A/N: Did someone say MuRDeR?! "But Ruby, there's already a pandemic going on!" I may be biting off more than I can chew, but this story is peak chaos and it ain't stopping any time soon. So buckle up! This chapter is alternatively called: Seven Idiots and a Body. Performances by: Avery, Addison, Talis, Niko, Rori, Geneva, Joey, King Henry, Isabel Willow Green, and Sanjay, featuring Cameron's corpse. Enjoy!

Quarantine, Day 2 Part 2

Rori was in Hell.

First, the quarantine happened. If that wasn't bad enough, she learned she had to room with her ex and broke a nail. Now, to make it even worse, she was a witness to a murder? A murder they were definitely contaminating by moving the body, thereby increasing her chances of life behind by bars drastically by the second. Don't get her wrong, Rori loved to be at the center of things, but a girl could use a break! And a large glass of Prosecco.

Is this my punishment for refusing to attend my parent's charity gala last month? she asked God. Not that she was very religious...or religious at all.

"Pivot! Pivot! Pivot!" Avery shouted, standing a good five feet back from the body at all times. Two floors up, Cameron's hand had brushed against Avery's and he had screamed so loud the birds five provinces away probably heard.

"Why do you keep saying that?" Addison snapped, two seconds away from ripping Avery's head clean off his shoulders. Usually Rori prided herself on being a good friend, but in this instance, she had to side with Addy. Avery was being annoying as fuck.

"It's what you say when you're trying to direct people," Avery said with a shrug. "Saw it in a TV show once."

Everyone sighed and continued to ignore Avery. The last few steps to the infirmary were excruciating...to watch. It wasn't like Rori was carrying the body. Heaven forbid! No, she stood aside and watched Niko carry poor Cameron and deposit her, effortlessly might she add, on the metal examination table with only the slightest sheen of sweat on his royal brow. Those muscles must have been working overtime, practically straining to be contained within the confines of his button-down.

"I knew keeping you around for heavy lifting would pay off." Rori patted Niko on the chest, overly pleased with the situation. She sighed to herself, a little bit of longing in her heart. If only things had worked out between them. If only Niko wasn't -

"Okay...now what?" Niko asked, brushing his palms down his pants. He looked deliciously rumpled. Rori wanted to run her hands through his hair, and was struck with another pang of longing. Not fair, not fair, not fair!

Everyone was silent for a minute, just watching and waiting for someone to make the first move. Talis bit down on their bottom lip, tears in their eyes. Addison held onto Talis, slightly green in the face. Niko was still struggling to catch his breath, bent over at the waist. That left...

Avery opened his mouth. "I'm sorry, are we supposed to be sad that she died? Because I have some things I'd like to say - "

"Aha!" Rori cried, cutting off what would have been the start of the most irreverent eulogy ever made.

She brushed the dead girl's hair out of the way and removed the earrings from her ears. She held each diamond up to the harsh, fluorescent light, as if she knew how to tell a genuine diamond from a fake. Satisfied, Rori wasted no time popping them straight into her own ears.

Everyone was staring at her.

"What?" Rori asked, daring someone to say something. "They're mine. Besides, it's not like she was using them anymore."

The white curtain was forcibly ripped back. On the other side stood a girl in a trench coat, her dark hair knotted and wild around her disheveled face - the same girl who had started a fist fight on live TV. She had one arm wrapped in gauze and the other fisted in the curtain. She looked like she was about to tell them all off. Then, she caught sight of the corpse formerly known as Cameron Garcia, and her jaw went slack with shock.

"Oh my God," Geneva said, eyes going wide...but not with fear. Opportunity. "Is that a dead body?"

"Duh," Avery said with a roll of his eyes. "What other kind of body would it be?"

"Why are you down here?" Addy asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Geneva raised her arm, the one covered in white gauze. "First aid."

That was a frustrating vague answer, but no one really cared. They moved over and made room for Geneva to stand around the examination table. She had shrewd eyes that had seen too much. Maybe she could be useful in figuring out what happened.

"Alright," Avery said, wielding a deadly sharp scalpel in his clumsy fist. "Who knows how to do an autopsy?"

