**Rick**
Nari woke up to a strange bubbling sound. The last thing she remembered was Leo washing dishes in her kitchen. It seemed they had dinner. Dionna, as always, fell asleep first and Leo didn’t wake her. Nari covered her with a blanket, and then… then she fell asleep next to her. Rubbing her eyes, Nari forced herself to wake up.
Through the translucent curtains, pale morning light seeped into the room. The sky was shrouded in gray clouds, and it was drizzling. Nari turned over. Dionna lay next to her. Her breathing was heavy, uneven, as if she was gasping, trying to inhale but failing. Nari touched her forehead; the girl was burning. The network of veins pulsed on her neck.
"Damn..." the girl cursed, "is it happening again…"
"Nari..." Dionna opened her eyes, "good morning."
"Good morning?!" Inarya jumped out of bed and rushed to the wardrobe, "is something hurting? Where are your meds?"
"They're finished," Di said quietly, "I forgot about them. It’s been a long time since I had an episode... so I thought..."
"Thinking is not your strong suit," muttered Nari, "I’ll run to the city. I’ll bring everything. I’ll call Leo, he’ll make you some porridge for breakfast."
"Nari, wait…" Dionna started coughing.
"What?!"
"Stay with me a little longer…" Di grabbed the girl by the cuff, "just a little bit."
"But the meds..."
"I won't die if you don't bring them immediately. It’s just a cold."
Nari helplessly sank onto the edge of the bed. Dionna squeezed her hand.
"Cold? Want me to get you a blanket?"
"Just sit with me..."
Di had weak health since childhood. Besides the genetic disease of camellia, which affected her internal organs, she fell ill every time the seasons changed. Nari hated those days. She felt awkward, uncomfortable. So, whenever Dionna got sick, she tried to escape. To get the medicines, cook food, clean the room for fresh air. She was willing to do anything to avoid sitting in Di's bed. And to not see how life slowly dripped away from her...
The fear of witnessing a loved one die again was stronger than the desire to be near. It was painful. And Dionna knew that. She understood all of Nari's fears. When they were children, Nari tried to be by her side every time she started getting sick, to entertain her. But when they turned 16, everything changed. And the older they became, the more Dionna's health deteriorated. Nari was a favorite who felt any changes in living organisms. She could heal herself and others. So, she knew better than any doctor what condition Di was in. And because of this, being near her was unbearable.
"There will be many casualties in the Arena this year," Dionna whispered.
"Don't say nonsense," Nari looked out the window, avoiding her gaze.
"Winter was cold, spring was not sunny at all. Summer won't be very hot. The Tree needs to survive the winter. If only one flower blooms during the stage, the other will need..."
"Di!" Nari snapped irritably, "we will do everything to prevent that."
"Do you still believe that anything depends on us?"
"No, but... it’s such nonsense! Omegas are only 7% of the entire population. If all of them were sent to waste, then what would the Alphas do without their farms?! Humanity is already dying off..."
"Well, betas, unlike Alphas, can reproduce, so only Alphas will die out, and we with them, if they so wish."
"If the Tree dies, we’re all done for," Nari shook her head sadly.
They sat in silence for a while, and then Dionna coughed again; her breathing became intermittent once more. Nari jumped to her feet.
"I’ll go call Leo," she said, "you wait for me here."
"Nari, don’t run away," Dionna tried to grab her hand, but this time it didn’t work.
"I’m not running away," the girl said, "I’m just going to get the meds."
"You can ask Leo."
"I’m better at navigating the city!"
"Nari, enough!" Dionna suddenly burst out.
Her violet eyes sparkled in the morning light and then dimmed. Nari froze at the doorway.
"Every time I get sick... you run away. Is it so hard for you to stay? Am I a burden to you?"
"Don’t say nonsense..." Nari averted her gaze, "I just can move much faster. And I want to help. Leo is unmatched as a caregiver, so... Di, really, I’m sorry. This is for the best. I’ll call him..."
She opened the door and nearly bumped into the boy.
"I wanted to ask if you were going to have breakfast," he began, confused, but fell silent when he looked over Nari's shoulder.
"Stay with her, I'm going for the meds!" Nari rushed past him, "I’ll be back soon."
Leo watched her leave, then entered the apartment. Dionna didn’t look at him.
"She’s running away again…" the young man whispered, "Di, don’t be angry at her, please. She’s dealing with this in her own way."
"Uh-huh…" the girl muttered under her breath, "I know."
‘Better than anyone, you know those meds won’t help me,’ flashed through her mind.