Tomato Soup

Chapter 8 – Tomato Soup

The first thing I felt was pain. Like a white-hot searing poker was being pressed into my temple; ripping the skin from my head. I could feel my heart beating in my chest as the pressure built behind my forehead. I groaned, feeling too weak to do anything else, and slowly opened my eyes. A bright white light entered my vision, making me flinch at the sudden intrusion to my senses, and making my searing headache all the more sensitive. I blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the stark contrast of my dark eyelids, and felt my eyes water.

‘Where am I?’ I thought to myself. As my eyes adjusted, I slowly took in my surroundings. I was lying in a bed, and not a comfortable one at that. A silver tray with big stainless medical equipment sat on a table to my left, and a large monitor to my right. A steady beeping coming from the machine as I watched spiked likes dance across the screen. I was definitely in a hospital room.

I groaned and shifted my body, only to hiss at the sudden stinging pain in my arms. I turned my head to see my wrists strapped down to the side of the bed, a thick metal chain encircling my already swollen and red wrists. Another throb in my head pushed me back flat on the bed, as I gasped for air in attempt to not cry out. I felt tears prick my eyes, as the wind was knocked out of me, and I let out a small whimper.

“I see you’re finally awake.” A smooth voice said from the corner of the room. I jumped, and turned my head to look at the owner. A tall statured man with a long white coat was standing in the doorway looking back at me. His gray hair was sticking in tufts around his head, and his long face held thin wrinkles around his forehead. Almost as if he had been thinking too hard for his entire life. His lithe figure started slowly towards me, carefully planning his steps as if he was approaching the largest bear, he had ever seen, and not a five-foot girl. “I see you’re also in a great deal of pain, but to be expected after the night you had.” He smiled gently, and reached out to touch my forehead. I flinched away from him, and he withdrew is hand quickly.

“Who are you?” I tried to say forcefully, but it came out no more than a pathetic scratchy whisper. Everything hurt, including speaking.

“I’m Doctor Franklin Threader, the doctor whose been taking care of you since your seizure” he said bluntly, and I could feel my eyes round.

“Seizure?” I all but whispered. I had been awake for all of thirty seconds, and already bad news. I guess I’m not dead so that’s a plus. “How in the world did I have a seizure?”

“Honestly, I don’t know for sure.” He shrugged, “but I have a few theories. My main one being that you drained your body of magic to the point that you overloaded your body. Your magic being too strong for the flesh and bones your soul lives in.” A shiver ran down my spine at his words. “Or,” he continued, “you had your head hit just a few many times, and your body couldn’t take it anymore.” He smiled, attempting to break the tension, but failed in the creepiest manor. “Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about your magic. I didn’t get to see it, and you just can’t even imagine how lucky I feel that a specimen like you just fell into my lap. I have to run tests! So many tests!” The doctor babbled on, staring at me like a large gold nugget. My head throbbed with every word he threw my way, and I felt my eyes slowly closing. This just had to be nightmare, I was sure, none of this was real, and I was definitely dead. Yet, the pulsing pain in my wrists and head seemed to mock me, and tell me otherwise.

“Oh!” The doctor exclaimed. “You are probably exhausted. You did just have a major medical event didn’t you.” I just nodded in his direction slowly, whatever it took to get him away from me. “I’ll let you rest; I’ll be back tonight with something to eat for you, Oh, and of course, you have a meeting with the King tonight. He wants to see his very exceptional visitor,” the doctor purred at me. My eyes shot open, ignoring the searing pain that came with it.

                “The King?!” I gasped, and focused my eyes back on the doctor. He was smiling politely back at me.

“Of course, the King. You made quite the impression, and he is more than interested in what you could give to him.” Blunt, and to the point. This doctor was starting to get on my last nerve. “You’re one of the few who seems to still be able to do magic.” Somehow this doctor told me everything I needed to know, without giving me any information.

“I guess I look forward to seeing him tonight.” I said quietly, but squared my shoulders as best I could against the bed. I will not show fear here. The doctor smiled at me again, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Very well, get some rest, and I will be back with something to eat.” The doctor stood, and turned to leave. He took a couple steps away from me before turning his head to look back at me, a fierce determination glinting in his pale eyes. “I’ll do everything I can to keep you alive. I promise.” Dr. Franklin said quietly before turning on his heel and marching out the door. To anyone else that may have been a sigh of relief, but cold fear gripped my heart and I knew that promise was anything but benevolent. I sucked in a shaking breath and quickly took in details of the room around me. I was on a bed in the middle of a white room. There was a large wooden door to my right, and double doors in front of the bed where Dr. Franklin had exited. Two other beds were in the room, but were not occupied by anyone else. The chains around my wrist were obviously iron, so the chance of me breaking them to escape were slim to none. Not only that, I was dressed in a thin white hospital gown, which thanks to my height, came below my knees. I cringed thinking about the creepy doctor changing my clothing.

