The Mistress

Chapter 7

It was an early start the next morning. And as it was an early start, I obviously over slept. So I ended up making Jadis and Marigold late as well. We ran down the corridor to our meeting point and burst through the doors. Theo is standing arms folded again and wears an unreadable expression. "Marigold. Jadis. Iris. So glad you could join us. Sit. We were just about to go through the operating procedure" we do as he says and sit wherever is nearest. "Okay, so now that we are all present" he looks over at us, causing me to feel rather bashful. "I will begin. You shall be undergoing your operation in twenty-four hours, to allow the doctors some extra time to, equip themselves. You will each have an allocated bed, and will each have your own operator. Listen carefully. Bed one, Johnny, bed two, Harlequin, bed three, Lola, bed four, Jadis, bed five, Harry, bed six, May, bed seven, Katherine, bed eight, Marigold, bed nine, Maia, bed ten, Alec, bed eleven, Makenna, bed twelve, James and bed thirteen, Iris. Remember these for tomorrow!"

"The operation is simply upon the lungs, you will be under a aesthetic, and so will be oblivious to the fact that you have even had it. You will be injected with this serum to enhance your lung capacity and breathing levels. It is a deep blue as you can see, and looks harmful, it is not harmful. Just a little painful. You will then be given a further forty-eight hours' recovery time, though bearing in mind that these four days will have been taken out of your training time so you will have four days less to prepare. Hence why this challenge is so hard. If you have any inquires or concerns, just come and find me. Dismissed." We leave the hall, energetically, some of that being nervous energy, some just excited as we get another day off! And then another TWO for recovery! Great! Or so I thought. The day soon came for us to undergo our operations. So we are to be seen standing in white operating robes by our beds. I look over at James whom is next to me, he looks back and stretches his arm in order to hold my hand, I take it and squeeze it. I say: "James?"

"Mmmm?"

"How much do you think it WILL hurt?"

"The serum?" I nod. "A little, try not to think about it. The more you think about it the more it will hurt" he smiles. Forty-five seconds left until the operators enter the room and expect us to be on the crisp white sheets with the blue serum being slowly injected into our necks! "I reckon we should probably get on the beds now, as I said try not to think about it. It may hurt when you awaken again, though it won't for long, I will be there with you, remember that" he smiles and we untwine our hands and slither on to our separate beds and wait for those agonising last few seconds.

"Iris?" James says.

"James?"

"Slowly look to your left, don't stress, just look at me, the whole time, look at me, even as the anaesthetic takes over, look at me. I am right behind you" i slowly turn and see the thick long needle syringe full to the brim of blue serum edging closer to my neck, and another full of aesthetics. The aesthetic one to pierce my skin first, a dull aching at first, and then the blue serum syringe pierces the opposing arm, and it hurts so much. No matter the pain I keep looking at James whom is concealing his rather well. My vision starts to blur as count down from three, I reach number two and I am out. All I can do now, is wait.

The lights above flicker as I regain consciousness. The hard, cold lights, make me realise how cold I am feeling. The robe shields only the main areas of my body, leaving the bottom half of my legs exposed as well as my arms and neck. A searing pain runs through my body, starting from core. Then it all comes back to me, and I remember the operations.

I feel a sharp squeeze in the tips of my finger. Well at least it feels sharp. I feel it again. My hand feels strangely warm, and my vision is beginning to come back once more. I can just about able to turn my head enough to see that it is James. His hand lay rested upon my own, his finger tips are blue with the cold, yet his palm is hot and a little sweaty. His eyes flutter open, and I smile and squeeze his hand back.