Chapter 7: A Very Special Case
Starlight glanced one last time toward the hallway Vanessa had disappeared into. Closing her eyes, she drew in a slow breath before forcing her feet to move.
Dr. Genesis continued down the corridor without looking back, seemingly unconcerned whether Starlight followed or not. After several seconds of silence, she finally spoke.
"My name is Dr. Sarah Genesis," she said, her heels clicking softly against the polished floor. "I oversee compatibility assessments and biological evaluations for Lunar Mates. My job is to ensure nobody dies from avoidable complications." She glanced briefly at Starlight. "So relax. You’re in perfectly capable hands, and stop looking at me as if I’m about to dissect you."
The comment caught Starlight off guard.
"I wasn’t."
"Of course you weren’t," Dr. Genesis replied dryly.
Starlight wasn’t entirely sure whether that had been sarcasm or not.
"Do all Lunar Lottery candidates go through this before heading to the Academy?" she asked, quickening her pace to keep up with the older woman.
Dr. Genesis looked at her from the corner of her eyes. "You’re a curious one, aren’t you?"
Starlight frowned.
Who wouldn’t be curious?
She had been dragged from her home by predators and was now being marched through a secret underground facility full of werewolves. In fact, she was far beyond curious at this point.
"Not just lottery winners," Dr. Genesis said. "All Lunar Mates undergo compatibility evaluations. Werewolves can fall in love with humans and choose to start families with them outside the lottery system."
Starlight blinked. "Wait. Werewolves are capable of falling in love?"
Dr. Genesis stopped in front of a heavy door secured with a digital keypad.
Starlight stopped as well.
The doctor turned to face her. "Do you genuinely believe we’re incapable of loving humans?" she asked.
Starlight didn’t know how to answer that.
Dr. Genesis tilted her head slightly. "If the Lunar Lottery isn’t enough to convince you how much werewolves care about humanity and wish to share their lives with them, then I doubt anything I say will."
Starlight bit the inside of her cheek and wisely kept her opinions to herself.
Dr. Genesis watched her for a moment before turning away. She swiped an identification card across a scanner. The lock clicked.
She pushed the door open and stepped inside. Starlight followed cautiously.
The room resembled a private examination suite. Bright overhead lights illuminated spotless white surfaces. Cabinets lined one wall, neatly stocked with medical supplies.
A computer workstation occupied a corner beside several monitoring screens. Near the center sat a heavily padded reclining chair with adjustable arm supports attached to either side. Dr. Genesis gestured toward the chair. "Please, take a seat."
Starlight lowered herself into it.
The doctor moved toward a nearby counter.
"Besides," Dr. Genesis said casually, organizing several medical instruments, "you’re the only lottery candidate undergoing this examination this year."
Starlight immediately straightened.
The doctor smiled faintly. "I can’t wait to find out why. You are a very special case, Miss Dawson."
Every muscle in Starlight’s body tensed.
"What does that mean?" she asked immediately. "Special case how?"
The temperature in the room seemed to drop instantly. Dr. Genesis slowly turned around.
The pleasant professionalism vanished from her face as though someone had flipped a switch.
A cold chill ran straight down Starlight’s spine.
The doctor’s smile remained, but it no longer looked friendly. "You know," she said softly, "I really, really hate humans who don’t know when to stop asking questions."
Starlight froze. Dr. Genesis stepped closer, her eyes wide and completely unblinking.
"You don’t want me to hate you, Miss Dawson. Do you?"
Starlight swallowed hard, the tightness in her throat making it difficult to breathe. She quickly shook her head.
"Wonderful."
Dr. Genesis beamed immediately, the terrifying warmth returning to her face.
"Now, sit back and relax while I take a little blood. Just a tiny bit."
The abrupt shift was somehow more unsettling than the threat itself.
Starlight leaned back into the chair, her fingers digging into the armrests. Talk about a complete one-eighty.
She knew werewolves were unpredictable, dangerous monsters, but it still managed to catch her off guard whenever they let their masks slip and showed their true colors.
"Please roll up your left sleeve past your elbow and rest your arm right here on the armrest," Dr. Genesis instructed, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness as she snapped on a pair of latex gloves.
Starlight did as she was told, her skin cold against the padded armrest.
"I’m always a little nervous about needles. Is this going to hurt?"
"It’s completely normal to feel nervous," Dr. Genesis replied pleasantly, her eyes locked on Starlight’s arm. "It will just feel like a quick, sharp pinch. To help me find the best vein, I’m going to wrap this elastic band around your upper arm. It’s called a tourniquet. It will feel quite tight, like a heavy squeeze."
The doctor wrapped the thick elastic band tightly around Starlight’s bicep, pulling it taut and securing it in place. The pressure was intense, making her arm feel heavy.
"Now, go ahead and make a tight fist with your hand and hold it."
Starlight squeezed her hand into a fist.
Dr. Genesis patted the inside of her elbow, her cold fingers pressing firmly against the skin as she searched for a suitable vein. Once satisfied, she swabbed the area with an alcohol pad, the sharp scent of antiseptic filling Starlight’s nose.
With practiced, almost unsettling efficiency, the doctor uncapped a needle. "Steady now."
She inserted it. Starlight winced slightly, closing her eyes and keeping her arm completely still as she felt the brief sting followed by an odd pulling sensation while her blood flowed into the collection vial.
Within a minute, the tourniquet was released, the pressure disappearing instantly. Dr. Genesis pressed a cotton ball over the puncture site and smoothly withdrew the needle.
"Please press down firmly on this cotton ball for about a minute to prevent bruising while I tape it up," she said, securing the cotton with a strip of clear medical tape. "How are you feeling? Any dizziness?"
Starlight shook her head, slowly relaxing her hand. "I’m completely fine."
"Good." Dr. Genesis was already labeling the vial of dark red blood and placing it inside a secured container.
"Someone will be along shortly to escort you back to your guide. I need to process this sample and begin the preliminary analysis."
Starlight wondered why she was telling her all that. It wasn’t as if she actually understood what any of it meant.
"Does that mean we’re done here?"
Dr. Genesis paused at the door and looked back over her shoulder, a trace of dry amusement crossing her face.
"What? You want me to take more blood?"
Starlight immediately shook her head. "No, thank you. I think you’ve taken quite enough."
The doctor chuckled. "That’s what I thought."
She stepped out of the room, the heavy door clicking shut behind her. Left alone in the quiet, sterile room, Starlight let her shoulders slump. "Crazy daughter of a monster," she muttered under her breath.
A few minutes later, Starlight found herself back in the car with Vanessa.
Vanessa flashed her a bright smile and settled comfortably into her seat.
"Now, buckle up, sit back, and brace yourself," she said cheerfully. "Because you are officially on your way to Asterion Academy."
Starlight just let out a long, weary sigh and turned toward the window.