Inhale

Chapter 1 - The Crack in Her Mask

"'Once upon a time, there lived a young boy'. Talk about boring," I said, tossing the book aside and grabbing another. I opened it, and skimmed over the first page. "'In a land much simpler than this, a man and a woman were preparing for a special date.' I'm uninterested." With that, I tossed away another. Sighing, I laid back on my hospital bed and stared at the crumbling white ceiling.

"Today is another boring day in the boring life of Alastair Adair, a poor boy who is destined to live the rest of his life in a lonely, flat, messy room. In fact, he is so lonely that he can only find comfort in books and himself," I scowled, slowly rubbing my temples. "What is a boy to do in such circumstances? Stack books as high as humanly possible until it tips over?"

My name is Alastair Adair, Al for short. I am sixteen years old and have a disorder that some may know as Albinism, that is, a disorder characterized by the absence or defect of tyrosinase. Like most albinos, I have snow-white hair, pale skin, and pinkish eyes. Sadly, I also appear more feminine than masculine, which others call me out on, mainly because I'm short for my age and somewhat thin. It's a blessing I tell you.

I currently live in the Quarantine Wing in a hospital in Lower Libentina and yes, you heard me right: the Quarantine Wing. Yes, that is the place where those who are infected with a contagious disease are, and yes, I am apparently "contagious". I've heard that the Quarantine Wing is located in the basement of the hospital, though I'm not exactly sure. To be honest, I have yet to walk out of my room since I was submitted seven or so years ago, mainly because I've never tried. After all, there's nothing to complain about when you get free room and board with decent service.

I don't have friends or family—only books. My space is cluttered with stacked books of all genres, so many that they might as well be my walls. I have romantic comedies, dramas, plays, and my favorite, horror. I am generally unbiased towards books unless there's a horror story in the mix. Horror stories intrigue me, as I can't comprehend why someone would ever commit such atrocities that some the antagonists commit. What could affect a person so much that it influences their actions in such a way? And then, there are those antagonists that do everything solely for their own amusement: those antagonists confuse me and amuse me the most. Antagonists in general perplex me, then again, people perplexed me. Perhaps that's the reason I find myself entranced with them.

I don't have any dreams. Staying in an isolated room does give one the opportunity to contemplate life. For example, I have time to think about relationships, goals, and desire—however, in spite of this, it does not allow one to form his or her "dreams". I don't desire for material wealth or "special relationships". Though I have the ability to understand and communicate with people through literature, I have yet to share that level of intimacy with a real person—excluding those who pity me. Don't interpret my word wrong: I don't necessarily want that. Simply put, I pity myself for my limited environment and lack of ambition. Perhaps the closest thing I have to a dream is my desire to stay cooped up in my hospital room, reading for the rest of my life...I suppose that is my "dream": a grievous, piteous one, but a dream nonetheless. At least I won't cause trouble.

I hate being a nuisance to others. That's why I don't speak, act disobedient, or do anything disrespectful: I act like the perfect patient. Like any good patient, I speak only when someone else speaks to me. I refuse to be called "annoying". It's not because I'm antisocial, it's simply for the sake of Katherine: someone who is more than a friend, not quite a girlfriend, and is almost family.

"Alastair, are you up?" called a familiar voice as its speaker knocked on my door, interrupting my train of thought. "This is Dr. Beltran. If you're asleep, snore. If you're awake, continue to say nothing." Receiving no response, he unlocked and opened it to reveal his typical cheeky grin and a present from the "real" world, the world of life, beauty, and an extensive, always-changing sky. At least, that's what people tell me.