Spark

Chapter 1

CW: panic attacs

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Year 2644

My heart is racing. Has been since I got out of bed this morning knowing today is a day that I can't avoid. I'm good at it, avoiding. But this time there is no way around it. The anxiety has always haunted me when I have to get one of the medical examinations that could turn my world upside down. Would this be the one where I'd lose my freedom or would the answer to that question be delayed until the next appointment?

I try to distract myself by watching the other patients who were here for their test results as well. The doctor keeps me waiting and the steady ticking of the clock is driving me insane. I just want this day to be over. My gaze falls on a man a few chairs away. He is all muscle and accompanied by a girl who is filing her pink nails and chewing her gum, completely unbothered. The man must be her bodyguard. Every recruit of the High Society is assigned a bodyguard. For all I knew their job was drive the spoiled brats around in ridiculously expensive cars and protect them from the attacks of the protesters, although there hadn't been many over the past years.

I am used to the presence of bodyguards and never found them particularly intimidating.

"Miss Lawrence?"

The voice makes me jump.

Here we go.

I force myself off the chair and walk over to the doctor's office. My legs feel heavy and every step is a struggle. One could assume I'd be used to the doctor's appointments every six months by now but each time I have the same uneasy feeling when I kick off my sneakers and lay down to be examined once again. My hands are clammy and I shiver despite today's suffocating heat.

"Good morning, Stella."

Dr. Martin is an athletic blonde who greets all her patients with a disarming smile and my face muscles relax enough to return something akin to a friendly expression.

"How are you today?", she asks and immediately my tension is back.

"Awesome", I say through gritted teeth and we both know it's a lie.

"You look uncomfortable.", she observes radiating professionalism. "If you don't feel well we can make an appointment another day."

And go through all this again in a few days? Hell no. That's not an option.

"No, I'm fine. Just get it over with."

Dr. Martin's smile tightens. I know I'm not being subtle. But I have no intention to hide my distaste. She nods and illuminates a screen on her desk with a tap of her finger. She adjusts her glasses and browses through my file.

"I'll take a little more blood this time, but don't worry, if you feel dizzy afterwards I'll prescribe you something.", she informs me, the unwavering smile still on her face. Creepy, I could never. Her face must hurt by now. She intently studies the screen and I crane my neck to catch a glimpse.

"Please try to relax, Stella.", she chides and I let my head fall back with a scowl. I stare at the ceiling while she prepares to take my blood and wish she would hurry the fuck up. She puts on rubber gloves and rolls her chair to my side.

"I'm sure it will be a relief when you know for certain."

Her constant smile is starting to freak me out. Easy for her to say that. She isn't the one who might be walking out of here as a completely different person. So far I've been spared a positive test result but the mutations caused by the serum appear between the ages of thirteen to twenty which means I still have to go through two more years worrying it might eventually happen.