Mark of the Rising Sun
Another Hospital

When the world stopped spinning, I opened my eyes. What I saw astonished me. We were still in the middle of nowhere, but a very different middle of nowhere than before. Before I could ask any questions, the two men grabbed me and led me forward at a slow pace. My first instinct was to struggle, but these people were pretty muscular. Moreover, my curiosity was piqued.

After a couple of minutes of walking, we came to a clearing and stopped. Confused, I looked around, and still saw nothing. Then they pushed me forward and everything became clear, like a fog had lifted in front of me. There was a posh building, several stories high. It was a beautiful sight, and our destination. They let me go when they realized that I saw it, and I moved forward up and through the doors.

I walked into a lobby, at first glance; it looked like a normal hospital. Then I saw the patients. None of them looked normal. Some were making weird noises; others had weird appendages sticking out of their bodies. Everywhere I looked, there were people with unusual maladies. I was so busy looking around that I didn’t notice when a woman came up to me.

A pull on my arm got my attention. “Name please, and reason for coming here?”

I stuttered for a moment before replying, “Anthony Wayne. I’m not sure what I am doing here.”

She nodded, obviously not fazed. “Ah, Mr. Wayne, we have been expecting you. Right this way please. I know you have questions, but please save them for the time being. They will be answered shortly.”

I followed her into an elevator and watched as she pressed the button for the fourth floor. When we reached it, she led me to a corridor with a sign next to it that read, “Communicable Diseases Ward, Dr. Seth McDonald MD, healer”. I filed that information away and walked through the door ahead of the nurse. She led me to a room with just one bed that reminded me of my accommodations at the CDC. The door shut behind me, and when I tried it, it was locked.

The nurse spoke from the other side of the windowed wall, which surprised me since it was so clear. It sounded as if she were right next to me. “The door is locked for other’s safety. You could infect anyone here so do not try to break out. Dr. Seth will be with you shortly to answer all your questions.” Then she turned around and left.

After a half hour wait, during which, I inspected my “cell”, the man I assumed was Dr. Seth appeared. As with the nurse, he spoke outside the room.

“Hello Mr. Wayne. I am Dr. Seth McDonald. Sorry about the accommodations, but we can’t have you spreading your bacteria to the other patients. You understand, right?” He looked at me expectantly.

“But the other doctor said it would only pass to other people through blood contact and that most people were immune.”

The doctor sighed, “The folks at the CDC didn’t have my knowledge. While it is true at his hospital, and the part about the blood is true everywhere, it is not the whole story. You could infect anyone in this building, and that could cause major problems. It is best to be on the safe side.

I nod, totally understanding. Then I ask, “Then why bring me here at all? Why not leave me where it is safer?”

“For two reasons,” he answered. “First, because here you will have a better chance of survival. You are past the stage where most people die, but there is still a chance. Having you here, where we are equipped to handle such diseases, you have a better chance. Secondly, this is a magical organism, and we don’t want everyone finding out about us. It only attacks people with magical blood. Most who are attacked come straight to us, but not always.”

I stand there totally lost. “But…but, but I haven’t shown any signs of having magical blood, surely I would have noticed something by now.” My heart was racing. This was bizarre.

He looks at me, thinks a moment then nods. “I’ll tell you, but please don’t interrupt. Know too, that at the end, if we need to, we will erase all memory of this.”

I agree saying, “Go on.”

“Very well, in the world there are three types of people. The first type are full witches and wizards.” My jaw drops, but as promised, I stay quiet. “The second type is normal humans, who have no idea about the magical world. We call them Norms. Lastly, there are the people like you. They carry magical blood, but show little or no magical talent.”

Before I can stop myself, I ask, “Why the third group? Do you know?”

I see amusement in his eyes. “After careful study of Norm Science, we have a theory. Do you know anything about genetics?”

“Some.” I reply, “I took Biology.”

“Good, well from what I understand, it takes two dominant genes to create a witch or wizard. If one or both sets of genes are recessive, they won’t be. A Norm has both recessive genes, no magical blood at all. I believe that people like you have one of each, one recessive, one dominant. You can pass on the magical genes, and with the right mix have a witch or wizard baby, but have no talent of your own.”

I got it, at least I think I did and had a question, but held back.

“Go ahead.” He sighed, “Ask your question.”

“So by that theory, since my dad’s blood was tested against the bacteria and was untouched, my mom is the one who passed down the dominant gene?”

The doctor-healer’s eyes lit up. “You’re saying that your dad’s genes don’t contain magical blood?” I nod, “Did your mom’s?” I shrug my shoulders. “Hmm,” he thinks a moment, and then gets all excited. “It means that if you survive this and become a witch, my theory will be all but proven. Thank you so much.”

