Chapter 9, Part 2

Another elevator ride later, Mariah and the soldiers stepped off into the second floor. A lady in a pristine lab coat greeted them.

“Dr. Amelli said you were coming!” she chirped perkily. Her blonde hair was pulled back so tight it was giving Mariah a headache. “I’m Dr. Sanderson.” She stuck out her hand. Mariah hesitantly shook it. It seemed it was OK to respond to common courtesy. The soldiers took up a stance on either side of the lab doors. The message was clear. She was only leaving with them. Dr. Sanderson led her over to an exam table and patted it encouragingly.

“Up you come. We’re going to do a full workup.”

Mariah crossed her arms protectively. “What does that mean?”

“Just want to draw some blood and take a few scans,” Dr. Sanderson smiled brightly. “You don’t have to stick around that long. We’ll make all the machines do all the work when you leave.”

That doesn’t make me feel that much better. But Mariah forced a smile at the doctor’s attempt at a joke. She took a seat on the table and clasped her hands in her lap. There were a few other doctors and technicians in the lab, all engaged with whirring and beeping machinery. Dr. Sanderson came back with a tray of vials and gloves. She rubbed her hands together in an attempt to warm them, but goosebumps still prickled along Mariah’s arm when she touched her.

The doctor explained each step as she swabbed below Mariah’s elbow and wrapped a stretchy cord around her bicep. Next she lifted a needle off the tray.

“You’re going to stick me with that?” Mariah asked. It’s huge!

“It’ll just be a little stick,” was the not very reassuring reply. Mariah took one look at the needle hovering above her vein and slammed her eyes shut. She felt Dr. Sanderson touching her arm and wiggling something and then, “All done!”

Mariah opened her eyes to see the doctor placing a bandage around her elbow. Three neat vials of blood stood on the tray.

“That was quick.”

“I told you it wouldn’t be bad,” Dr. Sanderson smiled. Mariah rubbed at her sore arm, not failing to notice that it was a little cleaner where it had been swabbed. Dr. Sanderson leaned closer. “I’m not trying to be rude, dear, but you look like you could use a shower.”

“They, uh, haven’t shown me where it is, yet,” Mariah said. Maybe the doctor could help her out. She at least would talk to her.

“Did you bring another change of clothes?”

She does know I was kidnapped and my house burned down, right? “Umm…no.”

“We might have something you can borrow. You can use the showers up here!”

“Are you sure?” Mariah darted a glance at the soldiers. “Mason said he’d show me last night.”

“Mason is such a dear. I’ll let him know I’ve taken care of it,” Dr. Sanderson reassured her.

True to her word, Mariah was allowed to take a shower and change into some baggy sweatpants and a t shirt. Dr. Sanderson promised to have her clothes washed and use the sizes to get her some extra clothes. Mariah shoved her bare feet into her boots, wrinkling her toes at the slimy feel.

She was then escorted to a dimly lit room. There was a table in the middle, a thin slab of metal hovering above it. Dr. Sanderson instructed her to take off her boots and lay down on the table.

“What’s this for?” Mariah asked as she complied.

“Just taking a few scans. It’ll help us determine body type and look at any variations in body structure.”

“Does it tell you what’s wrong with me?” Please don’t let them figure out what I can do!

“It will help us determine variations in gene structure, which might help us isolate your abilities. It took us some time with Kyle, so I hope you weren’t looking for answers right away.”

Mariah almost admitted that she knew what she could do, but slammed her mouth shut just in time. “That’s OK. I can handle it,” she said instead.

“Good! Well, let’s get started with these scans and then you’ll be done for the day.”

Dr. Sanderson retreated behind a protective shield in the corner to control the scanner. Mariah lay as still as she could as a wide beam of light emerged from the machine above her. It crept slowly down from her head to her toes and then returned. It disappeared and then Mariah was encased in a box of light from the table to the top scanner. It vanished after a minute and then Dr. Sanderson warned her to close her eyes. Through her lids, she could see a bright blue light sweeping over her. Then it, too, was gone.

“Hop on up. You’re free to go!” Dr. Sanderson said. Mariah slid out from under the scanner and the doctor walked her back to the front of the lab. She indicated she would see Mariah the next day, and Mariah waved as excitedly as she could before following the soldiers back to the elevator.

They stepped out into the cell block and the silent guards showed her back to her cell.

“You OK?” a voice broke the silence as soon as the soldiers were out of sight. She glanced through the window and saw Kyle sitting on his table across the hall.

“Yeah. They just took blood and did some scans. Is that normal?”

“For the first day, yeah.”

“That’s awesome,” Mariah muttered.

“Did you tell them what you can do?” Kyle asked, an edge to his voice.

“No.”

“Good. Keep it that way.”

Hey, guys! Wednesday marked 6 MONTHS of Children of Two Worlds! What do y’all think so far? Should we do something to celebrate?

Also, I realized that Mariah’s parts are borderline depressing and awful, so I tried to spruce it up a bit this week. What do y’all think? 🙂