bed. “What’s going on? She’s probably just got a cold.”
“When have you ever known any of us to get a cold?” My question made her grab her phone and come out of the room.
I was about to go in when Cap took my arm. “Are you sure you want to go in there?”
Nodding, I faced them both. “I have to, it’s my job. It was Nick’s spray, I’m sure of it.”
We had wondered what he was doing when he randomly emptied a spray can over us, but now we knew. A virus of some sort had entered the air, gone into our lungs...and probably attacked our immune system for a couple of days before the symptoms surfaced.
“I need help. Aries and Natalie are down with it, too. His close proximity to her is probably what caused it. I’m hoping you’ve not been too close to Libra over the last few days.”
The others shook their heads.
“No, she’s been really busy with work, so we haven’t seen much of her. Except tonight.” Saggi tied up her long red hair as she spoke. Glancing at Cap, she tried to hide the shaking of her hands.
My own body was shaking as adrenaline pumped through it. If it was a virus, quarantine was the only way we would stop it from spreading.
“I need you to wake everyone up. We need to let them know what’s happening. That way we can prevent the risk of infecting others. Libra needs to be moved to Aries’ room so we can keep them together.”
They both moved away to knock on the doors of the others. It was the middle of the night, so groans were heard coming from various people.
Leaving them to gather the others on the balcony, I went in to see Libra. I had been with her and Natalie when the virus had entered our system, but I felt fine. Crouching next to her bed, I checked her over.
Her oval eyes were bloodshot, the lids red. A layer of sweat covered her whole body, just like the others. Okay, we had to move quickly to make sure the fever broke.
“Virgo?” Scorpio called from outside the room. “What can we do?”
Getting up, I moved so he could see me, but I stayed back. “Get a shirt and wrap it tightly around your nose and mouth. Once you’ve done that, I need you to take Libra down to Aries’ room. We need to keep them quarantined together.”
Nodding, he disappeared. Aquarius took his place. I hadn’t seen him in a while, but the dark skin on his bare chest was covered in a smattering of hairs. My brother wasn’t one for showing himself off, not like Leo, Aries and Scorpio, but his incredible physique reminded me that he wasn’t the geek we assumed him to be.
“And, me? Shall I put up perimeters around Aries’ door? I’ll order some masks online, too.”
Smiling, I waved him away to do exactly that. His sharp mind and cool emotions would help immensely.
Glancing around the room, I saw a T-shirt that actually belonged to me. One of the girls must have borrowed it, although how it fit them, I didn’t know. Tying it around my mouth and nose, I made sure I could breathe. If the virus was dormant in me, I could pass it to someone else. If I was immune, that would make life a lot easier, but I couldn’t tell straight away.
“Okay,” Scorpio said, coming in the room, a light blue shirt over his face. “I’m ready.”
Bending over Libra, I stroked her sticky dark hair away from her forehead. “Scorpio is going to take you down to Aries’ room. Nick has infected us with a virus that we need to keep contained. Do you understand?”
Libra licked her lips. “Yes. He’s a bastard.”
Her words were weak, but she smiled, which gave me hope. I had no idea what the virus could be, but if I didn’t get them all quarantined soon, it could do more damage than it already had.
Moving forward, Scorpio dug his arms under Libra and gently lifted her. She moaned, her eyes flickering closed. She wore shorts and a strappy top, which allowed the cool air to get to her.
“Aries’ room,” she muttered, not opening her eyes. “Where will I sleep?”
We had to keep an eye on her to make sure she didn’t start having delusions. That was a sure sign that the virus was getting the better of her body.
“On their sofa.” Following Scorpio, I stayed behind him as he carefully went down the stairs.
The others were crowded into the furthest corner, as far away from the sick as possible. They covered their mouths and nose to try and combat any airborne parasites.
As I trotted alongside Scorpio, heading straight for the bedroom, I glanced up at the balcony. “Aquarius, ring Mother and Father. Tell them what’s happening, but make sure they stay away.”
He leant over the wooden railing and saluted to let me know that he would do as I asked. We would have to try and contain the virus without the government finding out. It would be incredibly risky.
I didn’t have to tell Scorpio where to put Libra. He seated her on the sofa, not allowing her to lie down as I placed sheets over it to try and keep it as clean as possible. When I had finished one end, he picked her up again and waited for me to do the other.
