by Zara Zenia
I approached the nurses’ station. The sound of phones humming to be answered faintly chimed in the distant. There was a receptionist at the front desk typing something on a keyboard as she diligently stared at a computer screen in concentration.
She didn’t notice me when I first walked up to her, so I had to clear my throat to capture her attention.
She gazed up expectantly and planted on a smile. “May I help you?”
I looked past her, suddenly distracted by an influx of nurses who seemed to be scrambling around. They wore tired expressions. Their shoulders were wilted, and their eyelids were droopy with dark circles under them. They weren’t poised and they appeared to be stressed out.
“Sir?” the receptionist asked again, shattering through my thoughts.
“Uh…” I swiveled back around to face her. I shook my head to piece my thoughts back together.
The woman blinked and continued to stare at me.
I scratched the top of my head and gave her a nervous chuckle. “I uh…I’m here to see Boris Denisoff. You know, the big bear? He’s a softy underneath it all. Don’t let him fool you, I—”
The woman’s face collapsed, and she turned as white as a ghost. Her cheeks were ashen, and she shook her head regretfully. “I’m sorry, but Mr. Denisoff, he… passed away last night.”
“What?” I felt like the room was spinning. A huge rock felt like it plunged into my gut and I felt as if someone was stabbing me in the heart.
“What do you mean, he…passed away?”
The receptionist gave me an empathetic look. She glanced down the hallway and then relief splashed over her features.
“That was his nurse, Anita. She is taking the sheets off his bed now.”
She pointed down the hallway and petite nurse with shoulder length brown hair could be seen entering a hospital room.
I didn’t wait to get instructions to go and talk to the nurse. My feet were carrying me before my mind could tell me what to do.
“Maybe she can help you….” The receptionists distant voice trailed off, but I was only halfway listening to her.
I turned the corner and charged into the room.
“Excuse me.”
The petite brunette nurse spun around. She was carrying bed linens. She nearly dropped them in startlement at my announcement into the room.
“Do you need something? Are you a patient?” She gave me a wary gaze.
“I’m not a patient,” I told her. “You took care of Boris Denisoff?”
“Who…are you?” she asked and narrowed her eyes in puzzlement.
“I am his friend, and I want to know what happened to him,” I demanded.
“I’m so sorry, he died last night.” The nurse flickered her gaze to the floor.
“How?” I was utterly baffled. I just didn’t understand how something like this could have happened.
“It was all so sudden,” the nurse said and looked at me with huge, sad eyes. “He took a turn for the worse. His fever rose and there was nothing we could do to stop it. No matter what medicines and techniques we tried, we couldn’t get the fever to break. He went into a coma and he didn’t wake up. His heart stopped beating at two-o’clock in the morning and the doctors couldn’t revive him.”
I felt as if an empty void was spinning me out of control into a black hole abyss. I stared blankly at the nurse. I couldn’t imagine the suffering he went through. He was probably alone when he died…
I was horrified.
“Mr. Denisoff worked in the dining hall often, didn’t he?” the nurse asked.
“Of course, he did,” I shot back. I couldn’t figure out why I felt like bitterly attacking her with the blame. “He was the head manager of the cafeteria.”
“Do you know how long he’d been working there?” The nurse set the bed sheets down and gave me an inquisitive look.
“How should I know? I’m just a student.” I shrugged. “I think a while. Longer than I’ve been a student here. He’s probably been here for years.”
“You were his friend, do you know how many meals he’d served since he actually began showing symptoms?”
My head was spinning. Was this woman serious? I didn’t have the answers she wanted.
“I don’t know…” I trailed off and stared out the window.
“Do you think you could provide an estimate of a number of people he might have exposed to the mystery illness?” The woman had eased her tone a little gentler now.
I met her gaze. “I’m sure dozens, if not hundreds, I mean so many students pass through there, some multiple times a day.”
The nurse gave me a somber look.
“I remember getting lunch a little more than a week ago, he was working the register,” I suddenly recounted. “He looked like he was a little under the weather at the time, and he was wearing one of those face masks. I had just assumed it was a cold.”
How could he be dead? Supernaturals weren’t supposed to get that kind of illness. Something wasn’t adding up.
“Is that all you can remember?” the nurse probed, but she wasn’t overbearingly invasive.
I pondered with a frown, trying to rack my brain for answers.
“I’m sorry. I honestly hadn’t given it much thought. I remember thinking it was a little weird that a shifter would catch a cold, but I was so busy that I didn’t think much of it at the time.”
Now, in hindsight I wished I had advocated for the poor bear a little more aggressively, or at least told him to get to the medical ward a little sooner.
The nurse gave me a sympathetic smile of chagrin. “I’m sorry for your loss. You seemed to really like him.”
“I did.” I nodded formally.
“You really shouldn’t be here,” the nurse said.
“I’ve probably already been exposed,” I said with a shrug.
“Well just as a precaution, you should probably get back to your own dorm,” she suggested.
