HOME | DD

Description
body div#devskin0 hr { }

Chapter two: Whitewashed

“Benjamin Reed! While you are in my class, you will not ware any head ware of any kind.” Mr. Lien yelled. I was still not taking off my hood, less I let the class see my so called skin condition. Not to mention the flattened ears, the pair of horns growing out of my head and thinning hair. It was bad enough that my nose was flattening and widening and my mouth was pushing forward. And there’s the missing teeth. I wish this class would hurry up. The pressure building up at the base of my spine is killing me. The changes were accelerating. Every day, I’m waking up to more scales growing across my skin. Already my back, forearms, shoulders and feet were covered in scales. Every day, I’m watching my humanity disappear,

“No Mr. Lien.” I protested weakly.

“Then it’s detention Mr Reed.” Mr. Lien told me before waiting for a reason to give me another. I’ve given up trying to defend myself, he’ll only just give me a weeks worth of detentions for talking back. “And another for talking in my class. Now…” He resumed his lecture as I place my head on the desk again, asking myself wither I’ve done something to offend him severely, or if he just disliked me all along.

Before I could answer myself, there was a knock at the door, interrupting Mr. Lien’s lecture. He turned to glare at the creature who dared to interrupt him during his recitation of MacBeth’s lines, only to relax when he saw it was the principal. By her side was a boy.

“Apologies Mr. Lien.” She told the teacher as she stood in front of the room. “Class, I would like to introduce you to a new student. Would you come in young man.”

The class watched as the new kid came into the classroom. Immediately the air seemed to change, like it was charged with a strange, almost supernatural energy. He should have been at least a bit nervous, but he had this confidence about him. Maybe he moved around often. Most of the students observed him with disinterest, just another adolescent stumbling his way though high school. I did notice Charlotte winked at him while chewing on her pencil while the rest of the in crowd didn’t think he was worth their time. Anyone who did look at him saw a kid with skin whiter then snow, eyes as cold and grey as steel, short messy hair, gaunt features that the girls would secretly think was cute, and a pink line on the side of his neck that his collar was trying to hide, a scar of some sort.

The clothes he was wearing was… and odd mix to say the least. He did look the part of a student of a small town public high school. He wore two shirts, the over shirt, a black button up shirt with rolled up sleeves, over a white undershirt, a pair of cargo pants with a camouflage patten, a pair of strange black sneakers that covered his ankles, and the jewellery, including a bracelet around his right hand, an ankh hanging from his neck by a leather strap, a gold band around his ring finger, a purity ring maybe, and bulky watch around his right wrist. Under his untucked white shirt was a strange device attached to his belt. It didn’t look like a phone, more like a hand held barcode reader. Next to that was a clip that looked designed to hold a round object. It disappeared when the boy straightened his untucked undershirt as he walked over to the sole empty desk, which happened to next to mine. He took a seat, placing his backpack next to the desk and producing a battered silver laptop. It looked like it had seen better days but regardless, it seemed pretty far ahead. Mr. Lien looked at the thing like it was about to bite him but the kid started typing away regardless.

“Act five was it? Just after MacBeth gets the news that his wife committed suicide?” He asked. “She should have died hereafter; There would have been a time for such a word? Is there a problem?”

“I don’t allow those to be used in here.” Mr. Lien said firmly. The kid stopped typing.

“I’m sorry but I left my chisel and slab of stone at home. They were too heavy to carry with me.” There was chuckle from the in crowd. “Is it bothering you?”

“Yes.”

“Then get over it.” He stated bluntly as he returned to his typing. “Embrace the future.” The bell rang and everyone else stood up to leave.

“No!” Mr. Lien yelled. He pointed at Blake. “You stay. Everyone else is dismissed.” Everyone then doubled their efforts to leave the classroom, all but me. “You too Mr. Reed.”

“But.”

“You are dismissed Mr. Reed.” Mr. Lien just about yelled at me. I left the room, leaving my bag behind. Even as I fled for my life, I couldn’t shake the feeling that boy was smiling when I left. It was as if he was going enjoy the ensuring chaos.

Thursday. Cafeteria serves mystery meat for lunch Thursday. The real mystery is how the school get away with serving what smells like Dylan Johnson’s gym socks, don’t ask how I know that. Either way, I sit at one of the tables, picking at my food with my fork. I still don’t know how the cafeteria staff get away with poisoning us. Nor did I care. I was just glad I was able to dodge a bullet.

“You sure?” I heard someone say. “Steroids?”

“I figured his brother but Benny? That’s insane.”

“So’s him growing half a foot in a week. I heard from Jimmy the kid got a blood test.” That had to be Kim Joice, the school’s queen bee, always spreading gossip and lies. “Came out and told him to lay off the steroids.” Kim and her little clone army giggled at my expense.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Jacob walk up, place his tray of food on the table and sit across from me, his eyes betraying him, showing his thoughts of pity and despair. It’s been a week since I told him, and a week since he started watching me turn into something else.

“Still painful?” Jacob asked.

“You have no idea. My feet ache, my tailbone feels like someone’s pulling on it, and my mouth feels like I’ve gotten ten uppercuts to the jaw.” I moaned.

“And the blood tests?”

