Your Guise Is Slipping, Miss Pearl



"I'm glad to see you're doing well."

Seeing Pearl always in a thick protective suit, Esther felt guilty. "It's my fault I got sick, or you wouldn't have to stay here with me. You have enough to deal with, running the lab and now taking care of me. I don't know how you find the time to visit."

Pearl raised her hand and gently touched her hair. "I'm fine. I just want you to get better."

Esther looked at her with admiration. "But I didn't expect you to come up with a cure so fast, and it's working wonders. I've almost completely recovered in just a week."

Pearl chuckled. "Well, we still need to test to see just how well you're recovering."

"That's still amazing. I feel so much better now. Except for a bit of a sore throat, I feel like my old self again."Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Pearl was pleased to hear that. "If you're almost back to normal, we might start making more of the cure."

Esther nodded eagerly. "Yes, if anyone doubts it, tell them I was the first one to try it, and it worked."

"Alright, I'll have the doctor do some tests on you. If the virus is nearly gone from your system, you might be able to go home today."

Esther's face lit up with the possibility of leaving the isolation. "That would be wonderful! I've wanted to get out of here for so long."

Being a sociable person, staying confined was hard for Esther. Pearl knew this and that's why she wanted to run the tests quickly, so Esther could leave soon.

If it wasn't safe, though, she'd prefer Esther stay a bit longer until fully healed.

"We should consider having you stay a bit longer, though," Pearl said.

Esther's excitement faded when she heard this. "Why do I need to stay longer? Didn't you say I could leave once the virus is gone?"

Pearl looked uneasy. "I'm concerned it might come back."

Esther fell silent.

"There's no permanent cure yet, and if you go out and catch something else, it could come back worse."

Esther was taken aback. "What should I do? I can't stay here forever."

"You might not have to, but I need to develop a better treatment. I'm afraid you'll have to stay just a little longer."

Esther understood that Pearl was looking out for her well-being, so she nodded. "I

understand. Don't worry, I'll stay and not make things harder for you."

"You're not making things harder. Just focus on getting better. It's also for your safety." Pearl smiled and patted her on the head. "Plus, you're a successful test subject, so I need to take good care of you."