“Will you let me know if you get any leads on what might have caused this?” I asked as I turned to leave.
“Absolutely.” She nodded. “What’s your name?”
“Vlad, and thanks, Anita.”
I walked back to my house feeling numb all over.
When I finally reached home, I was relieved to find it empty. I wanted to be alone. I needed to clear my head.
I plopped down on my bed with a sigh and stared up at the ceiling for what seemed like an eternity.
“What the hell happened to you, Boris?” I asked of the room, but the only return I got was silence.
I blew out a frustrated puff of air, wishing that I had the links to the missing puzzle pieces.
I grabbed my cell phone out of my pocket and dialed Marina. I needed someone to talk to, because the webs in my mind were starting to fray and go haywire.
She was the first person I thought of. Marina was compassionate and kind. She lightened the mood of everyone she encountered, and she always made me feel better when I was doubting myself or feeling upset about something.
I also knew that I could trust her with my whole heart.
I dialed her number and she picked up on the first ring.
“Hi, Vlad, what’s up?”
“Hi,” I said, feeling like I was a thousand miles away from her.
“Hi,” she said again, her voice instantly pepped up and I could tell she was smiling.
“Are you busy? Do you have time to talk?”
“For you?” she asked. “I always have time.”
There she went again, making me feel like I was the center of attention and the most important person in the world. She had a magic quality about her. I wanted to absorb all her warmth and wrap myself around it like a burrito.
“Thanks.” I breathed out a long sigh of relief.
“I just went to visit Boris in the infirmary…”
“Oh?” She sounded intrigued. “How’s he feeling?”
“I couldn’t ask him,” I said. “He’s…dead.”
“He’s…. dead?” she asked again as if I was telling her a cruel joke. Unfortunately, this situation was terrifyingly real.
“Yes.” I nodded. “He passed away overnight.”
“How?” She sounded incredulous. I couldn’t blame her. I was still trying to process it.
“The nurse said he got a really high fever and that they couldn’t get it back down. His heart stopped and he went into a coma. He didn’t come out of it.”
“Oh, that’s so sad,” Marina said. “I really liked Boris. He was funny.”
“Yeah. I liked him too.” I felt miserable. “The nurse in the infirmary kept asking me all these questions,” I said.
“What kind of questions?”
“The kinds I couldn’t provide an answer for,” I admitted. “She wanted to know about how long he had worked in the dining hall, how many students he encountered on a daily basis, when he started showing symptoms. Things like that.”
“I’m sure that was stressful for you,” Marina stated with a sensitively laced tone for my benefit.
I didn’t mind confiding in her because she was easy to open up to and I felt comfortable with her. “It was difficult,” I admitted. I let down my guard with Marina. There was a tracing of vulnerability to my demeanor. “I’m actually a little paranoid now.”
“About what?”
“I don’t know…” I said. “How many people do you think are infected now?”
“I can’t be certain.” She sounded as worried as I felt.
“Well at least we have each other and the guys.” I gave her a fretful chuckle.
“That’s right.” The confidence about my statement boosted my own self-assurance immunity.
Just then, I felt compelled to release a violent burst of a sneeze, which wasn’t good, being that I was a dragon shifter. I sneezed so loudly that it sent a spray of flames across the room.
I hastily grabbed a tissue and wiped my nose as I pulled my curtains from the rod and stomped out the flames. My eyes glazed over. My heart pounded with fright.
“Uh-oh…” Marina whispered.
“I’m fine,” I immediately responded, but inside I was a basket case of alarm.
“People sometimes sneeze,” she said in an effort to soothe me.
“But I’m a dragon,” I countered. “My sneezes aren’t just sneezes, babe—” I stopped, not sure I wanted to tell her about the flames.
Marina was silent on the other end.
My explosive sneeze had shot us both through a cannon of worry. I was going to ask her over to hang out with me, but now I was afraid she was going to say no. I didn’t want to quarantine myself until I knew that I was actually sick.
“Perhaps it was an isolated incident,” I proposed.
“I hope so,” Marina said softly.
“I’ll let you know how I feel later, baby,” I said, suddenly feeling shamefully self-conscious and wanted to abruptly end the conversation after the sneeze heard around the world.
“Let me know if you need anything,” she offered.
“I will, baby,” I said.
I hung up feeling dread pouring into my mind like hot lava destroying everything in its path.
8
Marina
Late afternoon the next day, I was sitting in the giant common area that linked the dormitory buildings together. Dozens of students congregated there on a routine and daily basis to relax after class, read, or spend some social time chatting with their friends in the evenings.
I was there with Colin and Daniel. They were staring at me in captivation, because our conversation had suddenly taken a dramatic and sinister twist.
“I’m telling you; I know it is Carlotta behind these illnesses. I know that she’s behind the mystery. We need to find her and bring her to justice for what she did to Boris.”
When I didn’t get a return response other than blank stares from the pair of guys, I blinked and continued to plead my case.
