What's up everybody? I hope nobody had caught the flu around this horrible season. I was inspired to write this because I unfortunately did catch the flu this season...but don't worry, I'm better now :D

Enjoy!

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 I lay in my room, curled up in a blanket and staring at the ceiling. My body ached, my head swarmed with thoughts that hammered against it, chills ran down my spine, and my body would convulse every time I opened my mouth to cough. The suffering had already left my sisters days ago, and now it had spread to me. No one needed prove that this horrible tragedy was contagious, and no one needed prove that I had also caught it. The Flu. One of the most dreaded illnesses known to mankind.

Even if you get the vaccine aka "flu shot" you still can catch it. Doctors and scientists, over many years, have not found an effective way to treat the flu. It evolves and expands, swarming objects such as door knobs, phones, backpacks, books, chairs and more. No matter how hard people try, no matter if they strictly ate oranges daily and washed their hands frequently, they could not escape the monstrous beast. It infects those who were already dying of cancer or other diseases, mercilessly shortening their lives. It cripples people, only allowing them the energy to watch movies or sleep all day long. It disables brains, not allowing students to keep up with their homework, and worst of all, does not allow the victim the opportunity to read.

I felt useless. I could not move, otherwise I would start coughing up my lungs. It had been two years since I had the flu, and my immune system was not updated with the lasted evolution of the illness. I knew it was coming, but it hit at a very inconvenient time. The thoughts of all the school work I was behind in swarmed my brain as I lay in bed, counting the bumps on my popcorn ceiling.

My phone buzzed and I slowly reached over, looking to see who texted. It was Mom. She had left me at home and left to coop, taking all my brothers and sisters with her. It texted her back then an idea struck. I added in the question, sent the message, then rolled back over and slowly drifted off into a daydream. When my phone buzzed again, I excitedly rolled back over and checked the text. Mom had answered back with the rare words, "Yes."

I groaned as I stood, my legs feeling like pudding beneath me and my head felt as heavy as a bowling ball. Keeping the blanket wrapped tightly around me, I walked over to the coffee machine and heated up some water. As the water began heating, I grabbed a packet from the pantry, and also some milk and whipped cream from the fridge. After the water heated, I stirred the instant hot chocolate mix in the warm water and poured a little milk and squirted too much whipped cream on top. I sat at the dinner table, sipping joyfully at my hot chocolate.

The heat warmed up my shivering, feverish body and the chocolate, made everything in the world brighter. The sun shone through the windows and the icy blue sky was clear and bright. The cats, who were already cute to begin with, seemed even cuter, and even my messy room seemed like a wonderland. Once the hot chocolate was empty, I sorrowfully placed the mug in the sink and hobbled over to my room and tucked into the sheets of my bed.