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Elena woke, aching, itching, queasy. She stumbled out of the bedroom without turning on the lights and made it to the toilet in time to relieve the pressure in her bowels, but no sooner was that done than she was vomiting. She knelt by the toilet bowl, shivering, empty but still wretched. The tiles against her knees were torture, but as she struggled to her feet every other joint and muscle in her body protested just as loudly. In the bathroom, as she rinsed her mouth out, she squinted into the mirror, and realized that she was peering through barely