The rainfall in Tervord city is much higher than in any other town, although its summer may not be as hot as any other, perhaps because Tervord's forest is vast. It's not that the city is out-of-date, but tervord is no less advanced than the cities around it.

"Are you feeling any better?" Alana walked into Ashley's room, bringing him dinner for his daughter.

Ashley turned and smiled. "It's better than yesterday."

"Thank God."

Lana puts the tray on the table next to the bed; then, she sits on the edge of the bed and puts her hand on Ashley's forehead. The heat was down, and Ashley wasn't as dry as yesterday; Lana sighed relief.

"Eat before taking your medicine. What do you need to feed, mom?"

Ashley shook her head quickly. "No, I'll manage."

She woke up and leaned back, and Lana took the bowl of warm porridge and gave it to Ashley.

"Thank you." He smiled slightly.

Ashley looked down at the porridge, her appetite wasn't healing yet, but she couldn't possibly let herself lie here any longer. She has a class to attend, and she shouldn't dally.

"Eat your food, drink your medicine and go to sleep."

After saying that, Lana came out of her daughter's room; Ashley watched her mother until she closed the door. Looking back at the porridge bowl, Ashley took a deep breath. The stew would be good, but because of illness, she was not interested.

"Finish it, Ashley, don't make yourself even more miserable." She said.

Ashley gave up after spending half of her meal, and she couldn't do it anymore, so if push made sure, she would spit it out. After waiting a while, she took her medicine and lay down against the window where the curtain was left open. It still rained even though it was not entirely clear this afternoon.

Slowly her eyes were closed, and Ashley was fast asleep. Just a few hours later, Ashley was restless, sweat broke out of her forehead, her forehead was also wrinkled, and Ashley's head was moving to her right and the left like someone was having a nightmare.

Ashley flinched, and she sat down. The sweat ran down for forehead; her face was pale, gasping for air, and she had a rapid heartbeat. In that condition, lightning struck with a tremendous amount of volume. Ashley was startled while holding her breast, and it was genuinely terrifying.

She tried to control herself and slowly began to calm down. Ashley looked down at the hands on her chest, and for some reason, she felt a slight pain, which was not from shock, but this was something different. Her chest was punctured like something, and from there, the pain she felt.

"The pain felt very real. How come." Ashley wiped away the sweat from her forehead and cheeks.

Again thunderstruck, the light went out. Indeed if it were to strike something, it could have been the tree in the neighborhood because it sounded so loud and close.

Ashley put her back, trying to sleep but couldn't. The dream she had just had flashed across her head that dreams were not very clear, but she knew for sure that it was not a beautiful dream, which was terrible. She saw herself in a not fine condition, lying in the middle of the pasture.

Ashley decided to ignore it, convinced the dream she had was just a dream, nothing more. Though there is still a slight sense of anxiety, she takes a deep breath and closes her eyes again.

"Morning, mom, dad." Ashley sat in the chair across from her father.

Shaun, busy reading the newspaper, turned to him. "Are you all right? She saw Ashley with a probing gaze until her forehead furrowed.

"I've been all right." Ashley poured the contents of the nearby milk boxes into a glass.

"Really?" Shaun asked inclusively.

"Yes, I'm fine." She drank the milk in half. "Where is Alice?"

"Going for a run," Lana answered from the kitchen. "What can I make you?"

"No, mom. Just bread."

Lana sighed; she went up to her daughter and stood there waisted. "If you don't eat, how will you be able to attend school next week?"

Ashley smiled stiffly. "All right, I'll eat. But I don't want to eat solid food."

"Oat, I'll make you an oat." Lana's moving into the kitchen again.

"Thank you, mom."

Alice came in with a red face and sweat soaking through the neck of her loose T-shirt. She ran to the kitchen and got a bottle of cold water from the refrigerator, and drank it. She was so relieved after she finished the water.

"I saw a fallen tree at the crossroads."

"That tree must have been struck by lightning last night." Ashley said.

"The weather's still bad. It was better for you two to stay home. "Shaun said. "I go first." He left the dining table.

Shaun Collins and their father worked as cops in the city while their mother, Alana Collins, opened a drug store. They're both busy with each other's work over Shaun.

"I have an appointment with a friend who wants to study together." Alice says.

