The Shadow Plague

[~DarkRose~]

Calliope-
"I must remind you all again- if you see one of you family members or friends exhibiting signs of the shadow plague, or if you see the plague, contact the nearest quarantine immediately. Do not touch the person or the plague substance." The smile slid from my face at the grave message. I shuddered.

Max-
I listen to the announcements without really listening. The other boys around me- I go to an exclusive all-boys, all-warlocks school- are whispering quietly. The announcements end, and suddenly Mrs. Cleevey is in the room. Everyone freezes. "I do love magic," she says, smiling coldly at us.

[~DarkRose~]

Calliope-
Later in the day, we have an hour of free time, including lunch and recess. After I eat, I go out into the forest on the edge of our school alone, because Dessa has Chess Club. I watch the animals go about their business, and start when at least a dozen different alarm bells go off at once. Principal Hawkins' voice rings out over the grounds. "There has been a breach in the quarantines. The shadow plague has reached the city. Don't go back into the city to find your family, run as fast as you can in the other direction. I repeat, do not return home!" I'll just get Jake and go, I think. But then I see him. At the edge of the football field, a dark, sticky mass is slowly moving over the grass. Already, two boys are covered completely. I watch in horror as the plague substance covers Jake's leg. "No!" I cry.

Max-
I come home from school to find my father sitting at the dining room table with a pen and piece of paper. He grins broadly to himself. "Hello, Dad," I say. "Did you hear about the quarantine breach in New West City?" "Yes," he replies without looking up. "Isn't it wonderful? I organized it myself." I frown deeply. "It not 'wonderful' to destroy people and animals' minds to turn them into your personal army to take over the world."

[~DarkRose~]

Calliope-
I turn and run into the forest, branches whipping my face as I stumble over tree roots and stones.

Max-
"Nonsense," my father says. "What I'm doing is wonderful." I throw up my hands. "For you, maybe, but not for the people with the plague." Finally, he looks at me. "But they're just humans, and fairies, not wizards, so they don't really matter."

[~DarkRose~]

Calliope-
I stop, panting, realizing that all this work is useless. I reveal my wings, and fly over the trees. I turn around, and watch the plague substance slowly creep over the football field and up to the school doors. Teachers stream out of fire exits, many revealing their wings or sorcerers' stars in order to escape.

Max-
"Dad," I say, sighing. "All species are equal." "Of course not," he says. "Wizards are better." "So just because of that you have not enslave the entire population?" I retort. "Not wizards," he says. "So you're lucky I designed the plague so wizards are immune." I throw up my hands in exasperation and stomp outside into the forest.

[~DarkRose~]

Calliope-
I turn and fly as fast as I can until I'm too thirsty to fly any longer. I gently land beside a stream and drink some water, sitting back on my feet to rest for a few minutes.

Max-
Pulling out a pencil from my bag, I twist the eraser and the pencil elongates into a five foot long, dark brown sorcerer's staff. I sit on a fallen tree and conjure my notes for the plague cure.