Pneumonia. A lung condition mainly affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of dry cough, chest pain, fever, and trouble breathing. Severity varies. Pneumonia can be caused by a cold or a severe case of the flu.
"How long will I have it?" Tyler questioned between pants, sounding a tad bit scared. His coughing had worsened, and I had to get someone to check on him. He was still out of breath from sprinting up a steep and snowy hill after the events in the forest, even though it had been a good fifteen minutes.
"Few weeks, at most," Pepper said. Apparently, she's the doctor around here. "You're out of breath. Why?" she inquired. Tyler and I exchanged a look of uncertainty. Pepper raised an eyebrow at that. "Something to take up with Callie?"
"Probably." I said.
"So," Pepper started. "Yet another new kid. What's your name?"
"Tyler."
"How do you know Kylie?" Tyler gave her a quizzical look and glanced at me.
"We've been friends since we were little."
"Is that true?" Pepper looked at me. What was she playing at? She doesn't see me running from him, does she?
"Yes..." I said slowly. She nodded and cleaned some of the medical equipment she had lying around. Centrifuges and stethoscopes littered the room, along with a few things I didn't know the name for. One piece that particularly caught my eye, though...
Scalpels.
The sight sent a chill down my spine. What did they use those for? Pepper must have noticed me staring. She quickly scooped them up and put them away. A little strange.
Footsteps sounded behind me, and before I could get a good look at whoever it was, they had Tyler swiftly pinned to a wall, their forearm against his throat. Tyler had let out a small yelp in surprise, and emotions flared. It was Callie, and she didn't seem amused.
"Who is he?!" She yelled. "Who are you?!" Tyler attempted to respond, but all that came out was a small squeak.
"Get off of him!" I shouted, grabbing Callie's shoulder and yanking her away from him. Tyler slid down the wall a bit. He was shaking. So was I, but not out of fear. My fists were clenched, my nails digging into my palms until I broke skin. "What the hell is your problem?!" I roared.
"He's an outsider! For all I could know, he's one of His little minions."
"He's my friend, you lunatic!"
"Kylie," Pepper calmly intervened. "It's just for safety purposes." I just glared at them.
"We have a sort of 'shoot first, ask questions later' policy," Callie stated. She glanced at Tyler. "Your 'friend' is fine."
"You slammed him into a wall!"
"He's not hurt." My rage flared at her words. So she just had a "shoot first, ask questions later" policy? My mind raced as I urged myself to find any way this could possibly be humane, and my heartbeat quickened as my emotions fluttered. With a glance at Tyler, though, my pulse slowed as quickly as it had picked up. The poor kid hadn't stopped quivering. I gently grabbed his arm and tugged towards the door.
"Get him some warm food! And sleep! He needs sleep!" Pepper called after us. I didn't look back. I was furious. I was outraged. Tyler didn't know what was going on. He had lost and found his best friend, was nearly kidnapped by a ghost-patronus-looking girl, diagnosed with pneumonia, and slammed into a wall. All within the span of 24 hours. He just needed rest; some time out of the elements. Protection.
I did what I could to get Tyler back to my room without anyone else seeing us, and luckily, they all appeared to be at lunch. I had him sit at the edge of my bed while I fetched some water, which he eagerly gulped down. It then dawned on me how long it had been since either of us had had good, clean water... Or food, for that matter. Sure, there are food banks, but the snow had been so thick lately that no one could leave their homes to serve the food. We had been on our own for a few weeks now; very little food, minimal warmth, and our only source of water being the snow we melted over our nightly fires. I brought Tyler a second glass of water, watching him down it while thinking about our next step.
I knew I didn't want to stay here. Why else would I have left last night? But as Tyler finished his water and practically started melting onto the bed, I realized this was our only option. I couldn't make him endure more restless nights in the snow.
"Are you hungry?" I asked softly, not really wanting to disturb his comfort.
"Very," he said.
"I'll try to get some soup or something," I said. "Stay in here, alright?" He nodded, and I left to walk to the kitchen, but I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard shouting.
"SHIT, PETER!" It sounded like Piper, followed by something slamming shut. Something metal. This made me hesitate. I wasn't exactly in the mood to confront anyone, especially Piper. Not after I had walked out on her. I had to shake these thoughts from my mind. Tyler needed to eat.
Before I could change my mind, I cracked the door open, peeking inside. Peter and Piper were both there; Peter was laughing uncontrollably, while Piper looked exhausted.
"You can't keep it in there that long!" Piper threw her arms in the air in defeat. She seemed opposed by his stupidity. What he did, I had yet to find out.
"Excuse me for-" They both seemed to notice me at once, their conversation ceasing. "Well, look who's back," Peter said. Their gazes pierced me like a knife. Peter's was a bit harsh, like he was looking at some pest he needed to set a trap for. It irked me, but I was going to have to get used to it for awhile; I know most people here would much rather have their friends back than the new girl.
Piper's gaze was kinder, like she was relieved or happy.
"Kylie," she stated simply. "Glad to see you're alright."
"Yeah, I'm... fine," I said slowly. "What was the shouting about?" At that, Piper glared at Peter and crossed her arms.
"I may have almost... blown up a hotdog." Peter looked away from both of us in an attempt to hide embarrassment. I raised an eyebrow.
"Genius here thinks it's smart to leave one in the microwave for five minutes," Piper sighed, clearly annoyed.
"Well if you're so smart, why didn't you make them?"
"I didn't think you'd set it for five minutes!" Piper retorted. "I don't expect you to know everything, but good lord, please learn to cook somethi-" Piper abruptly cut herself off and charged in my direction. It startled me, but I noticed she wasn't looking at me, but at something behind me instead. She ran straight past me, and before I could turn around, I heard a loud thump and a familiar yelp. I sighed and turned to look at the scene. Who else would Piper have pinned to a wall?
I had to give him some credit, though; two times in one chapter.
