D A F F O D I L

Once upon a time, Elena Fan would have called flowers beautiful. She would have even called life a wondrous thing. Nowadays, she hated it. She hated all the cells that wriggled around in humans, animals, plants, everything. If she could go back in time, Elena would have forfeited her long awaited education at medical school. She would have given up on being a doctor if it meant she could lead a normal life.

Screwing her eyes shut, Elena clutched onto a blanket. She tried to ignore the heavy weight in her chest, the rapid spin of her head. Four years ago, the accident happened. And four years ago, her life had changed.

Time didn't seem to make anything better. Each second of the day felt like a stab to the heart, and every minute a never ending nightmare. She didn't seem to get a break, though closed eyes did help. Even sleep tortured, eluding her with the plague of dreams.

Elena scrounged her brain for the memories of the past. She clawed at it to the flesh, trying to remember what people looked like, what flowers looked like. It was all in vain, and she came up with nothing. Not a single trace. With a start, Elena cried out when she realized she was seeing their cells instead.

Her eyes flew open, and Elena jumped up. She stared down at her hands, turning them over in anguish. Tears spilled from her eyes at the sight of the millions of cells, the working organelles in each and every one of them. She sucked in a breath, looking up at the ceiling.

She began to count the tiles, but there was no need. She already knew there were sixty-three of them. Seven rows of nine. She had counted them, double checked, triple checked, and even quadruple checked.

Moving to stand in front of a mirror, Elena winced at her disheveled form. It was the only way she could see herself normally. Her hair was a tangled mess, her tresses pinned up in a bun that hadn't been fixed for at least a week. It was a pain to have it down. She hated seeing her cells fly over her eyes, but she felt horrible just chopping her hair off, ending the purpose of the millions of cells that dwelled in each strand. Elena reached up a hand, touching the cold glass.

She tried to hold back a sob, but she failed miserably. Her body trembled, and she let her eyes close. She hated it. She hated everything.

It was just so much.

Elena screamed, pushing her fists into the glass of the mirror. It shattered, and her knuckles bled. She fell onto her knees, staring at her fists. The red blood cells streamed out, dribbling onto the sharp glass, now littered with specks. She cried at the white blood cells, dropping her hands to the ground.

A lock of hair fell over her face, and she shut her eyes tightly. Why did it have to be her? There were seven billion living people in the world, and she was just one. There was nothing special about her and yet she had been the one who had been cursed. Elena winced, pulling her hair out of its bun. Her wired glasses fell to the ground. Still, she was being selfish. Hundreds of people dreamed of having her ability, to be able to see cells. The world of science would have killed for it.

Retying her hair, Elena reopened her eyes. Her bones ached, suddenly tired from her breakdown. She blinked, rubbing her hands together. The blood smeared onto her skin, strands of her hair stained red. It didn't bother her; she couldn't see it. Pushing off the ground, Elena was careful not to step on any of the glass shards. She reached down to retrieve her glasses. Her stomach growled.

Elena paled, and she groaned. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten, much less the last time she had a decent meal. She just hated the sight of dead cells. Somehow seeing them lifeless was worse than seeing them alive and moving. She couldn't even dare to swallow the live cells with ease.

Her dark eyes wandered to the apartment door, and she bit down on her lip. She reached for the door and hesitated. Did she really have to go out? She wondered how much longer she could last without food. Swallowing, Elena cringed at herself.

Four years ago, she would have been so infuriated at herself. She was a doctor. She knew the consequences of malnutrition, and she knew them well. The highest marks of her class didn't come from improvisation and lack of work. Turning, Elena reached for a roll of bandages that sat in a drawer. She gritted her teeth as she cleaned her knuckles, wrapping them tightly.

It was almost a relief to be treating someone even if it was herself. She missed it.

Quickly changing into jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, Elena grabbed a jacket and slowly walked out of her apartment. She stumbled back at a giant glob of cells, shaking her head as she reached up to rub her temples.

"Just a perfectly normal human being," she whispered to herself, turning away. "Nothing new there."

Elena pulled up her hood, taking the stairs down to ground level. Stepping outside, she was met with sunlight. She blinked and let her eyes adjust. Elena gulped down a breath.

