Chronically in love

Chapter One (Zoe)

Being chronically ill sucks. I mean dying sucks too but then you know what's going to happen to you. I'm not going to die, at least not from my diagnoses. No, I am going to live a long painful life full of crutches and doctors and gluten free food. Yay.

Currently, I am lying in bed figuring out how bad my pain is. My rating system is like this: 1-3 you're good, 4-6 wrap your knees and take advil, 7-9 forearm crutches, 10 wheelchair. I think I'm at around a 6 maybe a 7, today is going to be a bad day maybe not wheelchair bad, but still not comfy. I've just got to get out of bed, stand up, wash face, brush teeth, clothes, wrap knees, breakfast, and grab my crutches. Thats it. Simple easy peasy. I just need to get out of bed.

Get out of bed

Get out of bed

Crap, I groan and slowly shift my legs off my bed, I massage my knees and as the stiffness fades, I stand up. Another wave of pain swampes me and I fight it off. I've just got to finish my checklist than head to work. Washing my face is out of the question because I don't think my knees will support me for that long. I brush my teeth while sitting on the toilet lid, and because my wrist is sending pings of pain up my arm, I decide to leave my hair as is. 

Thankfully my job as a book editor doesn't require me to be on my feet but my office is a few blocks away and walking that far will be painful. Clothing for the day will be a sweater and yoga pants, it's early June but I am always cold. Whats next on the checklist? Right, wrapping my knees. I have a knee brace but sometimes wrapping it with elastic bandage wrap works better. I wrap my knee's tightly, grab a few granola bars, my purse, and my purple forearms crutches and out the door I go. 

Once I reach my office, my joints are screaming at me. I unlock the door and collapse in my chair with a groan. My boss, Ellen, pops her head in and smiles at me sympathetically, "Hey, Zoe. You doing okay?" I nod as is expected and wait for it, "You know, you really should try yoga!" There it is. Yes, I've tried yoga, it actually made my joints worse. The only thing that really helps is pain meds, heat, compresses and swimming. 

I smile at her and nod, she means well but I have heard that very sentence from strangers nearly every day since I was eight and got diagnosed. "Anyway, your next assignment is in your email, the client needs it done asap, okay?" I nod again and when she leaves, I pop some advil in my mouth and swallow it down with water. I have pills to help my joints at home but they are expensive so they are only used on really bad days.

My email is already open on my computer and I click on my next assignment. Its another book about the Big Five. See, hundreds of years ago there was a portal, big magical portal, that was constantly spitting out magical beings. Mostly demons but one day something really odd happened, instead of the usual shadow monster, five children fell out of the portal. 

They weren't normal children, no, they were magical. They were other worldly beautiful, with smooth skin, beautiful hair, sharp white fangs, and black, as night, wings. They named themselves Fae and when the demons tried to attack them, they fought back. After a war that almost destroyed the Earth, the demons were sent packing. The portal was shut down and besides the Big Five, no one knows where it is now. Every hundred years it rumbles and a wave of demons are sent out into the world, every time the Big Five fight them off.

The Big Five are made up of four men and one woman. Their names are Alexander, Benjamin, William, James, and Victoria, before long they grew too powerful. Their magic demanded that they be the strongest, however since they were closer than family, fighting it out was not an option.  They were forced to make a decision, so they drew lots and moved away from each other. Each of the Five basically rules a continent, however if you ask they don't rule, they merely assist when they are needed, sure, and I'm a mouse. Squeak.