The Pandemic Monday, 6 April 2020

Betha and Apollo were inseparable since Valentine's Day. Like a pair of shoes, slippers, pants, eyeglasses, spoon and fork, chopsticks, name it…practically every single thing in the world that needs to come in pairs resembled the couple. The minute Apollo found out that he didn't have to restrain himself from touching or kissing Betha anywhere but her lips, he couldn't get enough of her. They enjoyed each other very much, even without having to kiss each other's lips. But then their happiness was short-lived…

Betha and Apollo were making out in his bedroom when Betha showed signs of a banshee transformation. The next thing she knew, she was in front of the neighbor's window. It was Apollo's next-door neighbor whom, on few occasions, complained whenever he played music late at night. He had complained to Mrs. Rodriguez last year during Christmas and New Year. He was in his late 50s, so he was probably sleeping while most of the neighborhood were still up during midnight to celebrate with their family. After her wailing, she and Apollo ran back towards his place to call 911. His mom didn't understand how they knew about their neighbor's situation, as she came home with an ambulance waiting outside. After a week, they found out that he was infected with coronavirus and they had concluded that he got it from his trip to Japan. Apparently, he arrived from his trip during the third week of February. His daughter got married to a wealthy Japanese and splurged on a wedding of over 300 guests. The big crowd was a factor, but there was also the airport and the plane. They had no idea where he had gotten infected, but the doctors had released a statement to the media that there was a big possibility that he got it from Japan, considering the country's situation.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had requested to close all schools because of the newly discovered virus called "the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2" or SARS-CoV-2. It originated from China in 2019. Hence, it was given the COVID-19 name. The 2020 Summer Olympics had also been postponed to 2021 as precautionary measure. By March 2020, the virus had been declared a pandemic. As of April 6, 2020, there were 1,272,860 coronavirus cases in over 150 countries, with 69,424 deaths and 261,593 recoveries. US, Spain, and Italy were the top three countries with the most cases. Total lockdown was declared during the second week of March to most countries, so everyone (except for some stupid people) were responsible enough to follow the community quarantine. Wearing masks and social distancing were strictly followed and anyone without a quarantine pass was not allowed to leave their home. There was also a schedule to follow when leaving houses to buy essentials.

Apollo found out from Betha that she was immune to all kinds of diseases and could even live forever. The only time her life would end was if someone killed her, or if she got into an accident; she was not immune to death, only immune to diseases. Mrs. Rodriguez was not aware of that, and Apollo nor Betha couldn't tell her about it, so they stayed in their respective houses and had been quarantined like the rest of the population to prevent further outbreak of the dreaded virus. Apollo and Mrs. Rodriguez took turns every week in doing their groceries with their mask and gloves on, making sure that they always had a sanitizer handy. Whoever did the grocery went to the back door and immediately headed towards the bathroom to take a shower. They even sprayed a disinfectant the second they entered the back door. The entire world had become scary because of the virus, so everyone's lives changed in the blink of an eye – schools, businesses, malls, churches, restaurants, and other establishments had been closed until further notice. Only drugstores, hospitals, police stations, convenience and grocery stores remained open.

"I've always loved staying at home, but now that I have no choice but to stay here, I realized that I also enjoy going outdoors. If I had known we'd be stuck at home without knowing until when, we would've dated every day at Daylight Avenue and ate all types of grilled meat at MeatLovers." Apollo said pouting his lips, trying to look cute for Betha on their video call.

Betha smiled sweetly as she always did. "I bet the rest of the world are imagining all the things they used to do outside of their home."

He nodded. "By the way, I thought we were supposed to think of a way to get you to kiss me on the lips without killing me?"

She laughed. "You say it so casually as if there's really a way to do that."

"I told you, Leslie is very resourceful. There should be a way." He said with confidence.

"Yeah, but shouldn't we find a way to cure this virus instead? The world is apocalyptic right now. Everyone's smile is a forced smile nowadays. People are just trying to be okay and that this will all be over, but I'm sure that nobody has peace of mind because nobody knows for sure if this will all be over, even if they want to believe that."

Apollo was enthralled. "You're an angel, Betha. I love that you're thinking about saving the entire world instead of finding a way to get rid of your banshee form."

"Yeah, well it wouldn't matter if I got rid of my banshee form when mankind is extinct, would it?" She let out a soft sigh, not sure whether she was trying to be funny or sad.

"You have a point." Apollo's face suddenly looked anxious at the thought. He stroked his hair and kissed his cellphone. "I thought maybe a virtual kiss could make you feel better."

"I would feel much better if we do something about this. I know it's an impossible mission, but you and Leslie and Gab already proved you're a great team when you found a way to locate me. And you're all human. What more if your rescue team has a banshee in it?"

"We could be heroes," he uttered with a smile.

"Or we could just be us. Nobody has to know we're out there to save the world."