She chose a random direction and began to walk. After a few moments, Elena jerked to a stop. She blinked as if she was opening her eyes for the first time. Muttering, she sighed. Her stupid feet had decided to take her to Central Park, once her favorite place in all of the world. Standing in the middle of the sidewalk, several people walked past her, paying her no attention. Elena saw every one of them, each person's DNA slightly different from each other.

It was a skill she had obtained, memorizing DNA at a quick glance. She was fascinated during the first few days after the accident. Elena took a seat on a bench. She had taken upon herself to stop every person around her to point out their mutations, their flaws and diseases. She chuckled though there was no humor in it. Her former friends had taken a grand disliking to her critiques and recommendations.

They thought she was crazy. There was no such thing as being able to see every individual cell. It was impossible. No one believed she could do it anyways, no matter how accurate her observations were. Elena rubbed her wrist. She had been fired promptly, and since then, she had no job. Nothing to do with her life. It was surprising how long she had lasted with no salary, but Elena supposed a doctor's salary had its benefits.

Her stomach growled again, and Elena sighed. Standing, she stretched, letting the warm sun warm her skin. She shivered, the heat not quite reaching her insides. Nursing her knuckles, Elena closed her eyes and began to walk.

She cleared her throat, finding it incredibly dry much like the aftermath of yelling in a nightclub. Elena inclined her head, biting down on her tongue. She hadn't been yelling though, and she definitely hadn't talked to anyone in—how long had it been since she had a conversation with someone? Three years? Elena hesitated. That couldn't be right.

Elena tenderly touched her throat. She looked down at her shoes, a thoughtful expression upon her face. She refused to believe that she had only spoken to her own consciousness for three years. Frowning, she blinked. Was that why she was parched? Because she had been talking to herself in her head? Was that even possible?

Elena scrunched up her face, pushing her glasses up. Rubbing her temples, she shook her head. She willed in vain for her to stop thinking, but it was impossible. She pursed her lips, wondering how people managed to meditate. How was it possible to just be blank?

Suddenly, Elena stopped in her tracks. She snapped her head up at the staggered sound that came afterwards, the sound of someone else stopping. Her senses yelled in alarm, and she turned her head only to be met with a blow to the cheek.

She stumbled back in surprise. Raising her arm to shield herself, Elena narrowed her eyes at her attacker. Something was familiar about him, but she couldn't tell what. She opened her mouth to scream only to be muffled by a rough hand.

Elena widened her eyes as she struggled against her attacker. She jabbed her elbow back, feet flailing. Cells danced in front of her eyes, and for once, she didn't care.

"Come on." His voice echoed in her ears. "Be still already."

She bit down on his hand, and he retracted it in surprise. She ducked down, lunging forward to escape his grasp. Elena spun on her heels as she regained her balance. "You're him," she said in realization. Elena eyed the man's DNA. "The guy in front of my apartment."

Confusion flooded her senses, but it didn't last long for the man leaped at her again. This time, she screamed. She punched the man and jumped to the side when he charged forward. She stiffened when she realized the syringe in his hand. Just what was he trying to do?

"Hey!" a voice called out. Elena almost slumped in relief. "Let her go!"

Elena gasped as she fell back onto the ground. She looked at her attacker in horror, and she crawled back. Whatever happened, she did not want to be stabbed with the syringe. In fact, she didn't want anything to be stuck inside her.

"What do you want?" she asked, gasping for air.

She received no response as the man was tackled to the ground away from her. Her eyes widened even more at the new man. She let out a shout, stepping back. Elena flung her hand over her mouth at her outburst, and her face whitened.

They were different, she realized almost immediately. The cells of the new man. At first glance, they were the same as any other cell. Upon closer inspection, Elena found them unusual. In the past, she would have called it a mutation, a flaw of sorts. But they weren't. They were stronger, more powerful. They were regenerating.

Elena wetted her lips. She shouldn't have left her apartment, she thought. Not that day at least because whatever was about to happen to her had to be much more worse and complicated than she had ever believed possible. 

...

So.. yeah. Hi. I can make no promises whether I will be consistent, but I can try. Welcome to me procrastinating my other works.