Damsel[ed]: Some Rescue Required (#2 of the Damsel[ed] series)

Chapter Two: Another Day, Another Deal

When most people think of hospitals, they think of them as white and sharp and depressing. They say the halls smell of antiseptic and the doctors share the same sad expression on their stone-straight-faces. But Starlight City Central isn't anything like that. The people smile, the air smells of Lavender Glade, and the walls gleam with bright yellows, oranges, and blues. Every little detail seems to say, "cheer up, there's still hope."

And then there's the super ward.

The person who designed the place must've either hated supers or threw up their hands and said, "You know what? Let's make this place look like a pit of agony and despair. Because supers aren't human, right? They don't pick up on that kind of stuff."

The place is a custard color. Ick. The stench of antiseptic almost knocks me off my feet and Gats breaks into a sneeze-attack. I search every corner of every hall for a fluff of dust or a singular scuff mark. Spic and spam. I should feel at ease amongst the cleanliness, but I want to run away, past the neat gray doors, far, far from this place where hope comes to die. Gats seems equally nervous, twisting his sleeves, tugging his beanie, and swinging his head back and forth, back and forth. "Dude," I say, Jaylin's hand still intertwined with mine, "you okay?"

He nods, silent, and I lean on his shoulder. I don't want to let him out of my sights. Not now, not again. We walk through another set of narrow corridors, and my heart quickens with each step. It's like we're going into a tunnel. At last, we stop at a pair of brown doors, ones with a single word arching over them: Experimental.

My feet root to the cheap linoleum and I stare at the sign forever. I don't know what it means, whether Hev was once part of an experiment like Gats and I or if doctors are actively using her to test stuff on. Either way, just looking at the stupid sign fills me with adrenaline and make my wings fluff up against my spine. "Huh," Jaylin says, "interesting."

While Storm and June mutter at each other, I power through the doors. A whirlwind of emotions swirl in my chest, first with Hev being hurt and now the Experimental thing. Fear, maybe, making sweat bead down my brow. Hurt. Exhaustion. I don't want a round two of our past adventures. I want them to end. Jay tugs her hand out of mine. "Ang?"

The sheer whiteness of the ward makes me want to pull back and hide behind the strong villain, but I force myself to breathe and trek through the blinding color. Curtains separate each room and doctors pace like rats in a cage. Experimental. The word punctuates my every thought. I hope Heaven's okay. Experimental. This place should be condemned. Experimental. Man, I could go for a fifth Quarter Pounder. Experimental.

I think I'll puke.

Gats shoots a nervous glance back at the doorway and catches me by the shoulder. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know."

Just as I say it, a squad of nurses rush at us. I grab my hip for a sword before I even realize what I'm doing. Man. I just keep getting weirder and weirder, and I duck my head, wringing my hands together at my chest. Where's Heaven, I think, but the words won't form on my lips. What are you doing with her? 

"Are you lost?" asks one, arms crossed over a slim chest.

"Do you have security clearance?" asks another.

June steps in front of me. "Juniper Fibbs, husband, and people of interest."

The nurse raises a suspicious eyebrow. "May I see some sort of identification?"

June flips her patent leather wallet out of her purse pocket, and the nurse steps aside at the sight of it. "Where are you headed, ma'am?"

My jaw hits the floor. So Juniper has security clearance at a hospital. This is new.