Day 1:
I had just graduated high school and I was pumped for summer vacation and college. I had gotten a job working as a life guard at the community center. My sister Sophie who was two years younger than me was doing training camps all summer for her dancing. She had won many awards and prizes for her dancing so I unfortunately had to hear how great my younger sister was. Shouldn’t it be the other way around, I was the older one after all.

I went through my day as usual going to my job, and then coming home and playing video games. My sister got back later from her dance camp.

“So how was your day sis.”

“Fun, my dance instructor says if I keep improving I can even make it on Broadway.”

“Look at you misses big shot.”

“Hey it’s not my fault you quit soccer.”

“Drop it! OK!” I stomped away from my sister. She just had to open those wounds. It was partially my fault for teasing her but she knew how I felt about the whole soccer thing. I quit playing soccer a few years ago. It was mostly my fault. I felt like I was getting worse and worse compared to everyone else, and when the coach decided to cut me during tryouts I quit all together. It hurts when you go for something with all your heart only to be told you’re not good enough. So I went upstairs and continued to play video games and just veg out.

It was about 10:00 that I started feeling wheezy and tired. It was like I had taken a few sleep pills. I crawled into bed and just blacked out.

Day 2:
The sunlight filtered through my room announcing to me that morning had come. I groggily sat up, and then immediately lay back down. I felt like shit. My whole body was aching. I don’t think I would be able to go to work today.

“Hey Sophie you home” I yelled.

“Yeah!”

“Could you come up here?”

“What do you need?”

“I’m feeling sick.”

“Ok I will be right up.” Sophie came right up and felt my head.

“You are burning up.”

“See I told you.”

“You need to stay home today. I will be right back with breakfast.” Sophie went back downstairs and I picked up myself phone and called in sick. Sophie came back later with some apple sauce, a bagel, and some orange juice. It was an effort but I managed to scarf down all the food.

“I told mom and dad how your feeling. They said to just stay in bed today.”

“Uhg this sucks.”

“I am going to my dancing classes. If you need me call.” She left the room. I lay in bed most of the day listening to music and playing games on my computer. I was ranked 2nd in an online game called Space Odyssey. Today I would enforce my rule and power even more over the game. I eventually felt nauseas and stopped playing and drifted back to sleep.

I woke up and looked at my watch to discover I had slept for a good five hours and boy did I feel sick. I felt like I was going to barf. Quickly I jumped out of bed and made my way to the bathroom. There I let my bowels loose inside the toilet. While I was washing my hands I noticed something peculiar. It seemed as though I had lost a little height and my beard did not seem to be growing at all. It usually came back quickly. It was probably just not growing to quickly for once. I went back to my room and plopped into bed falling back to sleep.

I was woken up by someone calling out to me.

“How are you feeling?” It was my mom. She was hovering above me with a hand on my forehead.

“Well I’ve felt better.” My mother had brown hair, hazelnut eyes, and a smile that could light up the room. She could stand to lose a little weight but nobody would dare tell her that.

“Well you just get some rest you probably just caught a stomach virus.”

“Can I get some food at least?”

“Sure but only food that’s easy on your stomach.” This basically meant mush. But I was too hungry to complain I scarfed down the food happy to get something in my stomach. After playing online for a while I went to bed. Maybe I would feel better in the morning.

Day 3:
“Wake up Tony.”

“Is it morning already?”

“No you slept right into the afternoon.”

“I really need to go to the bathroom.” I tried getting out of bed but I ended up on the floor kneeling over. I felt worse than yesterday. My mom had to help me get to the bathroom to my dismay. Looking in the mirror I noticed some more interesting changes. I was beginning to look skinnier and my hair seemed to be growing shaggier. “Mom I still feel awful can I go back to sleep?”

“Sorry my little star shine, your sheets are soaked, you’ve sweated right through them.” My mom’s nickname for me was star shine. Don’t ask me why but she liked calling me her little star shine.

I got something to eat and phoned in sick. Afterwards I collapsed on the couch and watch TV most of the day. Mom had left for work after checking on me to see if everything was alright. I spent most of the day watching cartoons before finally Sophie came home. “Hey sis how are you?”

“I’m good are you feeling any better?”

“Nope I actually feel worse.”

“Well stay away from me I have a rehearsal for a play coming up and I can’t be sick for it.”

“Whatever.” I soon went back to my room and went back to sleep.

Day 4:
“Uhg how long have I been sleeping.” I had just woken up and it was bright and sunny outside. I had slept since I got in bed at six last night. I guess you do sleep more when you’re trying to overcome a sickness. I felt a little better but not good enough to go to work today. I was able to get up and move a little better then yesterday though. I made my way to the bathroom. I had decided to take a shower today, seeing as I hadn’t showered in the last few days. I stuck like a pig sty.

The sensation I got from the water on my skin were a lot stronger then they usually were. My whole body felt softer. I looked down to notice most of the hair on my body was gone or nearly gone now. I was seriously freaked out. Getting out of the shower I made my way to the mirror and examined myself.

My hair was growing out faster than it usually did. I looked really shaggy right now. I seemed to have lost a little more height and my face seemed to be a bit rounder and less defined. It seemed like puberty was going backwards for me. Something was definitely not right. I phoned my dad. I felt closer with my dad then the rest of my family, even though he was hardly home. This was because he was the only other male in the family. It was tough being home with only girls. I often felt left out of the family when they were all doing their girl stuff.

All those girl times between my mom and sister looked really boring to me. They enjoyed it but any guy would find it to be a torture. When my sister started puberty I legit lost it. Mom ignored me even more and dad was never home. It was about that time that I stopped playing soccer after being cut. I found my escape in video games. They allowed me to become a different person. It was seriously a dark time for me and video games helped me get through it.

Dad told me to just take it easy again and that mom would be home anytime to help me out. So I just would have to wait until mom got home. I was freaking out over what was going on with my body. It was all really freaky. I must have had something more serious then I previously thought.

I was beginning to feel better through. So I made my way to the room and plopped down on the bed. I figured I just wasn’t eating right. For the last few days I had been eating very little as food was upsetting my stomach. I decided to try eating something though. I needed food and energy to live after all. I then felt pretty tired so I went back to sleep. My nap was only about an hour long. I had woken up needing to dispose my breakfast into the toilet. My head was throbbing like a bomb was set off in there. I took a few aspirin and then I lay down in front of the TV.

Around 5 Sophie came home with my mom. They had done some shopping to find my sister a dress for her audition. According to my mom Sophie needed to look her best whenever she auditioned. Don’t ask me why she had to buy a new dress when she had plenty of other beautiful dresses. “Hey mom, I’m still not feeling too well and something freaky is happening to me.”

“Yeah you do look a little different. I’ll take off tomorrow and take you to the doctors.”

“Thanks mom.”

“Now come see your sister in her new dress. She is something else I tell you.”

I couldn’t muster up any response to that other than “Uhg!”

Author's Note: Here is chapter 1 of Stellar Academy. If you enjoyed this chapter please kudus and/or comment. I hope you enjoy this chapter. -Blackout