TEST

Chapter One: The Test

"Her heart raced, sweat pouring down her face. Just a little further. The door came into view and with one last effort, she threw herself in. Ailin's eyes snapped open, her mind still in the dream. She looked around wildly, scanning for threats. Her eyes were still heavy with sleep, squinting under the harsh lights. Tiny black dots danced around over her vision, blinding her even further. She tried to move, but found she couldn't. She grunted with effort, combining all her remaining strength and putting it into her arm. Something strong restrained her, pulling her down. Panic set in and her breathing became fast and ragged. Ailin felt light, like she was floating. Similar to a duck on water. There was also an intense pain in the back of her skull. She fought to control her breathing by forcing herself to take deep breaths, counting to three before exhaling. Finally, she managed to calm the torturous thoughts enough to try and think clearly. Besides the pain and confusion she felt strangely at home. Like this was meant to happen. Then again, her brain nagged at her and she felt, off. Like something wasn't right, like she didn't belong here. It took several minutes until the black spots faded and her pulse calmed. Now a light haze covered the room and her eyes swam in and out of focus.  Exhausted with her struggle, she  looked around, trying to remember how she got here. She looked down at what she was strapped to. Everything was pulsating but she guessed it was a tan surgical chair of some kind. Next to it were strange implements. They glinted in the light and they looked sharp enough to slice through bone. A shudder went down her spine and she was forced to look away. Nearby, a monitor beeped steadily in sync with her heartbeat. The walls were bare, save a small screen above her head. There were no doors and no windows. Ailin racked her brain for why she was there, and for how long. She found she couldn't remember either. She couldn't remember anything. Her thoughts were interrupted by a small buzz. The screen above her flickered to life, filling the room with a dim purple glow. Somehow, she could see it clearly, like glasses were put over her eyes. Her mouth widened and her heart skipped a beat as the screen spelled out the words, "This is a Test".

Somewhere, a door burst open with a resounding boom. Startled, Ailin whirled around frantically to find the source of the noise. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed throughout the small room. She turned to see two men in dark suits approaching her. One was slightly taller than her, the other about the same height. They both had pistols in a front holster, she observed. She estimated they were ten millimeters, though she had no idea how she knew that. One of the men approached her left side and began to unfasten her restraints. She tried to ask him who he was and what she was doing there. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. Horrified, she began to struggle again.

"Relax." a foreign voice came from behind her and she turned to see who had spoken. A tall blond lady, about in her fourties came into view. She wore a long doctors overcoat and held a clipboard. The woman walked steadily around the chair, coming to a stop by Ailin's feet. "Your voice will return, such as your vision has. I'm Doctor ++++, that's all you need to know. These two gentlemen will escort you to your room." She said.

Dazed, Ailin shook her head, urging herself to speak again. She feared that if she didn't ask now, she would not get another chance. Still, her mouth refused to work properly. she looked up to see the doctor scribbling something down on her clipboard. She felt herself being hauled to her feet as the men in dark suits removed her restraints. They both grabbed her arms roughly, practically dragging her behind the surgical chair. She staggered towards a door. She hadn't seen it before, she had been facing the other way.

The door opened to reveal a brightly lit hallway, traveling far in either direction. The men urged her towards the right, their grips strong. They walked past several doors, all with no windows. she began to wonder if they were the same kinds of rooms as she was in. She made a sharp turn to the left, the hallway this time leading onto a ramp. They walked up the ramp and onto a set of stairs. She hadn't realized just how tired she really was until they started up the second flight of steps. Several times she nearly tripped, being saved each time only by the mens incredibly strong grips.