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“I can’t come right now, I told you I have to be at J.I.L.” Blair was walking down the street, phone in hand, upset for some reason. You see, young people are constantly followed by the fear of running out of time. They are always in a rush, trying to do it all before their time is up, but is that a way of living? The need of experiencing it all is a vice not anyone can have.

“Dave, I told you! I really can’t. Dakota got in trouble and I joined in to not leave her alone.” Blair exhaled. Today she tied her hair up, exposing her neck to the cold November wind. “Listen here, Frost! I can’t stress this enough, so if you want a girlfriend go get someone that actually doesn’t care about building a safe future. By the end of the day, this volunteer thing could help me get an internship at J.I.L. and you are fully aware of how posh that thing is. All rich people wanna be treated there or have their kids work there. Now excuse me, I ain’t got time! I’m almost there and I don’t want to work angry.” She said and hung up.

Finally, all alone with her thoughts. Why did she have to face such difficult things? Love is not helpful when you want to be successful. That’s how she saw things. She was used to being on her own for so long. Yes, she did crave that fairy tale romance all little girls once dreamt of, but things have changed. In her rush to find someone, she ran into David, a boy with little to no interest in anything but his appearance and social status. Anything can look like true love when the packaging is sold right. Feelings appear and then it gets too hard to sort out reality from the fantasy one has built.

“Blair! Oh, thank you so much! I thought I would have to do this on my own, you have no idea how relieved I am!” Dakota hugged Blair as the two of them met.

“I wouldn’t leave you alone!” Blair smiled. The friendship they have developed became strong really quick. They met on the first day of university and fate made sure their bond will be unbreakable.

“You truly are a great friend!” Dakota let out a sigh, pleased to get some help from Blair. Truth be told, Blair didn’t want to lose an opportunity. Yes, she gets to help her friend, but at the same time she makes sure she will land a place at J.I.L., working with doctor Juniper could do well for her future.

“Shut up.” Blair flicked Dakota’s forehead and walked ahead towards the entrance.

They were in front of Juniper Institute of Life. A huge hospital with different sections. They have it all and they are the best of the best. Built next to the river, the patients can enjoy a lovely view while enjoying themselves in the courtyard. The hospital looked more like a futuristic hotel rather than a real hospital, probably that’s one of the reasons why everyone is enjoying it so much. Besides having such amazing structure, the Institute of Life also has the best surgeons, nurses and therapists anyone could ask for. It is the elite of medical institutes. Dolores Juniper, the founder of this great structure, had a dream ever since a kid to make it great, and she did. She worked for her dreams and got far, revolutioning the world of medicine with her quick mind, finding new combinations of common substances in order to create great treatments that can be accessed by most people. With the help of Frank Rattray, she created Juniper Institute of Life.

Dolores Juniper fell hard for Frank Rattray. He was younger than her, they met at the medschool, she was just an assistant back then. They fell in love, and he took her name in marriage because of the little game they played. First one to get the PhD. gives the name to the family, and so the Juniper name was kept alive. Dolores and Frank built an empire with their love and hope for humans. They also made sure their small offspring will follow in their footsteps.

As the two girls walked through the entrance, the quiet from the outside world got muffled by the hectic atmosphere inside the hospital. Dakota was feeling pressured as she saw how quick everyone worked around there. Everyone was in a rush to make things right. The reception was almost full, yet no one seemed to mind the wait.

“Can I help you with anything?” A tall, massive man dressed in all black asked the two girls.

“Uh, hello! We are here for Doctor Juniper.” The man raised an eyebrow as Blair answered.

“What business do you have with her?” He asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“We are volunteering for some project she presented today at our university.” Dakota took the word now, feeling herself more confident.

“What project?” The man seemed to doubt the young girls.

“I... You do know she started teaching at the university?” Dakota asked, her turn in raising an eyebrow.

“I do not discuss Doctor Juniper’s private matters. If you are here to find trouble, please go somewhere else. Juniper Institute of Life is a busy place, as I hope you can see as well, so there is no place for games.” The man said sternly, ready to escort the girls out.

“Ralph, honey! Thank you for finding those two beautiful ladies!” Doctor Juniper appeared.

“I apologize, madam. I thought they were up to no good.” He said as he looked at Dakota. Dakota had a septum and had her hair dyed in crazy colours all the time. People are always quick to judge.

“Don’t be a silly goose, Ralph! Sorry, girls, this one is quite old fashioned.” Doctor Juniper laughed as she said that. If she were not that tall, you could swear she was a teenager.

“Now, please, follow me!” Abra Juniper started to walk, the girls following close behind. Everything seemed so expensive and clean. She led the girls through a big entrance, entering a hallway full of paintings on the walls.

