Lost In Purple
Chapter 48: After Class Analyzations
Melanie's POV
"You saw Mankind Eternal?" Professor King asks in shock, lifting his eyebrow and causing Carrie to become just as intrigued as him.
"Y-yeah. Johnny wanted to take me, so I…you know…went with him...nervously," I reply.
Professor King shakes his head, putting the palm of his hand on his forehead before sitting down at his desk. "There's another thing I'll have to talk with him about. Seeing a movie like that is one sure way to keep anybody from wanting to scare."
He could say that again. I'm even sure that if my Dad saw it, he would rethink his entire life. That wouldn't be a good thing either because I'm sure he would end up thinking he just wasted his entire life doing something he essentially didn't like. I can imagine all the hurt he would go through. "Th-that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. Johnny said that you would know the reason why people are terrified of it and why there's warnings before you go to see it. We're both really curious about your reasoning behind that," I exhort.
Carrie finds this to be the best time to chime in, and walks up beside me to show me the surprise that's written across her face. "There are warnings about it? I thought it was just another fun and dumb horror movie." She asks.
"Yes, and for a semi-good reason," Professor King implies, "I saw the movie the day it came out. Hated the story but appreciated it for what it was in terms of representing the horrors of what humans are, while also representing concern about preventative measures."
"Wait what?" Carrie spouts in confusion.
Professor King sighs and leans back in his chair. "As Scarers, you both know that children are inherently 'toxic' and should never be touched. Unfortunately, the Monstropolitan government, or any government for that matter, refuses to believe that they actually aren't. There's no scientific proof that even comes close to supporting that claim, which means you can technically be touched by one and have no immediate issues whatsoever... I'm technically not supposed to tell anyone that for any reason, so please, forget that I ever told you that. Additionally, people who have no credentials in Scaring or human research, misinform the public and cause them to become deathly afraid of human children."
Carrie and I look at Professor King in utter shock. We've been lied to our whole lives, and it only took one guy with an impressive scientific background to completely convince us that the information we considered fact was instead propaganda.
"This relates to Mankind Eternal because one of the producers actually went to college here a few years back but dropped out to pursue film. He knew this fact, and actually created this film to subtly tell people that humans, while they aren't 'toxic when touched,' actually carry diseases that could wipe out our population within weeks. Ebola, Diphtheria, The Pneumonic and Bubonic Plagues, Tuberculosis, Smallpox…they're all extremely fatal and contagious diseases, or have the potential to become fatal, when they come into contact with those from the monster world. That's the real reason why you shouldn't ever touch or be touched by a child or human, because you never know if they will infect you with something we don't know a whole lot about."
Carrie looks to be pondering, trying to process everything that was just explained. This is whole other reason as to why people are intimidated by the Professor, it's almost like he's talking in tongues but it's really just that he's smart. "Wait, so if you don't know much about these, then how do you know what they're called?" Carrie asks.
"The same way we learn about the children you scare. Recon. We send the monster worlds small bug like monsters into a room and survey them using cameras. Instead of surveying a children's room, we've surveyed classrooms and laboratories for virologic and bacteriologic information. Humans never even know we're there."
"Oh ok," Carrie smiles, satisfied with his answer.
It seems like the Professor's not done though. "The movie also makes you think about whether or not the government has the correct measures in place in case there ever is an invasion of some sort. The producer knew this too, and was actually afraid of something like this happening, so he made Mankind Eternal to show the world what it would be like if humans did find out about the monster world. Because the government has placed so much panic around human existence, society will essentially break down and maybe even collapse if there's ever a time like that. People will go into hiding, hoard supplies, maybe even cause the world to spiral into anarchy. Mix that with the potential of deadly disease and boom, you've got an apocalyptic world right in the palm of your hands."
That makes sense now. We never know what consequences we'll face when in contact with humans, and we'll never know how the public will react in a real situation like that since everybody believes in lies.
"The last part you should understand is the consequences of being around adult humans. If you think about those who have been exiled into the human world, The Lochness Monster, The Yeti, Chupacabra, Minotaur, Chimera, Wendigo, Scylla, all these monsters who now live in the human world, have to worry about being chased or hunted by humans. They're a very curious species, and thrive on scientific discovery and experimentation just like us, so they will go to very far lengths to capture you. Some might even kill you for sport, fame, and glory, or might keep themselves safe from you. All in all, the movie is more or so a 'what if' situation. What would it be like to be in the presence of humans? What what are the consequences of being around them? What would the monster world do about it? That movie answers all three of those questions."
Carrie scoffs and looks up into the air. "I want to see it now but I have no time!"
"Honestly, you're not missing much. The Professors analysis of it does it justice. The plot was truly unoriginal and borderline boring; It totally would have flopped without the CGI," I mention.
"I'll have to second that Carrie. Just watch it when it comes out on some streaming service or something. I don't think it's worth the twenty dollars for a ticket," Professor King adds while clicking his pen and returning his focus onto his paperwork.
