When you'd first noticed Larissa's symptoms, you hadn't thought much of them. A cough and a sneeze here and there, but nothing too major. No cause for worry. It was probably just a little cold she had picked up, right?

You were a teacher at Nevermore, one of the few who actually put in an effort to make sure things weren't going awry. So when Larissa's condition gradually worsened, you noticed.

In the staff room later that day, you'd walked in to use the photocopier that was kept in there. Larissa had been there making herself a coffee at the coffee machine. She seemed a lot more drained than she had earlier, her eyes tired and dull. She wasn't acting at all like her usual cheery, enthusiastic self. Even a smile seemed to use up energy - energy that the Principal of Nevermore just currently did not have. You were beginning to get worried.

Later that day, after you'd taught your last class, you decided to go and check on Larissa in her office. You knocked, waiting for her response. A weak "Come in" was heard through the door, the voice that spoke it shaky and tired. And your worries were validated the second you stepped inside the office. You'd never seen Larissa look so terrible.

The Principal's tired eyes were set down on a piece of paperwork she was working on, her fingers fumbling with the pen slightly as they trembled. Exhaustion racked her body with weakness, one that she tried, and failed, not to show. When she did eventually look at you, she gave you a weak smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Can I help you, dear?.."

Larissa asked, her voice unnaturally soft and vulnerable. The strong, independent Principal you knew would never show this side of her if she could help it; this really must've been hitting her hard.