Chapter One
After ten successful years of rebuilding the population, things went downhill again. My name is Haley Young and I am the last hope.
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"Hey Haley!" Stacy called my name after class in the hallway. I turned and dropped my books all over, sending papers everywhere. "I'm sorry!" Stacy rushed over to me and picked up the loose papers. She really didn't need to say sorry, but it was like a reaction of hers to almost anything.
"It's okay, Stacy." I laughed. I reached for my blue math binder and saw another hand grab it before I did. I looked up and saw Caden smiling down at me. He handed me my binder and I immediately stood up. "Thanks." I giggled nervously.
"You're welcome. Are you okay? I saw you fell." He smiled at me, showing off his perfectly white teeth. He brushed his dark brown hair quickly with his fingers.
"Yeah, I'm okay." I smiled. I could feel my face turn bright red.
"I'll see you around then." He smiled at me and walked away towards his friends. Stacy gave me my papers and squealed.
"Oh my gosh he SO likes you!"
"No he doesn't, Stacy…"
"Yes he does! Did you see the way he looked at you? Oh my gosh it was so cute!" She giggled and taunted me. I poked her side teasingly and she poked me back.
Life took a U turn after this day. I knew life would never be the same.
-
"Next." The doctor's assistant called from the door that pretty much everyone was staring at in horror. "Nicole and David Longsburg." She read the names on her clipboard out loud. She had pale blonde hair tied in a bun, soft blue eyes that hid under simple glasses, and she was tall and fairly skinny. The tan couple stood up and looked at each other nervously. They held hands and stepped into the room that everyone in the waiting area dreaded. I looked at my friend Stacy who was sitting next to me and we sighed.
Stacy had brownish-red hair that was tied in a side ponytail today. She had a ton of freckles that covered her nose and cheekbones. She was wearing a blue polo and a white shirt under it and light blue jeans. The lady walked out again and I heard everyone hold their breath.
"We'll take the Group of nine to fifteen year olds now." She held the door open for us as we all walked in. There, we all waited in a line outside of another door that closed every time another kid walked in. After a long wait, it was Stacy's turn and she walked into the room. She turned to me while the door closed behind her. I watched the clock tick and my heart was pounding almost out of my chest. Soon, she walked out of the room and looked at me with scared eyes. Her eyes were glassy, but she managed to smile a shaky and uneasy smile. The nurse nodded at me and held the door open while I walked in.
"Hello, Miss…" The doctor looked down at his clipboard, "Haley Young. Take a seat." He patted on the cot. I sat down in front of him and he wheeled his rolling chair over to the cabinets. He stood up and opened one of the drawers and pulled out a needle.
'Oh crap!' I thought to myself. I hated getting needles injected in me.
"Okay, Haley, I have a few questions before we start." He looked back down at his clipboard and was prepared to write. He glanced down and his eyes widened. He was looking at my health files. He flipped through a few pages and stopped and read intently.
"Is there a problem?" I asked.
"Um…" He hesitated, "No. No…" He assured me. His voice was anything but persuading. "So you've never had the flu?" He asked.
"Nope."
"Even when it was floating around for so long in such a congested area?" He asked.
"Nope."
"Really…" He mumbled. He scribbled something on the clipboard. "You've never broken a bone either?" he asked. I started to get scared. I had been in the room longer than Stacy had been.
"Nope." He almost gasped. Everyone I knew had broken a bone AND got the flu at least once in their lives. I sighed, knowing something was wrong with me, of course.
"Put your arm out and squeeze this sponge." He ordered. I got scared. He took out a bigger needle for blood testing.
I closed my eyes after I did as he said. The pain in my arm tingled and almost surrounded my elbow area. It seemed like forever that the needle was in my arm. I promised myself not to look, but I glanced and saw the blood rising in the tube attached to the needle was sparkling. I wanted to puke, but I caught control of myself and looked away when he took out the needle. He put a white cloth piece over where the needle was and put a piece of tape over it.
"I'll have to see you again soon." He nodded, "You may leave."
I walked out into the waiting room and saw everyone that was in line with me was glaring at me. Stacy got up and looked at my arm.
"What… what happened?" She asked, astonished.
"He took a sample of my blood. Didn't he do that to everyone else?" I asked as a little group of kids surrounded me. Everyone shook their heads.
"No, he gave us a shot of medicine." Stacy pushed her sleeve up and showed me the little band-aid on her arm.
"Wh…what?" I asked. Everyone else showed me their band aids. I almost chocked on my own saliva. "No one else got a blood test?" I asked again.
"Come on, guys. I'll take everyone home. Get in the van." Our teacher, Miss Meri, ordered us. We all walked outside into the cold. I held my arm and looked around me at the trees and the cars that surrounded me. I nearly broke into tears. There was something wrong with me.