It was a brisk Friday afternoon in early March, and Alrianna was enjoying her normal walk home by herself. She hummed softly as she carried her friend's, Janice's, school work. She needed to deliver it quickly and get home. Her mom was fixing her favorite meal tonight, and she didn’t want it to be cold!

She said hi to Janice’s parents and asked if she could see her.

“Unfortunately, Jan is sound asleep right now. The medicine her doctor gave her knocked her out cold! But, I’ll have her call you when she wakes up,” her mom replied.

“Thank you, Ms. Mary! I’ll see you all tomorrow,” Alrianna replied cheerfully, as she shut the front door behind her.

The sun was already starting to sink past the dense layer of smog hanging over the city, so she decided to walk a little faster. As she climbed the stairs to enter her apartment building, Alrianna heard a faint sound, like whispered gibberish. She turned around and looked up and down the street, but she saw no one. Shrugging her shoulders and resuming her humming, she turned the knob, entered the hallway and joined her neighbor in the elevator.

They shared pleasant small talk as the heavy, metal box climbed slowly to the fourth floor. The doors opened and both of them stepped out onto the solid, carpeted ground.

“Tell your mom, I wish her good luck and I hope things get better soon!” Her neighbor said as she opened the door to her own apartment.

“What could she possibly be talking about?” Alrianna wondered.

But, aloud she only had time to respond with a quick “Ok” before her neighbor pulled the door shut with a slight bang. She pushed it from her mind as she opened her own door, expecting to be greeted by the delicious smell of her mom’s special baked ziti.