Affinity

Eleanor

Eleanor could see the worried look on Ivan's face as he walked toward her, and she knew it could only mean one thing - the test results were not good. The man may have been a brilliant doctor, but he lacked subtlety and could never hide his emotions well. His furrowed brow and tense posture spoke volumes about the situation at hand.

She lay on the examination table, hands tucked behind her head, trying to suppress the anxiety building within her. "I failed the test," she said, attempting to keep her voice steady.

She focused on a pattern etched on the glass ceiling, a pattern only she could see. Several helix structures, each strand unique from the other.

Ivan sighed as he reviewed the stress test results on his tablet, his face a mask of disappointment and concern. "Your heart rate didn't even reach the target level, again," he informed her, unhappy with the outcome from how tight his tone was. He was her friend, but during moments that required him to be a doctor, he treated her like one of her patients and nothing more than that.

She had attempted the same test two weeks earlier, and the result turned out the same.

"I told you I could do it," Eleanor muttered, feeling a knot of frustration and disappointment in her chest that she could not push herself further. She had wanted so badly to prove herself capable. All she had to do was pass a simple test, and even that she could not do.

"And risk having a heart attack? No," Ivan replied sternly, his expression a mix of concern and determination. "We've been through this before, Eleanor."

She sat up, feeling defensive and slightly irritated by his overprotectiveness. "Isn't inducing cardiac arrest the point of a stress test?" she asked, trying to inject some levity into the situation.

When Ivan stared at her without a change in expression, not seeing the humor in her words, she raised her hands in surrender. "I was just joking," she told him, hoping to diffuse the tension. "Clearly you're not letting me anywhere near that plane."

Ivan sat down next to her, regarding her with a mix of concern and exasperation. "This is for your own good, Eleanor. If something were to happen while you were out there..."

"Other doctors there would keep me alive," she interjected, feeling exasperated at being unable to convince him of her determination to go.

You know how much I want this.

She watched the helices pair up, forming new strands that intertwined with one another in a multicolored array.

"Hundreds of feet in the air on a dragon?" Ivan asked, emphasizing the danger of the situation. They were the same words she had heard from the riding instructor when she was seven, nine, and eleven. Her potential as a rider was clear, but the dangers of dragon-riding were too great.

"I wouldn't have to ride one," Eleanor replied, avoiding his gaze. She knew she couldn't guarantee those words.

Ivan spoke, awkwardly placing a hand on her leg in a comforting gesture. "I know the biggest reason you want to go is the dragons. You're a talented healer and researcher. You can make a difference in other ways."

"It's not just about keeping them alive for longer," she murmured, staring at the ceiling as her thoughts swirled. "With their riders gone, some dragons may go rogue. Others will refuse to eat or drink until they die."

"Many doctors on that plane will do everything they can to save as many dragons and riders as possible," Ivan assured her, trying to ease her fears.

His wristband beeped, alerting him that the last plane was about to leave. "That's the third time in ten minutes. I have to go," he announced as he got up, preparing to leave.

All the patterns clicked into place as Eleanor stood to say her farewell. He would be away for at least a month, and his absence would be prolonged if the situation in Tarzar worsened.

She hugged him goodbye and asked, "Could you email me the stress test results first? I need to analyze them."

Ivan nodded and headed for the computers. When he reached for his keycard, he found it was missing.

"Eleanor, have you seen my-"

Eleanor stood in the doorway holding his keycard. Without hesitation, she swiped it and sealed the lab doors shut.

"Eleanor? What are you doing?" Ivan asked, his eyes wide with surprise and confusion.

"It's just a short lockdown. You'll be out in an hour," Eleanor replied calmly, her voice steady despite how much her hands were shaking.

"I'm sorry," she mouthed before jogging away, ignoring Ivan's desperate calls for her to come back.

Eleanor's heart raced as she hurriedly packed her bag, her hands still shaking with a mixture of fear and excitement. For her plan to work, she needed to board the plane before anyone realized Ivan was late and went looking for him.

In a couple of minutes, she had a duffel bag ready, filled with the essentials she would need. She paused in front of the mirror to straighten her hair as best she could. She had just spent minutes running on a treadmill and honestly looked and smelled terrible. A quick change of clothes helped a bit; vanity would have to wait. She gave her light blonde hair a quick brush and made her way to the open back of the plane, where a tall woman waited with a clipboard. Her thick hair was pulled up into a cute, curly, poufy thing on top of her head and tied with a green ribbon.

The golden name tag clipped above her pocket read DIANNA.

The helices that floated around Dianna were a light shade of green, almost white. They buzzed with nervous energy, never still, always circling, always alert. Eleanor had the feeling that if she reached for them, it would not be a pleasant experience.

"Dr. Konchesky, so good of you to join us," she said once Eleanor was in earshot, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Eleanor couldn't clearly place the accent, but it was quite clear Dianna's origins came from somewhere in the Eastern territories.

Eleanor paused to catch her breath, handing her bag to a soldier loading the cargo hold. Dianna raised a questioning finger as she reviewed her tablet.

"You're not Dr. Konchesky, are you?"

Eleanor replied evenly, "Ivan felt unwell, so he's in the med bay. They think it's draconic flu." She had fabricated the lie while running across the runway, hoping it would be convincing enough.

The other woman was silent for a moment, her sharp green eyes searching Eleanor's brown ones for deception. There was a tense moment as Eleanor held her breath, waiting for her decision. The helices seemed to spin faster.

A siren from the watchtower signaled the runway was clear.

The helices slowed down.

Dianna turned and waved her forward. "We don't have much time, Doctor," she called, her voice brisk and businesslike.

"Call me Eleanor."

"You're with me Eleanor," Dianna told her. "Where I go, you go."

Eleanor straightened, adjusting her bag, and followed Dianna onto the plane. Her heart still raced from the lie, the run, and the exhilaration of her daring plan working so far. Inside, she knew Ivan would be furious at being locked in the lab, but she knew he would not rat her out. He had always been more comfortable doing lab work.

As she settled into her seat and clasped the safety belts in place, she glanced at her new boss. The lie had worked for now, but the rest remained to be seen. Eventually, Dianna would realize what Eleanor could do, and what she could not.

Eleanor steeled her resolve and focused on the task ahead - saving the dragon.

Her life depended on it.