IT HAD BEEN TWO DAYS SINCE the attacks...

In Wellsville, Herbert was on his tractor, turning the ground that morning. He looked wan and was coughing badly.

Laura had been at home and had not gone to her classes since yesterday...

She had been listening to every radio stations since — and even to the world news, during her house chores — she wrenched hard to understand the report spoken fast in the 'funny' British accent, about the yellow fume attacks in London by the BBC — an art museum was now being sealed by the London police, with a high alert being issued in the city. BBC had also reported that there was an investigation by the Interpol to verify — if it was the same group of the terrorists — who were responsible for the similar attacks in some major cities in the United States.

Roberta stepped into her parent's bedroom, and she saw her mother Martha tending to both her little brothers — who were sick and burning with a high fever. The boys were groaning in queasiness and tears while shivering uncomfortably under the covers.

Roberta started to fuss to get her mother's attention...

"Mum, I am not going to school today — let me stay back, and I will look after Johnny and Jimmy." Her mother refused flatly. Roberta contrasted on why Laura could stay back — despite knowing her sister had hurt her knee.

Martha was now agitated. "No, you will not give me excuses, Roberta. You have done enough trouble by letting them play in the rain — if you have only listened to me — your brothers would not be sick now!"

Roberta stormed out of the front door and saw Laura sweeping the porch — she went and stood on the foot of the steps. She spotted afar, her father on his tractor, and was contemplating to ask his permission to stay back at home.

Laura sensed what her sister was intending to do — Laura cautioned her not to bother their father, who had a bigger burden to sort out about their future...

Roberta turned to Laura — and bellicose aloud, stomping her feet...

"So you get to stay at home, and I have to go to school. That is not fair!"

Laura ignored her — and Roberta kept on venting...

"I know Mum always takes your side, and she blames me for everything that happens here. She does not listen to me. Why should I go to school when half the boys in class are absent? Even the teachers, Mr Bailey and Mr Dixon are sick too — and there were no classes yesterday!"

"It is that yellow smoke," Laura said out inadvertently at first.

"What yellow smoke!!?" Roberta snapped back at her...

Laura now wanted her sister to know the big secret, which she had kept from everyone at home — and even to her best friends, whom she had not seen for the past thirty-six hours. Laura started by revealing about the news on TV, two nights ago where the plane crashed — but Roberta would not have noticed it — when Roberta had switched the news station over to her musical talent-show...

"The plane flew over here outside the farm — it flew so low that it threw me off the bike — and that was how I hurt myself." Roberta disbelieved her at once...

"Hah, get out of here — it was raining and you slipped, and fell down like a silly bozo."

"But Robbie, it is true — the plane was releasing yellow smoke at its tail — and that is, what is making everyone sick everywhere. Can't you see Johnny and Jimmy are sick too, and so is everyone else at school?" Laura vindicated further...

After watching and hearing the news, despite with information told they were still vague, Laura had pieced it all together to make sense to what was going on around in her reality — but again, will anyone believe her?

"That is bullshit! Hah, now that is a perfect excuse for you to stay home, while I have to go to school alone," Roberta cynically mocked. "If that is true, Laura — why didn't you tell this loony-tune plane story to Mum and Dad? Don't they believe everything you say around here, hah Mimi? Just because you are older than me, they always believe your every stupid bullshit, isn't that so, Mimi?"

Roberta ridiculed Laura by mimicking her mother's voice — especially when pronouncing Mimi — she hated that name — and probably was envious that her mother had not given it to her instead.

But, Laura being older knew that both of her parents were having so many problems of their own — she even overheard that morning where Herbert was suggesting to Martha that he was going to sell a section of the farm to keep their family's expenses afloat...

"No Robbie, I just don't want them to worry..."

All of a sudden, both the girls looked up — they heard their mother's screams from the bedroom. They rushed straight away into the house — Laura and Roberta were dismayed to discover that Johnny was having an epileptic seizure — and their mother was in a state of dread — Roberta rushed to her side. "Mum, what happened? What is going on?"

"I don't know! Oh God! Johnny!"

Laura dashed out of the house, passing by her broken bicycle. She raced into the muddy, cornfield to inform Herbert about her brother. At a distance was the heavy-wheeled vehicle, which was not moving in a straight line. Laura called out to her father while chasing it — Laura soon caught up — and hopped on to the tractor. Hebert was lying face down on the steering wheel. She took hold of the vehicle, and she straightened him up...

"Dad! Dad! Are you okay?"

Herbert looked up at her, disorientated with a bleeding nose — he touched her face.

"Laura, help me!"