Larissa opened her eyes with difficulty and saw double images of Kevan. She opened her mouth, but it was hard to make a sound because her throat hurt from vomiting the previous night. "I'm not feeling well …" she mumbled, making Kevan frown. He switched on the lights, then made his way to her and leaned over her.

He got a fright from seeing how pale she was and put a hand against her forehead. The warmth radiating from her fever confirmed the severity of her condition. Kevan pursed his lips and carried her out from under the blanket. He grabbed a sweater she had tossed aside and wrapped it around her tightly. Carrying her horizontally, he strode out of the room all the way to the basement car park.

Kevan sped to the hospital. During New Year's, the people in Bartham thinned out almost by half. Early in the morning, they saw little to no cars except for the public transport on the road. After the doctor found out that Larissa had stuffed her face with food and downed a whole bottle of