When he laid Libra down, she muttered a thank you before falling asleep. I took a deep breath through the material around my mouth before gesturing for him to leave.
“I can’t leave you to deal with all three on your own,” he said, looking at the two patients in their bed.
Shrugging, I followed his gaze. Both Natalie and Aries were asleep, but their bodies were glistening from fever. “I don’t have much choice. If anyone else helps, there’s a risk they could catch it, too.”
Copying my shrug, Scorpio stayed in the centre of the room. “That’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
My eyes filled with tears as he stared at me, daring me to deny him the right to help. He was my brother and all he saw was his siblings needing his help. And, he would risk his life for us all. Which reminded me why we had been so close for so long. Because we were there to help each other
“Okay, well, if you’re comfortable with that shirt around your face, could you use a clean towel to wipe the sweat from Libra, please? We need to get them cooler so the fever breaks. But, first, go and wash your hands and put on some latex gloves.”
Without even answering, Scorpio went out of the room. Once he was back, he placed the box of gloves on the nightstand and pulled some on. Reaching for the water bowl, he bent next to our Asian sister. Wiping her head, he smiled at me when she muttered a weak thanks.
Going over to the other two, I checked their temperature. They were still burning up. My hand went to Natalie’s huge bump, apprehension sending a chill down my spine. Would the baby be okay? Should I get her to the hospital?
“Aries?” I whispered as I went to the other side of the bed.
His eyelids fluttered open, the red from being bloodshot almost covering the white of his eye. He tried to swallow, but struggled, so I reached over to give him some water.
“It’s a virus. Libra has the same symptoms as you. You’re both strong enough to get through this without hospital intervention, but Natalie...I’m afraid for her and the baby. Yet, if we expose her to the outside world, the virus might spread.”
Gripping my hand, he looked at me. “You’re a healer, Virgo, that’s what you do. I trust you to heal us. We can’t get officials involved or our secret might come out.”
Even in illness, Aries’ logic was to protect us all. But, what about his baby? Did he seriously think I could heal them all on my own?
“This is your power,” Aries said, trying to stifle a cough.
Patting his hand, I let him rest as I went back to the kitchen. Washing my hands thoroughly, I leant against the kitchen sink and took a deep breath. What was the best way to get around this? How could Aries trust me with looking after Natalie and the baby?
Pushing away from the side, I went back to the room. Scorpio was wiping Natalie’s head as her shallow breathing echoed in the room.
“I need to talk to the others, make sure they understand exactly what’s happening. Then, I’ll get my medical kit to work. Are you okay for a moment?”
“Yes, go and make sure they stay away.” Scorpio dismissed me with a wave. I couldn’t see the smile on his face, but the crease of his eyes showed me that he was trying to reassure me.
My footsteps were slow as I made my way up the stairs. I could hear them talking quietly among themselves, their whispers low as if they didn’t want to wake anyone. But, everyone was awake already.
“Virgo,” Saggi said as I got to the top of the stairs. “What’s happening? What will we do?”
Aquarius came out of his room as I reached the top of the stairs. He had some tape, ready to outline a quarantine area.
“This is the time I need my colleagues the most,” I muttered. “I’m not sure whether to get you to leave, or stay. You see, you’ve probably all been exposed in some way over the last few days. So, if anyone has the virus in them, they’re likely to pass it on. However, if you’ve not been exposed, staying here is a risk. You could come into contact with it.”
“I’ve rung Pisces, Gemini and Taurus. They’re all staying out for the night, so I thought I better warn them not to come back at all.” Derek had his phone in his hand.
“Leo’s staying with the band for the week as they write their next album, but you know what he’s like, always popping in. You better tell him, too.”
Nodding, Derek turned away to call the superstar. He was probably still up, partying the night away. If we kept as many of them away as possible, it would help us keep everything under control.
“Cap and Saggi, I need you to don some gloves and protective clothing. Tie something around your mouth and nose, but make sure you can breathe properly. Cleaning Libra’s room and bed is the most important thing right now.” I halted them when they went to move.
“Scorpio has decided to help me with the patients...” Holding my hands up when they went to protest, I shut them up. “It’s his choice, not mine.”
Murmurs ran throughout the group. It was a scary time, but the best protocol would be to keep everyone contained. If I let anyone leave, I would be putting the public at risk. Until I found out how serious the virus was, I couldn’t determine what it was going to do to those who got it.