“Um,” I interrupt, “Don’t you mean a wizard? Aren’t males wizards and females witches?”

“Ah, right, you still don’t understand the nature of the organism in your system. This is why I asked you not to ask questions. Now can I finish explaining everything?”

“Yes, sorry. Inquisitive minds want to know.”

“It’s okay. Knowledge is power after all. The bacteria feeds off magical blood so won’t touch Norms. That’s why most wouldn’t be affected in the Norm World. Since all patients here have magical blood, they are vulnerable. It eats away at your body, but doesn’t want to kill you. If it did, it wouldn’t get much of a snack. It tells your body to start growing again, as if you were young. It also accelerates your growth process. It eats only what the body can replace, and tries to eat sparingly so as to not kill you. It doesn’t always succeed, especially in the beginning.”

He pauses and takes a sip of coffee before continuing. “Now in order to keep up with the bacteria, even with the acceleration, the body will make a smaller version of you. Before you ask, you will not be a little person, but a younger version.” I gasp, “For some reason, the bacteria don’t understand the purpose of the Y-chromosome. It sees it as a flaw in the DNA and replaces it with a copy of the X-chromosome. Then it makes sure all the new body parts have the new DNA sequences. Which is why, by the time it finishes with you, you will be a fully functioning young girl, and if my theory proves true, a witch.”

I took a moment to let that all sink in. When all was said and done, I could be a witch, a freakin’ witch. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? “But how? It doesn’t seem logical.”

“Not to someone who has never studied magic, but to one who has studied both magic and Science, bold new opportunities open up.”

I look at the doctor, at a loss for words. He looks at me, and says, “We’ll leave it at that for now. I recommend you get some rest. It’s going to be a rough month for you.” With that, he left me to my thoughts.

The doctor was right of course, the next few weeks were hell. As more and more of my body go eaten away by the mysterious bacteria, I got weaker. There were days when I could barely move, and the nurse had to feed me. Other days, I felt perfectly fine. I was able to read books about the magical world including schools in the United States. The best by far was A.W.A.Y. or the American Wizarding Academy for Youth. I didn’t see the doctor much after the first day.

The day came when I woke up to total darkness. At first, I thought I had gone blind. Feeling around though, I realized that I was encased in a giant cocoon or something. Light couldn’t get in to me. Before I could think, a loud and shrill scream escaped my lips. It hurt my ears and lasted a minute before I found a small amount of light coming from a hole in the thing encasing me.

Desperate to get out, I put my fingers into the hole and tried pulling at the material. I had to say that that was the most disgusting thing I had ever touched. It was rather slimy. Fear of the unknown and just wanting to get out of there, I continued pulling until I felt some give. Soon I was able to get my whole hand in and work, then both hands. Before I knew it, I had opened up the hole enough for me to crawl up and out of it. When I saw what it was, I screamed again, louder than before.

I realized I had just crawled out of my own skin, literally. I was looking at what was left of my old body. I had used my nostrils to escape my imprisonment. I can’t tell you how freaked out I was. My nurse came running, and when she saw what the commotion was about, ran off. I was hoping she was getting the doctor, although based on the state of my new body; a set of clothes would be nice too.

It was one thing to hear that you would turn into a little girl; it is quite another thing to see it in person, to live it. I avoided looking down at myself, taking as long as I possibly could before facing the fact that I was no longer what I once was. Instead, I focused on the positive. I was alive, and seemingly healthy. I would have magical powers, supposedly, and I had my youth back.

I stayed as far away from my “body” as possible and looked for something to cover myself with. The only thing around was on the bed, and I wasn’t going to go anywhere near that thing. I decided to just leave it this way until someone came to get me and tell me what the next step was.

The nurse came back a couple minutes later with a change of clothing in her hands. They were a bit big on me, but I was happy just to be clothed. Then a female doctor came in to have a look at me.

“Hello Anthony, I am Dr. Aimes.”

“Dr. Aimes, it’s nice to meet you. What happened to Dr. McDonald?” I asked.

“Well, now that the bacteria are out of your system, you are no longer his patient.” She noted my confused look, she added, “Once your body has gotten to the point where it can no longer sustain the bacteria, the bacteria leaves your body alone eventually dying off. Don’t worry, the room will be cleansed and you can’t get infected again any time soon.”

I sigh with relief. “So what now?”

“Now,” She answered, “we take you downstairs, get checked out, and get you set up with a new family.”

“But I already have a family.” I whined.

