Here is my new story, all. I hope you like it as much as 'A New Kind of Love' There will be more posted soon, And I promise to post faster and longer chapters.
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"Alright quiet down. We have a new student joining us tomorrow. I have to give you all a warning since he is an infected." Mrs. Travers informed her class.
Mike rolled his eyes at his teacher. He knew she was bad, but she could have at least tried to keep the disgust out of her voice when she talked about an infected person.
Mike remembered when the disease was first discovered. How people swarmed the hospitals to get tested if they were vulnerable to it. Only a few people could be infected by the disease. The survival rate was very low. It caused massive fevers that would usually kill the person before it progressed any farther. The organs would shut down slowly. It was supposed to be excruciating.
That was before any of the changes happened. If you survived the fever and organ failure then came the mutations. Some were physically deformed. Growing odd limbs or losing some, sometimes things that didn't even belong on a human. Gills, wings, tails, you name it. Scientists had figured out that many times infected would take the appearance of animals they had spent time around, but not always. Sometimes it was completely random. Sometimes the mutations wouldn't form correctly and they would die from that. So the odds of surviving with a mutation that still allowed you to function was low.
But still possible. The ones that did survive the sickness and mutations were put in camps. The public was frightened by them. Some went through emotional changes that made them hostile, an empty shell of the person they had been. People started 'defending' themselves from the mutated survivors.
Defending meaning going after innocent people. He remembered the news reports of massacres against the infected. Soon they were all rounded up and put in the camps to keep them away from the public. For both their safety and the citizens.
It was only supposed to be temporary but it ended up lasting 13 years. Mike remembered his neighbor was infected when he was five. He remembered soldiers pulling her from her home and restraining her before throwing her into the back of a car to send her to a camp.
Those who were in the camps were treated poorly. Abused and fed things that farm animals wouldn't eat. He winced as he recalled an article he read for his Ethics class.
The camps were only shut down a couple months ago and people were still adjusting to the infected getting jobs and going to school, or out in public. Many people were still very hostile and cruel to them. Some infected could hardly get jobs because so many people wouldn't hire them. Public schools had to accept them or they could be sued but they made it obvious they were not welcome. Many infected decided to be home schooled or work from home. Rather than face the wrath of those who still hated them for no reason.
The bell rang interrupting Mikes thoughts.
"The homework is on the board. Its due at the beginning of class tomorrow." Mrs. Travers said before her students left quickly.
Glad to be out of school Mike headed towards football practice.
"Hey, so what do you think about that?" Mikes friend, Ethan, jogged up to him.
"What?" Mike asked.
"About an infected being here." Ethan said.
"I think he or she has as much a right to be here as any of us do." Mike glared at the ground.
"Seriously?" Ethan looked shocked at him.
"Yeah, Don't you?" Mike said shocked. He was surprised one of his friends would be so prejudiced against someone because they had the unfortunate luck of getting sick.
" Well, I mean come on dude look at them." Ethan laughed. Mike stopped walking and looked at him. He scoffed before continuing to walk.
"Your an ass." Mike said.
"What? Come on its not that big a deal." Ethan said catching up to Mike as he quickened his pace.
"No big deal? That's like hating me because I'm gay." Mike said.
"That's different." Ethan said.
"How so?" Mike asked
"Because its not your fault your gay you were born that way." Ethan said shrugging.
" And its their fault they got sick?" Mike said as he opened his gym locker to get dressed.
" Well no, but, I don't know I just don't want them hanging around me. What if I catch something?" Ethan shivered as he pulled on his jersey.
" Its not contagious and you know that." Mike glared.
"Well you never know right?" Ethan said.
"Whatever." Mike said before storming out of the locker room onto the field.
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Mike sat down in his usual seat in Mrs. Travers class. He had to admit he was kind of excited about seeing the new kid. He had never actually seen a fully changed infected person before. His neighbor had only slightly green rough skin. He remembered her having a pet snake.
The bell rang and Mrs. Travers walked into the room. Still no sign of the new kid.
" Get out your homework and pass it up." She said as she sat at her desk to take roll.
Mike took out his homework and passed it to the girl sitting in front of him. He sat waiting, wondering where the new kid was. He sat up straight when a boy he had never seen walked into the room.
He wore a sleeveless shirt that was a pale gray. He was somewhat short. With black hair that looked very soft. He had a thin frame and his hips were narrow. He was actually beautiful. But none of these were the first thing Mike noticed.
The first thing he noticed were the large gray feathered wings that were folded neatly on his back. They ruffled slightly as he walked towards Mrs. Travers desk. He handed her a note that she glanced at before throwing it in the trash and standing.
"Class this is..." She trailed off. She hadn't read the name on the note. The boy looked up and Mike noticed the Bright orange eyes with the large pupils.
