Another Time

Chapter Five: My Lazy Roomate

        Tarragon walked out of the doorway into the main room. Thyme dropped the sock, splattering water everywhere.

        “Eck! Watch that!” I dried my hands on my shirt, and went into my room.  Tarragon was standing in front of the door, waiting for us. “Hurry up Thyme!”

                                      “I’m going!” Tarragon smirked playfully.

                                            “Having fun were you?” She smiled.

        “We were being creative.” Thyme came out of the bathroom, and stood by me. Her hair was wet and messy, and her shirt was darkened with moisture.

        "Okay, let’s go.” She wiped her hands on her shirt, and we followed Tarragon out of the room. I closed the door behind us, forgetting about my key. Thyme would just have to open it for me later. “What exactly are we doing?” We walked down the hallway and turned left, into the main walkway. This was the hallway that held our training facilities.

        “We’re just running some tests to make sure you’re healthy.” Tarragon smiled, and led us to a wooden door. “And to assign your ranks.”

         “We’re being ranked?” I asked. Tarragon knocked, and then opened the door, not waiting for someone to answer.

        “No, one of you must be the thinker, so to speak, and the other will be more trained in the physical field. You’ll both be learning the same things, but your ranks will decide what special jobs you have to manage.” We walked into the room, and were greeted with a mechanical hum. In the middle of the room was a big treadmill, with wires and monitor next to it. There were two chairs facing each other to my right, and a large table to the left. Behind the treadmill was a large table that was surrounded by a circular machine. It smelled sterile, like a hospital. All of this machinery made me wonder how much electricity was being wasted. A man was standing in front of the table, a small screen in his hands. Tarragon looked irritated at his presence.

                      “Whoa, this is…weird.” Thyme gazed at the machinery.

        “Edelweiss! I told you to prepare for two patients!” Tarragon snapped. The man turned to face us in shock. He had large glasses that made his eyes look three times the normal size. His hair, or what’s left of it, was a piled mess of gray on his head. But there was intelligence in his appearance, a creepy, odd, and imaginative intelligence.

        “I did, but the Vital Monitor is glitching.” He set the screen on the table, and walked over to us, studying me with his big eyes.

        “It always does that, now come on.” She rolled her eyes and pushed passed the man, taking Thyme with her. “Chrys, this is Dr. Edelweiss. He’ll be running a few simple tests on you.” I felt like a lab rat, and I trust Tarragon, but her judgment, I don’t trust that as much. Edelweiss sighed.

        “Preposterous, what does she think I am, a miracle worker?” He walked to the treadmill, and I followed. “Okay, I’m just going to look at your heart rate while you run and increase or decrease the speed according to my charts.” He gestured for me to get on the machine, and then stood in front of the monitor. I went to the treadmill. After hitting a few buttons, he walked over to me carrying a small screen, attached to a few wires and a necklace. He strung it around my neck. “Uh, I’m gonna need you to remove your shirt.”

                               “Excuse me?” My cheeks flushed red.

        “I can’t attach this to you if your shirt is in the way.” I sighed and lifted my shirt off, thankfully wearing a sports bra, and gave it to him. He placed a small suction cup on each shoulder, just below my collar bone, and then one more on my ribs. They were cool to the touch, and stuck to my skin. “Okay, I’m going to start the tread mill.” He went over to the monitor. “Ready?” I took a deep breath and nodded.