“For the two of us, home isn't a place. It is a person. And we are finally home.” 

- Stephanie Perkins, Anne and the French Kiss 

"Are you going to tell him?" The voice was female, and familiar.  Tell... him...? Tell him what? Who's him? There was another voice, male. "Tell him? How do you expect me to tell him?" There was a soft sigh. "He's going to find out sooner or later you know..." "We don't even know if he's going to recover," the man snapped, "Look, if we tell him and there is absolutely no hope for him, he could pass away in a state of grief and depression! He's only 13 years old! It would make everything worse!" What's going on? ...are they talking about me?

"You're right... but it doesn't feel right. To keep this information from him." The woman whispered. "Do you want to be the one to tell him that his mother and father never even had a chance? Or about his sister?" The man sounded frustrated. There was another sigh, before I heard a soft, "No, I don't." "Then do not tell him anything. Not unless we know he has a chance of actually surviving." Sister... Cyra... Where's Cyra? What happened to Cyra?! Mom! Dad! Where's my mom and dad?! 

Slowly, the memories began to piece themselves together into a clear image of reality. I was brought somewhere with my family. Here. Where is here? Ah, that's right. A clinic. We were... supposed to... help? No. Supposed to... get. Yes! Get help. We are... I am... sick. I... I am very sick. I need help. Disease. I have a disease. Can't remember... the name. What do I have? They said I have no chance. I'm not supposed to wake up. We're not supposed to wake up. Where is Cyra? Where are my parents? WHERE ARE THEY?!

I felt my fingers twitching. The bed sheets were pulled tightly over me. I was being kept underneath, most likely because of my sickness. But I needed to find my family. I needed them! "Shhh! He's moving! Did you see that?" The female voice exclaimed. "What? He's awake?" "Yes! I saw it! Didn't you?" I was so weak. That small ounce of movement exhausted my entire body. I had no strength, but I needed to get out! I needed to know that my parents and Cyra were okay. I painfully pulled my eyelids apart, against my body's drowsy and painful protest. The light stung my eyes a bit, causing me to hiss in response. It was a deep orange gold. It must have been nearing sundown.

"C-Cyra..." A raspy voice croaked. Was that my voice? It sounded nothing like me. "He's saying something!" The woman said. I tried to muster all the energy and air I could breath. "Cyra. Where... Cyra?" I gasped, "Mom? Dad?" My mind was still cloudy, but I was on high alert. I couldn't tell if my family was in the room. I didn't hear their voices. I needed to get out of these sheets! I tried pulling myself up from the covers. "Shh, Lay, calm down! Just stay still. You're going to hurt yourself if you keep moving!" The male voice told me.

They had coaxed me into laying back down. Not that I had much of a choice. My body was aching all over, and every nerve felt extremely sensitive. I yelped in pain when the lady put a towel of cold water on my forehead. After remaining still for a hour or so, I finally pushed myself with my arms to sit upright. My body leaning against the headboard for support. I noticed that the head healer had left the premise a while ago, leaving the assistant female healer alone in the clinic. What was her name again?

"Iris," I called. The woman looked up, and quickly noting it was me who called her, walked over towards my bedside. She leaned down and looked at me with inquiring eyes. "Yes Lay?" She asked sweetly. Although her voice was smooth, there was nervousness in her eyes. She was hiding something from me. "Iris, Where are my parents and sister?" I asked calmly. The smile that graced her face immediately disappeared, and for a few moments she remained silent. I was beginning to grow impatient. My hands clenched the sheets. "Iris," I said in a deeper, more demanding tone, "Tell me where my family is." "Lay... I... They..." She muttered. "IRIS TELL ME NOW!" I shrieked, lunging forward only to be restrained by the tucked in sheets.

Tears formed in her eyes. I knew I shouldn't have yelled. I was normally an extremely mellow and quiet. There were only a few times where my frustration would lead to me acting irritable and irrational, such as right now. I sighed and looked down at my fisted hands. "I-I'm sorry, Iris. I didn't mean to yell at you," I whispered "I'm just tired, and confused." "It's okay, Lay. I forgive you." She answered, "But about your family..." I looked up at her quickly, staring at her intensely. "What about them?" Iris ran her fingers through her hair slowly, as if trying to distract herself.

"You know, that you're very sick. Your whole family was." I nodded. "This sickness, it's an epidemic. It spread throughout the Outerlands among the forest and jungle dwelling tribes. The healers have theorized that it began all the way in Skerim with the tribe of Arrown, and some how was passed through animals to us." I stayed silent and continued to listen. "All the people who have had this sickness in our tribe, every single one of them, have fallen into comas a few days after symptoms were shown." Iris said, sitting down on the chair beside the bed. "And a few weeks later, they die." I felt my breath hitch. 

Resting my face on my bony knuckles, I stared at her for a minute or two simply trying to process the information she had given me. "So... there is no cure." I said, as a statement rather than a question. Iris smiled weakly and nodded her head. "That's right. Hundreds of our people have been infected." "And that means, Mom and Dad... and Cyra, are gone, right?" She nodded her head once again. I swallowed hard. "I see... thank you for letting me know..." Iris reached her hand out to hold mine, before quickly retracting it. I chuckled quietly. I knew she couldn't touch me. No one could, less they risk infection due to unnecessary physical contact. "Get some rest Lay," She whispered before smiling once more and walking away to tend to other patients.

My skin was disgustingly pale. It had a greenish blue undertone, with dark black spots peppered all over my body. Around the spots were rings