Experiment

Chapter 13: The Serum

Chess started walking over to the healing house, while Laura looked up in wonder. The air all around the Haven seemed to shimmer, like a big globe was encasing it, protecting it.

Chess noticed her expression and laughed. "Oh, yes, that. That right there is what protects us from any other people besides hybrids. A horse hybrid had that power, so he uses it every day to keep us and the Haven safe. Anyone other than a hybrid touches it, ouch! Ah, here we are!"

They came up on the healing house, and suddenly Laura was scared.

"Chess," Laura said, clutching her finger for balance. "Chess, are you sure . . . are you sure this is going to work?" she tried to hold the wavering in her voice.

Chess looked at her grimly. "This has never been tried before. We've never had someone as tiny as you before - none of us are sure, but, if you don't want to try, I wouldn't really blame you."

Laura had to think about this one. If she took the risk, really anything could happen to her. She could be shrunk even more and then no one could find her. Or, she could grow so big, they would banish her. But her only other option was to stay tiny forever . . . no, she had to do this. "Yes, I'm going to do it."

"Okay, then. I'll wait."

Laura flashed a grateful smile. "Thanks,"

Chess put Laura on a table in the middle of the room and walked outside to wait. In the room with her Laura saw what appeared to be a boy satyr with a serious-looking expression and small horns that came up from his curly brown hair. Probably a goat hybrid, she thought.

"Hi, my name's James. Chess told me you needed something to heal your wing, and another for your . . . um . . . height?"

She nodded. "Yes, that's right."

He slowly smiled. I'll go and make them now. The wing first, right?"

"Yeah."

Laura watched him make the potions, his hands moving steadily and knowing exactly what and how much to put in each.

Laura saw a few of the ingredients going in, like a flower so shockingly red it hurt her eyes to look at it, some green moving things that looked like worms, and, her least favorite, a pickled cow hoof. She guessed James' power was to heal people, but she had no idea where he got the ingredients.

It took him about ten minutes to make each one, but soon he was done.

"Here's the salve for your wing. Can I put it on?"

Laura nodded.

He spread the salve on the part of the wing that was broken, and she felt immediate relief and a coolness that went through it as it sewed itself back together.

"Oohh, that feels so much better!" she said before she could stop herself.

James chuckled. "I added some mandrake for the pain."

"Thank you." she sighed in relief.

"Are you ready for the other one?"

Laura shivered. "Yes,"

James got the smallest syringe he could find and filled it with a bluish liquid. She winced as he took the edge of the needle and quickly pushed it into her arm, Laura once again reminded of the Facility.

She pulled in a sharp breath as she felt her body changing, but was relieved to find she was growing, not shrinking. Four inches. Oh, good. Six inches. Hmm. Eight inches. Oh, great. My clothes are getting tight. Ten inches. Why is it slowing down?It abruptly stopped at ten. Laura was happy to have grown some from that miserable one-inch height, but what happened to normal height? She still had five more feet.

James also noticed this and was frowning, loading up the syringe again. He slowly pressed the potion in again, but still nothing happened. She felt adrenaline in her veins, and after James had tried again, Laura was breathing hard, shaking.

"I - I can't do it. I mean, I haven't figured out a way to reverse it fully, but usually it would have reversed it more than this. . ." he bit his lip. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Laura swallowed her disappointment. Ten inches was better than three inches. She fluttered down from the counter, wincing as she tested her wing.

Chess opened the door to the medicine house.

"Laura? Laura, where are you?" Chess said, looking above her.

"Down here."

Chess looked down. "Laura!" she exclaimed. "What-what happened? I thought you would grow more."

"I grew ten inches but then stopped. For some reason, it couldn't make me grow anymore." Laura said darkly.

Three loud air horn bursts sounded around the camp.

Chess gasped. "Laura, we have to go to the Main House. Can you fly?"

Laura nodded. "I think so,"

"Good. I'll explain on the way."

Soon, Chess and Laura were racing, and flying, to the middle of the Haven.

"Okay," Chess said, barely out of breath. "so one blast means we're under attack, two blasts means someone's sick, four blasts means there's a new arrival, and three means an urgent meeting. We're here."

They came upon the Main house.

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Yawwwnn. I wrote a big chapter in one day just for y'all, which is pretty unusual, for me. Hope it was good, and stay tuned for more! ;)

_pure_imagination_