Zam the Hybrid

5. The Birth of Zam the Hybrid

Sam hadn't known what it meant to grin for some time. It was something he read about and had always been curious about but he'd never quite been sure what the act of grinning actually entailed. He'd wondered what the sensation was like. He'd wondered what it felt like. He often had difficulty empathising with others. Emotions and feelings were a murky subject in his opinion. Every person he met displayed emotions differently and yet he was supposed to know what they all meant? It struck Sam as highly inconvenient.

However, when Sam had started school, he'd begun to learn a lot more about feelings and behaviour, and grinning was his biggest success story. At the end of most days, his teachers would congratulate him on another sparkling performance in a test. Or they'd commend his intellectual curiosity and make him into an example that the rest of the class should follow. It felt good and it put a huge grin on his face. A grin was a bit like a smile but it was wider and a lot more smug. Or was it pride? Smugness and pride were easy to confuse. He made a mental note to study the two in closer detail.

It was the end of another school day and it was another grinning day for Sam. Mrs Hughes had been shocked even more so than usual when she found out he'd been teaching himself degree level mathematics and her compliments had helped to boost his ego. And so, the grin had formed. Now Sam was strutting along, his satchel bag placed firmly on his shoulder, his head held high as he headed for the bus home.

Or at least, he would've been going to the bus stop had it not been for a large boy, a fellow pupil, who was blocking his path. Sam almost walked into the boy before he stopped. He should really pay more attention. Even the pavement alongside the fencing of the school was a potentially dangerous place. He could've walked straight into someone, fallen over and injured himself. Sam made a mental note to be more observational.

"Going somewhere Sammy?" the boy grunted. It was only then that Sam got a good look at him. He was wearing an identical uniform to Sam's; a dark blazer and a striped tie only Sam's was a nice fit. This fellow seemed to have grown out of his clothes years ago. Either that or he had something stuffed up his sleeves. The seams had practically ripped they were so tight. Looking at his face, Sam vaguely recognised him from around the corridors.

It wasn't a particularly pretty sight. His face wasn't the normal face shape. It was more square and chubby as if it had swollen up so many times that it could no longer return to its original state. Due to this, Sam could barely make out his tiny eyes and their colour remained a mystery. His teeth were also not what you'd call normal. They pointed in the wrong ways and it was hard to tell that he was wearing a smile.

"Yes actually. Home," Sam responded, not wanting to miss the bus home.

"Have you forgotten Sammy? You don't get to just go home," the boy chuckled. From behind the large boy, Sam saw two more tall figures approaching.

"Sorry, do I know you?" Sam asked. The three boys exchanged glances and laughed.

"Course you do Sammy. It's me, Kev." Sam clearly gave him a blank look. "We always used to talk out here after school. Man, I heard you had changed but forget me? Nobody forgets me."

"Well I'm really sorry but I haven't the foggiest what you're on about." Sam decided he should not worry about his story that made no sense and just use his manners and he extended his hand. "Kevin, it's very nice to make your acquaint—"

Before he could finish, Sam felt all of the air rush out from his stomach. Kevin's hand had reached out but instead of shaking Sam's smaller hand like a gentleman, he'd forced his huge fist straight into Sam's gut. Caught completely off guard, Sam let out a pathetic "oof" and dropped to his knees. He'd never had a greeting quite like that before.