Three Months

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – Different

Birds chirped outside my window as I slowly rolled over onto my side. With a yawn I sat up unable to comprehend that it was actually the morning and I had to be somewhere. I looked down at my wrist. It had been throbbing the whole night, keeping me awake, but of course I still did not want to get up. My veins were popping out of my pale skin. I inspected my right wrist expecting the same appearance, however to my surprise only the colour of my skin showed, nothing else.

Confused, I stood up and headed into the kitchen, my eyes still wanting to give in. "Mum?" I yelled. Silence struck me. "Oh, right. You don't live here anymore." I said to myself as I clicked the switch on the kettle to boil some water. I'd probably think that after all this time alone, I would remember that my mother wasn't here with me, but I guess I was wrong.

I gazed at my reflection through the window above my sink. I blew over my coffee, observing how the steam moved. I took a sip, allowing the liquid to run down my throat, calming me instantly. Just as I was about to take another sip to invigorate me, my left wrist began throbbing. I dropped my coffee cup onto the benchtop spilling coffee all over the counter and the floor. I grabbed hold of my wrist, unable to ease the pain. I looked down to see my veins bulging. My eyes widened as I walked back and slammed myself into the fridge. My veins turned to a purplish colour, alerting me even more. The immense pain would not stop. I slid down the fridge and sat on the floor, my legs apart and still gripping my wrist. I groaned in agony and began screaming in pain. My vision became blurry. I slowly fell to the side and collapsed to the floor.

I saw this figure running towards me yelling my name "Mae! Mae!" My vision darkened around the edges. "Mum?" I muttered as closed my eyes.

...

I woke immediately making contact with my wrist. No bulging veins. After a sigh of relief, reality hit me. Tubes hanging from my arms. Heart monitors to my left. I'm in hospital. What happened last night?

"You're finally awake!" I heard immediately paying my attention to the person beside my bed. I smiled back, happy that I had someone here to comfort me and answer all my questions. "Alice" I moaned unable to speak. "How long have I been here?"

"About three days." She replied with a worried look on her face. She took hold of my hand, her eyes reassuring me that everything is fine. "Really? I've been out that long?" I asked confused. Why was I here so long?

She nodded, her chestnut coloured hair swaying from side to side. She had a full face of makeup on. But I could tell even with all that concealer, she was tired. Her purple eye bags, mocked her beauty. I tried to sit up, only to have her hand push me back down. "Wait here, I'm going to get the doctor." I agreed, too tired to argue. I closed my eyes and wondered what had happened. I tried to remember, but I only remembered my left wrist turning purple and me collapsing on my kitchen floor.

Someone nudged me on the shoulder, so I cautiously opened my eyes. "Hello Miss Price, how are you doing?" a man in a white lab coat asked, looking up from his clipboard. Our eyes met, but I looked away quickly. "I'm fine. Do you know what happened to me? You know, to make collapse and end up being in hospital?" I asked starring at my fingers trying to avoid eye contact. Something about him made me shudder. His eyes were icy blue, and not very inviting. He opened his mouth, but closed it and turned to the door, where a nurse was calling his name. "Dr. Andrews. More have come in."

He nodded and turned to me "I know you just woke up and would like some reassurance, but a lot is going on right now. So I'll call someone else in to speak to you. Is that okay?" My eyes shifted to the door. Stretchers carrying people came rushing through the corridors. Suddenly my throat felt dry, the people on the stretchers had their full bodies covered in purple veins. Each and every one of them unconscious. All my around my age, in their teens. I covered my mouth in horror. Dr. Andrews ran to the door, "My nurse will come see you soon." He said before he joined the fellow doctor on the other side of the door.

I sat there in disbelief. My wrist making its way into my line of sight. Three days ago, my wrist was purple like theirs, but why am I fine now? I looked at Alice in shock, only to see her looking at the ground, playing with her handbag. "Alice what's going on?" I asked out of curiosity but mostly fear. She continued to play with her handbag. "You were unconscious during the outbreak." She muttered. I sat up in complete disbelief. "What?"

"There was an outbreak of some disease, it was all over the news." She continued. Alice stood up pulling down her skirt as she made her way to the remote. She flicked to channel 19 on the hospital tv.

A news anchor appeared. "Although many have suddenly suffered from the disease, no one has caught it from each other. According to Dr. Sue Price, the Kintason disease does not seem to be contagious. Here is what she has to say about the situation currently." The screen turns to a women standing in a lab coat, hair in a bun and a worried look on her face. "Mum..." I murmured to myself.

"This outbreak of the Kintason disease is quite astonishing. Although many signs have proven that it is not contagious, it is yet questioning how it was actually caught on by so many people. This disease causes the break down of the blood flow in the body. Veins will begin to turn purple, and soon be clearly visible above the skin. I urge, anyone, anyone who has these symptoms to go to a hospital immediately. It is quite fatal because if the veins act in this matter, blood flow with decrease. Here at the Enmity, we are currently trying to resolve this issue and hopefully find a cure. I, as the coordinator of program, promise I'll find something."

The news anchor comes back onto the screen as soon as my mother says those last words 'I promise...I'll find something'.

I looked down at my wrist, unable to move. "What's happening to everyone? Why so sudden?" I asked myself. Alice heard me and walked over hugging me tight. "Believe in your mum, besides you're alright now." She said as she pulled away. I did not even glance at her. I continued to drift off into my own world. "Why am I like this?" I asked, almost yelling at her. She backed away, her nose scrunched. "Calm down Mae. Everything's fine. Hey, let's not worry too much about this. I mean it's all too sudden for any of us to handle."

"What do you mean? Why was I infected? And why am I the only one who isn't completed covered in those things, those veins?" I yelled at her. I fired questions at her as if I was a police man with a gun. I began to sob into my own hands.

Alice placed her delicate hands on my fragile, quivering shoulders. "Mae, your different."