Silent Knight

Chapter Seventeen

After the first surgery, they put this thing around my neck. It's like a collar that would be placed on a dog. It wouldn't come off. No amount of yanking or pulling would get the foreign object off from around my neck. My fingers were bleeding from my attempts to pry it off of me, especially after I learnt what it is for.

The first time she used it was when they wanted me to run around the track to see how fast I was because they are ready to start training. They tell me I am well enough to do physical activity. They tell me they want me to be as fit as I can be. That is the first step. Dr. Crowe instructs me to run, but I shake my head.

"Run." Dr. Crowe demands. She is wearing her lab coat on and is holding a clipboard and a stopwatch. I don't say anything. I plant my feet on the ground and refuse to move. "I'll give you till the count of three," she says in her nasty voice. I didn't want to do anything for this lady, all I want is to go home, but at this point, I realized that I didn't have a home to go back to. "One," she starts counting. I didn't move. "Two." I felt myself getting a little nervous, I didn't know what she was going to do at three, I wasn't sure I wanted to find out, but there was no way in hell she would be getting me to run around that track. "Three," she finally says.

She calmly pulls a remote out of her pocket and hits one of the buttons. I cry out in pain as the collar around my neck sends electricity into my body. I grab the device and try to yank it off, clawing at the collar to try and get it off me, my nails cut into my own skin, causing my neck to bleed. Finally, the pain stops, and Dr. Crowe clears her throat.

"I'll tell you again," Dr. Crowe says. "Run." I look at the remote in her hands, she has that same, sickening smile on her face. My neck is still stinging from the first shock. I didn't want any more. With tears running down my face, I began to run.

I woke up in a panic. I sat up out of bed and felt put a hand on my neck, expecting that thing to be back around it. When I realized where I was, I began to relax, I was back home, in my own bed.

Then I remembered all the people sleeping in my living room. I sighed and rolled out of bed, wanting to shower before any of them woke up. Once I was done, I put my suit and helmet back on and crept back out to the kitchen to make myself some breakfast, careful not to wake anyone.

They were all still very much asleep. Alex and Valliere were passed out on the couch, leaning up against each other. Alijah was on the floor, snuggled up in a sleeping bag, and Claire was still sleeping at the table. I assumed Morathi was still asleep in the computer room. It was about ten in the morning and still raining outside, I figured we still had some time before we had to be back in the air, I could let them sleep for a little while longer. I took my breakfast back to my room to eat. I had made myself some scrambled eggs, it was easy and quick. I was washing my dishes when I heard a groan come from the living room.

"Morning sunshine," I said to Alex. He strained his eyes open and looked around at where he was, trying to remember what happened. He saw Valliere asleep on his shoulder and put his head back against the couch.

"What happened?" he asked quietly.

"You had quite the night," I said with a smirk. He groaned again. Beside him, Valliere shifted and opened up her eyes. When she saw that she was leaning against Alex, she quickly sat up all the way. They both looked at each other awkwardly. I rolled my eyes and reached into the cupboard and pulled out a bottle of Advil.

"Catch," I said as I tossed it over to Valliere. She took out two of the pills and swallowed them down. Alex took four.

"You guys are so loud," I heard Alijah mumbling as he rolled over on the floor. "Can't we all just go back to sleep?" I laughed again, this is what it must feel like to live with teenagers.