Thread: The Clinic: Test Eleven (mild language, sexual conduct)

Test Eleven
“Good work, Byren. You’ve done well.” Feiral.
“It is only a matter of time until she wakes and then we can begin.” Jate.
Jate, Feiral, and Byren conversed as I tried to get a feel of what was around the room. Faking sleep was easy—I’d done it many times and fooled them all just as much. This time was no different.
“Use your powers as your eyes.”
Rho?
“This is telepathy. Higher level mages can do this but there are few that can, even though they are of a higher level.”
“What am I supposed to do? I don’t know how to use my powers yet.”
“Remain calm and visualize yourself standing outside of your body with your eyes open. Be sure to imagine yourself invisible otherwise they will see you.”
I relaxed my body as much as I could and tried to imagine myself outside of my body. It was like trying to push out of stretchy glue that only made me bounce back into my body.
“I can’t. I don’t know how. When I try I’m just getting shoved back.”
“Try harder!”
I tried again but only hit the gluey wall.
“You can do it, Claire. Imagine that there’s something you want on the other side of that wall.”
I closed my eyes and pictured Zaien while following Rho’s previous instructions. The wall collided with me but I wasn’t thrown back. This time was different. It was as if I’d gotten stuck inside of it.
My copycat Zaien turned away from me and I reached towards him. I could almost hear him teasing me to hurry up.
And then the whole world collided.
It felt as if I was being separated into two pieces and a familiar burning caressed my skin along with the painful push of magick inside of me.
I let out a struggled gasp and light shone brightly as if I’d just had a blindfold removed.
“You did it, Claire!”
I blinked and looked down at my hands. They were solid and whole. I looked up and saw my body, motionless, in a circular bed.
“What exactly am I doing?”
“It’s called astral projection—it’s putting your spirit outside of your body. I’ll explain more later when we have time. Look around the room. Since we’re linked I’ll be able to see what you see. Zeta and Epsilon are also watching.
“Hurry because I do not know how long you’ll be able to hold the form you are currently in.”
I nodded and let my gaze sweep the room, taking in everything in sight. It wasn’t very hard given that there wasn’t much.
The circular bed I was laying in took up most of the room. It was about eight feet tall at the back and curved down to where the bottom was about two feet. The pillows and blankets inside were a solid white.
Across the room were glass cabinets filled with at least five hundred bottles, guessing by the size of the bottles and cabinets. Another cabinet held medical supplies like needles, syringes, and other, miscellaneous things.
Four, circular lights lit the room but there were another three that could be turned on, not including ones that could be lit for medical reasons.
Jate, Feiral, and Byren sat in bar-like stools that were clear, save the actual seat which was silver around a completely glass table.
“Do you know where you are?”
“This isn’t the Clinic. It feels different. The air’s more…stagnant. And there’s not a strong enough medicinal or alcohol smell, either.”
Rho was silent for a time and I walked over to the three of them. They were looking over documents that I couldn’t make any sense of.
“Claire, try to fall back into your body. Zeta, Epsilon, and I knew where you’re at. We’re on our way. Pretend to stay unconscious.”
I nodded and closed my eyes, falling backwards. Just before I hit the ground my entire form evaporated and I was suddenly in my body again.
“Should we wake her?” Byren asked.
The sound of footsteps shivered through the room before I felt a slight weight on the bed and then arms pull me to a body. I recognized the hold and scent as Byren.
“No, it would not be wise,” Feiral said a moment later. “I must return to the Clinic. I trust that you, Jate, can clean up any little messes before returning?”
“Of course.”
I heard footsteps, the slide of a door twice, and then more footsteps echoing away. I guessed that they belonged to Feiral.
“Byren?”
“Yes?”
Byren’s voice sounded softer and I gathered that he preferred his father to his mother. It was simply the difference of his voice once she was gone.
“Do you love her?”
Jate’s voice was surprisingly soft and I was tempted to open my eyes and make sure it was him.
“Yes,” Byren whispered. He tightened his hold on me, hugging me closer to him. I stayed as limp as I could. “I love her.”
“Then let me contract with you.”
I heard the soft slide of fabric before more weight pressed down on the bed. It was barely noticeable but still there.
“What do you want, father?”