“Woah... This looks cool.” Dakota let out a gasp.

“These are all the patients that lost the fight.” Doctor Juniper said, unfazed. The girls were looking at each other with big eyes. “The least we could do… Once dead, you can’t bring them back.” She turned around to look at the girls, her face dark. “Okay! Behind these doors we are going to meet the others. I have built a team of surgeons that can teach you girls what to do and how to do it and if things go well, maybe you will be offered an internship! You never know.” Her demeanour changed, now smiling at them. “One request. This time do pay attention to what you are being told, okay?” Doctor Juniper smiled at them, but that smile made them tense up even more.

“Sure thing.” Blair said as she swallowed the knot in her throat. Both girls were anxious about what was to come.

“Okay, so you two will work in different areas. One of you will help me in the Neurology Ward while the other will go and help my colleagues in the Paediatric Ward. In order to sort you out, I will have my good friend, Doctor Pfeiffer Yanique, have a one-on-one discussion with each of you. My request is for you, beautiful girls, to be as honest as you can with your answers AND to not pick a fight after the final decision. Okay?” Doctor Juniper said as she eyed them both.

“Of course! We are like sisters; we won’t fight over things like these!” Dakota chuckled.

“Funny, siblings tend to fight the most.” Doctor Juniper sighed. “Come down, my dear Yanique is probably waiting alone in the underground office! She hates the underground part; it makes her feel uneasy! We can’t leave poor little Yani on her own for too much.” She continued as she opened the door at the end of the hallway, revealing a marble big stairway that led to the underground of the hospital.

The three of them climbed down in silence. The two students being more relaxed, now noticing how Doctor Juniper had a child-like air about her, it made them more comfortable. Once down, they looked around, taking in the sight of the chamber they were now in. The floor was in white and black tiles. The walls were in a dark colour with wooden details. It felt cosy, yet somehow mysterious. There were multiple doors, both big and small, with labels above.

“This way.” Doctor Juniper smiled as she motioned them to get close to a red door. The room had no label. “Hello, love! I brought the two little rascals I have told you about!” Doctor Juniper greeted as she opened the door. Behind the door was a spacious office with dim light.

“Spooky…” Dakota whispered under her breath.

“You tell me about spooky. I had to wait alone in here for over 30 minutes!” A dark-haired woman spoke. She had thick curly hair and beautiful dark ebony skin.

“W-We’re sorry!” Dakota apologized, instantly.

“It’s okay, love.” Doctor Pfeiffer laughed. She was wearing a black turtleneck and red jeans. No sign of her formal doctor clothes. “I was called randomly in by this hurricane of a human.” Doctor Pfeiffer glared playfully at Doctor Juniper.

“Well, I couldn’t be more all over the place than now! So, I did forget to give you a heads up.” Doctor Juniper snaked an arm around Doctor Pfeiffer’s shoulders and gave her a small squeeze.

“Alright, let’s leave the chit chat behind, dollies! Time for business, Jani, sweetie bell, please work your magic on these two young souls and let me know what matches their personality better.”

“No time for presentations, I see.” Doctor Pfeiffer giggled. “Okay, we will have time for that during the review. Well, who wants to go first?” She smiled, facing the girls.

Dakota bit her lip, yet she took a step forward. “I would like to go first!” She mustered the courage to say that, therefore it came out as a small yell.

“We have a warrior! I love that, okay, I will start with you, doll.” Doctor Pfeiffer said as she smiled broadly at Dakota.

“Alright! Blair, sweetie, please follow me out.” Doctor Juniper said as she started to walk out the office.

“Good luck, Dakota!” Blair smiled at her friend, appreciating the fact that Dakota went first in order to give her time to get prepared. Blair followed quick behind Doctor Juniper and closed the door after exiting the office.

“Let’s walk a bit, you must be tense.” Doctor Juniper smiled at Blair.

“Thank you.” Blair said, quietly. She was anxious about the interview. She didn’t want to work in the neurology ward, it seemed like a job good for someone more skilled than her.

“Do you have any preferences?” Doctor Juniper asked as she walked around with Blair.

“To be honest, I think I would be more helpful with the kids. Neurology seems to be at a higher level than the level I am currently on. I would only be in the way there.” She said, bluntly.

“Well, you are just volunteering! It’s not like I will give you the scalpel to perform surgery on a brain tumour, my darling!” Doctor Juniper laughed at Blair. “Silly goose, don’t worry about such things. You both are here to learn; you will be aided on every step of the road. Trust me, I’m making sure you both leave here with new knowledge.”

“I suppose…” Blair said, looking away.