Act 1, Chapter 1

April 23rd

As I trudged on behind the rest of the group, a sigh would escape from my lips as I watched the rest of the group follow the tour guide that led our group of students. Why our school thought it was a good idea to send a bunch of students to a pharmaceutical factory was beyond me.

Maybe they hoped some of us would be interested, maybe some would be amused, or maybe it was the only place that would allow a guided tour. Or maybe they were hoping that since we were all so close to graduating, they could convince us to take jobs here. I didn't know and I really didn’t care.

All I knew is by looking around, it seemed I wasn’t the only one wondering why I had to spend my day at a place I’d probably never see again. I decided that just keeping my gaze down is probably for the best. I didn’t want to garner any unneeded attention, especially with our teacher, Mr. Flitz.

Not that he was a bad teacher. He had the usual look of an academic probably getting ready for retirement, with graying hair that outlined a balding top. The knitted vest and tie with his slacks spoke of someone that was raised in the sixties or something.

He would keep on asking questions on occasion. It seemed like he was doing his best to keep some sort of order or attention to the information our guide continued to drone on about.

As we passed by a series of laboratories, my eyes peered into the white spaces, filled with different types of equipment. I lingered there, if only to pretend like I had some sort of interest in what was going on behind the glass panes that separated the scientists from the rest of the class. Instead, I focused on my reflection. Yep, that’s me there. Elizah Jones.

I was generally short compared to most of the other guys in my class, which only made me a target for the usual hazing one would find in every high school. It had become less of a problem as we reached our senior year, but when you had scruffy brown hair and large glasses that hung in front of green eyes, it was hard to avoid. Not to mention the freckles that dotted across my nose and cheeks. I was the textbook definition of a nerd, and I was fine with that. It was everyone else that seemed to want to make it a problem.

I let out another sigh as we moved past the labs, making our way across a suspended walkway. Looking down, I could see several vats that held some sort of blue liquid. It smelled of a light chemical that made me crinkle my nose. As I turned away from the smell, our guide began to describe what was inside the vat.

“And here we find one of our recent series of research and experiments! We don’t just make medicines but also different perfumes and cosmetics. These containers hold a number of different formulas and chemicals that help us in our day-to-day research, as we move to enhance the beauty and longevity for everyone!” They said, opening their arms as if they were making some grand statement.

Some of the female students suddenly took great interest in what was below, making me ponder the concept of beauty and fashion. Many of them, I thought, were quite pretty enough that they didn’t need any makeup. So I didn’t quite understand why they were so interested in the various types of makeup I did know were out there. It almost made me chuckle, but I couldn’t blame them when we had a society that focused on beauty.

It wasn’t something a guy like me would ever achieve or was likely to understand, so I really couldn’t care less about it. Not that I was very intelligent either. I just studied a lot to make up for it, and that at least got me somewhere.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by a mocking snicker beside me. My head snapped to the culprits and I inwardly groaned as I saw the faces of the three goons that constantly made my life at school a literal hell. And considering how boring today has been, I had a feeling I was about to become the source of their entertainment for the day.

“What the fuck are...