“I will take care of Zaien for you and let you have Claire,” Jate said softly, pulling me away from Byren and into his cold embrace, “if you, in return do me a favor. I have a little clean-up problem I’d like you to take care of.”
“Let her go!!”
Zeta’s voice caused me to nearly sigh with relief. I knew Rho and Epsilon were just behind her.
“Mages,” Jate said courteously. “What brings you here?”
“You have one of us,” Epsilon said coolly. “I suggest you let her go before things become…unsettling.”
“Ah, the Reaper’s brother. Tell me—how is that delectable sister of yours?”
Epsilon growled and I heard Zeta grab him and tell him to calm down. It was easy to tell that his sister was a tense subject.
I seized the moment and slammed my fist into Jate’s jaw and, taking the element of surprise, shoved away from both him and Byren.
“Claire!! Do you want Zaien to stay alive?!” Byren yelled when I’d almost reached the other mages. “If you go with them, I will make sure he dies!!”
I looked casually over my back, praying that neither my voice nor body language gave away anything but being bored.
“What do you mean?” I asked casually. “I—”
I cut off, choked, and panicked.
Mages can’t lie.
I looked at the others, my eyes panicked. Since I couldn’t lie I couldn’t bluff my way out of anything. So, I’d just have to switch tactics.
“Go ahead,” I said coldly. “But, if you hurt him in any way I will make sure you regret it, Byren.”
And I kept walking.

The mages were silent as we wandered out into the hallway. I could feel their eyes on me regardless. It was unnerving but, honestly, I was too angry now to care.
“Are you still planning on going back to the Clinic?” Zeta asked after a moment.
“Yes.”
My response was clipped and cold. I could practically hear and feel her wince as a result.
“Here should be a good place,” Rho said softly. She held out her hands and Epsilon and Zeta took one each, holding their free hands out to me. “Are you ready to leave, Claire?”
I took their hands and I immediately felt the rush of being jerked up while being dissected at the same time.
And I knew first hand how a dissection felt.
I landed with a harsh breath on my knees. The landing rocked me and my teeth slammed together, pain shooting through them, as a result.
“Where…Where are we?” I choked out as I tried to breathe evenly and not get sick.
“You’re currently at M. I. A.” Rho paused and looked around. “You’re professors should be here in a short time.”
“M. I. A.? Missing in action?”
Zeta laughed, an arm draped around Epsilon’s waist. Her high pitched voice made me want to strangle her with the headache I currently had.
“No, silly,” she said, giggling. “It stands for the Mages Institute of Academics.
“It’s like a high school for mages!!”
High School…I’d heard about it. It sounded…fun. Maybe…possibly…not at all.
“Is this her?” a male voice asked, a handful of feet away. “Claire Venue—the newest student of M. I.A.?
“Scorpion, hello,” Rho said with a smile. “How have you been? Are things well with the Institute?”
“Perfect as always.”
The two conversed and I took that time to look ‘Scorpion’ over.
He was tall—Zaien’s six-one, maybe six-two—with silver hair streaked with electric blue three times at an angle starting from his right side around. That startling white-silver was parted at the left and fell in a V to the nape of his neck.
Scorpion’s eyes were a dark, hardened orange that reminded me of amber but nothing like topaz. They held an undertone of playfulness and matched his ivory-lily skin well.
What he wore was basically a suit and tie. An emblem of a dragon with five symbols surrounding it was embroidered into a crest on the left breast pocket. I guessed that it was the emblem of the school.
“Is this her…?”
Zeta’s voice drug me out of my observations and I realized that Scorpion was looking me over slowly, pausing at my chest and legs every few sweeps.
“Yes,” Rho said with a smile. “Claire, I would like you to meet your fiancé—Scorpion Gate.”
I paused. Everything paused. It was as if the entire world had just stopped at the single word lodged into my throat.
Fiancé? As in…the person I was supposed to marry?
“Fi-Fiancé?!” I choked out, my eyes widening as Scorpion grinned. “What are you talking about?!”
“When a mage comes into their powers they are paired with a suitable Match.” She paused, a smile curving her full lips. “And, it just so happens that Scorpion, here, is your mate.”
“When did you even sign me up for this school?” I said anxiously, wanting to escape.
