Jade

Understand

Jade Ember was confused, clumsy, and kind of going crazy. Her Doctor, Zaylee, had left her in suspension for too long. Right now, she was lugging her book bag and her trumpet case to the emergency center in order to see her. It has been two days since she sprained her ankle, and it still hurt. But, the pain was at least tolerable.

Reaching the small, cutely structured building, Jade opened one of the double doors and walked inside to the smell of stale coffee, pepermints, and medicine. She began to walk to the front desk, as she was told, but she instead was harshly pulled through the doors, which, she could only assume, led to the doctors' offices.

Zaylee held Jade tightly by the wrist and didn't let go until they reached the safety of her office. "Quick, sit down. I'm afraid we don't have much time. My coworkers will begin to wonder where I am."

Jade nodded and sat down at the wooden chair across from Zaylee's desk. She was very uncomfortable, and not just because of the hard seat underneath her. She sighed, and looked Zaylee in the eye, raising one brow.

"So, what is it that you need to tell me?" The question came out slow, as she was unsure of what she was doing here at all. Zaylee gave a long, drawn out sigh then met Jade's eyes.

"Jade, there is not really any way else to say this, but you're not human." She stated it simply as that and waited for a reaction from the girl sitting in front of her. When she didn't get one, she moved on. "You are part of a species called the Cor. It means heart, to them, but not so much to...uhh...actual humans... Humans hate the Cor, and the Cor hate humans."

Jade sat, obediently and patiently. She knew that it would be best to listen to everything Zaylee had to say, before she really freaked out. Zaylee nodded, reluctantly, and went on.

"Cor make being Cor seem like such a big deal. Th-they steal, damage, and act like hooligans. A-and..." her voice drifted off.

"And what?" Jade intervened. Zaylee's eyes darted everywhere, almost guiltily, until they landed at her feet.

"They kill." she spoke, so quietly, that Jade had to lean in, and still couldn't understand.

"What?" she asked.

"They kill. They kill humans, they kill animals.They even kill each other, and their friends, and family."

Jade sucked in a breath. Not yet, she told herself. I won't get mad yet.

Zaylee went on.

"Most people don't know this- heck, most people never even heard of the Cor- but they don't try to do it on purpose. There is something in their blood, that- that.. I don't know... controls them in a way. If that thing can keep control of a human for long enough, then it will alter the thinking of that person's mind, and change them for good. They will officially become part of the Cor."

Zaylee looked up, meeting Jade's eyes again. "It's a terrible thing, Mrs. Ember. Just terrible. And I'm afraid that you might be a victim."

That's when Jade broke. "What!" she burst out. "You are telling me that I have some kind of a thing living inside my blood and that it wants to take control of me, and that if it does take control over me, then I will never be the same?"

Zaylee stood up then, "Listen to me, Jade. I need you to understand. There might be something we can do to stop it, but it's never worked. Would you please calm down so I can explain some more?"

Jade nodded and slumped back in her chair. Zaylee sat back down as well.

"Thank you. Now, there is only one known treatment, but any and all results end terribly. Most of the time, the procedure doesn't work. Sometimes, people will die, or it will result in a coma, for different amounts of time, and it's hardly predictable. There were only 4 cases, where the treatment slowed down the process, and out of those, it stopped one of them for a long time. But, as time caught up, the patient was facing the same fate he was 30 years earlier.

The last time we worked on a case such as this was a few months ago. She was a small girl, very young, and- oh it was terrible. She struggled greatly. If you want to go through the treatment, you need to understand that the procedure is very painful; both mentally and physically."

Zaylee looked at Jade with sorry eyes that were full of pity. Jade was at a loss for words, speechless, and clenched her jaw tightly.

"Would you like some more information, dear? Perhaps something a little less... uncomfortable?"

Jade, still with her jaw closed tightly, gave a curt nod, allowing Zaylee to continue.

"Alright then. How about their background?"

Jade nodded, once again.

"Great. So...hmmm...where to start... Ah! So, typically, the Cor virus is passed down from genetics, but that isn't always the case. For a human with no ancestors who were part of the Cor, signs don't usually start to show until the person is around 17 years old. And you, if I am correct, turned 17 last month?"

Jade replied with a "Yes, that's right," only half paying attention. Her mind drifted off as Zaylee continued to speak.

"Well, that would explain everything. Also, I have another question for you. Have you noticed anything, anything at all, that is....umm....off? Anything seem unnatural to you?"

Zaylee looked at Jade expectantly, only to find that she was staring at her phone, her eyes wide.

"Oh no..." she said. "I need to get home. I'm sorry. Don't worry, though. It's nothing serious."

Zaylee looked at her, and stood up. "Could you please just answer my last question. I'm afraid it's very important."

Jade, though, had already gathered her things, and was walking, quite hurriedly, to the door.

Turning her head over one shoulder, she gave a quick, brief, "Sorry," before opening the door. Zaylee grabbed her arm, before she could go any further. "Jade, listen to me. I need you to understand that this is serious. If anything happens, you come straight to me. Here." She took a sticky note off of her bullitin board, and handed it to Jade, who stuffed the yellow peice of paper in her back pocket after giving it a quick glance. Zaylee continued.

"That's my address and my phone number, if you ever run into some situation, you know where to find me. I need you to understand. Keep your guard up."

And with that, Zaylee reluctantly let go of her arm. Jade left the room, muttering a quiet "My dad's gonna kill me..."