"Be careful, don't forget to call mom if anything happens."

Ashley went back to her room after breakfast, and now she was alone at home. She reached for her phone and sent a message to two of her friends, asking them to come right away. Vina and Ferra came to visit her at ten o 'clock in the morning; Ashley welcomed them with swollen smiles.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you. Are you feeling any better?" Vina handed her a bag of cake that she had brought from her mother's store.

"Yeah, what's this?" Ashley took a peek at that plastic container. "Cake, thank you." Her smile grew more prominent.

"No problem."

"Are you alone at home?" said Ferra.

"Yes. My parents worked as usual and Alice more prominent study groups." She replied. "Let me make you a drink."

Ferra turned on the television to avoid quiet while Vina sat quietly next to her. It wasn't long before Ashley came over with a brew and a plate of sliced cake. The three of them spent some time talking, discussing everything Ashley had missed during her illness and some other things.

The three of them promised to go to the city park this morning just for a walk, and it's been a while since they went to the park. Ashley was already at the park; her home was not too far from the garden, just twenty minutes away on her bike.

"Sorry, I'm late."

"I just came too." Ashley answered.

"Ferra hasn't arrived yet?"

Ashley was just about to answer, and she saw Ferra running towards them.

"Come on."

No way they're just going to walk around here, and Ferra will take Ashley and Vina for a run, at least one round. She reasoned that running was good enough to exercise stamina and build up stamina, and seeing Ashley prone to illness, Ferra compelled her to exercise with him.

"That's it. I can't do it anymore." Ashley's breath hunted down; sweat flooded her forehead, and her face flushed.

"Ok, I also give up."

"You two are." Ferra looked at the annoyance of her two friends. "Ok, I'm gonna run another round."

"We wait there." Vina pointed to a long chair.

Ashley sat up, straightening her legs, watching those in front of her as Vina went to the supermarket to buy drinks.

"Drink up." Vina handed Ashley a bottle of mineral water.

"Thanks." The cold water soaked Ashley's parched throat. So refreshing.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't be sick if I just ran a loop."

"Don't push yourself."

"You worry too much. Don't make me feel like I have a terminal disease." She looked intently.

"Ok, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

Before Ashley came home, she got a message from her mother to get her something and asked her to take it to the drug store. Ashley strolled to her mother's drug store; she wasn't paying attention to the road. As it moves across from the left, a black pickup misses control and leads to where Ashley is standing.

To her great surprise, she didn't know what to do, but suddenly her brain was empty. She stayed completely still where she was beaten. Some people who saw Ashley shouted at her to get out of the way, but she didn't listen to them at all, as if she were deaf.

As the pickup pulled so close, Ashley suddenly pulled over; the black car crashed into a shoe store and smashed into a window. It happened quickly, and she was lucky that there were no casualties.

Ashley flinched when she realized that her elbow had pain, but the pain went away when she discovered a giant hand was holding her tightly, a man's hand; her heart was beating fast. Ashley bit her bottom lip; she didn't know what to do now.

The tug slipped before Ashley spoke; reflex, she looked back to see who had helped herself. Her eyes widened, which enabled her to be Alouise Altair, Louise. The black-haired, handsome man woke up; Ashley still froze to see Louise patching his shirt.

"Are you all right?" She asked. Louise's face looked flat at Ashley.

Ashley blinked. "Y-yes, I-i'm fine." She rises.

"Thank you for saving me." She said quietly.

There was no answer, Ashley looked up, and he saw Louise standing up and about to leave. Ashley hurried to her feet and pressed his arm, noticing that the man's clothes were torn and wet. Its blood.

She looked at Louise for a moment and then went back to look at the man's arm; she opened her torn sleeve and found a cut long enough behind it; Louise's hand bled out, and Ashley grimaced.

"This needs to be treated right away. Come with me."

Louise grabbed his hand. "No need."

She looked Louise in the eye. "You are hurt and must be treated immediately before the infection." Ashley said firmly. "My mother's store is not far from here, and let me patch you up as a thank you."

Louise sighed; he didn't want to get involved with Ashley. He just wanted to get away from her no matter what, but looking at the girl's seriousness, he couldn't do anything about it.

"Come with me." Without waiting for Louise's answer, she grabbed him.