"Put that down before you hurt yourself!" Addy hissed, yanking his arm down and prying the scalpel from his fingers before he could slash Talis in the face.

"Well someone's gotta do it!"

The white curtain ripped back again, revealing someone else: a skinny, nervous guy who couldn't stop bouncing on his toes. Rori was getting whiplash from all these new people.

"Oh my God!" the guy said, much more dramatically than Geneva. "Is that a dead body?"

"Duh!" Avery repeated himself, another roll of his eyes. "What other kind of body - "

"This is just like that Isaac London novel, The Adventures of the Human, Hollander! When he found the body next to the tomb, but no one was there to hear him scream!"

It was like someone flicked a switch. Geneva crumpled, her face went completely blank. Just as quickly as she barged into their lives, she barged out. Joey's smile, once wide and eager with the promise of making a joke, started to fall.

Addy glared. "Who are you, again?"

"Joey," he said, sticking out a hand to shake. "Joey Yates. Nice to meet you."

Addy looked at his hand like it would bite her. She gave him another skeptical look. "And you're here, why?"

"Trying to hide from some demon kids," Joey said, as if that made things any more clear. He turned to Talis and muttered, "Don't feed them. Once they get a taste, they're like piranhas...they can smell blood."

This guy definitely had a few screws loose. Rori wished he had been the one to run off, not Geneva. But beggars couldn't be choosers.

"You are sunshine incarnate. I am going to keep you," Talis decided, their smile warm and inviting.

Joey's relief was clear. His own smile regained some of its earlier radiance. "Okay!"

"We should tell the King," Niko suggested, bringing everyone back to the problem at hand. So responsible, such a leader.

"Absolutely not," Avery argued, crossing his hands over his chest. "He's such a buzz kill. If we tell him, he'll never let us near the investigation."

"Investigation?" Rori asked.

"The murder investigation, duh."

"There is no investigation. This isn't a TV show," Addy shut Avery down. "Besides, the virus killed her, obvi."

"Yeah, the virus just became human and stabbed her a dozen times."

For someone with a shocking lack of tact and awareness, Avery made a good point. Last Rori checked, viruses didn't create stab wounds. Unless the virus was able to mutate, take over someone's mind, hijack their body, and become the ultimate mass murderer. New Asians were supposed to be crazy smart. How was Rori to know if that were beyond their capabilities?

Addison huffed and headed towards the stairs. "That settles it. I'm telling Daddy."

Avery jumped in front of her, arms spread wide as if those limp noodle were going to stop anything. "No, you're not."

"Yes, I am!"

"I would like to point out that Avery did scream loud enough to alert the whole province. And we were spotted carrying a suspiciously limp body down three flights of stairs," Niko said, sheepishly ducking his head. He rubbed the back of his neck which would probably be sore for the next few days. "People talk. They probably already know."

As if on cue, the white curtains were ripped away for a third and final time to reveal King Henry in all his stern glory. Next to him stood a tall, strong woman in a black suit and shades. Rori had seen members of the Secret Service before, but never so blatantly. She wasn't even trying to stick to shadows or hide behind corners. It was kind of anticlimactic.

"Agent Raine, clear the scene. The rest of you, out," King Henry ordered. He had his no-nonsense face on. It was best to obey him when he got grouchy like that.

Everyone scrambled, and in the chaos going up the stairs, Rori broke another nail.

Sanjay eyed the cream colored carpet of Isabel's office, wondering if it was more comfortable than it looked.

Bunking with three other guys sucked. The foreign musician snored like a chainsaw, and the guy beneath him stayed up all night texting some girl (the only reason he knew that was because he kept saying her name in his sleep. Iif he ever met this Nesryn person, he was going to have a long conversation about appropriate times to flirt). He was actively seeking alternative living arrangements, and at this moment, some peace and quiet was worth the hell the floor would wreak on his back.

So, needless to say, he was grouchy. When he stopped by Isabel's office to see how she was holding up, she was grouchy. Two grouchy people in the same room was not a good combo.

"Does that hurt?"

