Chapter 10: Distressed Genes

Of course, Valerie caught her, and Jamie thought she was doing so good at hiding it too. She didn't even need to see the other's disappointed face because Jamie was disappointed in herself enough for the both of them.

Two and a half weeks in, having hidden about half the pills, Valerie had gotten up to get her a dose since she was 'obviously' in pain and shaken one of the bottles to only realize the pain medication was gone.

And Jamie, being dumb like a stump, emptied out only one bottle instead of emptying both part way.

She blamed the pain while Valerie just called her a dumb*ss. Neither of them was wrong, at least.

Thankfully, it was the ibuprofen Jamie had emptied and not the stronger drugs. That would not have been a fun conversation to have.

"You should be able to get a refill from Andy. Just go in and tell him what you need. If he's busy, just grab it from the medicine cabinet in the med bay's bathroom. It's always stocked up with the standard meds and bandages. Headaches don't really need a doctor's checkup."

So that was why Jamie was currently heading to the med bay, doing her best to avoid the beta. He was often busy and not always around, but Jamie didn't currently trust her luck.

So far, she'd been able to avoid Andy, and with how the other was a medic, it was easy to do so. Always on call, another test to run, something else to do, another pack needing his assistance. All just reasons why he shouldn't really be the beta.

Don't get her wrong, Jamie respected his work even if she thought he was sketchier than a dimly lit city alley, but it was all the more reason why he shouldn't be the beta.

In name, yes. Even she could see it despite only being in the pack for half a month.

Andy was Logan's best friend, and as much as she hated to say it, a rock to the other. It was obvious they'd grown up together, that they were friends.

The position of beta though was specifically to help the alpha with all the work, to help keep the pack running all the while making sure the alpha didn't run themselves into the ground.

So, he should really only be the beta in name, not in position.

Jamie thanked the moon and everything holy that it looked like Andy wasn't in the med bay when she opened the door, the whole place empty.

Okay, she could do this. Refill the bottle, get out, then continue to fake taking pills. She was fine.

Sure, her ribs were a bunch of motley bruises, and yes, maybe if she wasn't careful, it would be rather obvious that breathing too deeply was a bit of a chore, but if Jamie was anything, she was too stubborn and too paranoid.

A terrible combination, she would admit, but at least she wasn't in denial.

The med bay bathroom was quaint, a standard tub shower combo with a little toilet and sink, the medicine cabinet behind the mirror.

There was a chemical shower somewhere in the place, but that was more for emergencies like flea baths.

It was easy to find the pill bottle amongst the aspirins and allergy meds, filling it up was easy too.

What was not easy was hearing the door to the med bay open and Andy come in cursing.

Jamie froze, unsure what to do.

It wasn't like it was illegal to be in the med bay. Valerie wouldn't have sent her otherwise, but she had taken care to avoid Andy, and now she was on his turf.

If he needed something, like say, more blood, she wasn't in any position to bar him from taking more.

Sure, she could stall him for a bit, but she doubted Logan would take her side if she said his best friend was being strange or setting her off.

She didn't need him to realize she was on his trail, if there was anything to her suspicions.

Hopefully she was just being paranoid, but until there was proof or otherwise, she was going to trust her instincts.

There wasn't much she did trust right now, and it's not like she had a phone. Medics had computers but only to store their files digitally onto hard drives. The only time they had access to the Wi-Fi was when patient files were being transferred between packs, and even then, it was this whole thing they had to arrange with both alphas' permission.

The alphas were the ones who had a computer, internet access, and a PHONE. It gave packs a quick way to contact each other for big things and also organize meetings and transfers. Much simpler than having to go to each other's borders and possibly upset someone.

Jamie could hear Andy type away on his computer, and her window of opportunity to get out of this was shrinking. She needed to make a decision NOW.

The typing stopped, and she quickly covered her mouth. Not good.

"ANDY! Sam's gonna do something stupid, I think he'll need you!" called a young voice, one of the only kids in the pack.

"What's he doing now?" sighed Andy.

"Jumping from the roof with his homemade parachute," Daniella said matter of factly.

"Why didn't you open with that!?" he yelped, rushing out of the med bay, following the little girl.

Praise all that was holy, little Daniella Pierce was getting extra dessert tonight even if her mother was gonna give Jamie the stink eye.

Jamie quickly left the bathroom, pausing at the door before rushing to Andy's computer. He hadn't exited out of the program he was using, and this might be the only chance she had.

It was some rather complicated medical stuff on the screen, but Jamie didn't need a degree to understand that this was her file with her name at the top, and that Andy was looking at her DNA.

Her very distressed DNA with a fifth letter in her RNA.

DNA was the overall instructions for the genes while RNA was the…translator for it, if she was remembering her science classes correctly.

There was supposed to be only five different base nucelo—whatever they were called! Only four to both the DNA and RNA. The genetic code was not supposed to have an extra letter, but hers did.

It didn't make SENSE though! You didn't naturally have more than four letters!

It would make the entire body unstable! Hell, the entire DNA and RNA could come apart at the seams!

Messed up genetics like that, you were lucky not to die if not show…drastic…symptoms.

Jamie couldn't breathe, and it definitely wasn't because of her ribs.

Drastic symptoms like not shifting properly.

Drastic symptoms like your wolf no longer being a wolf.

It was wrong not because she didn't want it to happen, but because it shouldn't've happened in the first place.

Weren't all diseases like that though? Was that why none of them noticed?

This might not have been cold hard proof, but it was enough, and Jamie knew in her heart that what she was staring at was Canis Syndrome and its cause.

A little extra bit of code someone added in themselves.

Jamie tore out of the med bay, practically sprinting back to her cabin, not caring that it made her ribs ache something fierce or that she immediately locked herself in the bathroom to try and stem off a panic attack and the blinding rage she felt all in one.

She wanted to cry, scream, fight, and murder someone. It was a complicated emotion that better fit the word MELTDOWN then any proper array of emotions.

Whatever Canis Syndrome truly was, whatever was really going on, Andy was a part of it. Her instincts were right. He had taken too much blood. He was part of the reason they were all like this. That they were forced from their packs, their families.

That MOTHER F*–!