“I’m going to try and heal them naturally, with my power. But, there’s a chance it won’t work. Contacting those I work with in the virus department is out of the question if we want to keep the police and government out of this.” I wrung my gloved hands together.
Sometimes, having to keep silent about who we were made life a lot harder. This was one of those times.
Aquarius came forward and showed me his laptop. “If you need me to hack into your work database, I can try.”
Stepping away from him, I nodded. If I could at least look at our research and match the symptoms of the virus, I might have something to work on. It would be easier if I could access the lab and run some tests on one of the victim’s blood. At the moment, that would be impossible. I had to see if I was going to be sick myself.
“My log in details are in my diary. If you can somehow access the system from here that would really help, thank you.”
Aquarius was about to go into my room. “Wait!”
My hands had been on my diary since we had been sprayed. Luckily, I didn’t share a room with anyone since Cancer had got her own room with Derek. I had offered the spare bed to Libra if she didn’t want to share the cramped room, but she hadn’t had a chance to move yet.
“No one goes in my room. I’ve been exposed, and so has all my stuff, which means it’s not safe.”
I didn’t have time to fumigate my room. It would have to stay as it was for the moment, although, the more I went back in, the more I would touch anything that was contaminated.
“We’ll do your room after we’ve done ours,” Saggi said, going to reach out to me.
We were used to comforting each other with a pat, or hug, but I quickly moved out of her way. It would take some getting used to, but we had to make sure we didn’t touch each other. At all.
“Derek, Cancer...no more kissing until I say so. No one touch each other. We need to keep this place as safe as possible. There’s tons of latex gloves in the bathroom, so it’s worth putting them on.”
I tried to breathe easier through the mask of my shirt as the heat of my breath rushed back into my mouth. It was uncomfortable, but it did the trick for now.
“I’m scared,” Cancer muttered, huddling in on herself.
I wished that I could tell her not to be, but that would be stupid. We should all be scared, especially if the virus was something we couldn’t cure. My research would help immensely, as long as Aquarius could get access to it.
The others started to move, each one giving themselves something to do to protect everyone. If I could phone Gary, I could ask him the quickest way to find out what a potent virus was going to do to a human. The wait and see approach made me extremely nervous, especially when it came to Natalie.
Leaving them, I headed back down to help Scorpio. Closing the door behind me, I dragged my bag to the middle of the floor and opened it. Little pots of ointments were tucked in numerous pockets. Packets of different coloured powder was lined up in a flick arrangement, so I could just pluck what I needed out of the line.
“How did the others take it?” Scorpio asked as he sat Libra up and forced her to sip some water.
Glancing at him, I shook my head. “Quite well, considering. They’re being very pro-active, which helps.”
Bowing his head to acknowledge me, he went back over to Aries to check on him. Concentrating on my bag, I picked out a couple of teabags. They were my own creations, using basil, garlic and ginger. Three incredibly strong natural healers. They would help with the fever, especially if mixed by my hand.
When I made up the medicines, they always possessed more power. It must due my Virgo power, because I was connected to the earth. Taurus could rip out trees, I could heal. But there was one problem. Not knowing what virus it was, meant that I didn’t know what I was healing.
“I’m just going to make some tea.” I grabbed a pot of salve. “Here,” I said, handing it to Scorpio. “Spread some of this on their chests. A nice thick layer. Change gloves for each person.”
A frown lined Scorpio’s forehead. “What is it?”
He eyed the pot suspiciously as he opened it and sniffed, drawing his head back when the pungent smell of Elderberry mixed with Echinacea hit his nose.
“It’s a high potency antiviral salve. It will hopefully help them fight the virus.”
Turning to go and make the tea, I paused when I got to the door. Looking over my shoulder, I couldn’t help but smile as Scorpio tentatively scooped out some of the paste and reached down to put it on Aries’ chest.
“Don’t think this means anything,” he muttered.
Aries smiled, his shaking arm coming up to pat Scorpio’s covered arm. “Thank you, bro, I’ll never let you live this down.”
“That’s alright.” Scorpio lowered his voice, but I just about heard him. “I’m about to rub this into Natalie’s chest.”
If Aries had been less ill, he would have smacked his brother, but his weakness showed me exactly how unwell he was. He was never one not to protect his woman, although, he didn’t need to, not from us. But, the banter fell flat in the wake of what could potentially be the first time Nick had done something really toxic to hurt us.
