Chapter 1: The New Kid

Sean O'Connor walked towards the large iron gates that stood at the entrance to the school.
It made the school feel more like a prison than a school for the disabled. He clutched his throat, gently rubbing it as if that would magically fix everything that was wrong with him. There was some fancy term the doctors had told him, but the only name that stuck was super-asthma, as it had all the same symptoms, just worse in every regard.
To make things worse it occurred spontaneously, during a track meet. Sean was the captain of his Track and Field team for years, being six feet tall and only 185 pounds gave him quite the runner's physique, and his father couldn't have been more proud.
Then during the final stretch of a 400meter race Sean felt his throat close up. Air escaped rapidly and he fell clutching at his throat, desperate to allow the life-providing oxygen in. The yells became softer, and slowly the world became darker. Sean awoke hours later in a nearby hospital, and was greeted with bad news, and worse news. He was diagnosed with a series of conditions in his lungs and his throat that he had been unknowingly living with for years but they had remained dormant up until now. The worse news was that his dad was dead. Killed in a drunk-driving accident after leaving a pub, the irony of course being he never touched alcohol, and was in fact part of a designated driver program. The asshole driving ninety down the wrong side of the road however was not.
In one night Sean lost everything.
But he also found something new; he did have one other living relative, his grandmother on his mother's side, who lived on the other side of the world which luckily enough was where he was going to be sent after a lengthy three months in the hospital, the entirety of his summer gone. When he finally left he felt relieved, before being shoved onto a plane and sent halfway around the world to his grandmothers.
Who he saw for a total of half an hour before being dropped off at his new school.

"Cripple Academy paging Sean 'Tintreach' O'Connors, come in Sean!" he muttered angrily to himself, pushing open the gate slowly, carefully monitoring his breathing. His eyes were drawn to the beautiful track in front of him.

"Why not! Why not put the bloody track in front of me, salt the wound!" he sighed bitterly, deciding to go at least look at it, at least allow himself some nostalgia.

He plopped himself down on the nearby bleachers and stared out at the track. It truly was gorgeous perfect length, great straightaways, and fantastic curves. If only his school had had a track this perfect, he may have done even better.
Sean noticed a blip on the opposite straightaway, someone appeared to be doing laps, and by their speed, was doing a damn good job. It gave him a strange feeling, he loved to watch others excel at something, but at the same time it hurt, as he would love nothing more than to be out there running with them.

They turned a corner and began to pick up speed on the last straightaway; something saved for the last lap, and was amazed at how quickly she finished the hundred meters.

"Hey! Enjoying the show?" the runner called out to Sean, who forgot that he was still, despite his best efforts, not invisible.

"Huh? Oh! I gottah say you were really legging it out thar." Sean stood and carefully made his way off the bleachers and over towards the girl, quickly realizing that he towered over her.

The girl smiled up at him, and placed both hands on top of her head. "Thanks! Have we met before? I don't think I recognize you."
"Nah, I'm new. Name's Sean O'Connor, you?"
She grinned warmly again, and stuck out her hand.
"I'm Emi! Nice to meet you Sean!" They shook, and only now did Sean notice that Emi had no legs.
"Well, aren't you going to ask?"
"What?"
"About my prosthetics."
"Not much to ask about now is there? Besides that'd be rude." He grinned slightly, he was a school for cripples, of course he expected things like this. Besides, Sean was always a gentleman to cute girls.
She laughed slightly.
"I guess…Oh, have you checked in with the nurse yet?" She asked.
"Not yet, I just got here."
"Great! You can come with me then!" With that she was practically pulling Sean towards a building in the distance.
"Woah, calm down! No need to rush."
Emi just shrugged and kept pulling him towards the building.
"So, do you run track or do you just like staring at pretty girls run in circles?" Emi asked suddenly as he opened the door for her.
"I used to…" Sean sighed heavily and continued following Emi, who had since abandoned trying to drag someone a foot taller than her, and more than twice her weight.
"Oh I'm sorry…Is that why you are here then?" She asked quietly.
"..Yea."
Emi looked like she was going to continue when the door to the nurse's office swung open, and a man in a white coat walked out, and addressed Emi quickly.
"Emi, you'll have to wait for a bit, I have to go find a new student who seems to have gotten himself lost…" He turned and was now face to face with Sean.
"Never mind, seems that you found him for me. Sean right?"
Sean nodded.
"Yessir."
"Great, I have to get to a meeting so I'll have to do both of your checkups at once…that ok with you two?"
Emi looked over at Sean and shrugged.
"Sure. It's not like it's too invasive or anything."
"I don't have to get nip in front of her do I?"
Sean was met with a blank stare.
"Naked?Nude?" Sean added.
The nurse grinned and shook his head.
"Just your shirt."
Sean shrugged.
"Fine by me."

The nurse led them into the small office, and Emi sat down on one of the beds, apparently knowing what was expected of her at this point. The nurse approached Sean, and asked him to unbutton his shirt.
Sean suddenly felt a bit self-conscious, but still unbuttoned his top, draping it over the back of a nearby chair.
He felt the cold metal press against his chest, and instinctively shivered not from the temperature but from the memories it brought. Months in a cold hospital room, and the constant checkups.
He decided to focus on the coat-of-arms that was tattooed into his flesh instead, it was a father's day present from a year ago, and was in the same place as his dad's crest. His dad had told him that the crest belongs on the heart, as family should always be kept in one's heart, no matter the situation.
Sean could feel himself tearing up, but willed them away before looking up at the nurse.

"Ok everything sounds good, I'll just give you your meds and you can be on your way."
Sean nodded, and began putting his shirt back on, glancing over at Emi, who quickly looked away then went back to putting on her prosthetics.
Sean grinned slightly, and was then handed a bag containing no fewer than 10 different inhalers, and a couple bottle of pills.

"Jaysus. Is this really necessary?" The nurse just stared at him solemnly.
"Christ…this is gonna be grand." He looked over at Emi who stood up and walked over to him, grinning.
"You'll get used to it! Come on I want to give you the grand tour!"
Sean paused for a second.

Do I want her to give me the tour?

A.) No thanks, I'll find my way around.
B.) Maybe later? I'm flah'ed out. (Really Tired)
C.) Ok then, lead the way!