Radioactive - Book 1: Birth 🪼

Seven

"R? Seriously, are you alright? Let me help you."
"I'm fine..." I mumble, finding a way to stand up.
I get up and look at Nalak, who is staring at me with concern. I frown.
"How did you get up there?"
"I... climbed the tree..." he says, pointing. "Can I come in?"
I am about to say yes when something in my head stops me. I feel like it would be a very bad idea to let him in here.
"No."
"No?" he asks, surprised. "I thought we were friends."
"We are... but..."
Nalak stares at me for a long moment. Lightning flashes and I catch his too blue eyes glowing in the electrical light.
"Why?" he asks a little more stern than before.
"Because. You just can't. I can't let you in."
"Did you read that brochure or something?"
"Yeah, I did..."
"No wonder... Come on, let me in, R. I won't eat you, if that's what you're afraid of..."
"I- I know that."
"Then..."
"I don't think my parents would appreciate you being here. My brother already thinks you're going to eat me and my dad is being weird. If they found you were here..."
Nalak sighs and leans on the door.
"Fine. Then at least answer where you've been for the past three days."
"I got mugged in the city and was rescued by some people." I motion to my sling. "I fractured my clavicle."
"Ouch. Are they going to do a bone infuser on you?"
"I dunno. I didn't really think of it actually... Um..."
Nalak smiles sadly at me. "You're afraid of me."
"Well, I'm just... you scared me and I'm in a lot of pain and I was reading that brochure and..." I fumble with words but nod a little. "Yeah, I'm a little afraid of you. Even though we don't know each other well, I consider you a friend. I don't want to think of you as a zompire or whatever... but... I can't help it anymore... And there's no tree outside my window, by the way."
Nalak smiles. "I thought I'd try... But I'm not going to eat you. You're my friend too and even though you're very alluring, I'm not a blood-albino."
"A blood-albino?"
"Yeah, I got some info on albinos from a reliable source..." he says, shrugging as he paces the French doors. "It's very annoying talking to you through these doors."
"Sorry, Nalak, but I was serious about my family. If they saw you in here, they would call the RDC in a heartbeat."
"Well where the hell am I supposed to go?" Nalak snarled, glaring at me through the rain.
"Uh... home?"
"My parents kicked me out. They said if I didn't leave right then that they would also call the RDC. I'm starting to hate the acronym."
"Well, the only thing that I can offer you is my old tree house. It's actually still in good condition since I made it a project to rebuild it. My brother helped me. But it's in that small patch of woods over there." I say, pointing.
"Thanks." Nalak says with a look. "I feel our friendship bonding ever closer."
"Nalak, you're making me feel bad."
"Sorry. I'm just not used to be treated like the plague... Oh, and Dr. White got fired from the school."
"She did?"
"Yeah; that's how I got my information."
"How do you mean?"
"I... may have threatened?" he says, leaning on the French doors, his back to me. "Either way, I got a lot better information than the internet. All the internet could tell me was that I was to be feared and a monster to society..."
I walk closer to the doors and sit down in front of them. Nalak looks behind him and does the same on the other side.
"But what did Dr. White say?"
"She said that there are different variables that make an Altered person come from a normal person and vice versa. That being said, she said that albinos had different factors that they are attracted to. She said that not all albinos are like the ones described in the pamphlet. It technically goes over the worst case scenarios of what an albino could do."
"Did she say what kind you were?"
"She said there was no way to tell until I actually attacked a human and bit into them. That's when albino bodies figure out their supplement need. Hey, did you know that eventually I'll be able to hover and float?"
"What do you mean?"
"I asked her if it was true and Dr. White said that experienced albinos are able to hover in the air. That seems pretty helpful."
I smile as he looks at me through the glass and tilts his head a little.
"What is it?"
"Your blood sings to me, R... It pulls me to you but I just hope that I'm not a blood-albino. That's what the brochure was talking about..."
"I don't think you are. I think if you had been, you'd have already grabbed me and tried to suck my blood."
"Yeah, maybe..."
"What other albinos are out there?"
"Dr. White said she hadn't met very many but she has heard of muscle-albinos, energy-albinos, fat-albinos, she said she even heard of a stomach acid-albino once."
"Gross." I say with a laugh.
"Yeah, I'm hoping I'm not that type. But I've decided that I won't even touch people. As hard as it will be, I'm not going to be an anything albino. If I have to eat something, I'll eat a cat or something."
"Wouldn't that be the goal of any albino?"
"There are not that many Altered that are born from Normals, so it's rare to actually turn into an albino. From what Dr. White told me, the most common Altered born from Normals is vitiligo and the least common is a close tie of AlexGens and something called flux. She wouldn't go into detail about that though... But, I've decided to try and hold out as best as I can."
I nod and yawn. "I'm sorry but I'm going to have to get to bed. I'm going to be taking a pain pill and it will knock me right out. I'll mention the bone infuser to my dad tomorrow."
"Okay... Where was this tree house again? Can you come show me?"
"I will point you in the right direction." I say with a frown.
Nalak shrugs and stands up as I struggle.
"You know, it's really annoying having to listen to what you say." I say.
"Huh? What do you mean?" he asks in confusion.
"I mean that I have to listen to what you say in that if I say or do the wrong thing, I make it an invitation."
Nalak smiles sadly. "Unfortunately, Dr. White said that it would be a natural side effect, as albinos are designed to get into homes they are not authorized to go into without formal invitation. So, they apparently have a natural ability to twist their words and use loop holes to get an invitation into the home."
"You won't fool me." Nalak grins. I point toward the woods. "If you go into the woods a little ways, you should be able to look up and see the tree house there. If you got up here without a problem then the tree house will be a piece of cake. I'll bring you food in the morning if you like."
"I'll try to eat it but things have been very bland as of late."
"The brochure said it would do that... Should I bring some meat?"
"Um... yeah... I guess..."
I nod and Nalak smiles. "I'll see ya around."
He runs off the balcony and jumps. I watch and see him running toward the woods. As I told Nalak, I take a pain pill and then head to bed. My arm is killing me and the bone infuser idea sounds pretty good, considering I'd heal a lot quicker.