“When I found you I used telepathy to talk to the Guardian Mage here. They’d already taken note of you and found you your mate. All that was left to do was sign you up.”
“No,” I said flat-out. “I can’t—I’m not going to marry him when I love Zaien! I have to get back to the Clinic!!’
“The Clinic?” Scorpion said, his silky, warm-honey voice concerned. “She’s from the Clinic?”
The question was posed to Rho but I answered it, regardless.
“Yes—do you have a problem with it?” I growled.
I looked at Rho and realized that Zeta and Epsilon were gone. I guessed they’d left sometime when my world stopped.
“Scorpion—take her to her room,” Rho said, sighing. “Claire, once you’ve trained and grown stronger I’ll allow you to face the Time twins. Until then, study hard.”
I went to yell at her but she disappeared and I was left outside of a huge set of iron gates with my, apparently, fiancé.
“Claire—”
“Don’t touch me,” I growled.
He grabbed my arm against my protesting and I slammed against my gluey wall, forcing myself into his mind. He froze immediately.
Let me go, I growled mentally. Now.
He released me and then I was shoved out of his mind and into my own. The phrase ‘if looks could kill’ seemed almost true with the look he was giving me.
“Claire—I am trying to be nice. I am trying not to slam you up against a wall and kiss you. And I am trying really, really trying fucking hard to not drag you to your room and rape you. Stay out of my head or I might do one of the last two things.”
I froze, my eyes widening and he blinked, realizing something.
“Rho didn’t tell you how your hormones will get when you mature further?” he asked quizzically.
I shook my head and he blew out a sigh, tugging me to the side of the iron gates. I made an attempt to not recoil. The attempt pretty much failed, regardless.
“Put it this way, your hormones shoot up to about a thousand times more than a human’s and, with our powers, some of us can take on some…rough likes.” He blushed slightly. “But, I guess that you’ve not experienced anything like that.”
I blinked, thinking.
“Actually,” I said slowly, looking up so my eyes met his. “I think I have…with a v—guy I care about a lot. The guy I was dating got really mad because I didn’t love him and I practically threw myself at the other guy.”
I rose my gaze again, realizing that my eyes had traveled to my hands. When I looked up I nearly felt my lips brush against Scorpion’s.
Scorpion was leaning in, his hands on my upper arms as he held me in place, his lips inching rapidly towards my own.
“Uh—Sco-Scorpion?” I said breathlessly as his eyes closed. “Wait—I…We…You…I—”
He cut me off as his lips landed gently on my own.
Electricity shot between us and I felt myself give in and kiss him back. I didn’t know why and I honestly didn’t really care. Whatever it was racing through me made me forget everything—even my own name.
In the next moment I was being pressed against a bed, pinned beneath Scorpion’s lean body. His heat and weight felt so delicious and I found myself pulling my body up to his to deepen the kiss.
I could barely register anything aside from the electricity streaking through my body. It was…deliciously wicked.
Scorpion jerked my shirt off, leaving the shredded, ripped pieces on the bed while he ripped off the jacket and dress shirt he wore underneath.
His pants were quick to follow as were the jeans I wore. Somehow our shoes and socks were already gone. My bra was next to follow suit, the straps snapping beneath the force of his pull.
I gasped as his hands found my breasts. I couldn’t quite tell what it was that he was doing with his hands but I knew it felt wonderful—even more so when his lips slid down to my neck and more electricity shot through me.
The electricity in me was raging, becoming a part of me and bleeding through every inch of my body—inside and out. I couldn’t stop it. And I didn’t want to.
He drew back, his amber eyes taking in every inch of me he’d ruthlessly exposed. It made me shiver inadvertently as I blush crept into my cheeks.
Without any warning Zaien’s face slipped into my mind and the electricity stopped immediately, almost as if it was hissing like water on an extremely hot surface.
Scorpion noticed the second that I changed. He pulled away and backed off.
My thoughts—and my mind—slowly began to clear as sanity edged back into my mind. I felt more heat rush to my cheeks as a result.
Apparently it was doing the same to Scorpion. A faint blush trickled across his high cheek bones as he backed further away.
“I should…go,” he struggled out. “Your uniforms are in the dresser. I…I’ll see you later.”
