Chapter 2

It was a pleasant day when Amelia strapped the bag on one of her shoulders and headed for the playground. Her tall, slender body exuded delicacy in the denim mini skirt that she wore with white ruffled top. The strength of her lean, pale legs with beautifully toned muscles were visible beneath the skirt. The curls of her golden hair were loosely tied in a bun revealing the silver round ear studs with inset black stone that she had not changed since childhood. Her inquisitive hazel-colored eyes held so many questions that she either feared to ask or was incredulous about the answers she might get.

For a twenty-two years old Amelia Jason; life wasn't the same since her father's tragic death. There were things that she wanted to forget. The things that would not let her live with peace even in dreams. Like a snake they stealthily crept in loneliness and silence; stinging her with the fangs of venomous reality. Although she had gotten admitted to a medical school which she thought would calm her eventful past and keep her on the tracks of unaccomplished goals bequeathed to her as the most precious legacy by her father, she was still dissatisfied. Despite the hard-work her ambitions seemed inconsequential to her.

She shortened her swift, undulating strides when she saw Olivia approaching her. "Hi!" Olivia raised her hand and stopped her midway. "Where are you going Amy?" she asked looking at her direction. "To the ground," Amelia replied with a pause. "Ow so, you are going to watch your boy playing football," Olivia winked teasingly. "Sure," Amelia grinned.They reached the ground together.

One of the teams was wearing maroon shirts and white shorts while the other team was wearing blue shirts with white shorts. The stadium was almost empty. It was just a normal game. The students would come to shed off their stress by playing football. "Why don't you come and join us for party tomorrow?" Olivia asked. "Seriously?" Amelia looked surprised. "Why?" Olivia asked curiously. "There is no room for things like party. Don't you remember that I am an aspiring immunologist," Amelia boasted with a wide smile that made Olivia a little awkward. "Oh I remember. But you can spare some time. It is good for you too," she said trying to convince her. "No!" Amelia stopped and turned her face to Olivia. "No, it is not good for me to waste my time on things that don't do any good to my goals," her voice raised with concern and hesitation. "But you are already doing well. We all believe you will succeed in finding out the best solution," she assured her.

There had been an outbreak of Hepatitis A and E in the area near their college. however, what baffled the doctors was it's treatment. It was the number of deaths that confused the doctors. A disease that could be treated conservatively and would recover quickly with no permanent damage to liver had killed so many people in few months. Renowned immunologists had voluntarily opted to work on them. "I don't know what kind of virus is that?" Amelia said concernedly slowing down her pace as she switched from the earlier topic. "That bloody thing shows itself as hepatitis A or E but act as something deadlier. There is something more to it which is not revealed in the blood tests." she looked at Olivia,"solutions seem too far-fetched. fever, headaches, nausea , diarrhea all are symptoms of these viruses even the lab tests are indicative of those viruses but why don't they spare some time to the patients? that is a big question." she said making a question mark in the air with her right index finger. "We can't find solution unless we learn what it is?" she gestured with her shoulder to show her incredulity. Olivia seemed least interested in the topic but to make her happy she put her thoughts into it too. "Maybe, it appears as A or E but is inherently something different. Something more dangerous." she iterated pondering over her concerns. "Yes, exactly." Amelia nodded in acquiescence.

For a split second, Olivia suddenly held her breath and intently looked at something that was targeted towards them. Amelia eagerly turned around to see what was it that she was stonily looking at. But it was too late. Olivia tried to push her aside but before she could Amelia was already struck by the approaching thing. "Oh GOD! She shrieked with pain as she fell to the ground. At the same, she held her head with her left palm and tried to figure out what it was that hit her. "What is it man? Is it a stone?" she winced and looked up at Olivia who was trying to control her giggles as she lifted her by the arm. But before she could hold her, a hand from behind appeared to help her stand up. She looked at the hand and gradually raised her eyes to the person who was stretching it out for her."I'm sorry. David Carson stood there with a smile on his lips. Without saying a word, she clasped his hand and stood up still holding her head in another hand.

"It wasn't me I swear." He tried to convince her that the ball was hit by another player. "Even if it was you Amelia wouldn't blame you dear." Olivia laughed naughtily. David was handsome and athletic. Although, his love for sports had not waned with passing years but it was Amelia's enthusiasm for accomplishing something big in the realms of medicine that attracted him to the same school. He was surely intelligent but his girl's quintessential approach towards life had often made him feel like an idiot. He was intrigued by the way she reflected on things around her. Her observations about every meticulous detail made her more like Sherlock Holmes. Even if David tried to pace up with her he was often left behind. That made him a little awkward because he knew that he loved her and to be able to reach her, he must run faster. But fortunately he was the king of sports. His dashing looks and impressive agility in football had already attracted so many girls on campus.

They silently admired and idolized him knowing that his heart was already beating for another girl. Amelia loved him too but she could not express her love the way he did because of the fear of being noticed. She had always been uncomfortable with being observed. Her childhood fears had unimaginable consequences on her present. She wanted to hide everything precious to her from the world's eyes. She believed that the things that she had loved dearly was always taken away by fate. And she did not want to lose David to the same fate that had taken her father away from her.