Read Project ELE for Free Online Page B

with wide frightened eyes I say, "Can I help you?" My heart is accelerating and I feel nauseous.
    "I was just checking on you since it was taking you a while to change." She studies me like I'm crazy.
    "I'm fine, I need another minute." I say and tears start springing to my eyes as a dizzy sensation washes over me.
    She hesitates and I can tell she is contemplating asking me more questions. Thankfully she doesn't. She just says, "Please try to hurry. There are more people waiting on the dressing rooms." Then she leaves shutting the door behind her.
    "Crap, no, no, no!" I cry to myself as soon as she's gone. Tears are flowing out of my eyes as I pull my hands and the gown back in front of me. I look down at my left wrist and see the faintest sign of a puncture mark. "No." I whisper as my heart pounds like drums in my chest. I'm not ready to die! I pull the gown back up in front of me and work the item out of the hem quickly now. The needle had poked through and as I work it the rest of the way out I notice that most of the red serum is still inside it. Maybe none of it went into me. I tell myself trying to calm my thoughts down. I don't know why I took it from Sebastian's room but I did. I guess I did it because I didn't want him to have it. I recall the explanation from the nurse. It might seem selfish that I took it but I felt like I had to protect him. I know the nurse said how painful the virus could be but I can't imagine Sebastian's life being sucked out of him by a single shot.
    I sit down and put my head between my knees while taking deep breaths. I tell myself over and over again that none of it was injected in me.
    "Please hurry." The lady calls from outside the door.
    "Just one more minute." I say out of breath as I sit back up. Standing I have to steady myself against the wall for a moment to allow the dizzy spell to settle. When the world stops swaying, I move into action. I take the needle to the metal disposal bin and empty the remaining serum into it. Red liquid stains the trashed hospital gowns in the bin making it look like they were used to clean up crime scene. Then I carefully wrap the empty needle up with my old gown and shove it down above the red stained ones.
    I throw on my new pair of bright white tennis shoes and look at myself in the floor length mirror. My hair looks wild and crazy and my eyes are filled with worry. I keep telling myself that I will be fine. I grimace and then leave the dressing area.
    I meet my dad at the counter and see him clutching his clothes for dear life. His face is crimson red, which just happens to match his new set of scrubs. He mutters something under his breath about being violated. A small smile forces its way onto my face.
    “Tablets please,” the man asks while ripping them from our hands. Why he even bothers to ask in the first place is beyond me. He plugs each tablet into a USB port that's connected to a laptop and begins punching away at something. Within a few minutes he disconnects them. “You will each get five pairs of scrubs per season, two sets of pajamas and five sets of undergarments. Obviously there are four seasons per year. We advise you to take care of your clothing; wash on a delicate cycle in cold water, dry on low. If for any reason you are unable to care for them properly and they are damaged, there are sewing kits available for purchase here and in the general store. But I advise you, they are very pricey. In addition to your regular clothing, you will receive one bathing suit per year and one pair of shoes per year. Additional footwear will be allotted for growing children if their sizes should change.” He hands us back our tablets. We grab our new clothes and make our way back into the commons area.
    My dad picks a table near the outside and we place our things in the empty chairs. My dad's eyes roam over to a line near the entrance of the meal serving area that currently looks to be closed. "Well, Willow, looks like we should probably get