He leaned forward and pressed his lips gently to mine. I felt myself kiss him back, wondering why I did.
He left without another word after dressing and I dug through a drawer for more under garments before grabbing a school uniform.
The shoes were more of ankle boots that were a dark brown and laced up the front. The skirt was a navy blue and fell very, very short—not even to mid-thigh—but rose to just below my breasts. There was a white dress shirt and a dark navy blue jacket.
A pair of black thigh high socks went with the ensemble along with a dark turquoise ribbon that tied around the dress shirt’s collar.
I pulled on everything and left the room. Apparently everyone but me had a roommate with which to share their room. I was a ‘special case’ according to most of the students attending the school. But, it wasn’t meant to be rude or mean.
For once I felt as if I belonged. Nearly everyone here had strange colored eyes—even orange like my own. Our skin was the same ivory and our hair—for most—my same silver. There were variations of light colors and the darkest I saw was this girl with a dark, lime-green hair coloring.
I felt like I was supposed to be here. I felt happy—I’d never felt like that before.
“You’re Claire, right?” a voice said from behind me.
I was currently in a makeshift garden used for mages focused on the earth element. It looked more like a green house gone awry.
“Yes?”
The girl was short—about Aime’s height—with a pixie cut-style that fell to the nape of her neck and flared. Her eyes were a softy lily white that matched her skin. She looked so small and helpless that it was adorable.
“I thought so,” she said quietly with a soft smile. She seemed so shy. “My name is Elly James. I’m a fire-power mage. I’m not very good because I get spooked easily but, yeah.”
She laughed nervously and I laughed to support her.
“Don’t feel bad,” I said with a smile. “I’m not good at anything—so you’re better than me at fire.”
She beamed, smiling widely.
“I’ll be right back,” she said, turning to run out the door. “Please don’t leave, alright?”
When I nodded she took off. A few minutes later she reappeared with several other people.
“I’m sorry it took so long,” she said apologetically. “I had to find them.”
“Elly what the freak d’you think you’re doin’?!” a tall, model-like girl said sassily. She had a slight Australian accent.
The girl stood at about six-one with black hair that fell to her waist. It was like one giant wave. Smooth, flawless-ivory skin stretched across long limbs built for modeling. Her eyes were a bright purple that reminded me of fuchsia.
“This girl here is Sally Reef. She’s a water user,” Elly said in her soft voice, ignoring Sally’s comment. “The guy beside her is Tony Skies—he works with earth.”
“I do the lilies,” he said, blushing lightly.
He was about Giles’s height, his hair a white-blonde with a handful of green streaks through them. His eyes were a similar lime-like color as the tone in his hair.
“And the final guy here,” she said, poking the chest of the final male, “is Kyle Sate—he’s a spirit user.”
Kyle was between Zaien and Byren’s height with Zaien’s black hair and my orange eyes. Around his throat he wore a black choker with a silver skull hanging down from it.
Truthfully, his attitude reminded me of Zaien.
I stood the awkwardly when a familiar face gathered the attention of the four.
“Scorpion,” Sally said, smiling. “Why’re you here? You never come to the Gardens. Not that I mind.”
She gave him a flirtatious smile and the others looked ready retch. Apparently this was a regular thing.
“Just here to check on my fiancé,” he said, moving to me and wrapping an arm around my waist. His eyes went to Kyle who shared a cold look with him. “I wanted to see who’d attacked her.”
He gave a knowing look to Elly and she crossed her arms, pouting.
I felt myself smile. It felt as if I was back at the Clinic with my old little group of friends. Elly was Aime, Sally was Fate, Scorpion was Byren, and Tony was Giles. I even had a Zaien—Kyle.
Who was currently not talking to me right now…
Now all I needed was Pes and Jamie and I’d be complete.
I sighed and pulled myself out of Scorpion’s hold. The others—save Kyle—looked as if they’d all just seen the end of the world and survived it. Scorpion just looked hurt.
“I’m heading back to my room.” I said gently, trying to mask the sorrow in my voice. “I need to be alone for a little while.”
Elly started after me worriedly and Kyle put out an arm stopping her. I’d barely made it through the door when the tears started to fall.