*****************

I thought for sure after seeing Nalak at my window like that, I would have one of those weird dreams but I am surprised that I didn't have any type of dreams. Maybe it was just that I was so knocked out from the pain pills that I didn't even remember what I dreamed. I just know that I am awake at five in the morning and in a lot of pain. I want to get up and get my pain pills but the thought of moving makes me cringe and all I can do is cry. I feel like a helpless baby stuck in its crib and waiting for my mom to come get me but I truly can't get up. Thinking of the movement alone makes me sick and I suffer.
The door opens and I look over to see Balister in the doorway.
"R? Are you okay? I can hear you crying all the way in my room." He says, walking to me.
I sniffle. "I need my pills but I can't move to get them. Every time I move my bones do too and I..."
"I'll get them for you. Where are they?"
"On the dresser."
Balister waddles over and comes back, using his phone to read the instructions.
"Wow, they gave you a good dose." He says, tapping out one pill. "Let me get you some water."
He waddles out the door and I wait, suffering for a little longer. I stare out my window and I swear I can see a shadow of someone on the balcony... Balister gets back and hands me the pill. I put it in my mouth and he helps me drink the water so that I can take it. I swallow the big pill down and lay back down, putting my other hand over my shoulder. I know it won't help that much but it feels better knowing I have the extra support of my hand over the fracture. Balister touches my face gently and frowns in concern.
"You're a bit warm, Ramey."
"I'm fine."
"I'm sure but it's not good to be so warm after a fracture... You may have an infection."
"I'm fine... Please let me sleep, Bal..."
He nods and leaves me as I fall asleep, the shadow on the wall seeming to move in an odd way.