"Aww but going to this movies is so fun," Carrie pouts while stomping on the ground, "You're so lucky you get to do all these fun things with Johnny."
Little does she know that I had no fun at all watching that movie. In fact the only fun part about going was drinking that nostalgic soda with Johnny. I coincidentally don't think I'll be watching any movie for a very long time because I have to deal with my new found irrational fear of human zombies now…god I sound insane. Little does she know that I was scared out of my mind during our time at Fear Tech as well. Now I want to know why she thinks we're doing fun stuff, because I don't remember doing anything fun.
"Don't tell me you don't enjoy being a TA Carrie," Professor King teases.
"Nooooo! Don't do that to me Professor, it's not fair!" She howls.
The Professor and I both laugh at her expense. I don't think we were expecting to see her throw a mini temper tantrum today.
"Go home and talk about it with you're friends. Maybe they'll want to go with you anyways," Professor King suggests.
Carrie seems to cheer up a little bit and packs her stuff up in a hurry, presumably to go the movies. We both say our goodbyes to her as she climbs the stairway and exits the lecture hall, leaving the two of us in the empty room.
"One more thing Miss Everett, I want to see if I can explain some of your... newfound abilities. Could you try your best to recreate what you did at Fear Tech for me," He says while taking out a notepad and a fountain pen.
I nod with uncertainty and take a couple steps back before inhaling and exhaling calmly. I don't really know how I can even begin to replicate what I did since it was done in the heat of the moment, but if it means that I can learn something about myself, then it's in my interest to try. I'm able to feel the warmth within me as the mysterious blue glow exposes itself in between my scales and my hair inexplicably floats, but nothing else happens. No matter what I try, I don't gain that transparency and death-like physique that was described by that security guard.
"Not sure where to start?" The Professor asks.
"N-no. It just happened during an energy rush, so I didn't notice anything different," I respond in frustration.
"That's alright, I have one idea that coul-"
His entire body is suddenly engulfed in golden flames, and tendrils of fire are created along his spine that are flung in various directions. His mouth hangs open and is hanging on by one little thread of skin, opening up the slits at the upper part of his throat as if he were some undead creature coming back for revenge. He roars so loudly that it makes me think of Godzilla; It's quite literally a roar that you would hear during a modern day Armageddon.
I yelp at the sudden outburst and feel every inch of my body jerk to a point where I'm unstable and fall backwards. I feel an immense amount of pressure within my body that feels as if it's fluctuating in intensity, which noticeably changes my appearance from a bright magenta to the pastel blue that the security described. It feels as if the world lost all of it's gravity even though there's some kind of pressure that's moving upwards within my body. Somehow, I can now control that and return to normal, making the atmosphere feel like gravity has returned once the pressure in my body moves downwards.
The Professor returns to normal as well, smiling and seeming to have come to a conclusion. "It seems like it's a simple defense mechanism that you had't learned how to control yet. I would also say that you've got chromatophores and iridophores."
I still feel the rush of energy I've gotten, noticing that my legs are uncontrollably quivering. "C-chromatophores?"
"Yeah. They're cells within the skin or scales of monsters that contain certain kinds of pigments and reflect certain wavelengths of light. While they don't seem to be the cause of everything that's happening, I can say that you've got an extremely special anatomy in terms of reptilian monsters. I mean, it's obvious that you're a very rare reptilian-mammalian hybrid…" Professor King clarifies.
"I…I don't understand," I say while staying on the ground and putting my hand on the side of my head.
"So there are several kinds of chromatophores. There's xanthophores, erythrophores, melanophores, leucophores, cyanophores, and iridophores. You have cyanophores which create varying hues of blue, and iridophores which creates iridescence. This is going to sound really complicated, so it's ok if you don't understand it considering that it's nerdy spectroscopy stuff, but you essentially have the ability to absorb all wavelengths of light except blues and greens, which is why your body changes to a ghostly blueish green. When that security guard shined that flashlight at you, you reflected the blue and green light emitted by it."
He's right, it does sound complicated. I feel like I would have to be some sort of genius to completely understand what he's talking about, but it sounds like everything that happened is normal which relieves me.
"The only thing that I won't be able to explain is the iridophores and the fact that he could see your bones. In general, it's really only chameleons and cephalopods that utilize chromatophores like this, and none of them can go transparent or show their skeleton like you. If I had to guess, evolution is playing a role and you reawakened a long dormant monster gene that allowed you and your ancestors to use them," Professor King explains further.
"You're saying that you've never seen anything like this before?" I ask.
"Nope. I would actually wager that the entirety of the monster world hasn't seen anything like this in hundreds, maybe even thousands of years," He answers.
