I usually get sick two or three times a year, and it only lasts for a few days. This was my second time this year, so I was expecting it. I never stay home unless I’m really sick, I don’t want to miss anything important during school. I just had a common cold, nothing serious. My nose was stuffy and I was losing my voice a little. Some other kids at school had it too, I figured I caught it from them. I made it through the day and only used about 200 tissues, sorry to anyone who heard me blowing my nose today. I fell asleep as soon as I got home and stayed in bed all afternoon and into the next morning. I knew that something was wrong because I never get this sick. I stayed home from school today, making sure that I asked all of my teachers for my makeup work in advance. I would do it eventually so that I wouldn’t have to catch up. I let my friends know too that I wasn't going to be there, just so they wouldn’t wait for me at lunch. My friend Hannah told me that more than half of the soccer team was out sick, and that their game was cancelled. It was an odd coincidence that we were all absent on the same day, but I didn’t think anything of it.

My mother took me to the doctors around 8 P.M., and as we got there a bunch of black SUV’s drove in behind us. I got out of the car wearing a white jumpsuit approached me. He kind of looked like an astronaut. I wondered what he was doing here. He grabbed my arm.

“Hey, watch it! What do you want from me?” I squealed in pain because he pinched my arm.

“Please come with me.” The man in the white jumpsuit didn’t seem like he was going to take no for an answer, so I went with him. We walked to the back of the building to an entrance that I didn’t even know was here.

“Why didn’t we just walk through the front door?” The man looked at me like I was stupid and didn’t answer my question. He lead me into a room that was sealed off with thick sheets of plastic. The walls were covered, the tables, the chairs, everything.

“Am I okay?” Another man in a white jumpsuit walked in,

“Yes, you are going to be just fine. We are just taking some precautions because we are not sure how serious your illness is. We are just going to run some tests, sit tight the doctor is on his way.”  They handed me a gown and some scrub pants to put on.  I removed my clothing, put on the ugly gown and scrub pants and sat down on the plastic bed. I couldn’t quite get comfortable because every time that I moved the plastic sheets on the bed made an annoying sound. I sat there for a few minutes trying to stay as still as possible, listening to the ticking of the clock that was also covered in plastic so the sound was muffled.

“Hello Amanda, I’m sorry for the wait we are just figuring a few things out. We’re just going to ask you a few questions now. When did these symptoms start? The runny nose, cough, etc.” A short stubby man asked me, he was nervous. Like he was straight out of med school and didn’t know what he was doing.

“Last week, maybe around Wednesday? Honestly I have no idea.” He looked down at the clipboard that he was holding and scribbled something down on it.

“Do you know anyone else who was experiencing these symptoms before you?” I had to think about this for a minute, did I know anyone who was sick before me?

“I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure I was the first one out of my friends to get sick.” He looked at me with an unsure face, I didn’t know what else to tell him. I’m pretty sure I was the first one to get sick out of my friends but I wasn’t positive.

“We here at the office have spoken to your mother about what is going to happen during this appointment, has she briefed you on the agenda?” He was shuffling some things around in a cabinet to the left of me.

“No, she didn’t. But I would like to know what is going on before you do anything to me.”

“I’m sorry sweetie, but that is not up to you. You are not 18 therefore your mother makes the decisions for you. The most I can do for you is tell you what is going to happen. Then I am going to do it.” He grabbed something out of the drawer on top of the cabinet and unwrapped the plastic that was on it.

“Well...okay. What are you going to do to me? Am I going to be okay?” My voice was shaking, I hoped that I wouldn’t appear weak to him.

“Of course you are going to be okay! I’m just going to give you a vaccination that might hurt a little bit, but then you won’t feel anything at all.”

“My mother agreed to this? She knows I hate shots. Just let me know when you’re going to do it, okay?” My voice trailed off, he was right. It did hurt a little, but then I felt nothing at all. The last thing I heard before I drifted of was the doctor talking to someone,

“Put her in the pile outside, she’s finished. Bring in the next one.”