Page 71 of Dark Rebel's Reckoning

"I'll come with you," Jasmine offered. "I will be the hand holder. If you want, I can stay with each of you while the doctor examines you."

"It needs to be done." Fenella rose from the armchair she'd commandeered. "Let's just get on with it."

"It needs to be done." Arezoo echoed Fenella's words and then turned to her sisters and cousin. "It's going to be okay, and we will all be together."

The journey to the elevator felt like preparing for a military operation. Jasmine and Bridget led the procession, while the girls moved in a tight cluster, flanked by Fenella and Kyra like protective sentries.

As the elevator doors closed, Kyra noted how Laleh pressed herself into the corner, as far from the doors as possible, while Donya's knuckles turned white from gripping the railing. Azadeh kept her eyes fixed on the floor numbers as they descended, as if counting down to an inevitable confrontation.

When the doors finally opened to the clinic level, Kyra stepped out first, silently signaling that it was safe. The corridor before them was surprisingly wide and well lit, with soft off-white walls adorned with small paintings of landscapes that looked incredibly vivid.

These weren't the reproductions she'd seen on the dungeon level.

"Except for the nice pictures, this looks like the hallway in my old high school building," Arezoo commented.

Kyra glanced at her, wondering if the girl was merely saying this to ease the other girls' fears. Whether it was true or not, the observation seemed to help, as the others focused on examining the beautiful pictures they were passing instead of on the examination waiting for them.

The clinic itself was not what Kyra had expected. Instead of cold sterility, it was small and smelled fresh, but not of disinfectant, which would have been triggering for her and everyone who had been imprisoned by the fake doctor.

The nurse who'd checked them for trackers when they had landed greeted them with a warm smile. "You all look so muchbetter already." She motioned to a row of chairs. "Please, take a seat."

There were only six chairs, so Kyra remained standing because she'd volunteered to go first.

"Through here." Bridget opened one of the doors.

"Can we all come in?" Fenella asked.

"It's a bit small for everyone to crowd in, but I'll leave the door open to the waiting room. That way, you can all hear what I'm doing."

"I'll lock the door." Gertrude walked over to the entry door to the clinic. "In case one of the Guardians walks in, we don't want to be on full display, right, ladies?" She offered them a bright smile.

The girls nodded, smiling in return as if compelled by her cheerful attitude.

Gertrude was good at this, and as Kyra followed her into the exam room, she wondered if the nurse had children.

It was more of a patient room, with a proper hospital bed with railings that made her more comfortable for some reason. A padded table would have evoked unpleasant memories.

The nurse left the door partially open, as promised, which gave her some privacy but still allowed the girls to hear what was going on and even peek inside if they wanted to.

"Before you sit on the bed, I need a urine sample first," Gertrude said, handing Kyra a small plastic cup and a folded hospital gown. "You can change in the bathroom."

"Do I need to take everything off?" Kyra asked.

"You can leave your underwear on for now."

The process was simple and oddly familiar, even if Kyra couldn't remember the last time she'd had a proper medical examination. The rebel camps had medics, but their resources were limited to treating injuries and common illnesses. Comprehensive check-ups were a luxury of a different life, one she couldn't remember, and yet she went through the motions of providing the sample as if she had done it a hundred times before.

When she returned from the bathroom wearing the gown, socks, and panties, Gertrude motioned to the bed. "I need to draw some blood," she said while preparing a tray with several vials and a needle. "Do you prefer sitting up or lying down for it?"

"Sitting up."

"Awesome," Gertrude said.

"That's a lot of blood you are preparing to take," Kyra observed as the nurse lined up the vials.

"We're testing for a variety of things," Bridget said, entering the room. "Hormones, general health markers, genetic markers, and a few specific tests to determine what drugs might still be in your system."

Kyra nodded, rolling up her sleeve and extending her arm. Gertrude tied the tourniquet around her upper arm. "Just a small pinch," she warned before inserting the needle with practiced precision.

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