A bruise stained the side of Isabel's face from where Geneva's fist had landed a solid blow. Not even makeup could cover the purple-blue splotches. He had taken one look at her and offered to help. This time, she didn't fight him, just told him to find something to help the swelling.

Sanjay handed Isabel the bag of frozen peas he stole from the kitchen. Stole wasn't the right word. He was caught on the way out, and an Asian girl held a wooden spoon under his nose and made him promise to return it upon pain of death.

"Only a little." Isabel hissed as she took the peas and placed them her cheek. She grit her teeth. "Or a lot."

Now was the time to say something, anything. Words of comfort or reassurance, a joke about feeling something tomorrow. He just...couldn't muster it. Not when he was half-delirious from lack of sleep and hyper-aware of the phone in his pocket. The urge to pull it out and check was strong, even if it was pointless. The damn thing hadn't buzzed in the past twelve hours, not a single notification. It was driving him insane. If only he could get a signal -

"What's going on?"

"Hmmm? Nothing, nothing's wrong."

Sanjay cringed, giving too much away. She hadn't asked if anything was wrong. Should've just kept his mouth shut...

"I'm not stupid. You keep looking at your phone and acting all jittery. So fess up."

Isabel stared at him until he finally cracked. "My daughter's been trying to call me but the shitty palace wifi isn't connecting. Stupid thing's about to die. I should have brought my charger..."

"You can use my laptop. I've got an ethernet connection, should work just fine," Isabel offered, gesturing to the shiny silver laptop sitting atop her desk.

It was an offer too good to be true, but Sanjay wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He should have said thank you. He should have offered Isabel something in return, an IOU, anything. But he was just too relieved to do anything other than do as she suggested, open her laptop, and start up the video chat app.

Ethernet worked like a charm, providing a near instantaneous link. The line only had to ring once before the pixels provided a clear image of a middle-aged Indian woman peering over a pair of bifocals.

"Sanjay! Thank the heavens, where have you been! I have been calling and calling and you don't pick up. I thought you were dead! Men on the news say - "

"I'm fine, Ma. I'm safe." He looked around the room behind his mother, checking to see if everything was normal. "Is Da around?"

"In the office, watching news." She brushed him off, unbothered. Figures he wouldn't show up. Sanjay didn't expect it, but it still stung. It was a miracle he'd gotten his parents to take Kiara the night of the ball. He knew they wouldn't throw Kiara out, not in the middle of pandemic, but part of him still felt uneasy. His mother had no qualms and continued to talk enough for the both of them. "Would be much better if you were working the camera. This other man cannot keep his hands still, makes the picture move like waves. Gives me a migraine. Have you talked to your sister?"

"You're my first call."

"You should call your sister. She and the kids are worried sick about you, just like me."

Sanjay pinched the bridge of his nose. "Can I speak to Kiara?"

His mother shuffled off screen and yelled something in Hindi. A moment later, a young girl came bounding towards the camera, all wide smiles and breathless enthusiasm.

"Hi, Bee!" Sanjay's whole world lit up at the sight of Kiara's smile. "Are you having fun with Dadi and Dada?"

"They won't let me do flips off the couch. I told them it was for Jiu Jitsu practice, but they didn't believe me." Kiara crossed her arms over her chest, and Sanjay had to stifle a laugh. He could only imagine the stand off that happened between grandmother and granddaughter. Kiara probably went down fighting.

"Let's keep the house in one piece, yeah?"

"But I'm reallllllyyy good at doing flips."

"I know, Bee. I know." She was probably going crazy cooped up inside. Kiara was high energy even on her bad days. Sanjay missed it. "I miss you."

"I miss you too." Kiara pouted her bottom lip, shuffled closer to the camera like she was going to share a secret. "When are you coming to get me?"

"As soon as they say it's safe to go outside."

At the word 'they', she furrowed her brow. Like she remembered where he actually was. Then, some of her usual animation returned. "Are you still in the palace?"

"I am."

"What it like?" Kiara asked, suddenly very intrigued. "Do they really have a thousand rooms?"