Well that's just great. Being able to find answers to parts of my question was great and all, but now I'm certain that I won't ever find any real answers behind the mystery of myself. I feel like I won't ever be able to talk about this now either because of what happened, and Professor King won't be able to help me. I can tell that everything will feel somewhat isolating for the time being.
"…I can feel your a little upset Miss Everett, but I can assure you that everything you can't control is more or so a defense mechanism. There's really nothing more to it than that," Professor King soothes, "There aren't any racial stigmas surrounding these abilities, nor are their any socially driven stereotypes surrounding this, so there's no reason to be scared about it. As for what you can control, it only helps you become a crazy good Scarer, and your abilities will only become more refined as your studies progress."
He's right again, I should probably look at the silver lining. Nothing is wrong with me, so there's no reason to think that something bad will happen to me. There's also the fact that if I continue using this new ghostly form then Scaring will only become easier for me, especially for when I start taking he advanced classes that Johnny is currently in. I just hope that this new version of me doesn't change peoples opinions about me. I don't think I could handle being swarmed by people like all the RORs do after they show off their skills.
"I unfortunately have to get back to work, but if you ever have any questions or if you feel like something is wrong from a medical standpoint, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. For the time being, just relax, let loose, and experiment with what you have," Professor King smiles.
I take a couple steps backwards and wrap my backpack around my shoulders. "Ok, thanks Professor."
"Hmm…you're one amazing monster Melanie," Johnny states with his eyes sparkling after thinking about everything I just told him.
"Don't say that, its embarrassing!" I groan while staring at the fireplace, standing motionlessly. The flame is really pacifying tonight, and I can't help but want to stay close to it.
"Why? It's not like anyone's here right now," Johnny remarks, "And I feel like I should be able to say that whenever I want because it's true and you know it."
I watch him as he gets comfortable on the couch, and opens another one of his complex chapter books that takes 20 minutes to get through one page. His charming smile shines brightly as his eyes skim over each word, remembering every detail that runs through his head. It looks like he's had a good day. Nothing boring must have happened, and everything must have been easy for him today. It's obvious when he has a bad day because he gets lethargic and moody when he has a bad day.
"Did you also remember to ask Professor King about the movie today?" He asks.
"Oh yeah, I did," I answer, "It was more of a 'what if' movie that shows what the monster world would be like if humans were to somehow invade us. It was kind of eye opening when he explained it."
"Hmm…I'll have to ask him about it too then. I know only he could surprise you in that way, so it must have been one hell of an analysis," Johnny assesses.
I move over to the couch and lay myself along the cushions, placing my head in Johnny's lap as he continues reading. He brings his hand up to my head, digging his claws into my mane until they gently touch my scalp, and scratching it in small circular motions. I wouldn't mind he never stopped doing that because it makes me so happy when he does it.
"I still think that movie will forever scar me. I hated almost every second of it," I divulge.
Johnny chuckles as he turns his first page. "Then you and I can be scarred forever together."
At least I'm not the only one. For some reason I felt like Johnny would just effortlessly forget about it and then judge me for being traumatized. I really don't know what I was thinking going to see that movie. I never went and saw one because I knew I would be traumatized by them, so why would I go and see this one? You're an idiot Melanie, you really are.
"Hey Mel?" Johnny asks suddenly with a serious look now occupying his face.
"Hmm?" I say hoping it's not of the utmost importance.
"Are you willing to participate in the Scare Games with us?" He replies nonchalantly.
I involuntarily push myself up out of bewilderment. Did he really just ask me that, or am I hearing things? Do I magically have Laughing Lupus again? I thought he knew how much I don't want to be a part of them! "What did you just say?!" I scream.
He finally takes his eyes of the book and gazes into mine when I face him. "Are you willing to participate in the Scare Games? Chet has to travel to Salem because his mother got into a pretty serious car accident and wants to be with her until she's out of the hospital. So, we need a replacement. If you don't join then we're out of the Scare Games."
"But John, I don't know what I'm doing! Can't you find someone else?! Please! I can't have you guys rely on me like that!" I panic.
Johnny shuts his book and places it on the arm of the couch, grabbing me by my shoulders. "Melanie…Stop. I wouldn't have asked you if I knew you couldn't do it. It's just…you're the only one any of us trust, and we can't have him thinking about his mother the entire time and not focusing on the event. I can't possibly let down the rest of the guys because of something that's inevitable and uncontrollable."
I sit there drowning in dismay. Worrying about everyone going to the hospital has been difficult enough, but now I have to worry about being sent there myself. There's also the built in anxiety that comes along with having to show what I can do in front of the entire school, and I can say with certainty that I don't have very much to bring to the table. I just know people will talk about me once they figure out that I'm nothing compared to Johnny and the rest of the RORs.
"Mel, please. I can't let the guys down, nor can I let everyone else on campus down," He pleads, "…Just...treat this as if it's another opportunity for me to teach you how to be an incredible Scarer. I can promise you that it will be an experience that's worth your while."