Brotherhood

Violet

I heard my phone buzzing on the nightstand.

Arrrggghhh! Let me sleeeeppp!

I slapped the nightstand until I found my phone and turned it off without opening my eyes. I tried to fall asleep again, but apparently, an alarm clock is all it takes to make my body shift to an uncomfortable position without moving. I turned around on my bed, trying to find once again enough comfort to fall asleep, but after every position possible I gave up and hit the mattress.

Just great. Not.

It's safe to say that I got up on the wrong side of the bed, and not just literally. Don't get me wrong, I usually wake up early. Even on weekends I set up the alarm so I don't sleep too much, but yesterday I came home late and drank a little too much, so I was really looking forward to cuddling with my pillow all morning.

I took a shower, got dressed and had breakfast. I turned on my phone again and sat on the couch watching random videos on the internet. Then it hit me and decided to do some research on the Brotherhood. I pick up my laptop and started my research.

I started compiling information that was or could be related to the Brotherhood and the dark side of the pharmaceutical companies. It didn't take me long to have all the information filtrated and organized as I was used to doing the same when I search for relevant scientific papers, which was an important part of my job.

The more I read, the more revolted I felt. Dozens of Labs, Pharmaceutical companies, politicians walked free without any penalty despite the clear pieces of evidence of their crimes. Hundreds of anonymous denunciations accompanied with evidence and not once I've heard of it on the news. 

At that moment I realized two things: The Brotherhood has been doing an amazing job, and corruption was too deep-rooted in this country. It's sad to see that we don't learn from our mistakes. We barely survived the last war and here we are now repeating the same mistakes of the past.

I received a text from Levy saying that he was going to add me to a messaging group with Igor and Olivia.

Igor (3:10 pm): Welcome to the family Lisa!

Lisa (3:12 pm): Thanks for adopting me 😉

Igor (3:14 pm): It's a pleasure, but there is something you need to know, is just one little rule you have to follow to be a part of this family.

Lisa (3:15 pm): Worship and love you?

Igor (3:16 pm): Wow, you're good. How did you know?

Olivia (3:17 pm): Maybe it's because of the stupid name you found for the group?

Lisa (3:18 pm): Yeah, it was easy. But I have to say, I'm not surprised that you named the group 'We love Igor', you're too predictable.

Igor (3:18 pm): Stupid?! How dare you ?! Girls, I'm hurt...

Levy (3:20 pm): There, there, big boy.

Igor (3:21 pm): But it's ok Ols, I forgive you. I know it's the hangover talking, I know you love me too 😉. As for you Lisa I'll blame it on your rookie status.

Olivia (3:22 pm): Yeah, maybe like really, really, really deep down.

We kept talking all afternoon and I never thought I could laugh so much by texting. Levy was also texting me privately as we didn't want to ruin the argument Igor was having with Olivia about how much she loved him.

An hour later I received a call from an unknown number.

"Hello?"

"Hello, this is the Redhill Hospital," a female voice said. "I'm calling you because we admitted a patient that had your number as the emergency contact." My eyes widened as I guessed who the patient was.

"Violet?"

"Yes, Violet Summers. I am sorry to say that she has been admitted to the hospital after she collapsed at work. She is stable, but she's currently in a coma."

I felt tears falling from my eyes as I listened to the woman on the other side of the phone. After the call ended, I just put down the phone and curled myself into a ball and cried. I just couldn't believe it, I talked to her the day yesterday and she was totally fine.

Violet was my childhood friend. We were basically raised together, we were family. She had lost her parents to one of those mysterious diseases that were born from the war when she was twelve. Since she was my best friend and my parents knew her, they took her in. When she was eighteen she collapsed, and we rush her to the hospital where she was diagnosed with the same mysterious disease as her parents, the RX6 disease.

The RX diseases are the unknown radioactive diseases. There are eight in total. Scientists don't know the causes, nor do they understand the fully extended effects of these diseases, which make it hard to find a cure. Over the years only one of them has been identified and is now treatable.

Violet was lucky at that time. Unlike when her parents died there had been some breakthroughs and when she was diagnosed, she was accepted as a patient to receive an experimental treatment. It wasn't a cure, but if it worked it could control the effects of the disease and let her live. 

And it did, for five years she lived an almost perfectly normal life. People couldn't tell she was sick, she was happy and healthy.

She was the reason why I studied genetics and biochemistry in the first place. I wanted to find a cure for her. Eleonor allowed me to use the lab outside my working hours to do it, but I never managed to find anything relevant, and now it might be too late.