"Right. Let's get on a video call with Leslie and Gab and think about what we can do. Will get in touch with you later. I hear my mom calling from downstairs." Apollo said, ending the video call.

~

Betha, Apollo, Gab, and Leslie were all doing their share of being responsible citizens by staying at home. Sitting comfortably and in anticipation of what Betha had to say, they were all in their respective rooms fronting their laptops in a video call.

"I'm glad we could all do this together even if we're not really physically together," said Betha.

Gab answered with a smirk saying, "Yes, that's the power of technology."

The three nodded though he had said it in a less serious tone. It was true that all they could rely on during that turbulent time was technology; it was the only way they could still communicate.

"We can actually gather together here in my house. They're just not allowing groups of ten." Leslie responded

Apollo said, "It's okay. We can meet up when we need to, but as much as possible let's just do what we can at home." He paused and his face looked more serious. "Anyway, the reason why we're having this talk is because Betha and I decided to find a cure for this pandemic."

Gab looked skeptic about the idea. "Okay. Did we consider that the geniuses called scientists in several countries have not found any cure to this virus? So how can four young adults with no expertise or knowledge in the science or medical field possibly find a cure on something that has already affected over 150 countries? I mean, I am all about helping, of course. I want to, but this mission seems a bit silly to me."

Leslie did an eyeroll then instantly cooled down. She smiled a half smile that was more of an embarrassed response to her brother's comments. "Okay, Gab. I sometimes don't get your pessimistic and impatient attitude but considering that we had successfully turned Apollo into a dog to successfully find a banshee, you're really just simply an annoying pessimist right now. We have done what scientists couldn't do because not everything has to be rational. Sometimes, it's the faith and the desperation that opens a door to possibilities. We were able to do that as a team before, why not now when there's not just one person in need of help but the entire world?" She explained, trying to sound more compassionate than irritated, and with a hand gesture and emphasis on the word 'successfully.'

Betha and Apollo's appreciation of Leslie's open mindedness and very positive attitude could be seen on their faces. Gab, on the other hand was not looking directly to the monitor now. His head was tilted to the left side and his eyes were staring at the wall.

"Gab? Are you okay? Are you in?" Apollo asked.

Gab looked at the monitor again and nodded but he looked upset. "You know, Les. You really have a knack for making me feel unconfident about myself." Leslie suddenly disappeared from the video call. They hadn't noticed that she rose from her seat and went straight to Gab's room. To his surprise, she barged into his room and hugged him. Gab looked disgusted but he smiled. "What is it about social distancing that you don't understand, Les? Get out of here." He said, still smiling to his sweet sister. He had always been annoyed that Leslie was always right, but she always made sure she didn't mean to offend him.

Apollo and Betha laughed.

"Well, now that we're all in agreement to be on this really big mission, Betha has something to explain," said Apollo.

Leslie was quick to go back to her room at the basement, so she was showing on their screen again, breathing heavily from her swift move upstairs then downstairs.

"When I disappeared months ago, it was because I transported to a place that was just green all over it, it was like the perfect garden except, I learned that it was underground. It turned out to be a place under a tree where luckily, Apollo was able to find. I met a beautiful creature there that looked like a goddess. She wasn't human. She was more of an elf, but a beautiful one. She had green eyes, long green hair, pointy ears, probably as tall as I am, and I think she was wearing leaves but I'm not sure. Anyway, she said she's the keeper of that tree. I have researched that tree and it's commonly known as redwood, but its real name is sequoia. It's a giant sequoia. Now, this tree... I think I've heard from it through my mom and my grandmother who were both banshees and I believe it's a magical tree. I'm not sure how it could help us, but I need to be able to transport myself there again so that I could talk to the goddess or elf or I don't know. I feel that somehow she could help us." Betha explained.

"Was that the first time you transported?" Leslie asked.

"Yes, and I didn't even intend to. I just did." Betha answered.

"Do you know what triggered it?"

"Yes. At that time, I wanted to stay away from Apollo because he was trying to kiss me and it wasn't safe for him to do that because well, you already know he would die if we kiss. So, I guess the feeling of eagerness in protecting him led me to transporting myself to that place. The question is, why there of all places? There must be an explanation." Betha explained.

Leslie stood up and was gone for two minutes. When she came back, she was holding the hardbound book they used to cast a spell on Apollo. She had already found the page she was looking for, so she showed it. It was a picture of an elf, just like how Betha had described it. "Is this her? The one you saw?"

"Oh my gosh, Leslie. That's her!" Betha said, both with surprise and excitement on her face.

"Les, that book of yours really has all the supernatural beings?" Gab asked, looking surprise as well.

"Supernatural, paranormal…anything out of this world that nobody could explain is in here." She smiled proudly.

"Well then, let's learn what we could and find a way to save the world." Apollo uttered. They all had big smiles on their faces like they were sure there was hope amidst the world's most dreaded pandemic.