“She murdered Boris.” It was important to prove her responsible. I was motivated for the task.
“We don’t have proof…” Colin stated gently. He already knew I was a ticking time bomb on the subject.
“Did you forget about what happened last semester?” I asked. I was borderline hysterical.
I raised my voice an octave too high as I stood up, animated and ready to defend my case.
A handful of students turned around and gave me a guarded glance as if I was crazy.
I let out a sheepish chuckle and immediately sat back down on the couch.
“No one is trying to deny your assumption, sweetheart,” Colin said warmly. “It’s just…if we go to the authorities without proof or any kind of evidence at all, then they aren’t going to take us seriously.”
I pondered his words. In the end, I knew he was right. “Then we need to go and find her ourselves.”
Daniel’s eyes lit up like the twinkling lights on a Christmas tree. He was up for the challenge; I could tell by the way he cast me a keen grin.
“Finally, detective work worth doing,” he said. “Real life conquests are so much better and more interesting than the drills in school. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this.”
“You are still at school, technically,” Colin said.
Daniel shot him a sour scowl. “Why do you always have to be right?”
“I don’t always have to be right,” Colin countered.
“You are arguing with me right now, aren’t you?”
“Only because you are first—”
“Stop it, guys,” I interjected and then rubbed my temples. Their bickering was giving me a headache.
They exchanged a glance with each other and their features instantly softened. Daniel reached over and cupped his hand over my knee. He gave it a gentle pat.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. We should be more sensitive to your feelings. We know this is a stressful situation for everyone.”
“I am livid that Boris died.” Colin nodded in agreement. “If no one else is willing to put in the effort to find out who could have done this to him, then we might as well shoot for the moon ourselves.”
I glanced up and gave them a thankful smile. “I appreciate your willingness to help me out here.”
“We know that you are passionate when you set your mind to something.” Daniel gave me a handsome smile, but it was as earnest as they came.
“What are we waiting for then?” Colin asked and looked between us.
I smiled, recognizing the flicker of hesitation in his eyes but he was going to be brave. He already knew that he was outnumbered and the decision to search around the campus for Carlotta was already settled.
“It’s not sunset yet, are you okay to go out?” I asked Daniel.
He pulled some sunblock from his backpack. “I’m good as soon as I get this on, babe, wanna help?” He grinned.
I took the bottle and squirted some in my hand. It was thicker than regular sunscreen. I rubbed it into his face and neck while he put it on his exposed hands. The rest of him was already covered. “Okay, you good?”
“As gold, babe,” he said with a smile. He put the sunblock back in his backpack and zipped it up. “Okay let’s get this investigation started.”
“What do you think will happen if we encounter her?” I asked as we left the common room. “What exactly are we going to say to her in our confrontation?”
“We’re going to trap her and press her for answers.” Daniel pounded his fists together and set his jaw with determination. “I don’t mind grilling her all night if I have to in order to get this investigation underway, and then we’ll turn her in for murdering Lisa and attempting to murder you.”
“It’s hardly an investigation until we find her,” Colin retorted. “But I agree with turning her in for trying to murder Marina.”
“Hush, you,” I whispered to Colin through clenched teeth. “We have to stay united. Teamwork, remember?” I said, reminding him.
“Right.” He gave Daniel a be
grudging glance, but we pressed forward. “I wouldn’t mind taking a crack at her too, but I’ll leave the grilling to you.” He nodded at Daniel.
“Where do you think she would be hanging out?” Daniel asked as we jogged down the stairs and out of the dormitory building.
“Probably at a pub,” Colin snorted.
I had to laugh too. He wasn’t wrong on that front. From what I remembered, Carlotta loved to drink.
“Probably trying to woo some hopeless sap into falling in love with her so she can trick them,” Daniel said.
“Do you really think that she would be foolish enough to come back here?” Colin asked.
“She’s smarter and sneaker than we think,” I said. “We can’t afford to underestimate her anymore.”
“I’ve never underestimated a Hunter,” Daniel said darkly. “Especially with how viciously she hates vampires.”
I smiled at him and took his hand. “If we do manage to catch her in the act of something and record it, justice sure will be served sweet.”
“With a dollop of ice cream too,” Colin added, taking my free hand.
“I could go for some ice cream right now,” I joked.
“Let’s get this little quest accomplished first,” Daniel said.
He was all business. His eyes flickered with resiliency. He was going to make a fantastic officer on the NYPD force. I would be so proud of him. I often envisioned watching him graduate from the police academy one day and being the one to cheer and clap for him the loudest.
“If we do get lucky enough to find her hiding out, I think we have a better chance at doing so outside,” I mentioned.
“I agree, babe.” Daniel nodded.
“At least it’s not as cold tonight.” Colin shrugged as if he was fine with going along with the plan.
“She lives locally, at least she did. Her family is from here,” Daniel said. “She wouldn’t stray far from home or from her group.”