by Dave Ferraro
***
“So, you just pump sleeping gas into her cell?” Amelia asked, forehead creased to match her frown as she stared down at an unconscious Serene. The siren looked lovely with her hair spread out over the pillow above her, even if she was strapped tight to a medical table.
Felicia nodded. “We can’t really take the chance that she’s going to cooperate at this point, and take a syringe into her cell. Gas is much easier.”
“And you don’t need to ask for permission.”
Felicia pursed her lips, but chose to ignore the accusation she heard in Amelia’s voice as she drew a third vial of blood from Serene’s arm. “We do what is necessary.”
Shanna could see the fury in Amelia’s eyes as she watched the exchange, and was afraid for a moment that the sorceress might say something she would regret. But she seemed to back down, letting out a breath and sitting back into a nearby chair.
After withdrawing the needle from Serene, Felicia eyed Amelia for a moment. “You know, not everyone is happy that Serene is even breathing. We’re doing what we can to understand her species better, and make her comfortable, while making everyone else here feel safe.”
“Yeah, she seems like such a threat,” Amelia muttered, lifting one of Serene’s limp arms before dropping it.
“You saw what the sirens are capable of back in Greece. And I think you would feel a lot differently if you were missing a limb.”
Amelia sat up straight while Shanna shrank back at the rage she felt radiating from the hunter. “Do you really think that I just pick and choose my ideals on a whim? All life is sacred. The lion is just as vital as the gazelle it eats. If a lion took my arm to feed her cubs, I would protect my life at all costs, of course. But I wouldn’t go kill every lion on the planet because of what it had done, out of petty revenge. What does that solve? It wouldn’t give me my arm back.”
“That is really insensitive,” Felicia said, shaking her head. “It’s a friend we’re talking about here. A friend who has suffered incredibly at the hands of vicious monsters. Not cats, monsters. The way you speak, it’s like you stand behind these monsters to a fault, like their lives are more valuable than ours.”
“That’s not what I think,” Amelia stood up, her face inches from Felicia’s. “At all. I just don’t think it’s necessary to exterminate all life that we don’t understand just because we’re the dominant species. Serene’s sisters did a horrible thing to Jade, yes. Serene’s sisters beat the crap out of Brett, yes. Serene herself defied her sisters to help us as best as she could, given the situation. And you, you’ve spit at her every chance you’ve had since. If Valor killed a small child, should I hold you to blame too because you’re comrades?”
“Guys!” Shanna stood up and placed her body between them. “Come on. We’re friends. We’re professionals.”
“Some of us are professional,” Felicia muttered.
Shanna frowned. “Please. Let’s just drop this.”
Amelia rolled her eyes, but stepped back and sat down again.
Felicia nodded, and turned to Serene again, gasping.
Blinking, Shanna swallowed hard. Serene was awake, and staring around at them with wide eyes.
“Looks like you need a stronger dose,” Amelia snickered.
Felicia glared daggers her way, before turning to Serene. “Don’t worry, Hon. We’re going to return you to your cell now, okay? We were just doing a few tests.”
Serene gave the slightest of nods, and together, the three of them wheeled the table that Serene lay on down to her cell. Once inside the room, Amelia and Shanna carefully helped Serene out of her restraints and the siren walked quietly into her cell.
After they closed the door to her room, Felicia leaned against the door with a sigh. “That could have gone much worse.”
Amelia scowled. “And it would have, if she’d been one of her sisters.” With that, she turned and left them, heading toward her room.
Felicia shrugged. “I don’t understand her.”
Shanna followed her silently back to the lab, unsure of what to say, as she kind of sided with Amelia in this instance.
When they walked into the lab, they were surprised to find Hunter, Valor, Jade and Jordan there hovering over two new patients. Two of the werewolves that had attacked them the previous night.
Valor glanced up at them with a look of triumph. “Felicia? Where’s Amelia?”
Felicia hesitated, sending Shanna a sideways glance. “In her room, I think.”
“Well, get her down here. We have work to do.”