The Serum

The Before

"Screw it," Alex muttered to herself. She took out a sryinge with glowing red liquid in it. "Let's pray to God this works." She slide the sryinge into her friend, Autumn's, arm. Autumn made a muffled whimper, but the sedative within the serum coaxed her back into a deep sleep. Alex pushed the liquid into her bloodstream, quickly yanking the needle out. "Hopefully the healing agent works this time. I don't want to explain why there's a bandage wrapped around Autumn's arm again," Alex snarled to herself. She went to her bag and pulled out three more syringes, each filled with a different transfusion. Little did she know, but Alex Sanders had just sentenced her friends to the Trials.

~!~

Autumn woke up with a grunt. She rolled over and stretched her arms out yawning. When she had reached her full stretch point she heard Alex mutter, "Gosh dang it Autumn keep your arms to yourself." Hiding a laugh, Autumn rolled over on her side to look at Alex. "Well, don't sleep so close to me next time." Alexandra a.k.a Alex, chucked a pillow into Autumn's face. "You'll pay for that one," Autumn snarled and she lept on Alex pillow in hand. Alex turned and struggled into a sitting position.

"That all you got hot-stuff?" Alex asked.

"Oh no, it's just the beginning."

Autumn gathered her legs under her, preparing for a powerful lunge to where Alex sat. As Autumn began her move, Alex stood up and crossed the room. When did asthma girl get this fast? Autumn thought to herself. When she shifted positions again, she realized Alex no longer stood across the room. As she stood up, she was tackled from behind. Alex pinned her to the ground, a pillow raised threateningly over her head. "Oh no you don't," Autumn squealed as she dodged the pillow repeatedly. Getting tired of the other girls maneuvers Alex flipped her over so that Autumn was lying with her face in the floor. "Haha I win!" Alex taunted. Autumn looked up and gave a muffled scream. Lying only a few feet away, her other friend Karter was sleeping, with more friends surrounding her. How did they not wake up? she asked herself. If that didn't wake any of the up, I know something that will. She crept her arms under her and postioned them.

"I'm not getting off anytime soon so don't bother moving," Alex said with a smug look plastered on her face. One, two, three! Autumn launched Alex head first over her body and right into the sleeping one of Karter. Alex landed with a thump in the middle of Karter's back. Jolted out of her sleep, she turned and furiously kicked Alex off. "Alex!! What the hell are you thinking?" she yelled in complete anguish. "I-I...um...Autumn..uh," Alex stammered. Autumn was on the floor holding her stomach tight for fear it might explode from all the laughing. Karter turned angrily away from Alex and went to stand near Autumn, "Do you have anything to do with this rude awakening?" Karter growled. From on the floor Karter looked like a giant, with her 6'0 frame and athletic body. Autumn sat up with a chuckle, trying to control her laughing for fear Karter would punch her. "Well, I might have come up with the idea," Autumn said bravely.

By this time Lexi and Hannah had woken up and were staring at the comotion with tired eyes.

"And why would you do such a thing to me?" Karter asked. "Well," Autumn said standing up,"I may have wanted to get Alex off my back and you were the perfect target for me to accomplish that job."  Karter stared into Autumn's laughing green eyes, while Autumn stared into her angry dark brown ones. Giving up on the staring contest, Autumn smiled lazily. "You just looked so much like a cute, helpless damsel I just had to wake you up. I couldn't have any heroic man come in here and take you away now could I?" Karter sighed and smiled,"Of course not," she said rolling her eyes losing the rest of her temper, "but if you wake me up like that again you'll be the one that needs saving."

"I'll take my chances," Autumn muttered.

~Autumn Halloway~

I looked at my feet. I'm running on the family treadmill with the T.V. blaring in the distance. My feet hypnotized me. I was never a fast runner, not even close, but now my feet looked like they were on fire. They blurred together as I turned up the speed another notch. "Autumn, honey, don't go to fast or you'll break your neck if you fall," my mother called from in front of the T.V. "Don't worry mom. I'll turn it down," I yelled back. I'm seventeen, I think I know how to run on a treadmill. I switched it off, walking with the slow speed of the now dying equipment. Once it stopped, I hopped off bumping my left arm on the handle treadmill. "Ouch!" I yelped. I looked down at my arm. There was a single, red dot in the crux of my elbow. Wonder how that happened. Probably from the treadmill. I shook my head and started toward my room. I stopped by the bathroom to pick up a towel before I started up the stairs to my room. Sweat continued to pour off me as I finally reached the top and turned toward the only closed door in the house.