"Alright everyone, we are leaving in five! Anyone not in the car is walking!" Cody's voice boomed through the Baldwin house, echoing off the high ceilings and pristine walls.
He slung his backpack over one shoulder and yanked his school blazer from the hallway cupboard, grumbling under his breath. With their parents already gone to work at the crack of dawn and Harriet sleeping over at Finola's, the responsibility of herding the rest of the Baldwin kids to school had fallen on him — a job he loathed more than anything. Getting this bunch up and out the door on time was like trying to wrestle cats into a swimming pool.
He checked his watch with an exasperated sigh. "Let's move it, people! I need to pick up Millie too, and if we're late, I swear—"
Jackson and Harper came clambering down the stairs in tandem. Jackson ran his fingers through his tangled mop of chocolate-brown hair, his uniform half-buttoned and socks mismatched. Harper was tugging up her knee-highs, muttering about her skirt riding up.
Cody's sharp eyes scanned the pair and immediately noticed something — or rather, someone — was missing. He raised an eyebrow at Jackson.
"What? I brushed my teeth." Jackson said defensively, mid yawn.
"Where's Aura?"
"Oh! I think she's still in our room. Hold on, I'll grab her."
Jackson pivoted and raced back up the stairs, throwing open the bedroom door he shared with his twin sister. His eyes scanned the space until they landed on the small, curled-up figure barely visible beneath a mountain of covers.
Aura.
She was buried deep into the duvet, her body motionless except for the slow, rhythmic rise and fall of her chest. Jackson crossed the room and knelt beside her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder and giving it a light shake.
"Aura... come on."
She didn't stir.
"Aura, wake up. Cody's freaking out and we're gonna be late."
Her eyes fluttered open, sluggish and unfocused. Jackson felt a chill prickle down his spine. Her normally bright gaze was dull and glassy, the skin around her eyes swollen and her cheeks faintly bloated. Something wasn't right. This wasn't Aura — not the girl who was always first up, always moving, always ready. She looked... drained. Hollow.
Before he could say more, her eyes drifted shut again like she hadn't even registered his presence.
Jackson stood quickly, anxiety rising, and darted back to the landing. Cody and Harper were still waiting at the bottom of the stairs. One look at Jackson's face and Cody knew something was off.
"What is it?" Cody called. "Is she coming?"
"I... I don't think she's well." Jackson said, voice cracking slightly. "She looks really sick. Like, really sick."
"What?" Harper asked, already starting up the stairs.
"She's just not responding. Her eyes look all weird."
Cody and Harper exchanged a tense glance before hurrying upstairs. Jackson stopped Cody with a hand to his chest before he could go inside.
"Wait." he said quietly. "I didn't want to say this in front of her but... I heard her. On Thanksgiving. She was in the bathroom throwing up. She had the water running, but I heard it. And I saw the tray of food in the kitchen — it was empty. I think her... condition came back."
Cody's shoulders dropped. He didn't want to hear it. Not from Jackson. Not from anyone. But deep down, he had suspected as much. He nodded silently as Harper slipped into the bedroom.
Inside, Harper crossed to Aura's bed and gently brushed the hair from her forehead, her heart sinking. Aura was burning up — her skin radiated heat like a furnace. Her lips were pale, her breathing shallow.
Panic set in instantly.
Harper raced back into the hallway, her face pale and stricken. "Cody! Call an ambulance — now. She's boiling, and she won't respond. Something's seriously wrong."
Cody didn't hesitate. As he pulled out his phone and dialed, Harper paced the hallway, Jackson sitting numbly against the wall.
Aura was rushed to the hospital.
School forgotten. Time suspended.
Cody, Harper, and Jackson sat side by side outside the room, the cold linoleum floor doing nothing to ground their nerves. Cody tapped anxiously at his phone, sending a quick message to Millie explaining why he wasn't coming to class. Harper stared into the hospital room window, watching the silhouettes of doctors and nurses moving around their sister as they drew blood and whispered in clipped, clinical tones.
Finally, the doctor emerged.
He was tall and solemn, clipboard in hand, pen twirling slowly between his fingers.
"You're family?" he asked.
All three nodded at once.
"Which of you is the eldest?"
Cody stood. "That'd be me. Well, technically our oldest sister isn't here right now. I'm next."
The doctor nodded. "Is Aura allergic to anything? Has she eaten today? Do you know what or how much?"
Cody exchanged a helpless glance with his siblings and sighed.
"She's had... issues. With bulimia. Since she was little. It got better for a while. But we think... it's come back."
The doctor's expression darkened. "There's no note of any eating disorder on her file. Has she ever received treatment? Seen a doctor?"
Cody clenched his jaw. "Our parents didn't want her to. They were afraid of it hurting the family's image."
"She's severely underweight.." the doctor said gravely. "We'll need to keep her in until we stabilise her. I suggest you contact your parents. This can't be ignored anymore."
The siblings fell silent.
Embarrassed. Ashamed. Angry.
When their parents finally arrived, grim-faced and dismissive, they immediately ordered the children to go back to school, claiming they didn't want "unnecessary attention."
So they went. Because that's what Baldwins did.
Harper trudged through the school hallway beside Blake, who was holding her hand — partly out of comfort, partly for show. She barely noticed his touch. Her thoughts were still in the hospital room.
"I just can't believe Mom and Dad didn't notice." she said, her voice brittle. "Or maybe they did and just didn't care. Now look. Aura's in the hospital. Again."
Blake squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry, Harp. I hope she gets better soon. Let her know I'm thinking of her, yeah? I've got practice, but I'll see you at lunch."
He leaned down to kiss her temple before disappearing into the throng of students. Harper stood there a moment longer, dazed, her heart too heavy for her chest.
She was just starting toward her next class when a voice stopped her cold.
"Excuse me? Are you Aura Baldwin's sister?"
Harper turned sharply, eyebrows raised. Her eyes locked with a girl she'd never seen before — tall, broad-shouldered, ponytail tied high with a bright blue scrunchie. Her soccer uniform clung perfectly to her athletic frame. Sunlight poured in from the window behind her, catching the light freckles across her cheeks.
Harper stared. She stared.
"Uh... I am." she managed. "Why?"
"I'm Leah." the girl said. "Captain of the girls' soccer team. Aura hasn't been to practice and we've got a big game coming up. She'll probably be benched, but I just wanted to check — is she okay? She kinda passed out at the last game.."
They stood there, silently. The moment hung in the air, taut and unspoken.
Harper's jaw slackened slightly. Her stomach flipped. Where the hell did this girl come from?
"Uh... Aura's in the hospital. She's not well. Just let your coach know she's not playing."
Leah's expression shifted from curiosity to concern. "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. I'll let Coach know."
Then, Harper couldn't help herself.
"What happened to... what's-her-face? The one with the lazy eye?"
Leah chuckled, not missing a beat. "Beth? Two dislocated knees. She's out for the season. I was captain before but I'd been at sports camp — now I'm back."
A flicker of amusement danced in Leah's eyes. Then her expression softened.
"I hope your sister's okay. Really. That sucks."
"Thanks." she said, voice barely above a whisper. "I'll let her know you were asking."