“Nothing like being stuck in a cage.” I sighed out loud and fell back on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. A small red light caught my eye in the corner of the room, and I craned my neck to look at it. A small black camera sat in the corner of the room, aimed on me, its red-light blinking showing that it was functioning. Figured that my every move would be monitored, after the stunt I pulled in the dungeons. Nothing was saving me now; I was prey just patiently waiting to be eaten by the King himself. At least my father was safe, and I guess that was all that matters. I felt tears sting my eyes at the thought of him, but quickly shook my head against them. No crying. They will not see one more ounce of fear come from me. I laid back down onto the bed, and closed my eyes. At least this was more comfortable than the cell floor.

About an hour later I heard hard footsteps coming down the hall towards my room.  I sat up, and braced myself for the King to come barging through the doors, screaming for my head. The door swung open, and I was surprised to see the doctor walk in, balancing a tray in one hand and a glass of water in the other.

                “Oh! Hello again.” He spoke. “I wasn’t expecting you to be awake, but I brought you some soup.” He set the water down next to me on the metal cart. Clearing away some of the medical instruments to make room for the tray.  A small bowl of red liquid sat at the center of the tray, with a small piece of bread next to it. “The kitchen staff cleaned up for the night, so I just found what I could. I hope you don’t mind tomato.” He gave me a soft smile, and held out a plastic spoon for me to take. I was about to deny it when my stomach rumbled loud enough to shake walls, and I saw his smile widen. After two days in a dungeon, and God knows how many in a hospital, I guess I did need to eat.

                “I don’t mind tomato. Thank you.” I nodded it at him. I did actually appreciate the doctor going out of his way to find me something to eat. Even if his entire infatuation with me revolved around his creepy experiments.

                “I’ll leave you to it. Moira will be in shortly to help you get dressed to meet the King.”  He nodded, and turned on his heel. Bolting again away from me, and out into the hallway, pulling the door closed behind him. My heart sunk into my chest, and suddenly I wasn’t hungry anymore. Nausea replacing the emptiness I felt in my stomach. My time was up.

About twenty minutes later, I heard small footsteps approach the door, and a light knock on the wood.

                “May I come in?” a light voice tinkled from just outside the door. I looked around the room, half expecting someone else to be there to answer. I never thought someone would ask permission before approaching a prisoner.

                “C-come on in.” I stuttered to the voice outside. The door opened slowly, and a small mousy girl wearing jeans and a black tshirt stumbled into the hospital room carrying what looked to be a pile of fabric. She balanced herself, and looked up at me, pushing a pair of glasses up her thin nose, dark brown eyes sparkling behind the thick lenses.

                “I’m Moira,” she announced. “I’m here to get you dressed for your hearing.” She walked over towards me before unceremoniously throwing all the fabric onto the bed next to me. “Well, you look like a wreck. This will take longer than I thought.” I stared at the girl wide eyed, unsure about what was actually happening.

                “What exactly are you dressing me for?” I managed to choke out. Looking from the fabric to the girl, and back again. I thought this was a trial, not a damn ball. She huffed, and started to pull some of the fabric apart, showing that she actually had a about ten dresses tangled in the pile.

                “Well, you can’t go into the throne room in a hospital gown. I need to make you look beautiful.” Her eyes flicked from my long-knotted hair and then to the purple bruises that littered my face, and she cringed. “Well, lets go with at least somewhat presentable.” She reached forward to brush a strand of hair away from my face, and I flinched away from her. Her eyes softened, and she reached back over to her dress pile. Digging through the pile until she pulled out a long sparkling gold dress out of the lump of fabric. “Let’s get you a shower, and get you dressed. You have to be in the throne room in two hours.” I stiffened at her words, and looked down into my lap. She was speaking the words so easily, as if my life wasn’t about to come to an end. “Hey now” Moira said next to me, and placed a warm hand on my shoulder. I didn’t flinch away from her this time, needing the comfort, even if it was from a stranger. “If you’re going to go down, I’m going to make sure you look damn good doing it.” I choked out a chuckle and looked up to give her a half smile. She might be an absolute stranger, but she reminded me of who I was. Someone who would fight until her last breath.

                “Uh, Moira. I would love to get a shower, but…” I jingled the iron chain attached to my wrist. Causing a sharp pain to shoot up my forearm. Moira looked down at the shackle with knitted eyebrows before snapping her fingers and reaching into the back pocket of her jeans. She pulled out a small key, and a thin metal band with thin ornate swirls etched into its surface, and a small lock at the end.

                “This should do it. This thin band is made of iron, so it will keep your magic at bay. They used these when the girls from your town came here as a precaution. I know its not ideal, but I’m sure its better than that thing they have attached to you.” She gestured at the thick iron wrapped around my wrist. She moved the key to the lock, and paused. “I need you to promise you wont attack me or run. There’s a group of guards right outside the door waiting for you to try.” I looked into her brown eyes, and could see the fear reflected behind them. Even as kind as she was being, I was still a prisoner.

                “I promise. I don’t need anymore bruises tonight.” I gave a half-hearted chuckle, and she smiled back to me. Moira placed the key in the lock, and turned, a small grinding noise coming from the gears as they released the shacked from my wrist. Then she placed the small bracelet in its place, locking it into itself like a single handcuff.

                “Alright lets get you a shower.”