Their strong hands forced me down in the seat. My throat tensed, like a large golf ball was lodged inside. This wasn’t happening.
“It’ll only hurt for a second, Norah.” A devious grin wiped over Danielle’s lips. “We owe the blood to our creators.”
“Yeah, but I don’t do blood well, or pain, so we need to…”
The quill leapt from her hand, taking on a life of its own. Unable to register its speed, the tip punctured my skin. I yelped and thrashed up, but the guards were stronger, holding me firm in the seat. Tears seeped from my eyes. The needle tore through the flesh of my forearm, burning me like a fiery branding iron. The tip traveled, tracing different letters into my skin. A shriek soared from my mouth, a sound so unfamiliar to me, but so was the blood, darker than I’d seen in my life, pouring from the trail left behind. Except the blood wasn’t just red, it had metallic qualities to it, glittering down my arm like a sparkling waterfall,
The quill left, but the writing didn’t stop. The letters came and went, changing like the symbols of a slot machine. The faster they changed the more the pain increased. My teeth gritted together, a string of curse words flowed from my lips. Panting, I tried to grasp for air, but I couldn’t. The left side of my face numbed.
Finally, like a clock striking twelve, everything froze. My vision blurred, swaying back and forth. Voices hummed like a train far, far away. The people who once held me back were gone. I gasped for a breath and stared at my arm. Nothing. No name, no words, zilch.
And then everything fell black.
A string of voices barreled into my head at once, along with a constant throbbing. Please let this be a dream. This had to be a dream.
A clammy hand touched mine and I flinched, my eyes popped open, preparing to scream as Danielle stared back at me. Her pale blue eyes were glossy and weak. A trace of unhappiness overtook her face and for a second, she showed me a weakness I hadn’t been sure existed within her.
“Thank God.” She let out a breath. On the other side of her was Pearl. “Go get the nurse. Tell them she’s awake.” Pearl scampered, her feet soundless on the floor.
I had no clue where I was besides on a bed in some kind of clinic. Across from the bed was a long counter, resembling something you’d see in a doctor’s office.
“Where am I?” Chills bit at my skin, the pounding in my head refused to subside. “What happened?”
“You’re in the infirmary. I’m afraid you passed out,” Danielle bit her lip. “This has never happened before.”
Using the edge of the bed for support, I sat up. Nothing made sense. My memories came in flashes like a dream and then it hit me. Jerking my arm up, I stared at the blank skin, as clean as a painter’s fresh canvas.
The door opened and the nurse entered. She sanitized her hands and Danielle shifted out of the way, cowering in the corner like a worried parent, though I had a sinking feeling she was more worried about me not having a name on my arm than my health. She didn’t stick around long. Once the nurse ordered me to sit up, Danielle darted out the door.
The cool, round end of the stethoscope pressed against my back. “Breathe.”
One breath hurt, not too bad, but something felt off. My chest felt heavy, my body like I’d been beaten up.
“How do you feel?”
“Weak.”
“That’s to be expected. Your body went into shock. Health-wise you’re fine. You may experience lightheadedness, headaches, weakness, and possibly labored breathing. The best medicine is rest and fluids.”
I nodded, soaking in her words as best I could. “Can I go now?”
“Not just yet.” She scribbled on the paper and left the room, closing the door all but an inch. I sat back and tried to breathe through the steady pain. God, I wished Dad were here. He’d tell me a horrible joke that made no sense as he always messed up the punch line. His brows would tense and his left eye always
“It’ll only hurt for a second, Norah.” A devious grin wiped over Danielle’s lips. “We owe the blood to our creators.”
“Yeah, but I don’t do blood well, or pain, so we need to…”
The quill leapt from her hand, taking on a life of its own. Unable to register its speed, the tip punctured my skin. I yelped and thrashed up, but the guards were stronger, holding me firm in the seat. Tears seeped from my eyes. The needle tore through the flesh of my forearm, burning me like a fiery branding iron. The tip traveled, tracing different letters into my skin. A shriek soared from my mouth, a sound so unfamiliar to me, but so was the blood, darker than I’d seen in my life, pouring from the trail left behind. Except the blood wasn’t just red, it had metallic qualities to it, glittering down my arm like a sparkling waterfall,
The quill left, but the writing didn’t stop. The letters came and went, changing like the symbols of a slot machine. The faster they changed the more the pain increased. My teeth gritted together, a string of curse words flowed from my lips. Panting, I tried to grasp for air, but I couldn’t. The left side of my face numbed.
Finally, like a clock striking twelve, everything froze. My vision blurred, swaying back and forth. Voices hummed like a train far, far away. The people who once held me back were gone. I gasped for a breath and stared at my arm. Nothing. No name, no words, zilch.
And then everything fell black.
A string of voices barreled into my head at once, along with a constant throbbing. Please let this be a dream. This had to be a dream.
A clammy hand touched mine and I flinched, my eyes popped open, preparing to scream as Danielle stared back at me. Her pale blue eyes were glossy and weak. A trace of unhappiness overtook her face and for a second, she showed me a weakness I hadn’t been sure existed within her.
“Thank God.” She let out a breath. On the other side of her was Pearl. “Go get the nurse. Tell them she’s awake.” Pearl scampered, her feet soundless on the floor.
I had no clue where I was besides on a bed in some kind of clinic. Across from the bed was a long counter, resembling something you’d see in a doctor’s office.
“Where am I?” Chills bit at my skin, the pounding in my head refused to subside. “What happened?”
“You’re in the infirmary. I’m afraid you passed out,” Danielle bit her lip. “This has never happened before.”
Using the edge of the bed for support, I sat up. Nothing made sense. My memories came in flashes like a dream and then it hit me. Jerking my arm up, I stared at the blank skin, as clean as a painter’s fresh canvas.
The door opened and the nurse entered. She sanitized her hands and Danielle shifted out of the way, cowering in the corner like a worried parent, though I had a sinking feeling she was more worried about me not having a name on my arm than my health. She didn’t stick around long. Once the nurse ordered me to sit up, Danielle darted out the door.
The cool, round end of the stethoscope pressed against my back. “Breathe.”
One breath hurt, not too bad, but something felt off. My chest felt heavy, my body like I’d been beaten up.
“How do you feel?”
“Weak.”
“That’s to be expected. Your body went into shock. Health-wise you’re fine. You may experience lightheadedness, headaches, weakness, and possibly labored breathing. The best medicine is rest and fluids.”
I nodded, soaking in her words as best I could. “Can I go now?”
“Not just yet.” She scribbled on the paper and left the room, closing the door all but an inch. I sat back and tried to breathe through the steady pain. God, I wished Dad were here. He’d tell me a horrible joke that made no sense as he always messed up the punch line. His brows would tense and his left eye always
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