Project Meyburn

6

Megan

"Alright Miss Megan, I just need a quick blood sample and you'll be on your way."

As soon as I saw the doctor walk towards me with a small needle, I knew what was happening. I put out my arm, with the inside of my elbow facing up just like all the other times I'd had blood drawn. At this the young doctor looked at me in surprise.

"Huh, most kids are freaking out by now, have you had this done many times before?"

I looked up at her as she inserted the needle into my vein. I had to restrain myself from rolling my eyes or saying something that would most likely not be very polite.

"Yes, I've got O-Negative blood so I've been called in to donate a lot. At this point it doesn't really bother me," I reply.

The doctor met my eyes in what looked like shock, but then she quickly looked away and jotted something down in her papers. Good Lord, you would think something as ordinary as my damn blood type wouldn't be that surprising to a doctor.

Okay, I admit it, I may have rolled my eyes at that. But just it's not like the lady noticed. She was too focused on making sure my vein was perfectly punctured.

Finally, when I was just starting to feel a tad light-headed, the doctor took out the needle and put a little cotton ball with medical tape over the tiny wound. What, no Dora the Explorer Band-aid? Oh well.

"Alright, you are free to go, Miss. Your escort will take you back into the main lobby, and then he will lead you to the auditorium once everyone has had their exams." Even as she said this, the doctor refused to meet my gaze. She seemed to be fully absorbed in her reports.

"Okay, thanks," With that I was out of that disinfectant-scented room like a bat out of hell. Of course, as soon as I was out, Bill was blocking my path to freedom. Damn it.

I grinned up at him with what I hoped was an innocent smile. From the way his face hardened to stone, my acting skills were not up to par at that moment. I dropped the act and without sparing Bill a second glance I walked back to the spot on the cement floor where I had been sitting before my name was called for the medical exam.

With nothing else to do with Bill breathing down my neck, I got out a travel-sized hair brush and two ponytail holders from my backpack and began to french braid my shoulder-length dirty blonde hair into two plaits. Honestly, I just needed something to keep me from giving Bill a particularly vulgar gesture. Ughhhh, this is going to be one long fucking night.

⇔

Amber

It took every ounce of restraint in my body not to cry like a baby when that needle was inserted into my arm. What? It hurt. I could barely stand to get a flu shot, let alone a blood draw. When it was finally over I relaxed my stiff neck and unclenched my jaw. I hadn't spoken much, I only responded to necessary questions. I wasn't one for small talk or shit like that.

The nice nurse lady had led me upstairs to an exam room where I was asked a ton of questions; I was also poked and prodded by all sorts of gadgets. I hated every minute of it. I tried to distract myself thinking about Evie and Megan. Where the hell are they? I also thought about Officer Brown and my parents. It didn't make me feel any better.

"Amber I just have a few more questions for you, and then you are all set, okay?"

"Sure."

The doctor shuffled through some of my papers and wrote down more notes. He had been doing that throughout the whole exam. "Do you have any allergies?"

"Not that I know of, no."

More writing. More shuffling. "Have you experienced dizziness or fainting spells in the past few weeks?"

"No, sir."

"Good. And have you been having any difficulty breathing?"

I looked at him strangely. What kind of questions were these exactly? "No, I am pretty athletic, and I do a lot of running, so no,"

"Perfect. And do you know what your blood type is?"

I blushed awkwardly. "No, I'm sorry."

He wrote a few more things down and stood up. "No problem, we should be getting your blood test back soon anyway. Thank you for cooperating, the nurse will be back in a few minutes to take you to the auditorium. You guys will be getting a small lecture on what's to be expected from here on out."

I thanked the doctor and shook his hand before he left. Once I was finally alone again, I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes. Darkness swirled around me, engulfing my vision. I just needed a moment to accept this reality.

This dark, dark reality.