Jasmine was by now fully and completely awake. Her shrieks were even louder than mine.
I could only watch and cry as the burning liquid poured itself out over her entire body.
The nurse quickly emptied the jug, and threw it aside. She turned back to me and tried to speak out louder than Jasmine's cries.
"You should've let me shoot her when you had the chance," She said, putting her hands up in a gesturing position.
I sharply ceased my screams, transitioning them now slowly into deep breaths.
I kept my eyes on the nurse as she moved away from Jasmine and towards the door once more. She halted herself before she walked through it and into the hall, and cast a glance at me from over her shoulder.
"I'll be back," She simply stated.
She afterwards reached out her right arm behind her body in a fast movement, and grabbed the handle. She turned her wrist slightly and pulled the door completely closed behind her.
I immediately returned my attention to Jasmine. I glanced her way and attempted to stand. Only then did I remember that my legs were immobile. And, other than jumping up and rushing to her side, I had nearly no way of helping or protecting her at the moment.
I could only talk to her.
"Jasmine..." I mumbled, my vision set on her abused figure. "Jasmine... You're... You're going to be okay..."
I noticed her body was slumping back in her chair, and her cries were losing energy.
"I promise, Jasmine, I will get you out of here..." My words then lost their way, and I after remained silent for a few moments.
I kept my eyes rested on Jasmine until I heard the nurse return.
She walked in almost hurriedly, holding some type of large metal object in her arms.
I bit my lip and resisted the urge to speak.
The nurse walked towards me, but looked nearly completely in Jasmine's direction. She only shifted her gaze to me once she had approached my side. I kept my breathing under control while she set the metal entity down. From what I could see, it looked very similar to an oxygen tank.
I situated my eyes back up to the nurse's face when she pulled up a gas mask, attached to the tank. She slowly moved it around in her hands, forcing it into a position that allowed her to apply it onto my face.
She cautiously reached out in front of me with the device.
"W-What's in it?" I mumbled. I could feel my breathing picking up again, even though I desperately tried to suppress it.
The nurse ignored my question, and began to lift the strap of the mask above my head. I wanted to reach up with my hands and push it away, but they were still far too unusable.
"S-Stop..." I stuttered softly, knowing my words wouldn't phase her.
She then carefully pushed the rubber front of the mask over my mouth and nose, and let the elastic strap tightly nestle itself around the back of my head.
I hadn't even tried to argue again before my clean air supply was cut off.
I suddenly began to slightly hyperventilate, trying to intake enough breathes before whatever gas was going to enter the mask.
I didn't watch her, but I could hear the nurse reach around to the gas tank and twist a creaky knob. A rush of cold air hit my face behind the mask shortly after.
I attempted to hold my breath at that point.
The nurse walked back in front of me, her hands rested comfortably on her hips. Her eyes were locked directly on me.
After quite a few seconds, my face became heated. I was using all my possible power to keep myself from inhaling, but I couldn't hold on much longer. I tightened my lips and let out a small whine-like sound.
"Things are going to be a lot different when you wake up, Skye." The nurse declared.
Almost immediately after she spoke, I finally let out my elongated inhalation.
The nurse smirked; I slowly breathed in again from my nose, allowing the cold gas to enter my lungs.
"A lot different," She repeated before turning around and walking towards the door.
I continued to spread my breaths out over longer periods of time, even though it came with no benefit.
The nurse exited through the doorway, and my eyelids soon after began to droop. I tried to fight the drowsy feeling the gas gave me, but to no avail.
I eventually fell asleep.
_____
I awoke with an odd feeling.
I wasn't hungry; I was full. My mouth wasn't dry; it was hydrated. My body didn't ache; it felt stronger.
Nearly every injury I had before owned was either gone or no longer extremely noticeable.
I opened both my eyes and instantly took in my surroundings. I was oddly in a different type of room, sitting in a near normal chair. I shifted my view to see that this room was much bigger than the others, and had body-shaped targets placed all along the farthest wall. Every target appeared to have been used multiple times in the past.
My chair was placed in one corner of the room, and in the other across from me stood the nurse. She seemed to be hovered over some sort of desk, and scribbled her hand at a quick rate over a piece of paper. She, herself, looked slightly different. She still wore the same outfit, but her hair and skin looked cleaner and brighter in a way.
As soon as she had finished her writing, she set down the pen she held on the desktop and instinctively turned towards me, like she already knew I would be awake.
