You Won't Feel A Thing

•Chapter 10•

Quinn

I scrolled through my playlist some more as we walked down the hall. I clicked on Mad by Echos. We entered a small room with a glass barrier separating me from my mom. I noticed armed guards posted on both sides. The doctor stood on the side of a metal chair, motioning for me to take a seat. My mother sat on the other side with her hair freshly dyed and cut. Her face was fully decorated with makeup. She smiled at me and pressed the small button on the table to activate the speakers. "Hello, Quinn. How are you feeling? Just a few more hours to go and you'll be done. I'm so proud of you for doing this."

I just sat there staring at her. The scratching in my skull worsened, my spine tingled with tiny jolts of pain. I could feel the edge of my mouth twitch. "Ms. Blake has been a real trooper during the trial. You've raised her well, Mrs. Blake," The doctor said into the speaker on our side of the barrier. My mother smiled wider. Stop smiling. Stop it. You aren't the one that's being jabbed constantly. "I can't wait for you to come home, Quinn. Your father and I made a reservation at this fancy restaurant couple blocks from the house, we can't wait to take you there. The food is just exquisite..." I just sat there as she continued to run her mouth, bragging about the things she's done or bought since she received the money.

It's only been a few hours. Just a few hours. You've already splurged and bought whatever you pleased. What about the bills? What about dad's debt? Did you use it for anything important or just on yourself? My eye twitched. "My head is spinning, I think I'm losing my control," I sang aloud with the song. My mother just stared at me. The doctor watched me with caution. "I think you need to rest, dear." I could feel the spot on my arm burning more. I slammed my head against the glass barrier over and over. I don't know why I did it or what pushed me to do it. My mother screamed. The doctor pulled me up from the chair and the guards pointed their guns at my head. "I think it's time you left, mother." The ends of my mouth twitched as I gave her the biggest fake smile I could muster. The doctor dragged me away from my mother, yanking on my arm as we headed back to the others.

Her screams and sobs echoed down the hall. You're not fooling anyone; those tears are and always have been fake. Just like you. The doctor continued to tug harshly on my arm. Why did I do that? I couldn't understand what had come over me. I would never do something like that, ever. Once we entered the room, I noticed the others being injected again. This time each one of them were hooked up to IVs. The doctor pulled me away from the group, away from my sanctuary in the corner with the window view. "Where are we going?" I asked. A nurse followed closely behind us.

"You won't be getting what they signed up for in this trial. You signed up for the special treatment, remember?" No, mother what did you do? I helplessly went along with the doctor as we entered a different room. My mother had filled out the paperwork, whatever she had signed me up for didn't sound good. "Please lay on the table, Ms. Blake. Don't worry, you can still listen to your music." The doctor motioned to the steel cold medical table before us. Two nurses stood beside it, both holding trays in their hands. The sane part of me knew I should turn tail and run for the hills, while the other part was just too damn drained to put up a fight. Do I really have to do this? Just run, Quinn. Just run.

I knew I should have taken a chance and ran but I didn't. Instead I hopped on the table, clicking on the song Anywhere but Here by Pvris. I silently sang to the song as the nurse strapped me down, "I want you to take me anywhere but here." The doctor hooked me up to an IV, while one of the nurses injected another dose of liquid into my arm. My eyes slowly began to close. The song continued to play in my ears as my vision faded to black. The scratching in my skull eased. The burning spread throughout my body. My spine tingled more. My teeth ached. I could feel something sharp cut into my skin. Pain radiated through my body as more needles pierced my skin. What are they doing to me? I feel as if I'm being torn to pieces over and over again.