Second Sight: Chapter One: The Good Doctor?
#6 of Second Sight
Location: Arpeggio City, Sed High School.
Time: 15:15pm.
Year: 2090, December 13th.
The weekend had flown by rather fast. I was glad, since I had nothing to do during those two days. I had to go on one of my ‘Runs' to keep me busy. By run, I mean I basically played hide and seek with Joseph - through the whole city, I'd like to mention. It kept us busy and on our feet, and by the time we found each other, it was dark and we were too tired to talk.
School was the complete opposite. It was slow, boring and filled with numbing headaches. That was always how it was with me; I would always get a small headache every day, causing my vision to blur and stretch out. I didn't tell anyone about it though. No one other than Joseph and maybe a couple of doctors. I always hated the school's doctor, though. He hardly ever knew how to treat natural illnesses; only radiation poisoning or broken bones. I guess he thought that was all he needed.
"That concludes today's session." Our Maths teacher croaked. He was an average Salamander; red, scaly skin, and enough attitude to provoke anyone they wanted.
"Kobalt, are you listening?" He said angrily. "Don't tell me you have another so-called headache."
I pried myself from my desk, and stared up into the Salamander's deep, dark red eyes.
"Sorry." I said lamely. "I'll have a good doctor check that out when I have time."
I rose from my seat. I didn't even have to guess what the teacher would have to say next. He would tell me to go to the doctor's office since it was the end of the lesson.
"You remember the story about the boy who cried wolf?" He asked, sneering.
"There's nothing about a Fox, Salamander or a poorly trained Doctor in there, sir." I replied, walking out the door. The class sniggered behind me. I decided that I should go to the Doctor's office anyway. A few good painkillers should send me off.
I only had to walk down a few empty corridors to reach the office; but when I pushed open the door, the usual doctor wasn't there. Instead of a short, impatient wolf, there was a taller, more professional looking Avian. This new doctor had tropical colored feathers, and wore a long white coat, like most professionals wore.
"Kobalt Kaiken, is it?" He asked in a low and tired voice.
"Yes. Were you expecting me?" I asked. It was odd that the doctor knew me by appearance and name.
"Of course. Your maths teacher paged me." He replied, sitting down in a chair, holding a clipboard. I suspected it was my medical history. "So, what's the problem? Your history says you experience constant headaches and vision problems."
"Yeah, but I can't get anyone to check it out." I replied, opening up to him. "Do you have any ideas?"
"Not really." The doctor laughed, placing the clipboard on the table. "I'll prescribe you with some pain-pills; we'll see how that goes, since your original doctor is off ill for the next week."
He handed a small plastic container containing my dose for the day. I had to take two then, and two in the evening. It was simple enough, so I took the first dosage and went back to the Orphanage to meet up with Joseph.
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Location: Arpeggio City, Second Life Orphanage.
Time: 16:25pm.
Year: 2090, December 13th.
I was lying down on my bed, facing up at the ceiling with my eyes closed. The meds had kicked in sooner than I had thought. They were stronger too. I felt too loose; as if my whole body was about to fall apart. I turned my head, and saw Joseph looking at me, sitting on his bed.
"Something's up." He muttered. "You look as if you haven't slept in days. What did the doctor say?"
"The usual doctor wasn't in." I replied. "The replacement doctor gave me a couple of meds to take during the evening."
We stayed silent for what seemed like an hour. I didn't have a headache, but my vision was still hazy. It was worse than all those other times; this time, everything was turning white, with only black lines to outline what the objects were. The images started to flash and move closer and further. I stayed calm, taking slow breaths but not closing my eyes. These meds had done something to me. Something bad; but before I could start to think about it, I had began to pass out.
I was dreaming, but I felt more in control of what I was dreaming of. I thought back to what had bought me to where I was now. I was orphaned, so I had no family, and no one to properly take care of me, or raise me to tell what was right or wrong. No one had cared about me, even when I was just a child. Both I and Joseph were self-raised. We taught ourselves what was right, what choices we should make. We always chose to do things the hard way; to steel ourselves and prepare for the worst.
I kept going through my past until I was back at the present. Then I really started hallucinating. Even in my dreams, I couldn't stop my vision from going mad. This time everything had started to look like it was on fire. I just stood still. It was all a dream, so there was no point in getting worked up. I simply watched, breathed in and out slowly, and tried to wake up.
Joseph had shaken me awake. He was looking down at me, and bent down close to me; still as calm and cool headed as ever. He smiled to see that I had woken up.
"Good to see you up instead of turning about in your sleep." He whispered in my ear. He was close enough that our fur was stroking against each other.
"What time is it?" I whispered back. I had lost track of time, but I was pretty sure I had been out cold for a long time.
"It's morning." He replied, getting up and stroking my head. "You're lucky we didn't have any homework for today."
He and I shared a short laugh, which didn't last long. I felt much less loose, but my fur was a mess and my hair was getting greasy.
"First, I need a shower." I sighed. "Then we'll get to school. Ok?"
"Sure." Joseph replied with a yawn; "But not before I beat you to it."
I sat back down and let Joseph take the first shower. Once he was out the door, I reached across for my meds. I held it in my left hand, and looked at the label. It said nothing about any seizures or hallucinations. I immediately threw it away and rubbed my forehead. Even though I was back to normal, my forehead was still killing me.
Once I would get to school, I would pay the good doctor a visit; and see if I can get a straight answer from him.
Joseph walked back in, dressed in a short black robe. I unknowingly stared at his soaked features, from head downwards. I started to blush slightly as I went lower until...
"Hey! Kobalt." Joseph said, patting my head. "You gonna sit there all day or are you just waiting for cobwebs to settle in?"
I had blinked rapidly; looking up at Joseph's soaked face. Did he know that I was looking at his...?
Never mind. I got up, and without a word, stepped out of the bedroom and went into the bathroom. I stared at myself in the mirror, which was rather hard to do. I had blended into the white tiled walls; the only thing that made me stand out was that I was still blushing.
I thought for a while about Joseph, and started to laugh that we would ever be more than just friends. It was embarrassing to even think about that; right?