“Nothing but abnormally high hormone levels, even for a kid my age.” I answered. “Mom’s worried that I might be developing a stress disorder too. And I still haven’t told them. Dad’s asking questions. It’s a matter of time before he pulls off one of my gloves and finds five white claws. And with the rate this has been going… either I tell them or…”

“Tell them what?” I nearly jumped out of my skin… well, it’s mostly scales now, when my brother spoke up. He’s a big guy, it’s hard to see him sneak up on anyone. “Ben. Does this have anything to do with the doctor’s visit last week?”

“What it to you?” I asked. “It’s not like you cared before.”

“You know Mom’s now worried when she got that call from the clinic. And Dad’s been thinking that he might need to give you… that talk again.”

Jacob found something funny about it, nearly chocking on his potatoes. “That’s going to be an awkward talk.” He managed. I honestly thought traitor at that moment.

“And Tina is flying back from New York.” Jimmy continued. “You have the whole family worried.”

“Why don’t you just tell them the same thing you told Kim?” I growled. “Why not use me as a scapegoat for your own substance addiction! I’m already half a fre…” I stopped, clamping my mouth shut, taking a deep breath. But on the exhale, something burnt my throat and I started coughing.

“Ben? You okay dude?” I heard Jacob ask as he came up to me, but I had to get out of there, running out of the cafeteria, out into the campus grounds. Anger just swelled and by the time I got back my senses, I couldn’t stop myself from moving. All I could think was getting away before I attacked someone. I collapsed behind a tree, pulling off my hood, thinking I was alone. I then removed one of my gloves, looking at the claws, wondering if the changes weren’t just physical.

What if I really was turning into an animal? What if I my humanity was the last thing to go? Was I putting everyone in danger just being here? What if I lost control?

“You know… You remind me of a friend back home. He was exactly in your situation. Well, he turned into a werewolf. You’re turning into a dragon.” I looked up to see… the new kid? Hanging from a branch of the tree. “Though, good news is, blue is your colour. Excuse me for a moment.”

He fell out of the tree and landed feet first. I turned my head away in a feeble attempt to hide my deformities. “Leave me alone.” I growled.

“Last person I left alone ended up bringing a gun to school one day.” He said, any cheerfulness now gone from his voice. “And eight ended up in wooden boxes. I am not making that mistake again. Besides, you look like someone who needs reminding of who he is.”

“You don’t know who I am.” I told him. “You only just meet me.”

“And already I can tell you a lot about you. Like that scar on the back of your hand. I’m going to go with, tripped on the house steps.” He inhaled before sitting down next to me. “Look at this scar. Even the scales can’t get rid of it. It’s still the same scar. And, no matter what happens, you will be the same person under all those scales. But no one else is going to see that if you can’t see it in yourself. You might be changing, but you’re always changing. We always are changing, all though our lives. Nothing ever stays the same forever. Not even what we are. But that’s okay. We’ve got to keep moving, but we should also reflect on who we used to be.

“I think you’ve been wearing that mask for too long. It’s time to stop hiding from yourself.” He told me as he stood up.

“Nightingale!” I heard Lien yell.

“You tell the man he’s a terrible actor, and he wants your head.” He mumbled. “No one can take constructive criticism anymore. Gotta dash.” He ran off, presumably to avoid the homicidal english teach…

“Ahh!” That’s when I roared in pain as the pressure at the base of my spine decided to intensify. The pressure kept pushing and I felt something sliver down the back of my leg, twitching and flailing in it’s denim binding.

The pain stopped, and it was replaced by the sensation of a new limb that was basically the extension of my spine. I saw it hanging out of my pants leg, a foot and a half longer then my own leg. I tried moving it… and the tip responded with a twitch, startling me. I was caught between awe stuck and freaking out.

“You’re turning into a dragon.” The new kid put bluntly like it was the most natural thing in the world. Maybe he was insane. Too bad it’s the only thing that made any sense.

“Dragon?” I asked myself.

“That’s right kid.” I turned to face the voice, only to feel a sharp pain in the back of my neck, and black out.

I heard voices when I came too. I wasn’t sure if it was even in a language I understood, sounded Eastern European. My head was throbbing, my jaw was killing me but at least the pressure on the base of my spine was gone. I could hear something else too, an engine? And it felt like I was moving. It was confirmed when what ever I was in swerved and lurched but remained on the road.

“Hey! Shit for brains! Where’d you learn to drive?” One of the voice demanded.

“Kraven. Looks like our guest is waking up.” Another voice said. “Better inject him with the serum or old man Silver will have our head. And our payday.”

As I opened my eyes, I began to see a large figure come closer with a syringe. I tried to move, but my limbs wouldn’t respond…

There was a sound of tires screeching, the shadow toppled over as what ever I was in, and he screamed in pain.

“What you playing at?!” The other voice demanded as I heard the sound of metal on metal. “You trying to get us kill…”

There was a gunshot, and then another, and shouting in that weird language and a yell. It felt like we drove over something. Then a word that sound like a curse. I saw the shadow get up, and pull the now empty syringe out of his arm.

“Not how I expected my payday, but this will do.” He muttered as we came to a stop. I heard doors open and light suddenly blind my eyes.

“FBI! Get down on the ground now!”