A Freak of Science

One | Crude | Seven

Lights flashed and danced around in my vision. A large bustle of people moved along the streets while cars filled the roads. If I took a deep breath to refresh my lungs, I could smell the faint scent of rot in the air.

     Foreign languages drifted through the air. My eyes couldn’t take in everything at once. I’ve never seen so many non-white people of the same ethnic gather together in a whole community. There were vertical signs over many shops written in a language I couldn’t decipher. The lines and curves were so artful that it didn’t even look like a comprehensible word.

     Someone bumped into me, knocking me off my feet. Some harsh, foreign words were muttered—tonal and rough to my ears. I stumbled before regaining my posture.

     Obviously rudeness was not limited anywhere in Toronto no matter what place or ethnicity. I moved from my stand still spot in the centre of the sidewalk to the edges, watching people rush by. They didn’t quite have the brisk, purposeful stride of a business person, but more of the steady footing of a person with a small goal in mind. People of all ages walked by—from old women with curved backs to gaggle of teenagers conversing freely in both English and other languages to little boys and girls following keenly after their guardians.

     I watched the people walk past, feeling strangely out of place with my paler skin. I didn’t even know what I came here for. I could have just gone straight home after that very odd encounter with Aleron. In fact, I should have gone straight home to tell my parents and then call the Crime Stoppers. I was always the person to tell my parents nearly everything. The fact that I wasn’t confused me.

     What in the world had Aleron done earlier? Why was I not able to scream for help earlier? I didn’t even know what was going on. The dart must have been real, and it must have prevented me from raising my voice somehow. Maybe they had something poisonous injected in me from that dart.

     But it didn’t add up. I woke up the next day and my parents didn’t say anything about the dart or me being on the floor. Why was the Cult interested in me anyway? Perhaps the MCH had something they desperately wanted. I was the easiest to get to.

     The most important question running through my head at the moment was: why me?

     I inhaled, closing my eyes and listening to the bustle around me. I could forget that I was really here, with the murmurs of words around me, and the constant sound of movement engulfed me, reminding me of my sloth.

     Moving away from my spot, I began to make my way down Chinatown. The destination, I wasn’t quite sure. My feet kept moving forwards until the coffee shop grew nearer and my eyes fixed on its place.

     I was about to cross the street to reach the chain coffee store when I heard someone say my name. Frowning, I wasn’t quite sure whether or not I was hearing things. For a moment, my heartbeat sped up. It might be someone from the Cult. Worse—it might be Aleron. I spun around, bracing myself.

     Still, I was surprised by who I saw. A scrawny-looking, dark-haired boy in black clothes stood a few feet away from me, looking unsure. When he saw my face, he took one tentative step towards me, but then stopped while he examined my expression. “Cecil?” he said again in a tone that said that he wasn’t sure if it really was me.

     “Daire,” I said, nodding. I forgot about the coffee shop and walked over to him. He felt familiar in this land of unfamiliar people I just stumbled upon. It made me want to latch onto him like he was my lifeline. I resisted the primordial urge. “Hi.” Daire didn’t know anything about my fiasco in the school hallway. Hopefully it didn’t reach his ears yet. I had been told by various people that Daire was a total loner. I remembered feeling bad for him but now I felt a sense of relief. I could continue being semi-normal Cecil Durand instead of freakish Cecil Durand at least for a while.