"Feels like it." What he didn't want to tell his daughter was that the palace was cold and dark and uninviting. That it was nothing like he ever imagined. That, for all its luxury and space, he would like nothing more than to never see it again. "Really though, it's kind of dark, a little cold. I like our home much better."

"I want you to come home!"

"I want to come home, too, Bee. I really, really do. But we just have to ride this thing out, okay? Just a little longer." If she lost it, then he would lose it, and that would do neither of them any good. He pulled on his bravest, biggest smile just for her. "I love you."

"I love you too," Kiara replied with more sincerity than grumble. He considered it a success. "Bye Daddy."

Don't go. "Bye Bee."

The screen went dark and pixelated. She had hung up. Didn't give him back to his parents, didn't let him talk to them about the million extra details of Kiara's life. Just hung up.

Sanjay snorted out a laugh. Of course she did. It's what he would have done.

"She seems cute," Isabel said.

Oh, right. He was in Isabel's office. This was her space, and she had heard the whole thing. It wasn't that he was embarrassed; he could never be anything but proud of his daughter. But he felt slightly intruded on, like his privacy was invaded. It made no sense. Isabel was kind enough to lend him her laptop, her personal connection, and yet, he was irritated that he was not able to process his emotions on his own. He had an audience to his turmoil, to his frustration, to his grief and fear and all the other negative emotions that came welling up in the presence of the blank screen.

"She's a terror," he said, tamping down the surging tide of conflicting emotions.

Pushing them down wasn't doing a damn thing. The wave kept building and building, pushing him under. He shot up from the chair, filled with a frenetic energy. If he didn't do something - didn't start working, start filming, start running, start screaming into the void - he was going to explode.

Isabel watched him with a mix of curiosity and confusion. Maybe she thought he was psycho. Maybe she had more to say about his daughter and his life and a thousand other things she knew nothing about.

All Sanjay knew was that he had an endless amount of chaotic energy, and Isabel had really great hair.

"What are you doing?" she squeaked as Sanjay marched over, took her by the shoulders, and steered her back into her special ergonomic desk chair.

"I'm freaking out and I need to braid something."

It wasn't an explanation, but Sanjay didn't have the time or mental capacity to explain himself. He pulled the clip from Isabel's hair, let it tumble down her shoulders in loose curls. Her hair wasn't quite as long or as thick as Kiara's but it was a good enough substitute. Beggars couldn't be choosers.

"You're insane!"

"No you're insane," Sanjay bantered back, knowing he sounded like a child. One conversation with his daughter and his whole mindset changed. "You've gone over that list what, like, twelve times in the last three hours? What are you trying to find? It's not like the names are suddenly gonna change like Marauder's Map."

"Queen Deirdre asked me for the guest list because she thinks there may be a New Asian spy in the palace," Isabel said. Was she supposed to be saying these things to random cameramen? Sanjay didn't push it, just let her fixate on her highlighter-marked papers. "Two sets of eyes are always better than one, and my eyes are impeccable. If I can just figure out what I'm not seeing...maybe then..."

"Did you ever think the queen asked you to do something this tedious and time-consuming because she knows you?"

Isabel reared her head back, braid falling apart, and bat her wide eyes, like she had never even considered the alternative. "The queen needs me to do - "

"There's nothing we can do!" Sanjay said, maybe a little too loudly going by how shocked Isabel looked. He softened his tone. "If it were up to me, I'd be home with my little girl right now, but I'm not. I'm here, in this five star hell hole with you. We're all suffering. So suck it up, sit down, and let me braid your hair."

For a moment, Sanjay thought Isabel was going to take him by the ear and drag him to the king's office for insubordination. But then, she relaxed. Something in her spine went a little less rigid.

She put her list down and turned her head. "Fine. Just don't make me look ridiculous."

It took Sanjay a moment to recalibrate, to get his hands back on those strands of long dark hair. Her hair was slick from two days worth of oil, but not unpleasant to work with.

"Please," he snorted, rolled his eyes even though Isabel couldn't see them. "I am the braiding champion of Zuni. I've got medals."

"Prove it."

Sanjay always did like a challenge.