Superior

Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Caleb

Cold metal bit into my wrists. Its sharp edges chafed against my flesh, sending painful sparks leaping up my arms. I thrashed wildly in an attempt to free my arms, but had no luck; if anything, it just made my bonds tighter.

I had my eyes screwed shut, so I was shrouded in darkness. It was easier that way; easier to ignore the pain, to focus on the hatred building up within me. And believe me, there was plenty of that.

As far as I knew, I was alone. Miracle and Leary had left a time before, explaining that they had an infraction to deal with and would return as soon as possible. I hoped, for my sake, they would never return at all. But given Miracle's rage the night before, when I'd refused her proposal, she wouldn't even dream of skipping this. Not when she had the chance to punish me so completely.

Sure enough, several minutes later, I heard the unmistakable sound of a door sliding open. Footsteps clicked on tile, then stopped. There was no sound for a moment, just that of my breathing, loud and coarse in my ears. Knowing that Leary and Miracle were watching, I flailed against the metal shackles restraining my wrists.

"The more you struggle, the more it'll hurt," came Miracle's voice, calm and conversational. "Just putting that out there."

Fuming, I opened my eyes to glare at her, and immediately regretted it. A pair of bright lights bore down from right above my head, positioned in such a way that they shone directly into my eyes. I swallowed a scream at the intense burning that flooded my eyes, seeming to drill into my skull.

"Would you turn these off?" I narrowed my eyes against the glare, and was just barely able to make out the figures of Miracle and Dr. David Leary standing at the foot of my seat.

"No, Caleb," the doctor drawled, his low, buzzing tone sounding chills up my spine. "I know it's painful, but the dilation of your pupils is imperative for this to be successful."

Groaning inwardly, I closed my eyes again. Bright spots of colors danced in the darkness of my mind. "Maybe I don't want this to be successful," I retorted feebly. I through myself forward, gritting my teeth as the cuffs on my wrists became suffocatingly tight.

"It appears that you don't. However, as Miracle has already explained, that choice is not up to you," Leary murmured. I felt, rather than saw, him coming closer. "Please open your eyes, Caleb."

I squeezed them shut.

Leary sighed. "Fine. If you insist to continue this rebellious nature, so be it. I'll be getting what I want whether you cooperate or not."

A moment later, the dentist's chair I sat in began to tilt backwards, until my head was lower than my feet. I felt slight pressure on my face, then, quite suddenly, my left eye was pulled open. Fingers grasped my lashes, peeling my eyelids away from each other. Something cold and sticky was pressed against my skin. I heard footsteps, then the same procedure was redone on my right side.