“A magical family, a family that can help you cope with your new situation. From your chart, it says you have a high probability of being a witch now. You need a family that can handle that. You can still keep in touch with your old family, of course. Please refrain from mentioning magic with the Norms.”

I thought about that a minute, “I guess that makes sense.”

As we travelled through the hospital, I came across a mirror, and by accident glanced the new me in it. Drawn by my reflection, I moved forward, curiosity trumping the other feelings I had. A blonde haired, blue eyed girl was staring back at me. It wasn’t as bad as I thought, I mean at least I wasn’t chubby anymore. If I was going to be a girl, I might as well look good.

I followed her out the door and back through the elevator to the second floor. There were examination rooms and it was there that I got a very thorough examination. Some of which I wasn’t comfortable with yet, but they were all five necessary. Everything was where it was supposed to be and worked properly.

After the checkup, the nurse gave me a lollipop and said, “Well, it looks like you are a healthy, normal, five year old girl.”

“Wait, did you say five? Am I going to be treated like a five year old?”

“Yes to both. Patients range in age, post bacteria, range from three to nine. Based on your stats, I am estimating an age. In addition, we have seen behavioral patterns and decision-making skills from previous patients places you mentally there too. Based on your reactions when you woke up, you are no different.”

“I see, so my maturity level has dropped, as well as, my physical age. I guess I did overreact in the room when I woke up, but I did just wake up in my own skin. Kind of creepy if you haven’t tried it before.”

“Been there, done that.” She replied. “Why do you think I was sent to handle your case? I was female to begin with though, so I didn’t have to go through that extra bit. Now why don’t we go see if they have found you a family yet?” She held out her hand for me to take.

I tentatively grabbed her hand, suddenly shy. We made our way back to the lobby where three people stood waiting. One was some sort of official, all dressed up and snazzy. The other two looked like a couple and were dressed normally. “They must be my new parents.” I thought. They saw us and made their way over.

The official looking man spoke first. “Ah, this must be Anthony. Although, I must say, that name hardly suits the new you. We need to change that don’t you think?” He didn’t give me a chance to reply, but moved right along. “These are the Greens. They have been having difficulty starting a family, so they decided to adopt. Say hello.”

I stared up at them and got my first real good look. The woman was tall with dark hair, if I had still been a guy, I would have loved to tap that. She was gorgeous. The man was on the shorter side with a little belly. He had sandy colored hair and a mustache. They had smiles on their faces and seemed nice enough. I held out my hand.

“It’s nice to meet the both of you. I’m Ant…” I stopped there. The man was right. The name hardly suited me. I tried again, “I’m Angela.” I always liked that name and if felt just right. The parents seemed to agree.

The man shook my hand, but the woman picked me up and wrapped me in a big hug. It was a bit awkward. I hardly knew this woman, but it felt so nice. I felt so warm and protected. I was a little disappointed as she sat me down again.

The representative cleared his throat and we all turned. “Now, down to business. Since Angela here is not really in the system, we will work on getting her identity set up. In order to set that all up, I need to get some information.”

“And just who are you anyways?” I ask.

“Oh sorry, where are my manners. I am Mr. Byrd, and am from the Wizardry Council. We take magical issues and deal with them. Kind of like the government. Now Angela, do you have a preference for a middle name?” I shake my head and he turns to the adults, “How about you two?”

My new mom speaks up, “How about Katie, after my mother?” We shrug our shoulders. I don’t really care and neither does my dad by the looks of it.

The man from the council claps his hands, “Excellent, Angela Katie Green. Perfect. How old is she.”

The nurse spoke; I had forgotten she was there, “By my approximation, five years old.”

“Great, great, so age five, birthdate October 15, 2011. I’ll get the all the necessary documents drawn up and get you into the government system. Happy birthday by the way. Now there is just one more matter to attend to.” He looks at me and kind of scares me.

“What is it?” I ask.

“I’ve been informed that there is a high likelihood of you being a witch. However, in case you do not have any powers by your ninth birthday, we will erase your memories of most of this and let you deal with things in the Norm World.” I nod, it makes sense, but it would still suck. “Normally, in your case, we would just throw you out there now, but the doctor insisted. What do you think?”

I gave it a moment of thought and finally said, “Whatever you guys feel is best. I’m not too knowledgeable about your world. It would be a shame to dash these people’s hopes though after all this.”

The man nods, apparently liking my answer. “Alright, it’s decided then. Green family, I wish you the best of luck.” With that, he disappeared into thin air, leaving me with the nurse and new family.

There was a little bit of paperwork to do, but then we were out the door. We pile into one of the nicest cars I have ever seen, and I was driven away to start my new life as Angela Green.

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