#nr 5

Curio peered out the window.  His prediction was right.  They were snowed in.  He sneezed and shivered.  It was freezing cold.  Immediately he pulled the blankets tighter around his shoulders.  

For a moment it felt hot, before he started shivering again.  

Slowly he curled up on the bed, closing his eyes.  Sniffing he reached out with one hand, patting the bedside table for his phone.  He coughed again when he finally reached his phone.  

Quickly he dialled Shaun's number.  

It didn't take long before Shaun answered.  

"Shaw...." Curio groaned "I feel sick...."

"Hold on... I'm coming..." Shaun said before hanging up.

Curio dropped his phone onto the bed, pulling the blanket further over his head.  He could hear movement from the room next door, before his bedroom door opened and Shaun came into the room.

"Cure?" he asked.

"Here..." Curio said, peering out of the blankets before coughing again.  

Shaun sighed as he walked over.  "I told you...." he said "To go to the nurses..."

"I was feeling fine...." Curio mumbled as he slowly sat up.

Shaking his head, Shaun sat down on the bed.  "Alright... besides the cough, what else?" 

Curio shrugged.  "Sore throat... Headache... Everything hurts.... Stuffy nose...  And... I think I have a fever or something.." he said "... cause hot and cold... the entire time..."

Shaun sighed, putting the back of his hand against Curio's forehead.  "You idiot..." he said before getting up "Come on...  We're going to the infirmary now"

"Okay...." Curio mumbled, before sniffing.  

Quickly Shaun picked up Curio's phone and handed it back to him.  "I'm going to message Lan, so he can come with us..." he said "Get some warm clothes on while I'm calling"

Curio nodded as he slowly sat up.  He sniffed and shivered as the blanket slipped off slightly. 

As he pulled on his jacket, Shaun finished talking and turned back to him.  

"You alright?" Shaun asked, looking a bit worried as Curio's pale face.  

For a moment the lights flickered and both of them stopped. 

"That wasn't me," Curio said immediately.

Shaun glanced at him before nodding.  "Alright...  I'll believe you" he said.  

Curio pouted slightly as he shuffled to the door.  The moment he touched the door handle, there was a slight spark and then all of the lights went off.

"Curio!" Shaun called out in the dark.

Curio groaned.  "...I'm okay..." he mumbled.  

Shaun breathed out as he turned on his phone's flashlight.  When the light reached Curio, the other guy was staring down at his hand, like it was the first time he was seeing it. 

"You sure...  you're alright?" he asked, walking over to Curio.  

"That... wasn't me..." Curio said, looking up at Shaun, eyes wide.  

"It's alright..." Shaun said quickly as he walked over "Just take it easy..."

Curio started coughing, swaying slightly on his feet.  Immediately Shaun moved to catch him.  

"Wow..." Shaun said softly, "Easy now...  Come on... Let's see if we can get down to the infirmary..."

Knocking sounded from the door.  

"Guys?" Roland's voice asked softly "You there?"

There was a light coming from beneath the door.  The door opened and Roland peered inside.  He jumped slightly when he saw the other two.

"Jeeze... what happened here?" he asked.  

"Curio's sick...  we're taking him to the nurse" Shaun said.  

Curio sniffed and looked up at Roland.  "hey...." he mumbled.  

Roland nodded.  "That makes sense" he said "And did you....?"

Curio immediately shook his head.  "I didn't do it..." he said.

"It the storm outside" Shaun said "Probably knocked down one of the power cables..."

Roland sighed.  "Let's go" he said, wincing as Curio started coughing again.  

The three slowly made their way down the corridor.  They could hear the other students talking softly from their rooms.  

As they reached the stairs, Curio was leaning on his friends.  There was sweat running down his face as he shivered as well.  He groaned as he leaned on them.  

"He's not looking so good..." Roland said softly, glancing at Curio.  

"The stairs are going to take a while," Shaun said with a sigh.  He did not look forward to it.

***

The infirmary was just as dark as the rest of the dorms.  There were candles and some flashlights.  

Curio was coughing badly, as he stumbled next to the other two.  

Roland could feel the static building up around Curio.  It seemed like his friend was slowly losing control over his power.  

"Miss Mila?" Shaun called, looking around.  

"Over here, Kids..." a voice said softly.  

A small light came towards them.  

After a few seconds a small woman can come to them.  "Hallo boys... What's going on?" she asked. 

"It's... Curio, Ma'am" Shaun said "He's sick..."

Curio lifted his head slightly.  "...I'm sorry..." he mumbled.  

"It's alright..." Miss Mila said "Let's see what's going on with you?"

Shaun and Roland helped Curio to the bed, letting him lay down.  Curio started coughing again, shivering.  

The nurse quickly stepped up to the bed and quickly started to check on Curio.  By now Curio was trembling, looking even sicker than before.  He was shaking so badly that Shaun was afraid it might turn into a seizure.

Miss Mila frowned as she checked on Curio.

"Is there anything we can do?" Shaun asked.  

Immediately Miss Mila shook her head.  "I need to look at what's going on first..." she said "You boys can just wait outside for a bit"

They nodded.  It didn't take long before Miss Mila was done.  When she finished, she quickly stepped outside.  

"How is he?" Shaun asked.  

