Geostigma is a rare disease, only found in Twilight Town. After an accident caused by the company ShinRa that taints the water supply of a village, those who have considerably weaker immune systems, especially children, easily contract the disease. Those who are infected have what is called "Jenova cells", which the body tries and fails to fight against, thus making the host more prone to illness. Symptoms include black sores that ooze a congealed black liquid, physical and mental weakness, and fatigue. Those closer to death begin to experience hallucinations and seizures. A simple cold can kill someone at this point. It's not contagious, but it's believed to be. Those with Geostigma are avoided. Their life expectancy after contracting the disease is relatively unknown until it's too late. Family members, particularly parents, who weren't sick left promptly. Because Twilight Town was the only area that had hospitals that treated Geostigma, those who were sick couldn't follow them.
That was five years ago. Nothing has gotten better.
Full Name: Ventus Strife
DOB: 5/24/1997
Sex: Male
Level of Education: Current High School Student
Employment: N/A
Family: Father (deceased), mother (no contact), two older brothers, one triplet brother, one triplet sister, one younger brother
Partner: N/A
Positive/Negative: Positive
If Positive, Current Status: Jenova cells, no visible sores, physical weakness, fatigue
Every day has become a routine. At least, that's what I say. Sometimes Cloud agrees. The sun rises and falls the same, day-to-day routines fall in order, and we're all numb in response. Cloud is always gloomy. Vanitas is always stressed and angered. Sora is always a ray of sunshine. Roxas is… Roxas. And I'm a quiet observer.
Every morning begins with me rolling onto my left side, staring at Roxas' empty bed, as unmade as it was the day he walked out – again – and went to live with Kairi's family, one month ago. I then roll out of bed and, because it's a Thursday, put on my school uniform – white button-down shirt, blue vest, blue pants, and black shoes. I beat my brothers into the bathroom, because Sora procrastinates and Vanitas and Cloud are usually drinking coffee by now. Naminé leaves earlier than the rest of us to work on art projects, and Tifa doesn't come back from her bartending job for another hour. Once I'm done, I head downstairs, where my brothers are eating breakfast.
"Aren't you going to brush your teeth, Sora?" I ask, like always.
Sora shakes his head, like always. "I don't want to taste mint while I'm eating my cereal," he says.
"Hurry up," Vanitas orders. "I wanna be gone in ten minutes." He says this like Aerith would get him fired for being late. Sora nods and runs upstairs to grab his school things. I grab a cereal bar and follow to get my own things. Seven minutes later, we're in the backseat of Vanitas' sedan, being driven to school.
"Anyone giving you trouble lately?" he asks as we near the school.
"Riku got Seifer to stop bullying us," Sora says cheerfully.
"Hayner keeps on bothering me, but he just wants to know where Roxas is," I say. "Kairi threatened him into leaving us alone."
Vanitas' jaw tightens at the mention of Roxas. "And what the hell has he been up to?"
I shrug. "Ask Naminé when she goes over there next. Or maybe Tifa knows. I think she still talks to Reno."
As Vanitas stops in front of the school, I hear him mutter something like, "sell-out bastard red-head." Sora and I thank him for the ride and get out of the car. We fall in line with the other kids walking into the building. Some of them look at Sora and back away. Even though his sores are bandaged before we go to school, he shows other symptoms that scare off people. I'm not as obvious; I'm the only person in the family without sores. Cloud wears long sleeves. Sora bandages his. Roxas, whenever he goes outside, wears a hoodie he took from Axel a while ago.
I walk Sora to his class, and get assurance from one of this friends that they'll keep an eye on him, today Selphie. I head to my own class and sit in the back corner with Kairi and Naminé. Roxas' seat, the one next to Kairi and in front of Naminé, is empty.
"We tried to get him out of the house," Kairi says when she sees my disappointed look. "It ended in a bad fight between him and Axel, so they're spending the day 'rekindling'."
Naminé sighed. "He's seven years older than him. I wish he wouldn't do something like this. Nothing against Axel, just my idiotic brother."
Every morning is filled with a short-lived with a brief update about Roxas, before our teacher begins the lesson. Each class is the same. The teacher gives us lectures and asks us if we know the answers. If Kairi or I raise our hands, we're ignored. She don't want to hear anything we have to say. If Kairi raises her right hand, and she sees the sores on the back of it, she wrinkles her nose and turns her heads. That keeps her from raising her hand for the rest of the day.
During lunch, the three of us stay in the back corner of the classroom. Sometimes, Hayner, Pence, and Olette join us. Today, the teacher has them clean the white board. Naminé leaves us halfway through lunch hour to continue a project in the art room.
Today suddenly becomes different. Kairi looks at me and says quietly, "I wish I were like Roxas."
