Disclaimer: all aspects of this story are fictional and all properties belong to their respective owners
Chapter 2
"Mom I'm home," shouted Davis as he walked into the house
"So how did your study session go?"
"Once we got to work, fine."
"Why did you have troubles getting to work?"
"Yolei noticed that my sock was soaked form your lotion and wanted to see if my foot had a fungus infection because that's part of our subject."
"So was it?"
"She said it was. And after listening to her lecture on the subject for a half-hour you'd trust her opinion too."
"Well we should get you to see a podiatrist then."
"A what?"
"A foot doctor."
"So why didn't you say so?"
"Never mind. In the mean time we should get you some Athletes foot cream just in case.
"Well Yolei said that she couldn't Identify it."
"Well despite her half-hour lecture credentials I will still seek a professional opinion."
"What ever," concluded Davis sick of the discussion.
Latter that night in Davis' dream…
Who is that over their? Isn't that Veemon? It has to be. Why is he so far away? Is he avoiding me? No wait he is moving toward me. I should run so he doesn't have to move as far. Good we're getting closer. Almost there. Wait that's not Veemon. Why does he look like a person and Veemon? Wait he isn't real. He's just a reflection. But it's me! Then what am I?!
"Who am I?!" Davis said abruptly waking form his dream. "Wait that was just a dream. That's a relief. Boy was that dream vivid. I almost thought it was real. Hey my left foot isn't itchy anymore. But I guess it just moved to my hands and my other foot. I'll just think it out in the morning," he decided as he went back to sleep.
That morning at breakfast…
"Hey mom, when am I going to see the foot doctor?" asked Davis over a bowl of oatmeal.
"Not till this afternoon. Why?" she asked in return.
"cause last night my foot stopped itching but now my other foot and my hands are itching instead."
"It probably just spread out a little that's all."
"I have to know, why are we discussing this over breakfast?" wondered his sister.
"Because I live to delight your stomach."
"OK break it up you two," commanded their father.
"Yes Dad," the siblings coursed together.
Later on at the foot doctor…
"All right take of your shoes and socks," ordered the doctor snapping his gloves.
Why do doctors always have to snap their gloves when they tell you to take something of? thought Davis as he took of his shoes and socks.
"Now let's see here.." muttered the doctor as he examined Davis' feet. "Hmm. Interesting. Well I am sure it's a fungus, but that's only because I can't think of anything else I could be."
"What do you mean you can't think of anything else it could be?"
"I meant that I haven't seen anything like this at all. Even in some of the more obscure books they don't mention any bluish scaly slimy foot fungus."
"So can you do anything about it?" asked his mother.
"All I can do is take a sample for studying and prescribe a generic fungicide," he explained as he grabbed a tweezers and a sample tray. "Now hold still," he tells Davis as he attempts to remove a bit of the scale on Davis' foot. "Man that stuff is holding on tighter than a fat man at an all you can eat buffet."
"So how can you get a sample then?" asked Davis' mother.
"Well we might get some spore samples by washing off some of the slime on his foot."
"Go right on ahead," agreed Davis.
"OK just put your foot over the funnel in the sink and then I'll pour some distilled water over it."
"Like this?"
"Perfect. Now hold still."
"Burr that water is cold."
"Well would you be warm if you were kept in a refrigerator?"
"I guess not."
"Well that should do it. Just dry your feet off with some of these paper towel," the doctor told Davis as he took the sample jar out of the room.
"Sheesh that was something I don't want to repeat," complained Davis
"Wait didn't I tell you? You have to do this every night until the fungus goes away," said his mom, her eye's gleaming with good-natured malice.
"Funny mom. Nice joke."
"Who said I was joking?"
Davis was fortunately spared form answering this question by the return of the doctor.
"So Davis have you found yourself scratching any were else like you had with your foot?"
"Well last night when I woke up form a dream my foot had stopped itching but my hands and my other foot picked up the slack so to speak."
"Hmm. Let me see your hands."
"OK," he agreed as he held out his hands to be examined.
"Hmm. Well it looks like you have the same scaly patches as your foot just not as pronounced as those. I think you should keep him out of school for a few days just in case this is contagious," the doctor advised his mother. "And to make sure he doesn't have any complications with his studies I will give you a signed notice."
"Thank very much."
"Just between you and me, it is mainly because that I don't think the other kids would react to well to a person walking in with blue scales over some of his body," his whispered to Davis' mother.
"Good point," she agreed.
"So how long will I be out of school?"
"about 5 days maybe more. It all depends on how the tests come in and how long it takes you skin to clear up."
"Hey then I guess I'll miss a whole week of school. Great, nothing could go wrong," he concluded with a self confident smirk on his face
The next day at Davis' home…
"Where is Davis?!" demanded Yolei to his mom at the front door. "If he got himself sick on purpose just so he wouldn't have to present out project he is dead as soon as he is well."
"Calm down Yolei. Even Davis isn't that thick headed and if he was how could he make himself sick?"
