Chapter 1:
I flinched as I heard gunfire and fighting noises from less than a block away. My rescue plan wasn't going well at all. I'd run outside when I realized my pet cat "Tabitha" had escaped. Normally I wouldn't go after her since she's an outdoor cat but she was recovering from a leg injury and thus would be easy prey. However, once I started hearing loud noises that made me fear more for my own safety. I figured that if I didn't get off the streets I might be badly hurt or worse. Frantically I ducked into an alley and hid behind a dumpster. The lightning was poor and my eye condition didn't help so I could barely see. I waited for a few minutes and heard a loud bang. Shortly after that I could swear the air felt heavier than usual. It became hard to breathe. I felt like I was going to die there and then…
I woke suddenly to my alarm going off. "That dream again." I thought to myself. For what seemed like the millionth time I reminded myself of what the dream didn't show me from the chain of events that happened a year or so ago. I'd nearly passed out before I was found by the police. They brought me to the local police station and after I'd recovered enough to tell them who I was, they brought me home. "Tabby", as I often liked to call her, was safe. I figured she must have rushed home when the loud noises started. However the day after brought with it another worry: the news showed people who'd been involved at a gang war at the docks were mutated by some weird gas into what the media called meta humans. I'd been close enough to hear the gunfire, so I frantically waited. However a month passed and nothing bad happened to me so I figured I must have not been exposed.
A voice I recognized as my mother's called, "Josh, breakfast!" I stopped reminiscing and came downstairs. "Did you remember your eye medication last night?" She asked. "Yes Mom" I replied. She must have heard annoyance in my voice since she said, "The doctor said that missing even one dose could throw off the medication levels in your body and ruin your recovery". I'd never missed a dose. I was taking medication because I'd had bad eyesight and poor night vision for as long as I could remember. My mother said it was from having an eye infection when I was barely a year old. When an experimental treatment came out that touted it could fix my eyesight, I jumped at the chance. I'd started the treatment two years ago. Slowly the medication was restoring my eyes. My next eye exam was in a week and when I'd started the doctor said I'd be seeing 20/20 in 18 to 24 months.
After breakfast I headed off to school. Walking there was pleasant enough, however I overheard someone talking about how there'd recently been an escape from the meta human wing of the local prison.
Just before the lunch bell rang, my teacher handed me my chemistry test back. I looked at the grade and wasn't happy. I'd barely pass at this rate. It wasn't that I ignored school. I just had trouble with some subjects. Once I'd eaten lunch I asked around to see if anyone could tutor me and was recommended a student named Riche Foley. I looked around for him and found him talking with another student. "Hi, you must be Riche". I said extending a hand in greeting. He shook it and said, "Yep, that's me, and this is my friend Virgil." I shook Virgil's hand, looked at Riche, and continued, "Can you tutor me in Chemistry please?" Riche replied, "Sorry, I'm busy after school." I replied, "How about during lunch then?" Riche looked at Virgil for an opinion. Virgil nodded, so I got out my book and we got started.
A week later I got a chemistry quiz back with a perfect grade. After my session with Riche, I thanked him and when I got home I showed it to my Mom. "Your tutor must really be helping." She said, "His name was Riche?" I replied, "Yes, Richie Foley." My Mom added, "Let's see if your eyes have improved as much as your chemistry grades have." I'd been so happy about the chemistry quiz that I hadn't thought about it: my next eye exam was today. A few hours later I walked out of the eye doctor's office with a big smile. My vision was now 20/20! It felt different not taking the eye medication before bed that night, but it was a good sort of different.