The moon came out low over Vestia, as if in mourning as the whole of Viesta was.
The halls were still silent and most of the healthy pack members were asleep, resting from the days work.
But Ruby stayed awake, completely consumed in her reports and the tissue slides, her fingers were stained with ink and tired from writing all day.
Her desk was filled with notes, glass slides, and open medical files of each of the patients they had.
She didn't even notice how much time had passed….. didn't notice the sun had gone down and the moon had gone up. Not until she finally lifted her eyes from the papers in her front and stretched her frozen kneck.
Still, she didn't stop.
She couldn't.
The virus was still spreading too fast. Every clue she thought she had gotten, went invalid right away. Nothing seemed to click. Nothing made sense anymore.
She blinked multiple times, setting aside her glasses to rub her temple.
A knock on her door startled her. She hadn't expect to receive anyone. Not this late at least.
She turned quickly and opened the door.
Chris stood there behind it, he's arms crossed, and was leaning casually on the door frame.
"Still going at it?" he asked her.
Ruby forced a polite smile on her face. "There's no time to rest."
Chris stepped in without being invited and saw the mess spread on her desk. "You've been working nonstop since you got here."
"I didn't come here for comfort," she replied, returning to her test samples.
Chris moved closer to where she was working, picking up a report from the heap without asking her. "This virus... Do you think it was made?"
Ruby paused at his question, narrowing her eyes in confusion . "What makes you say that?"
His shoulders fell, and he didn't meet her gaze. "its too fast. It's too aggressive. And from what I've seen, it hits the weaker bloodlines first. Almost like it's targeting weak and then the strong."
She said nothing, just watched him carefully.
Chris grinned, realizing the tension his words had brought. "Just thinking out loud."
He dropped the paper back on the desk, still looking round the room.
"Need help with anything?" he asked her.
"No," Ruby said almost immediately."I'm fine."
Chris laughed. "Are you always so tense when working?"
"Only when people disturb or distract me."
He raised his hands as if to say he surrenders and then took a step back. "Alright, alright. I'll leave you to your work. Just...be careful, yeah?"
Ruby gave him a nod and watched as he walked out of the room.
Something about Chris didn't feel right with her.
He asked her too many questions. He was observing too much and wanted to touch everything.
She made a mental note to herself to start watching him more closely.
Just across the compound, two small figures casted large shadows on the dirt path as they sneaked through the corridor near the back entrance leading into the pack house.
Silver held a map she had gotten from her mother's drawer in one of her hand and a flashlight in the other hand. Gold walked slowly and cautiously beside her, carrying a tiny basket filled with apples and cookies.
"Are you sure this is the way?" Gold whispered.
Silver nodded. "I heard one of the guards say the infirmary is on this side. Mom should be there."
Gold looked around their surroundings. "But what if someone catches us?"
"Then we run," Silver said flatly.
They had waited until it was night before they slipped out. They remembered their mother had not want anyone to know about them living in the quarters and urged the twins not step out.
They couldn't going to stay away from her any longer.
They missed her.
They wanted to see her. To know what was going on with her. They wondered if she had eaten and stacked their basket full of fruits.
Gold held Silver's top tightly as they reached the edge of the medical rooms.
"I think we're close," Silver whispered to her sister.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps coming towards them.
Both girls froze.
From the hallway on their left, a tall figure came into view.
Han.
Gold gasped softly in shock and pulled Silver back and they both hid behind a pillar.
They held their breath shut as Han paused in his steps and sniffed the air. His brow came together in confusion. He looked around slowly, alert.
"Who's there?" he called out.
None of the girls moved or even answered.
Han moved forward, then stopped. The scent was familiar to him, but still not quite. It was…..confusing at most. Like a mix of something he knew, and something he didn't know.
He stared into the hallway for more than a second.
Then slowly, he turned and walked away.
Only when they couldn't hear his footsteps did they come out from their hiding.
"That was close," she whispered.
Silver nodded. "Too close. We can't go through there, we would be caught."
" I saw mum's coat through the window. She's definitely here," Gold informed her sister . "What do we do?"
Silver paused for a second then held Gold's hand. "Let's go."
Ruby had noticed Han had passed through his scent and was too busy with work to care.
But she almost jumped from the chair she was sitting on when two familiar scents filled her nose just after Han had passed her office.
It was Gold and Silver.
"Mom!" They both called out as they ran towards their terrified mother, who also ran to them and held them closely. Staring outside of her office if anyone has seen them coming.
"Mom, look , we brought you fruits." Gold chirped, raising the basket in her hands.
Ruby shuts the door behind them. Almost too harshly and turned looking at her two daughters.
The two girls she had told to remain indoors and told to stay far away from all this.
She glared at them, her arms crossed.
The two girls stared back.