"You have a point. I am just mad at him since he had done all of his research the night before at the last second."
"Well I am surprised he admitted that."
"He didn't. He had just let it slip on accident."
"I can see why you are mad at him, but I don't think he could contract some unknown disease just to avoid the project."
"What do you mean by "unknown disease"? Couldn't the doctor Identify it?"
"No he couldn't. That's why I am so worried."
"Can I go see him?"
"As long as you don't try to hurt him till he is better you can go right ahead."
"Thank you, I won't. I like to save my prey for a good challenge,' she said with a familiar tone of good-natured Malice as she walked into the house.
"I feel sorry for Davis when he gets better. Oh well no one could stop her anyway," she shrugged as she followed her into the house.
"Davis you are so dead," said Yolei fuming in Davis' door way.
"Erk," squeaked Davis from the opposite said of the bed form Yolei desperately trying to hide from her eye's glare. "Yolei what are you doing and don't you ever knock?"
"Don't beat around the bush, I know now that you are just living up the hand that fate dealt you, aren't you?"
"It's not like that you see…"
"none of your excuses I demand to here the exact truth."
"Fine take a look," he said as he stood up revealing some changes. First his hands and his other foot were covered with the bluish scales. His head was starting to look like his hands had the day before. And the foot that had been the first one covered with the scales had completely changed to a clawed foot with true blue scales.
"I don't think that is a fungus," she said with her eyes full shock and disbelief.
"I think I already realized that.'
"When did it get this bad?" she asked with complete sincerity and not a trace of her previous anger.
"Promise you'll believe me?"
"I think we have already passed that point already."
"OK. Well it seams to get worse when ever I have this strange dream."
"What happens in his dream?"
"Well It starts off with me standing in this huge empty space. Then I spot a Veemon, you know from Digital World game, and I am filled with a overwhelming desire to get to him. Then I try to approach him and he does the same. After what seams to be forever I get close enough to see him in detail and when that happens I realize it really isn't Veemon but some kind of weird mixture of him and a human, although I can't tell who that person is so I walk closer until I run into what at first seems to be an invisible wall. But shortly after that I realize that it isn't a wall but a mirror and that the weird hybrid is really me. And that's when I always wake up to find some more of me changed, although it wasn't until resonantly that I really noticed the changes."
"Well if it weren't for the obvious evidence that you are telling the truth I'd say your mind has just gone bye-bye. But since I can tell you are telling the truth, I can just hope that I didn't catch it form you."
"What do you mean?"
"Remember when I said that the slime on your foot doesn't wipe off?"
"yeah so?"
"Well I am concerned that the slime might just be how the disease might spread."
"so any one who gets in contact with this slime may go through these changes?"
"That's the idea."
"Just great. What about my dream?"
"It is either a way for the virus to communicate with it's host if it has developed a degree of consciousness or it is your subconscious influenced the form you are assuming."
"If I said I knew what you were talking about I would be lying."
"Basically the dream could mean that the virus has a mind, the virus is effected by your mind, or a combination of the two."
"So basically you have no clue?"
"No I have three clues."
"Could just tell me the things that your certain of?"
"Well I am certain that the virus will effect every one differently."
"Like how differently?"
"Like the very nature of the forms."
"How did you find that out?"
"Promise not to laugh?"
"I am not in a position to laugh at any one in case you haven't notice."
"I almost forgot about that."
"How could you forget about this? I am starting to look like a giant lizard, dinosaur, or dragon."
"You will soon see why," she explains as she takes the bandage, that Davis never noticed, off .
"Hey isn't that the finger that had the slime on it?" Davis asked remembering the other day.
Yolei nodded. "Take a look."
"Hey aren't those little feathers? Where did they come form? Oh," he said with the impact of the situation finally hitting him. "This had happened last night?"
"Yeah."
"So this thing does spread," said Davis finding the whole situation sobering. Yolei nodded with a melancholy air. "Look I am so sorry I got you into this mess."
"It's not your fault. It's mine for not being cautious enough to not catch this disease."
"It isn't your fault either. I have not a clue as to who fault it is. Probably the only thing that can truly can be blamed is the virus it self."
"I guess the virus effected your mind as well as your body."
"What do you mean by that?"
Yolei smiled with her mood lightening. "Cause you just said something half way smart."
"Oh funny. But seriously what are we going to do?"
"First we should see if any one else was infected.'
"Cody."
"What about him?"
"Was he at school today?"
"No he wasn't but I knew he at least did his part yesterday," she stopped suddenly. "Do you think?"
"Yeah that's why I mentioned him."
"Well I guess your not in the condition to check on him so I guess I will," she decided as she heads for the door.
"Hey Yolei," Davis shouts to her back. "Did you forget something?"
She turned around just in time to catch the bandage wrap from earlier. "Thanks I wouldn't be pretty if I forgot this."
"Good luck."
"Thanks I'll need it," she agrees as she recovers her hand. "I'll get in touch as soon as I can."
"I can't wait."
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