"Well, good morning..." She said, almost enthusiastically. She didn't walk towards me, but rather stood still with her hands placed on her hips.
I didn't respond; I could only look around confusedly.
"Feeling any different?" She inquired, cocking her head over to one side slightly.
I slowly looked back in her direction. I gave her no answer.
She waited on me a few more moments before continuing.
"Well... Hopefully you do... I told you things were going to change very quickly, Skye. And, this..." The nurse's words had suddenly lost their way. While tried to conjure a way to finish her statement, she began pacing around in the area near the desk.
"...Moment in time... Marks a new... beginning?" She continued. She seemed to question her word choice of 'beginning', but her other words stood more firmly in the air.
"You're starting a new type of training today," She added a few seconds after, declared with much more confidence this time.
My senses almost awoke in response to her, and I immediately became more attentive. I studied both her face and movements as she went on speaking.
"You've defiantly survived through every other test... Both the physical and emotional challenges..." She slowly stopped pacing after these words, still keeping her hands on her hips.
"Congratulations, Skye. You're a fighter."
The first part of her statement was hinted with a great amount of sarcasm, but the ending sounded almost sincere.
I continued my silence, only staring back at her when she would cast me a short glace. She resumed walking around the desk, now reaching out her right hand to hover above the desk as she moved about. She slowly made her way around to the front, and crept her hand down the side of the wooden frame. Her fingers seemed to wiggle downwards until they found the handle of what had to be a drawer. She situated her hand around the half-broken knob and pulled it towards her body.
Once the drawer was opened widely enough, she stretched the same hand down into it, and pulled out a clean, long, thin and purely silver knife.
She grasped the knife firmly by the handle, and turned towards me. She slowly stepped in my direction, the knife pointed down and held closely by her side.
Once she had strode far enough, she stopped and positioned herself directly in front of where I sat.
"Up," She commanded.
I flickered my eyes up at her, my body unmoving.
"Up," She repeated. She stared straight at my emotionless face.
I refused once again; I returned the stare right back onto her.
"Skye..." She had altered her command this time.
I flashed my eyes back downwards, locking them now onto the knife in her hand.
I saw her grip tighten; I stood.
I kept my eyes on the knife, noticing her using it to gesture to something to my right. My view followed her gesture, and I ended up looking in the direction of the targets on the far side wall. I studied them for the next few moments, noting that there were no good bullseye marks on any one of them.
"Show me what you can do," She eventually spoke out. My view instantaneously snapped from the targets back to her face.
Her eyes blinked down, and I copied her gaze.
My eyes refocused themselves onto the knife in her hand. I watched closely as she inched her fingers slowly up to the blade, soon after allowing the handle twist below, so she could hold it now carefully by the blade. She slowly held it out to me in a welcoming position.
I didn't even hesitate to reach down and grab the handle.
"And I know what you're thinking. Don't try it. You're a little bit smarting than that, aren't you, Skye?" The nurse professed before I could even pull the knife out of her grasp.
I nearly froze after she spoke. I looked back up at her, my hand tightening around the knife. I didn't respond to her, and she suddenly released her own hand from the other end of the knife.
She slowly backed away from me, her eyes still monitoring my movements.
I cautiously pulled my right hand inwards to my body, clutching the knife securely in it as I did so.
I unhurriedly looked over again to the targets across the room. My vision observed them just as slowly, then returned itself to the nurse's figure. She now stood by the desk, arms crossed in front of herself. I wiggled my fingers around the knife, making them more comfortable along with making the knife easier to throw.
I forced myself to take a long, deep breath.
The nurse glared at me from where she stood. I gave her a squinting stare back, but only for a quick second.
I slowly stepped forward with my left foot. Immediately after, I twisted my whole body away from the nurse and instead into the direction of the far-off targets.
I closed my eyes momentarily and inhaled another, familiarly deep breath. At the same time, I allowed my hand to loosen itself around the knife handle. When I exhaled, I reopened my eyes.
I had trouble focusing my eyesight onto the center of the middle target across the room, but blinking rapidly quickly solved the problem.
Once I had my aim locked in my sights, I gently raised my left arm up to my chest level and extended it out in front of myself. I forced my left eye shut, and carefully brought my right hand up beside the right side of my face.
I could feel the cool metal knife almost press against my skin. My fingers resituated around the handle for the hundredth time. I only let one final breath into my lungs.
And then threw.