I wake up to a cold bed, empty and alone. I frown, hoping to have woken up before Octavius had to leave for work. Pulling myself out of bed, I place my bare small feet on the floor.

I wince, a sudden pang of pain hitting my waist. I grab my right hip, and raise my shirt lightly. A small, purple web of veins forms a circle at the top of my hip bone.

"What the hell-" I whisper, touching the area lightly, and have to bite my lip to stop from crying out. I stand to walk, and the pain subsides slightly, bearable.

"Stupid Octavius probably rolled over on me during the night." I think to myself. Walking to my closet, I pull out a long sleeved and low cut black shirt, with a pair of jeans and sneakers.

"Ale?" I hear Klaude's voice call through my door.

"Yeah?" I respond, tying my sneakers.

"Are you decent? Are the boobies hidden?"

"Oh my god," I sigh, and fling open the door, to see a grinning Klaude. "You're so immature."

"Nuh Uh!" He pouts, thrusting his hands on his hips. I just laugh and push past him, heading towards the kitchen.

"Octavius wanted to see you at the residential wing soon, the pack doctor is having a look at your friends." I smile.

"Good, I don't think it's going to be anything serious, but I wanted to make sure. Lacy is like my baby sister I never had."

"What about me?" Klaude asks, his thumb poking towards his skinny chest.

"You're just the annoying baby cousin who cries all the time." He sticks his tongue out.

I start to brew my coffee, pulling the skim milk out of the fridge.

"Want any?" I ask, turning to Klaude.

"Hm, me plus more caffeine?" He places his hand on his chin, pretending to think.

"Oh, good choice."

After finishing a donut and another cup of coffee, Klaude leads me down to the residence hall once again, and we playfully shove each other every now and then, our own little game. We reach the hall and enter the large room, already heading for Lacy's family apartment. I frown slightly, having to stop in front of the door to wait for it to open, I stayed still, which sent a sharp pain down to my hip again.

"What's wrong?" Klaude asked, looking down at me.

"Nothing," I shift to the opposite hip, the pain subsiding.

The door then opens, revealing an older looking man in a white coat; I assumed his was the pack doctor.

"Ah, Alessandra, come in." He leads us into the tiny apartment, and I was shocked by the amount of people there. There are several women with pink coats, nurses. And Lacy's parents.

"Alessandra!" Lacy's mother, Anna, calls and runs to hug me, and I see the tears in her eyes.

"Anna, what's happened?" I let go of her.

"It's-It's Charlie." Her voice breaks in her sobs.

Oh God please no. Please don't let him be dead.

I hear a baby's cry and let out a sigh of relief, which disappears when I see Charlie on a small table-bed.

The tiny red-headed infant is covered in webs of purple veins, some of them green around the edges. And they look the same as the one on my hip...

"I need to see Octavius." I say to the doctor, and he leads me into a separate room, where I see Octavius sitting on the foot of the bed, looking at a sleeping Lacy. He looks up at me when I enter, and I go to him quickly, holding back my wince.

"Octavius, what is happening to Charlie?" I ask quickly, my hands shaking.

He stands up and holds me by my shoulders, and the look in his eyes say it's not good news.

"Alessandra, the family was poisoned."

I freeze, words not registering in my mind.

"What do you mean, poisoned?" I shake slightly, my whole body going into shock.

"Someone put something into their last meal, it's causing painful boils under the skin. Wolfsbane mixed with ivy. The wolfsbane damages their abilities, and the ivy burns the organs and the skin."

I can't breath, my little Charlie. I gasp, and rush over to Lacy, who is sleeping tucked into the covers. Careful not to wake up, I slightly pull up the blanket and let out a tiny sob. Her arms and neck are covered in the splotches.

No, please, oh god please.

I collapse to the ground, and my hip screams in pain, and let out a cry of pain.

"Alessandra?" Octavius appears at my side, and reaches out to touch me. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing-AH!" I scream out in pain again, my side in flames.

Octavius grabs me and pulls up the hem of my shirt, revealing the growing patch of purple and now green.

He growls angrily, deeper than ever before. "Alessandra, you've been poisoned."