Beasts and Savages (The Beastly Series Book 1) (6 page)

Her eyes widened. “Are you scared?”

I shook my head. “No. Not scared. Nervous. It's okay to be nervous.” I wasn't sure if I was reassuring her or myself.

Ms. Dawning called out to us, “Lea, room six, Rally, room one!” Rally waved to me and headed off in the opposite direction. The floor was cold under my feet. There was a line of three to four girls clutching gowns closed outside every cubicle. I found the cubicle numbered six and stood behind a small quiet girl.

“I heard they are checking us before we hunt because something went wrong this changing,” a girl near the front murmured.

“Wrong!” called out Susie in her know-everything way. “They’re doing experiments on us, so that we become better hunters.”

“Really?” the girl in front of me whispered.

“No.” I spoke softly but sternly. “No one knows why we’re getting examined today, so stop spreading rumors.” I glared at Susie.

“Humph!” Susie turned away from me.

I watched the other girls in the lines. Most were whispering quietly to the girl next to them. Some were staring ahead with anxious expressions. Beth caught my eye. We exchanged nervous glances before the nurse summoned her into the room. My mind wandered to the weekend and what I had promised my mother. My heart was pounding and my hands wouldn’t stop shaking. I stared ahead and took controlled breaths. If they asked me about my changing, I would have to lie.

Soon, the nurse called my name. I stepped into the little room. A woman with fluffy red hair sat on the stool, scribbling onto a clipboard. She didn't stop writing.

A woman in blue scrubs smiled and patted on the table. “I'm Nurse Molly and this is Dr. Flynn. Let’s get you up on the table.” She helped me up on the table, my back to the door.

Dr. Flynn looked up. “Lea. I'm Dr. Flynn. I'm going to ask you some questions while Molly takes your vitals. Do you know what vitals means?” Her sing song-voice made my stomach turn.

“Of course,” I answered. I was shaking so bad I didn’t know how they didn’t notice.

“It’s okay to be nervous.” She smiled. “After the questions I'm going to examine you.”

“Okay.”

Molly took my temperature and blood pressure. Dr. Flynn looked over her glasses at the paper in front of her. “You're sixteen?”

“Yes. I'll turn seventeen in November.”

“Good, good.” She scribbled something down. “And this was your first changing?”

“Yes.” my heart skipped.

“How long did it last?” Her eyes studied me over her glasses.

“What?” I tried my best to cover my nervousness with confusion.

“Your changing. How long did it last?”

“Oh. Um, a little under two days.” I looked at my knees.

“Lea, is that a guess or an answer?” Dr. Flynn had a hint of impatience in her tone.

“Monday morning. It lasted until Monday morning.” I blurted out.

“Thank you.” She scribbled again. “What do you remember?”

“Well, I remember going to the safe room,” I began, “and red. Angry red.” I tried to be as vague as possible.

“Anything else?” She didn't look up.

I stared at the top of head. Her orange fluffy curls didn't move though she was bent over a clip board. It was easier to lie when she wasn't looking at me.

“I think I blacked out. That’s all I remember.” I shrugged for emphasis.

“All right.” Dr. Flynn stopped scribbling long enough to take my hands in hers. She turned my arms over, examining the marks I had made. “Did this happen this weekend?”

I looked away. “Yes.”

She frowned but said, “Don't worry. It happens.”

I wanted to ask her what she meant, but couldn't find the courage. Instead I asked, “Am I done?”

The nurse laughed. Dr. Flynn looked apologetic. “No. We have to do the physical examination now. I need you to lie back.”

The nurse guided my shoulders down until I was completely on my back. A knot formed in my stomach. I crossed my fingers over it. Gloved hands guided my feet to extensions of the table.

“This won't hurt. Just some pressure.” Something metal flashed in Dr. Flynn's hand. The nurse clicked on a round light behind the doctor and moved it just above her shoulder. Coldness plunged into me and I stiffened, pulling in an involuntary gasp.

“It's okay, sweetie.” Molly patted my knee. Pressure mounted until it was almost pain. Dr. Flynn called out medical terms and the nurse wrote on the clipboard. I stared at the ceiling, trying to ignore the scraping and prodding. Finally, the pressure subsided until it was gone.

“All done.” Dr. Flynn snapped off her gloves and threw then into a waste basket. Nurse Molly clicked off the light and helped me into a sitting position. Once she was finished scribbling on her clipboard, she smiled brightly at me. “This is unofficial of course, but it looks like you’ll be cleared for hunting.”

