On Sunday morning, the students were allowed to sleep late, and then the camp was tidied up and secured with wards—to be used as a permanent base. At eleven in the morning, they returned to Dartmouth.
"Peter, can you help me carry the samples to my office?" Alchemy asked.
The teacher picked one large cardboard box, and Peter took another one. After he deposited the item on the teacher's desk, she turned toward him and caressed his cheek.
"Thank you," she said softly.
Not again! Peter sighed, preparing to stand his ground.
Then, a jolt of pain came, a bee-like sting in his tight, and there was only darkness.
###
"Uhhh…" Peter groaned, trying to move his head but failing. His forehead, neck, thighs, knees, and ankles, as well as his chest, elbows, and wrists, were restrained by leather strips. He was laid on a medical table, naked, in a windowless room, with the mother of a headache to keep him company.
"Pee where?" Peter mumbled. "I'm restrained."
"What the fuck?" Peter yelled, only for the pain to assault him with renewed force. He tried to Phase out of his restraints but was too dazed to be able to concentrate.
Peter squeezed his eyes shut and pretended to be unconscious. There were voices outside, and then a door opened.
"Please, don't hurt him," a tearful voice asked. Regina. "I love him."
Peter jerked and almost opened his eyes.
"The vaccine is perfectly safe," a second voice, Alchemy, said. "Wait outside."
What is going on?
Hey, honey! Regina's voice reached him. I'm speaking to you through a doll. Listen to the System. Love you!
Alchemy patted Peter’s forehead, looking for a fever, checked his pulse, and finally raised his eyelids, inspecting his pupils. Peter stared into nothingness, pretending to be unconscious. "We'll know in half an hour," Alchemy said. "His body doesn't show signs of mutations."
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
"Can I stay and watch him?" Regina asked.
"No, child, you cannot. There is a chance he tricks you into releasing him before we’re sure he’s cured. This is the only way, I'm sorry."
"If you say so, teacher," Regina sobbed.
There were steps on the floor, and the door opened and closed.
"What the fuck is going on?" Peter whispered, opening his eyes and shifting them around as far as he could do with his head locked in place. He was in a lab. That much was clear. And a dirty one; there were traces of blood and dubious substances on the floor that looked like puss.
That’s no surprise. I told you giving him a class was a bad idea.
"Gaslighting me? Really?"
“What? How come I never heard about it?”
“The imbecile is docile, yeah… He’d eat the vaccine out of her palm.”
“Is that stuff safe?” Peter asked with apprehension, looking at the traces of gore on the floor.
“Enlighten me,” Peter hissed, as the System had paused, obviously waiting for him to ask for more.
So glad my body helped science… Err… Did she do anything to me while I was asleep?
The bitch…
“I guess I don’t have a choice, do I?” Peter sneered. Breathing in and out calmly, he relaxed and waited, losing count of the time. Eventually, Melinda and Regina entered the room. Peter turned his eyes toward Alchemy, pretending he was waking up: "Teacher? Regi? W-where am I? Why am I tied?"
“To ensure you won’t become crazed,” Melinda said, unlocking his restraints. “A safety procedure we took for your own good. Peter, you should have told me you became a Wild Mage,” she frowned, patting his cheek.
“It slipped my mind,” Peter searched for an excuse. The woman blushed, averting her eyes from his well-defined muscles.
“Dress and come to my office,” Melinda said, exiting the premises after pointing to a wardrobe.
“I won’t look,” Regina grinned, obviously still peeking and giggling madly.
When he threw the adult pampers into a hazardous materials bin, Peter's embarrassment made his cheeks go beet red. Soon, they exited the room to a short corridor that ended in an elevator large enough to fit a hospital bed. It led behind Melinda's office. He was made to sit on a chair, and the teacher checked his reflexes with the usual small hammer. "All good," Alchemy said, inspecting his pupils again. “I apologize for sedating you. It was just a measure of precaution. I’ll make sure the college issues you a Wild Mage accreditation.”
“Thanks, teacher…”
"OK, I have things to do," Alchemy said, rising on her feet, her face redbeet in color. "You may feel weak for a few days, but it will pass. Come to see me after tomorrow, at ten o'clock sharp, for a check-up. It would be better to stay here for the Wednesday excursion."
"No, it's OK... I like the trips," Peter said.
"I insist. From now on, the trips last until the next morning. Sleeping on the ground and cold water is the last thing you need.”
“Of course,” Regina rushed to say, creasing her nose as soon as the words cold water were spoken.
“There's your backpack," Alchemy pointed to the hanger, a sign they had to go.