FREAK

Noah

This is the day I've been dreading. It's finally here, my altercation day. All of the other kids love it. For whatever reason, it loomed upon me in a different manor. A manor more sinister and malicious. Maybe it was the altercation my father had received that made me stare at the day in horror. However, everybody else has parents that looked just as terrifying. I don't understand why I don't want it, or why I don't man up and receive it.
A boy in my class, Jimmy, was elated to have his altercation on his tenth birthday. While all of the other children stared in awe, I could only look at him with the same terror as I looked at everybody else with. His once flawless skin had now been spotted and matted with fur. The coat was much like a leopard's. His beautiful brown eyes were now a soulless red, much like the other altercated people. The eyes were the only thing the altercated had in common. I don't understand it. Maybe I will when I get altercated. His mouth had now been transformed into a muzzle. He had a tail. When he stood, his legs now resembled a cat's when on two feet. In other words, he was no longer bipedal. He was faster than a race car in gym. He had ears that now resembled a cat's as well. Goodness, he was terrifying. I guess what I remembered most about him was the blood. There were bandages all across him. They covered the parts that human met animal. The bandages weren't clean either, they were blood covered. I was confused as to why he hadn't bleed out yet, or even gotten weak due to blood loss. It was clear to see the creature he had been modified after. It sickened me but I kept a straight face as to not be rude.
His physical appearance wasn't the only difference his altercation had caused. His personality changed as well. Jackson was a lot ruder to people who had not undergone altercation yet. My evidence for that: he was my best friend beforehand. He started pushing me around and started to ignore me for the group of students that were altercated. I left him soon after his transformation. Only to discover that my tenth birthday had now arrived.
I knew I wasn't getting out of it. I wanted too, but I wasn't.
I skidded across school the entire day. Nothing else was on my mind other than the nightmares that awaited me when I arrived home. I am so dead. I ended up bumping into Jimmy on my way to lunch. Long story short: he took my lunchbox and I moved on with my day on an empty stomach. Great.
My mind began racing again.
Is there any way I can get out of this? Oh, who am I kidding. There's one rule in the society: never reject your altercation. I'm not getting taken away for life in prison because I broke the one rule. That would be stupid.
What would my altercation be anyway? Maybe I'd be like Jackson. He always loved to run. So he became based off of a cat. Duh, Noah. You should probably focus up and stop giving yourself a pep talk. You need to focus.
I looked up to see my teacher looking down at me. He looked similar to a dog. However, there was something off about him. I couldn't put my finger on it. His appearance just seemed...plasticky. Like well done special effects. It wasn't that obvious. But, I could just feel something that I didn't feel around other altercated people. I felt more comfortable.
"'Ello, Noah," he smiled at me with that odd British accent, "I heard it was your birthday. Are you ready to receive your altercation?"
"I-I don't know, Mr.Blake. I'm kind of scared-er-nervous," I knew well that if I had kept acting scared, he would take me as somebody who didn't want their altercation. Letting him know that would be a huge mistake, "it's just...what if I don't turn out the way I want too?" I trusted my teacher of this school more than my own family. Again, I didn't understand it. But, why would I?
"Well," his voice sounded old. Not as old as your great grandfather, but more of that 'almost fifty' kind of tone,"I'm sure your father will come up with something you'll like. His job was to monitor your actions up until this day. Ten years of monitoring won't go to waste, will it?" His tone...it was off this time as well. He sounded sort of aggravated. He's a strange one. I've learned that It's better to not question it, or anything that happens in my odd yet terrifying world.
"Right..."I had zoned out as soon as he walked off and the rest of my school day went by faster than lightning.
I realized that the dizziness of too much thinking was nothing compared to what was happening now. I didn't start feeling really nostalgic until I reached for the front door handle. Just a few more hours until the nightmare began.