Mila frowned.  "I don't know how he managed it, but he had a very bad infection..." she said "It pulled into his lungs, that's why he's been coughing so much.  He had a very high fever.  So I'm going to keep him here until it goes down"

Roland and Shaun stared at her for a moment before they nodded.  

The lights flickered for a moment, but did not turn back on.  

"Curio..." Shaun said.

Immediately Mila went back to the room Curio was in.  There was lighting flashing all around him, looking strange in the darkness.  He was gasping for breath, eyes barely open.  

Mila quickly went over, quickly placing her hand over his chest.  

The air around Curio started buzzing.  

"Shaun!  Get me a blocker for Curio!" she called out.  

Curio's body started seizing.  Lighting flashed around him, forcing Mila to step back.  

Shaun ran out of the room.

She looked at her watch, timing the seizure.  "Roland, take here... time the seizure" she said, handing Roland the watch as she quickly made her way to one of the drawers.  

Quickly she got the medication going back to Roland.  

"What's the time?" she asked.  

"Ten minutes..." Roland said, glancing at the lightning that was becoming less around Curio.  

“Here’s the blocker!” Shaun said as he quickly stepped back inside.

Mila held out her hand to him and Shaun handed her the blocker.  She nodded and stepped up to the bed.  With a quick movement she put the blocker on Curio and his lightly disappeared.

Curio groaned softly.

Mila nodded as she gave Curio the injection.  "Easy now, boy..." she said softly "It's going to be alright"

Slowly the seizure started to slow down.  When it finally stopped, Mila sent her healing through Curio again.  He whimpered softly, before coughing again.  

"Come on..." Mila said softly, taking his temperature again, before giving him another injection "This should help with his fever..."

Slowly Curio's body started to calm down and he just lay limply on the bed, gasping softly.  His chest moved as he breathed in short gasps.  It took a few more seconds before his eyes slowly flickered open.  

"Curio" Mila said "How are you feeling?"

Slowly the blue eyes turned towards her.  After a few seconds, they focused.  

"...Sick..." he mumbled.  

"Aright...  I'm going to give you some medication and then you should go right back to your room" Mila said "I don't want to hear any arguing"

"...okay..." 

Mila nodded.  "I'm going to give you an IV..." she said "So get a bit of rest while the IV is running"

She turned to Roland and Shaun.  "Bring him some warmer clothes.  With the power out, it's freezing in here"

Immediately the two rushed out of the infirmary.  

Mila put up the IV, carefully working with the needle, before stepping back.  She took out some blankets from the closet and pulled them over Curio.  The teen was trembling with the cold, even though he was sweating from the fever that raged through his body.  

When Shaun and Roland returned, half of the bag was already finished.  

"Make sure he gets enough rest and that he's in bed..  Alright" Mila said and the two boys nodded.  

"Yes Ma'am" they said at the same time.  

Curio slowly let his head roll to the side so that he could see his friends.  Everything was wrapped in semi darkness, with only the candles and the few flashlights.  

"..hey..." he said. 

"Cure" Shaun said with a slight smile "Don't look so worried, man..."

Roland jumped when his phone started ringing.  Quickly he pulled it out, blinking at the name that flashed on it.  

"It's Fae" he said, stepping back as he answered.  

"Ah...  If young Fae is there, I will feel better about sending you back to the dorms" Mila said, looking at Curio "She will be able to help" 

Shaun nodded.  "I'll tell them..." he said "Maybe we can get the fireplace going and stay in the common room while the power is out.  It's warmer there"

Mila nodded.  

When Roland stepped back the IV bag was finished.  

"She wanted to know where we are," he said, looking at Shaun and Curio.  

"Oh...  Ask her if she can get the fireplace in our common room going?" Shaun asked.  

Roland blinked for a moment, before he nodded.  "Right... I'll send her a message" he said.

Mila carefully took out the IV from Curio's arm, before testing his temperature again.  It was slightly lower than before but not enough for Mila to be satisfied.  

"I will let you go...  but you will have to the medication and get enough rest" she said "Do you understand?"

Curio swallowed before he nodded.  "Yes.... Ma'am..." he muttered, smothering a cough.  

Mila nodded.  She helped him to sit up again.  "Now....  you two, take him to his room" she said "And if he's not better by tomorrow morning...  I want him back in this room immediately"

Shaun and Roland nodded.  "Yes Ma'am" they said as they each stepped up next to Curio.  

***

When they reached the common room of the dorms, there was a gentle soft light flickering in the fireplace.  

It was warmer than the rest of the dorms.  

Fiona immediately walked over to them.  Curio were wrapped in Shaun and Roland's jackets.  His face was pale and nose red.  

"Hey...." she said softly.

Curio gave her a slight smile.  "Sorry...." he mumbled "Now I've got... everyone worried... again..."

Fiona shrugged slightly.  "That's alright..." she said softly "We're all used to it...  Now come on... all three of you come sit down.  You look like you are all freezing" 

Shaun blew on his fingers, rubbing his hands together.  "Yeah.... we are freezing..." he said.  

The three shuffled to the cough in front of the fireplace.  There were blankets and a few pillows on the couch.  Everyone wrapped themselves in some of the blankets.  Fiona and Curio sitting down next to each other.

Curio all but curled up next to her.  

Shaun and Roland on their other side.  

It wasn't long before some of the other third years came shuffling wrapped in blankets into the common room.  

The storm outside kept on blowing.