“Oh, thanks.” I managed a small smile. So this exam was for predetermining who could hunt.

The nurse helped me off the table. I shivered as my feet hit the chilly floor. There were no lines at any of the cubicles. The locker room was almost empty. Rally had already changed and sat on the bench, examining a slip of paper in her hand.

“How did it go?” I slid into my underwear and leggings before taking off the gown.

“Awful.” She shuddered. “We get the rest of the day off though.” Rally waved a typed excuse in the air.

“Mine wasn't fun either...At least we know why we had to do it.” I watched her, waiting for her reaction.

“We do?” Her eyes widened. She put her feet on the bench and rested her chin on her knees. “Why? How did you find out?”

I raised my eyebrow. “Didn't your doctor tell you? They are checking girls before they hunt. Medically clearing us.”

Rally scrunched her face. “No. My doctor really didn't tell me anything. Just gave orders.”

“Oh.” I looked at my own excuse. I wanted to go home and go to bed, sleep away the terrible morning. If I did, Nana would be there and most certainly would have questions I didn't want to answer. She would show Mother the excuse and I would have to spend the entire evening rehashing my examination. Rally didn't seem to be in a hurry to get home either. I dressed quickly and held up my lunch.

“Hungry? How about that picnic?”

“Yes!” She clapped her hands together. We passed the twins arguing with Susie in hushed voices on the way out. They stopped talking and glared at us as we walked by. Rally and I exchanged glances. Once we were outside the locker room we burst into laughter. The nervous excitement of the day had worn us down. We leaned on each other gasping and giggling back all the way to our bikes. I didn't know what was so funny. I didn't care.

We rode a few blocks to a small park with a path that snaked around several gardens. In the center of the park was a large tree shading a grassy area. We dropped out bikes and sat under the tree. The leaves swayed in the breeze, making a sun-speckled pattern on the grass. When the wind changed direction, the sweet smell of a nearby lilac bush wafted to us. There was no playground at this park. Most adults were at work and it was still early for lunch hour. For a while, we ate in silence and listened to birds chirp above us and squirrels squabble over their findings.

“Why do you think our class was the only class that had to be examined?” Rally asked.

I shrugged. “How do we know other classes won't be examined?”

“I don't, but I do know that we’re the only class taking the new injections.” Her face was serious. She had an uncharacteristic air of maturity.

“What do you mean? How do you know?” I sounded more frantic than I wanted to, but I knew there was something to those injections. Something Ms. Dawning hadn't told us.

“I talked to a girl in another class. They hunt in October. I mentioned the injections on Fridays and she told me that they didn't take any. She thought I was lying. And then her friend came over and told her I was definitely lying because they hunt with us and they aren't taking them either.” She brushed the soft grass next to her with her fingers.

I placed my hand over hers. “Rally. This is important. Was your changing short this time? Shorter than expected?”

She pulled her hand away. “My mom said -”

I cut her off. “My mom said not to tell anyone, too. But I trust you. I finished my changing Sunday afternoon.” Rally studied my face, trying to determine if I was lying. I waited quietly. She would tell me if I gave her time to think.

“It was. Early Monday morning.” She looked around as if searching for someone who might have overheard her.

“It's those injections. I think they’re dangerous. I'm not going to take them any longer.” My own boldness surprised me.

“What? How? If you get caught!” Rally scrambled to her feet.

“I know how to make it look like I’m taking it without actually injecting it in my arm. I can't tell you not to take it, but I don't think you should. If you don't want to, I'll teach you how to waste it.” She was considering my offer so I continued, “Try it once. If something happens, you can start taking it again. But if the other classes aren't taking it, why do we need to?”

“Okay, tell me how.” She sat down facing me. “I think you're right, but I want to know how you're going to do it before I decide.”

I sighed. “I'll explain now and show you on Friday. Deal?”

Rally nodded.

Chapter 5

~Sleepover~

Ms. Dawning held a thick stack of envelopes when she called us over after class on Friday. In addition to our injections, we would receive our results from the exam. Most girls plunged the syringes into their arms right at the waste receptacle and ran off with their letters. Rally and I stood away from Ms. Dawning.

“Ready?” I asked her as I uncapped a syringe. “I'll do yours first.”