Chapter 1: Aftermath

5 years after the Final Test, all the experiments became integrated into society. However, it was at the cost of facing extreme prejudice. Being deemed as monsters, hostile, and freaks by almost everyone across the globe. Laws had been being planned on what to do about them, some calling it an infestation. Others call it a glimpse into humanity’s future. The world divided, all while the experiments suffered from it, and were unable to do anything. Some hid, some tried to live normally, and some embraced their awful titles.

As for Ferral, he was in the group that would try to act as if nothing was wrong. Continuing to live by the words Dr. Amber told him what felt like so long ago. He rode his bike through the streets of downtown Central City, heading toward Central City University, being able to attend because of his continuously growing intellect….with the help of Ms. Clare, of course. He was the only experiment to attend, mainly because, unlike all the others, he continued to conceal his true form. As he made his way up the steps of the university's stairs and toward his first class, he was met by his professor, who had opened the door before Ferral could. “Oh!” He jumped, “Good morning, Mr. Johnson.” Ferral greeted with a smile. “Good morning, Mr. Amber.” Ferral had decided to give himself the last name “Amber” to remember his mother.

“Where is everyone else, Sir?” Ferral asked, looking inside the classroom. “Didn’t you receive my email? My class will be canceled for the rest of the week because of some personal issues I must take care of.” Ferral chuckled out of embarrassment, “No, I didn’t. Sorry.” His professor chuckled, “That’s quite alright. That just gives you some extra time to finish assignments from other classes, right? Though I’m sure you don’t need it, considering how quickly you finish the ones I give you, you probably have everything else done.” Ferral nodded, “I’m a fast learner.” Mr. Johnson patted his shoulder, “That’s a strong trait to have, Ferral. Enjoy the rest of your morning, my boy.” He walked past Ferral, closing the door behind him, leaving him to stare at the door for a second before he too walked off.

Now with an extra two hours to himself, Ferral decided to sit against one of the trees on campus and work in his journal. In his 3 years of being here, he never really attempted to make friends. He was polite to others, gave them a “hello,” lent a helping hand if needed, but never tried to get too close. He didn’t fully know why, he had just grown to enjoy being alone more. And he would always bury his head in his journal, writing equations for different chemical mixtures. Various formulas and even how Expermients’s biology worked. He wrote with his right hand and constantly opening and closing his prosthetic left hand, now concealed with a long brown leather glove that went all the up to his elbow. After the two hours were up, he closed his journal and went on with his other three classes.

Afterward, Ferral got back on his bike and headed off to one of the local pharmacies to pick up some cold medicine. With winter right around the corner, he wanted to pick up some just in case either he or his roommates got ill. He stopped in front of a building, got off his bike, and entered the store. “HEY!” A man yelled out, making Ferral turn to his left to see it was the store manager. “You!” He pointed at Ferral, “Beat it! We don’t serve YOUR kind.” Ferral looked at him confused, “I don’t know what you mean, sir. I’m a normal person.” The manager chuckled with an angry grin, “You fucking wish, kid. Don’t think that just because you try to hide it, I can’t tell you’re one of those furry mutant freaks. You’re not the first one to do it, and I’ve gained a keen eye to see the difference. From that unnatural hair and eye color. No dyes or colored contacts exist like that.” Ferral forgot his hair and eyes didn’t change when concealing his true form. So, he scoffed and left for another pharmacy. Then, another. And another. Each one refused him any kind of service, stopping him either as he entered or a few minutes after. This was a problem he faced a lot in the downtown areas of the city. Every time he hoped this problem wouldn’t arise.

Eventually, Ferral went to the city's outskirts to a small shop he often frequented when the bigger shops weren’t working. A sweet elderly Korean couple owned it. They were nice to Ferral, you could say that outside his main friend group, they were the only friends he had. “좋은 오후에요.” Ferral greeted as he entered the store. In the time of peace Ferral had, he had become fluent in 60 different languages. An old woman came out from behind one of the racks, a smile on her face seeing Ferral. “Oh hello, Ferral.” She said, shuffling toward him. “Hey, Mrs Cho. Where’s, Mr Cho?” She continued to walk until she got behind the register counter. “In the back fixing a leaky pipe. How can I help you?” Mrs. Cho asked. “Just came for some cold medicine.” He responded as he walked around the aisles until he found some. “All the way out here?” Ferral placed the medicine on the counter and sighed, “Yeah, you know how that goes.” Ferral’s smile slowly faded, but before Mrs. Cho scanned his item, she placed her hand on his right cheek. “그들이 당신에게 다가가도록 두지 마십시오. 나는 당신이 완벽하다고 생각합니다.” He gave a slight smile, “할머니, 고맙습니다.” After he had finished paying and started walking out, Mrs. Cho stopped him. “I made hodu-gwaja if you wish to take some home?” He nodded, “Sure, thank you.” She turned around, walked back behind the counter, and opened the door that was there. It took her a couple of minutes, but once she came back, she was holding a small white box and handed it to Ferral. He grinned, “고맙습니다, 안녕히 가세요.” He waved her goodbye, hopped back on his bike, and sped off back home.

It was always a treat to see Mrs. and Mr. Cho, Ferral thought. They didn’t get many customers. Ferral was their top regular and the one who often stuck around to chat with them and on rare occasions have lunch with them. They enjoyed his company much like he enjoyed theirs. It was to the point where he’d address them as “grandmother” and “grandfather.” Simply as nicknames, which, they didn’t seem to mind since their actual grandchildren didn’t visit them very often. Despite what he had to face in the city, knowing there were people like Mrs. and Mr. Cho, filled Ferral with happiness. Something that’s been wavering from him for a while.