On the Meldon Plain (The Fourline Trilogy Book 2) Read Free Page B

she lied and pressed past Barba.
    “You, too, Natalie,” Barba said. Her eyes lingered on Nat’s wrist when she opened the Science Center door. Nat glanced down at the edge of the vine-and-spear pattern, then at Barba. “There is a reason your markings never faded, Natalie. Please find me if you’d ever like to learn why.” The Sister gave her a sad smile and walked away, leaving Nat so rattled her hand shook as she let go of the door.

CHAPTER THREE
    Nat stared at the campus health clinic posters lining the exam-room walls.
    “I don’t see the necrosis normally associated with a serious spider bite. But there is an open sore,” the doctor said. Nat looked over her shoulder and clenched her fists as the doctor gently pressed her long brown fingers around the wound.
    “Like I said, I’m not sure what caused it. I was just guessing maybe a bite,” Nat lied, knowing she’d been wounded by the Nala’s hand cutting into her skin. She swallowed sharply, feeling her gut twist.
    “When did you notice the discoloration of the skin?” The doctor sat down in a swivel chair and pulled a rolling tray holding a laptop closer to her. She peered at the screen before looking over her glasses at Nat.
    She looks like Sister Ethet, Nat thought, instinctively glancing at the woman’s arm for the sun markings that covered the forearm of every Healing Sister. Ethet would have an idea why Nat’s shoulder hadn’t healed after her fight with the Nala. But Ethet was gone. Barba had said as much during their brief encounter three weeks ago.
    “When did you notice the discoloration?” the doctor repeated.
    “Sorry, um, end of January. Something happened to it during J-term. I can’t pinpoint anything specific, that’s why I wondered if it was a bite,” Nat said. The doctor would send her off to a behavioral-health clinic if she told her the truth.
    “I have the write-up from your visit at the end of January.” The doctor read the chart notes on her laptop. “The pain is constant?”
    “Yes,” Nat answered.
    The doctor typed as Nat responded to each question.
    “Same amount of pain as in January, or different?”
    “A little different.” Nat wasn’t sure how to respond. Each morning when she awoke after her nightmares, the ache was sharp and deep, then it receded as the day wore on.
    “How?”
    “It’s intense in the morning. I must be sleeping in the wrong position.” She rubbed her forehead, feeling the creeping fingers of a headache.
    The doctor nodded. “The PA’s notes from January indicate you were suffering from exhaustion and dehydration as well as the wound to your shoulder.” She pushed the laptop away and crossed her arms. “How much sleep would you estimate you get each night?”
    “Enough,” Nat didn’t like where this was heading. “Enough for a college student.”
    “Hmm. You’ve lost several pounds since January, so I won’t bother to ask how much you eat, because it is clearly not enough .” She grabbed a notepad and began scribbling. Nat clutched her paper gown and cursed herself for coming here. The doctor ripped two pages from the tablet and handed them to Nat.
    “I want to run a blood test and do a biopsy of the skin.”
    Nat looked out the window to avoid making eye contact. The April day was coming to an end, and a warm orange light shone through the windowpane. She bit her fingernail and looked away from the glow.
    “You can come back tomorrow for the tests.”
    “I can’t tomorrow,” Nat protested, finally meeting the doctor’s insistent eyes. She’d promised the biology department head she’d help him with a research project, and Cal was due to arrive soon for her three-day campus visit.
    “Monday, then,” the doctor said definitively. “This is the contact information for the counseling center.” She pointed to a phone number on the second page. “I’ve seen enough students to know where you’re heading, Natalie. Please call the center, they really can help