Ordo Noctis

Chapter 4

First Aid was taught by kind Miss Jillian. She greeted us with a smile. "Mars and Star, together at last. I am so happy to see what you two will become."

I gave her a false smile and walked into her classroom. Mars and I sat down at the large table without looking at each other. Miss Jillian brought over two vials of liquid: one was watery and green, and the other was a thick substance of deep red. Then she carried over two cases that I knew were full of antidotes and remedies.

"Oh, before I forget -" she handed me a new syringe of the All-Heal Antidote and I tucked it into my pocket. "There you are. Good to keep one on you at all times." Miss Jillian smiled cheerfully. "And what about you, Mars - need a refill?"

I gasped in spite of myself. Apparently, there were five people allowed to carry the serum. But honestly, why was I even surprised anymore?

"Now. Today I'm going to try having you two practice on each other."

Our eyes widened in sync. "What?"

"Nothing to worry about, I'll be right here if anything goes wrong. Mars, you're up first." She handed him the green liquid and told him to drink it. "Best if you do it in one gulp."

Before I could protest, Mars drank the liquid. He immediately paled and began to choke.

"What did you do to him?!" I cried, frantically opening my first aid kit and rummaging around.

"There's no reason to worry," Miss Jillian said calmly. "You have five minutes to identify his illness and supply the necessary remedy. If this situation actually happened, he would die otherwise. But he won't - I'll apply the remedy if you run out of time. This is a test of your First Aid knowledge, your ability to work under pressure, and your motivation to heal your mission partner. Good luck!" She stepped to the side, waiting.

I glanced at Mars, whose eyes were now bugging out as he clawed at his throat.

Throat... throat... he can't breathe. What ailments make it so you can't breathe? Asthma? No, not without movement to initiate the shortness of breath. Emphysema? No, the liquid couldn't have damaged the air sacs in his lungs that quickly.

I looked deeper into the bag as he began to gag.

"One minute," Miss Jillian said cheerfully.

Already? I felt like hyperventilating too.

Suddenly, I realized how this would go if we were actually on an assignment. I would be inefficient because I was too panicked, and because I hadn't worked hard enough in training. And Mars would die.

No. I took a deep breath to calm myself down.

Okay, Star, now THINK.

Pneumonia. It occurs when the air sacs are filled with liquid. He has pneumonia!

I began searching for the antidote.

"Ten seconds."

I pulled out a little jar of yellow serum and pulled out the cork. Then I tipped Mars's head back and poured it into his mouth. I pushed on his throat until he swallowed. He immediately inhaled deeply, and I sighed with relief.

Then I realized my hands were still on his shoulders and I pulled back quickly. Mars cleared his throat. "Good job," he said in a hoarse voice.

Really? No 'thank you for hypothetically saving my life'? I wanted to say. But then I remembered what he had said about my pride. So all I said was, "Of course. You just have to believe in yourself."

He smiled and nodded. Miss Jillian beamed. "You're exactly right! All you must do is stop yourself from panicking so that you can think clearly and apply your knowledge. Your turn, Star."