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the faint glow from the bathroom’s battery-powered click-light seeped into the dark hall.
    Virginia stayed close to the heater, suddenly realizing how cold it was.  It was likely twenty degrees colder outside.  If Shelley didn't get home soon, she could freeze to death.
    Virginia closed her eyes as the room began to spin.  She took a deep breath, knowing her anxiety was getting the best of her.  Shelley was a smart, resourceful young woman.  Virginia knew that she needed to give her room to test her wings, as hard as that was to do.  She felt her body go flush, and she began to shiver in a sudden cold sweat.  Struggling against an onset of nausea, she got to her feet, went to her room, pulled off her shirt, and then collapsed into bed.
    George and Kurt finished up in the bathroom, and then George walked Kurt to his room.  He turned off the click-light and found his way into his bedroom.  Virginia gathered the blankets over her body as another chill raced through her.
    “I’m going to wait up a while longer,” George said, moving to give Virginia a kiss on the forehead.  “You’re burning up,” he said.
    “I thought I felt something coming on earlier today,” she said, shivering.  “I heard there’s a flu going around,” she added, although she had heard nothing of the sort.  “I’m so cold.  Lie down with me for just a minute?”
    George got in bed, turning his back to her.  “Don’t give it to me.”
    “My apologies in advance should I do so by accident,” she said, nestling her sweaty back up against his to offset the chill.
    George moved to get comfortable.  The temperature under the covers was smothering, but the bedroom was so cold that George could almost see his breath.  He tried to adjust the blankets to find a reasonable temperature, and Virginia tugged at them with another shiver, shifting them to favor her side.  He sighed, resigning himself to the idea that, if his insomnia did not keep him awake, Virginia surely would.
    At least tomorrow was Saturday.
    Most people who worked in the Corp Segregate, George and Virginia included, rarely worked on weekends.  On Saturdays, Kurt helped himself to dry cereal and comic books, while George and Virginia slept in until around nine and Shelley stayed in bed until at least noon.  The bulk of most Sundays were devoted to church functions, although George and Virginia both agreed that Faith-Corp’s district sermon manager was egotistical and short-fused.  Unfortunately, one could not simply stop going to church because of personal issues.  Everyone went to church.
    Virginia often joked that they might as well go every week to get their tithing’s worth.  Faith-Corp had somehow contracted them into monthly payments by direct deposit, and everyone knew better than to tangle with the church’s high paid Law-Corp mangers.  Faith-Corp also knew whenever George and Virginia had opted to let their family sleep in on a Sunday, bombarding them with visits by associates from the church council, stressing the importance of attendance.  It was simply easier to go, even if church had become just a Corporate shell of what George and Virginia remembered it to be.
    Most people weren’t old enough to remember what George and Virginia remembered, though, and among them, the majority had long ago forgotten God.  There were enough enormous entities to fear and worship these days without adding Him into the mix.
    Virginia rolled over with a moan as she continued to lie restlessly in bed.  Sweat poured from her and heat emanated from her skin, and yet she could not will her body to stop shivering.  Her back began to tense up, and she stretched and contorted in an attempt to alleviate her growing discomfort. 
    She struggled to reorient herself as a wave of nausea hit her.  She got to her feet and hurried down the dark hall.  She coughed and retched over the toilet until a thick, bitter liquid came.  She sat where she was for a moment, barely able