A New Virus

One

My head ached as I awoken to the loud room that held my history class. The teacher up at the front kept trying to get everyone's attention but the other students kept talking over her. Eventually...she gave up with a loud bang as she plopped down onto her chair as she looked over the classroom. She muttered something unintelligible to me before another student immediately stood up.

"Come on...Zombies aren't real." A kid insisted towards said teacher. Of course he'd heard her...anyone with Heartfire could've heard her.

"You don't know that." The teacher insisted towards the boy, her gaze staring him down.

"Miss Briella...?" A shy child insisted as she stood up from the corner of the room, slightly pushing her glasses towards her face else they slide off. "Saying Zombies exist is like saying vampires do...or witches for that fact."

Miss Briella slightly giggled at the girl's statement. "Let me tell you a story you won't find in any history book." Miss Briella stated as she turned the room's lights out as if for effect. "One that was passed down through my family...one that survived the embers of the darkness...." With that...Miss Briella's story began as if we were little kids and not the teens we were.

After her story, class went on as usual but because it was the last class of the day...everyone stared at the clock as the minuets seemed to tick away...wanting nothing more than to leave school for today. Suddenly, a boy stood up from the isle next to mine as he looked at the clock, a whole 10 minuets before the bell was said to ring. "If I make the basket, can we leave early...?" The boy asked Miss Briella as he stared at the small basketball and it's hoop which hung on the wall beside the door. This was a normal game Miss Briella had.

"You did it yesterday, Zack." Miss Briella informed the boy. In her game, only one person may play the game and you can't play it multiple days in a row. Instead of the boy, Zack playing the game...another would be chosen. Miss Briella took out a small cup filled with straws...each one held one of our names. She took Zack's straw out of the cup. She closes her eyes, shuffled, mixed, together the straws before she picked one. "Anya." Miss Briella stated after she opened her eyes, reading the name off the straw.

With a sigh, I stood up from my chair. I could feel everyone's eyes as they all glared at me, already knowing the outcome that would happen. I stood up, walked over to the basket to grab the ball before I went to where I was supposed to stand. Those without Heartfire must be at least 10 feet away from the hoop...while those with it need to be all the way across the room. I stood 10 feet from the hoop. My eyes lined up the ball with the hoop before I threw the ball, it flew through the air before hitting the rim of the hoop. It bounced at least three times along the rim before it slide off the side, not scoring any kind of point.

My eyes quickly scanned the room, hateful glares from my peers seemed to bounce around me. I went to sit down, flopping down into my chair.

"You'll get it next time...!" The one person in the room who wasn't angry with me stated. I turned to face her, her cheery poster and her smiling face. She was my best friend since we were kids...the only one who wouldn't ever mock or taunt me.

"You say that every time, Sarah." I informed the girl. "Doesn't mean I will."

"Not with that attitude." Sarah seemed to tell me, trying to give me advice. "So...." She seemed to change the topic. "Are you going back out there...? After school...? Again...?"

I looked up at her, a sad smile on my face before I slightly nodded my head. "She's my sister." I stated sadly, remembering that day all too well.

We had a fight, all about a stupid toy I no longer even had. She became upset and wondered off into the forest just out of the city...like she always would. It wasn't anything special...nothing else happened...but something did happen...yet nothing happened at all.... She never came back...she stayed out there all night...and never returned even come morning. Mother and Father were heartbroken and everyone had banded together to go find her...yet we found nothing...other than the pink ribbon, streaked with crimson blood...human blood...Emma's blood, which had been tied to her hair but had caught itself on the bark of a tree and unraveled. Everyone feared the worst...and shortly after...no one reentered the forest seemingly have assumed her fate. She must be...but there was no evidence supporting that theory yet there was nothing to say the opposite...all they had was a stray, bloody, ribbon.

"She's been missing six years." Sarah told me, trying to push it into my brain like so many have tried before. "There's no way she's alive after all that time."

"She's not dead either...!" I just snapped at her, gaining everyone's attention yet what else was new...? They all seemed to practically ignore us...well...not all, Miss Briella had a look of sorrow upon her face as she knew what Sarah and I were talking about. I placed my hand over my heart. "She's my sister...I can just feel it.... She's alive somewhere...!" I could feel it...I could feel how she hurt. She was cold and hungry...but alive. Yet this connection I seemed to have...no one ever believed me about it saying it was just a figment of my imagination to help me grieve...but I didn't grieve. I couldn't...for I knew there was nothing to grieve. For Emma wasn't dead...she was alive. So I would search the forest, everyday, until I found her. That was my mind...my goal...my mission. My reason for living...I had to find her.... I just had to.