I raised an eyebrow. "Why?" I ask.
"He doesn't have to go through this torture."
Now I raise both my eyebrows. "Are you kidding? Roxas is a coward! He can't face the music, so he hides in his house! Or, more appropriately, behind your brother. He thinks he's the only person who has to deal with this shit and expects all this pity to be thrown at him. He has no idea what I go through, or Sora, or Xion, or Cloud, or you–!"
"Ventus…" Kairi says. She's hugging herself, staring at me with wide indigo eyes. I feel bad for scaring her.
"I'm sorry," I tell her quietly. "I don't know what came over me. I don't usually…"
She puts her hand over mine. "It's okay," she says. "We all have to let off steam now and then."
That ends the conversation. Naminé returns to class, and the day progresses as it usually does.
At the end of the day, Naminé, Sora, and I sit on the curb a block away from the school, waiting for our ride. Today, it's Xion's older brother, Zack. He said Aerith and Vanitas were back at the house, and they were going to do our monthly check-ups from there.
"Why can't we wait in front of the school, Nami?" Sora asks.
"Because we don't want any trouble with other people," she explains, using the sweet voice she saves for helping Sora understand without scaring him. "Cloud would get mad if we got into trouble." She wraps an arm around his shoulders and rubs his arm, before he winces as she puts pressure on his bicep and pulls away.
Zack finally pulls up in front of us. Xion sits in the front seat, and the rest of us pile in the back: Naminé behind Zack, me behind Xion, and Sora in the middle. The ride to Zack's home is silent, with the exception of the new YuRiPa CD Xion plays. I stare out the window and watch the homes as we pass by. One of them has a sign, shooting off hate toward "the infected ones". Sora gasps lightly. Naminé and I both hold out a hand to shield his eyes.
When we pull into the driveway, Xion promises Sora they can play her new video game after Aerith is done with their check-ups. Zack says he'll order dinner for us. The rest of us go upstairs to the in-home office, where Aerith and Vanitas are reading over files. Naminé, Sora, and I sat in the chairs and turn them around while Xion strips to her underwear and lets Aerith check over her. Every now and then, she will ask Xion a question, or tell Vanitas to jot something down. When Xion is redressed and done, she trades places with Sora, who goes through the same process. They raced to Xion's room once he is done, and I go through the same. No sores yet, my fatigue hasn't changed, and my physical strength has gotten better since the last time we met.
"Ventus, Naminé," Aerith says, "We need to talk about Sora."
The three of us exchanged glances. "Is he getting worse?" Naminé asks.
Aerith nods solemnly. "Vanitas will tell your brother about it later. I don't want to scare you kids but…"
Naminé left the room. Whenever we talk about Geostigma, especially Sora's condition, she sits in a room and stares at the wall, her face slack. It's her way of coping, we've assumed. When Aerith gives me a puzzled look, I shake my head. There's no bringing Naminé out of one of her spells. We have to wait them out, we've learned.
"Vanitas, you can copy the files in Zack's office and show them to Cloud later," Aerith says. "Ventus, why don't you play video games with Sora and Xion?" I nod and leave the room.
I sit on the bed in Xion's room, while she and Sora play their game. I stare at the back of Sora's head as he accuses Xion of cheating on the last level. He's only fifteen years old. The youngest of the six of us. He's so full of love and life. I can't imagine that light flickering out. How will Naminé take it? Vanitas? What about when that happens with Cloud and I? Or Roxas? Who's going to tell Roxas about Sora?
The rest of the day is a blur. By this time, everything becomes jaded and depressing. Zack bought us pizza for dinner – one plain, one pepperoni, and one pineapple because it's Sora's favorite. When we finish, Naminé helps Aerith clean up. Tifa comes by shortly afterwards and picks us up. She drops us off and heads to work, saying she'll take us to school in the morning if she's home in time. Inside, Cloud tells us to go to bed; tonight is a school night, and Sora and I are worn out by now.
Sora is the only one who actually goes to bed. Naminé and I sit in her doorway with the door cracked open, trying to hear what our brothers are saying. They speak in hushed tones, until Cloud suddenly lets out a sob. I open the door a bit wider to see Vanitas hugging Cloud tightly, trying not to cry himself.
I fall asleep in Naminé's room that night, hugging her close. She's become stoic again, staring out her window, completely unresponsive, as I run my fingers through her hair.
Today isn't like the other days. These are the days that make me wish life wasn't like this. They're the days that make me wish Dad didn't die, and Mom didn't leave us when she found out her sons were sick. That Roxas doesn't live at Kairi's house and still wants to at least talk to us.
I wish every day was a numb-filled, day-to-day routine, so I would never have days like these.