Book 1 The Beginning Part 1 Section 1

Part 1
In my beginnings is my end

-T. S. Eliot

1

The light hurt, it tore at his muddled brain forcing him to shut his eyes against the onslaught. He lay in this self imposed blindness for as long as he could bear until sheer desperation forced him to open them once more. This time he sought the light with more caution, millimetre by painful millimetre his eyes opened and finally they adjusted. Only then did he see that he wasn't, as he had thought at first, lying safely in his cluttered and comfortable room but somewhere almost it’s polar opposite.

Trying to make sense of his surroundings the boy sought to rise from his prone position only to be gently pushed back into the embrace of the pillows. "Don't try and sit up yet, you've got a head injury,” a woman’s voice whispered gently breaking the silence. Turning his head slightly on the pillows the boy looked over to see a beautiful woman in white sitting beside him. "How are you feeling?" she enquired brushing a lock of hair away from his eyes and smiling kindly.

He opened his mouth and tried to reply, at first nothing came but a faint croak but after clearing his throat he managed to force out a word. "Confused," he rasped, his throat hurting slightly. "What am I doing in the hospital?" he asked having realised his whereabouts.

"You poor, poor boy! You don't remember do you?" the nurse asked looking sad, biting her dark red lips.

"Of course I don't I wouldn't've asked if I did would I?" the boy snapped but then he shook his head and shrugged. "Sorry," he apologised knowing that taking out his confusion and growing panic out on the nurse was useless.

"Don’t worry, I understand, this must be very frustrating for you," the nurse said. “The doctor will be along soon to do an examination.”

"Sure but can he make it quick, I feel fine and I’ve got to hurry up and get home, mum and dad must be worried sick," the boy said and the nurse’s bronze skin went a deathly white. "What? What did I say?" he demanded but the doctor entered and he turned his attention on him.

"Thank you Lovely," the doctor said and the nurse smiled as she went out. "Hello, I’m Doctor Garlands," he said walking over to the patient and checking the boy’s pupils. "I’m the head of the Mutate Ward in this facility," he added jotting down notes as he looked at Mason’s chart.

The boy frowned when he looked down at himself. At only 13 years old he was 6 feet even, his hair and eyes were blood red which coupled with skin so dark it seemed to swallow the light made him look like something out of a nightmare, he definitely rated Mutate Status .

“What am I doing here?” Mason demanded.

"Why don't we make a deal?" Garlands asked. "I'll answer all of your questions after you answer mine, okay?"

The boy thought it over for awhile and then decided there was no use arguing. "You have a deal," he said his reluctance showing in his voice.

“Thank you Mason,” Garlands said "These are routine, just be patient while I ask you them,” he said looking down at the list. “Let's start simple okay? What's your name? Your full name that is."

"Mason Scott Reid," Mason said.

"Good, good, now another easy one," Garlands said. "How old are you?"

"13," Mason said aching for these useless questions to finish. “Why are you asking me? You know all this, you’ve checked my chip .”

"As I said this is just routine, we need to establish that you didn’t sustain any damage when you hit your head" the doctor said nodding. "This one is a little harder; some people don't need a knock on the head to forget this one, what's the date?"

"Unless I've been unconscious longer then a day its the 8th of February 600AV," Mason said then he hesitated. "Has it been more than a day?" he asked.

"A day and a night," Garlands said trying to reassure him but the attempt backfired.

"What? And my parents don't know?" Mason demanded this time succeeding to sit upright when he saw the doctor hesitate "They really don't know, do they? I answered your stupid questions now tell me what happened, and why haven't you told mum and dad?"

"I never said that they don't know," Garlands said in a tone he obviously meant to be reassuring though it in fact had the opposite affect.

"But when I said that they didn't you didn't correct me, and the nurse paled when I said I want to get home, something happened to them didn't it! WHAT HAPPENED TO US?" he demanded grabbing hold of the man's coat and pulling him down so they were nose to nose. "Tell me now."

"You're right, you are obviously coherent enough for me to answer your question," Garlands said as Mason let go of the coat and lay back. "You and your parents were involved in a car accident; you were brought in for shock, head injuries and numerous cuts and bruises."

"Car accident," Mason asked confused. "Mum and Dad, are they okay?" he asked looking up pleadingly.

"You father was driving, your mother was in the passenger seat," the doctor said, he looked at the young boy facing him and tried to find out how to tell him, finally he decided to come straight out with it. "Neither of them survived, they died in the crash."

"What?" Mason asked shocked. "How come I don't remember?" he asked. "I should remember something like that, I don't so it can't be true can it?" he asked but the look of pity on the doctor's face answered and his eyes started to shine with tears.

"It is sometimes the case with shock and head injuries like the one you have suffered that the person does not remember the event of the accident they suffered, sometimes they remember it later, sometimes never,” Garlands said

“Oh god, the date,” Mason said shutting his eyes and groaning. “It was her birthday, that’s why we were out,” he said trailing off, tears welled in the crimson eyes and ran down his cheek but then he looked up. “How can this happen… I mean what about the cars, they’re safe aren’t they?”

“The man driving the other car was inebriated,” Garlands said but the look of incomprehension on Mason’s face made him phrase it another way. “He was drunk and the auto system didn’t work …he didn’t think…he pleaded guilty.”

“Didn’t think?” Mason snarled blood red eyes closing tightly and jaw clenching. “Look what happens when you don’t think, If I could get hold of him I’d kill him for being so fucking stupid, he killed them, he-,” he trailed off as everything sunk in and he collapsed sobbing into his arms.