As much as Jack wanted to immediately rush to Jamie Bennett's home and check on his first believer, he knew Bunny was right in reminding him they had to check on all of the other children first. Jack knew how much Jamie's sister Sophie meant to Bunny. It was best they check on the siblings last; it would give them more time to stick around since it would be their last stop.
The next hour or two were almost a blur to Jack, but he was able to comprehend that most people that had contracted the disease, it seemed, were adults that either lived with a single partner or by themselves. There were very few children to check in on for more than a moment in a sick household. Jack supposed it was a glimmer of hope in the whole mess.
For every household that held someone ill, child or adult, Jack left a sign for Mother Nature, something like a simple snowflake on the rooftop that could last for a while in the rising temperatures. She had been spending the last month traveling around the world after the Guardians, using the will and whims of nature as she could to try and naturally inhibit and destroy the disease. It worried Jack that Mother Nature was so concerned about the Coronavirus. Disease was naturally a part of life, and pandemics were as well, unfortunately, but the spirit felt something was off about this particular one, as if it was never supposed to happen.
Most of Jamie's friends lived in the half of the town that Jack was assigned to survey. Cupcake was on Bunny's half, but Jack was able to check in on Pippa and Monty, who made sure to wave as he passed before returning to their homework. Jack had heard the schools had been closed and teachers were relying on parents to get kids their homework and keep them on track in their education.
Claude and Caleb's window was open when Jack flew by, and he backtracked when he heard them call out to him as they noticed him flying away.
"You two doing okay?" Jack asked as he flew into their room and landed on Caleb's bed gracefully. "It can't be fun being cooped up like this."
"At least we have the run of the house," Claude frowned. "Jamie's mom is making him quarantine in his room. Brings up his food and everything. And he's been kind of keeping to himself. We haven't really heard anything for a few days now."
"We were thinking you might know something, Jack," Caleb piped up. "We didn't know if we hadn't heard from him because he's ill or…"
"Is there anything you can do, Jack?" Claude asked. "If Jamie is ill?"
Jack fought to keep a frown from pulling his lips down. Even though Jamie and his friends were now sixteen and understood the limitations that even magic and immortals had, he knew that hope was what they needed more right now than reality.
"Mother Nature is using some of her older techniques from the Middle Ages," Jack explained. "It seems to be working fairly well so far. So if anything's wrong with Jamie, I'll get her immediately."
Their shoulders seemed to loosen in relief at his words.
"Tell Jamie to text us, yeah?" Claude asked.
"Of course."
Claude and Caleb watched as Jack took off to the sky, checking on other apartment complexes in their neighborhood. Their part of town was the least affected so far, and Jack hoped it would stay that way.
As soon as Bunny came to meet up with Jack by the memorial statue downtown, he raced off towards the Bennett home further in the suburb area of the city, Bunny hot on his tail. He knew Pitch would probably feel the slight tremors of fear Jack felt as he and Bunny approached Jamie's window, as the sun began to set into an orange and pink sky and Burgess began to wind down for the day.
Jamie was sitting at his desk on the opposite end of his room from his single window. His back was facing Jack and Bunny as he was hunched over, deeply concentrated on whatever he was working on. Jack gently tapped on the window with his staff, pulling Jamie from his concentration as he looked over the window to beam at the two spirits. He quickly rushed from his desk to the window to let them in.
"I wasn't expecting to see you guys," Jamie started as he pulled the window open and stepped aside. "I figured you'd be busy in, you know, the big cities like LA or something, where it's really bad."
"We're on a check up mission, since there was an outbreak downtown," Bunny explained. "You're our last stop, so we thought we'd stop by to chat."
"You're not sick," Jack observed with relief.
Jamie shook his head. "I'm fine. Sophie's getting better day by day. It's slow, but it's progress. Doctor said she should be feeling mostly fine in about a week or two."
Bunny's ears immediately drooped and Jack almost dropped his staff. Jamie raised an eyebrow at their reactions.
"Sophie's sick?" Bunny asked.
"Yeah," Jamie responded, still incredibly confused by their reactions. "She and Dad got COVID from one of Dad's coworkers. Sophie had it worse than Dad; he's already back to working. I… I thought you guys knew since that really nice lady has been sitting with her."
"Who?" Jack enquired, his grip tightening on his staff.
"Um, a spirit," Jamie responded, pointing towards his bedroom door. "She's been sitting with Sophie since the second day. Dad and Mom can't see her. I thought you guys sent her to sit with Sophie."
Jack and Bunny exchanged concerned glances with each other before turning back to a now worried-looking Jamie.
"Take us to her."
