Calling Dr. Pink

Fire blazed through the square as people ran in alarm. The sky had turned black and gray. The prestigious clock tower lay in shambles while the giant dial rolled down the street, knocking everyone in its path. Water in the canal slowly began to turn red and blood matted on the cracked ground. My vision blurred as pain coursed through my body. A large piece of the ruined chapel laid on my leg, shattering my bone, brick by brick.

Was this how I was going to die? I averted my eyes from the gore that occurred and looked at Avery lying down next to me. Blood gushed from a wound on her cheek. Her calm expression frightened me. However, the slow rise and fall of her chest made me sigh in relief.

My eyes began to droop, sleep lulling me. The screams and shrieks were beginning to become my white noise. Just as I was about to close my eyes, the fallen debris shifted off my leg, an unconscious heaviness lifted off my chest. I blinked sluggishly when my gaze met a pair of silver starlights.

No. They weren't starlights.

Shade frowned as his mouth moved. Trickles of blood rolled down the side of his face. His hands lifted me, caressing my face as he pushed back my hair.

"Nyla! Can you hear me?" he asked, worrying lines donning his perfect face.

"Your Nalin are your eyes," I whispered. I didn't know why I said that. Why was 'that' the first thing that uttered from my mouth? I was half-dead, however, it seemed I had the need to talk about his eyes. Shade looked taken aback. But I knew it was the truth. I'd spent enough time to realize that his eyes hadn't looked like that normally. There was a mark of star instead of pupils. It glowed under the smokey sky.

In a fraction of a second, his eyes returned to its former shimmering silvers. "Do you remember what happened here?"

I shook my head. "I…" My voice trailed. My throat itched and burned. I had inhaled a lot of the smoke and my lungs began to gasp for fresh air. Shade noticed it and quickly gathered me in his arms. My broken leg had gone numb in pain and could no longer feel it anymore.

"Let's get you to the hospital." With that, he began to run. My face was beginning to feel the cool wind again. My lungs opened up to the breeze with welcome arms. Lulling me back to sleep.

When I finally woke up, my leg was inside a metal and glass box. I could feel small needle-like pricks around the injured part. Oxygen mask covered my mouth and a suspicious liquid was being injected into my veins. Looking around I realized I was at the hospital. My body felt heavy and sore. What felt like hours, were merely minutes when a woman in a light gray lab coat walked in. Her hair was short and brown. The most normal color on her body, as her skin was bright pink with golden shimmers across her high cheekbones. Her amber yellow eyes sparkled behind her round glasses. Seems like people of Eybosnia could have eyesight impairment too.

She stood in front of me with a clipboard in her hand and a bright smile on her face. A name tag was attached on her coat that read, 'Narisa Olum.'

"Hello, how are you feeling?" she asked with a thick Asniyan accent. She removed the mask off my face.

"As good as I could be," I answered in a hoarse voice, causing me to cough vehemently.

Narisa helped me up and offered me a glass of water. "Well, let's see how your leg is faring." She trotted towards the metal box that encased my leg. She peeked through and smiled softly. "Seems like your leg is almost brand new."

Her statement made me raise a brow. That was impossible. I knew my leg had been broken when the debris had fallen and I was sure that it hadn't been that long since I was admitted in the hospital for it to have mended itself that fast. And by the look on her face, she must have realized I was confused. She smiled sweetly.

"This metal box is called a Mendex Box. It uses micro-needling to inject medicines directly into the wound and repair itself. It was created by the god of Modern Medicine of Odrone, Helem Torro." A fun fact she shared. "It helps in increasing the healing time."

"Torro. I know a girl with the same last name," I stated, remembering the cutesy girl buddy of Daxton.

Shit!

Daxton.

Annabelle.

"How are the others?" I asked. "What happened? Where are my siblings?"

Narisa's smile vanished. "There was a terrorist attack at the House of Atia. There were a lot of casualties. However, your friends are safe. Almost all, at least."

"Almost? Who got hurt?" I asked. Panic rose in my voice and my chest. Was it Hayden? Daxton? Avery? Or worse, Anna!

"I'm not authorized to tell you," she said. "However, it doesn't matter, you'll get to know soon. Also, I have no idea who your siblings are. All I can say is that all humans are safe. And your leg has almost healed. Another hour and you would be good to go," Narisa threw a comforting smile and turned on her heels to walk out when I stopped her mid-step.

"Who are these terrorists that attacked the chapel?" I asked.

"Huh?"

"You said it was a terrorist attack. Who were they? Were they the same people that assassinated my… I mean our former leader?" I bit my tongue, refraining myself from disclosing our secrets.

"I'm not authorized to tell you. All I can say is that the people who organized this have been apprehended by the AIB and will face a trial in the eyes of justice." Without saying anything else, Narisa marched out at a speedy pace.

But I knew it in my heart.

It was them.

The protesters that opposed our arrival.

Those who claimed we were hurting their planet. The ones who had killed my father in cold blood.

An hour had passed and the sizzling yet soothing micro-needling had been concluded. I moved my leg and I could no longer feel the pain. Eybosnian medicine could truly be called magic. I waited for a few more minutes before I called for the nurse, but no one turned up. Some time passed, a few more buzzer-calling, yet no one seemed to have heard it. I slowly unlocked the metal box and withdrew my leg. Moving it again, it felt brand new. As though I had never been hurt.

I giddily walked to the bathroom and was shocked to see my own reflection. Scars etched the right side of my face and a small bruise formed on my left cheek. My lips were cracked and had dark circles under my eyes. I exhaled sharply before turning the faucet and splashed cool water on my face. I cleaned the dirt under my nails and quickly brushed my teeth with the toothbrush and toothpaste I found in a box under the sink. I gently combed my hair with my fingers before tying them up in a loose ponytail.

I headed back to the bed when I noticed a paper trapped underneath the refilled glass of water.

"What the hell?" I murmured to myself. I looked around to see whether anyone had come in but it didn't seem that the door had even opened in the last few minutes. I clenched my fingers and inched closer to the table. I plucked the paper from underneath the glass and unfolded it. A familiar initial signature decorated the bottom of the paper. It was a note from my mystery messenger.

'I hope you're doing all right. I know you have questions about what happened. And I can't tell you everything. It's not safe. However, I can tell you the terrorist group that attacked the square were a group of protesters. They aren't only protesting against the Earthlings, they protest against the current Eybosnian government. They call themselves Penumbra.

They are highly covert and stay in the shadows. They have plentiful spies around the country. Some of which are at the school. If you want to know who they are, search for the yellow door when you return back to school.

Hurry. You're the only one who can do this. I don't know who we can trust at school. Find out the truth about the yellow door before it's too late.

- Z'

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