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Cinder squir the screen

"You said before that I wasn’t contagious after ot rid of those microbes"

"That’s correct"

"So…if I had contracted the plague naturally, say…a couple days ago, how long before I was no longer contagious?"

Dr Erland puckered his lips "Well One can i itself of the carriers every time it comes in contact with them So if it took twenty minutes to defeat theer than an hour the tiiven that every disease and everybody works a little differently"

Cinder folded her hands in her lap It had taken a little more than an hour to walk ho?"

"Only briefly The pathogens can’t survive long without a host" He frowned at her "Are you all right?"

She fiddled with the fingers of her gloves Nodded "When do we get to start saving lives?"

Dr Erland adjusted his hat "I’m afraid we can’t do much until I’ve had a chance to analyze your blood saet a better grasp on your bodycan’t change your DNA, can it?"

"No, but there have been studies suggesting that human bodies develop different hor, as a result of the operations Of course, the more invasive the procedure, theto do with iddy, unnerving Cinder "Not exactly," he said "But like I said before…I do have a theory or two"

"Were you planning on sharing any of those theories withht about the mystery shadow on your spine Would you ?" He took off the spectacles and slid them back into his pocket, beside the portscreen

"What are you going to do?"

"Just a little experi to worry about"

She twisted her head as Dr Erland walked around the table and placed the tips of his fingers on her neck, pinching the vertebrae just above her shoulders She stiffened at the touch His hands ar…unusual"

Cinder opened her mouth, about to announce that any human touch felt unusual, but her breath hiccupped

Fire and pain ruptured her spine, flooding her veins

She cried out and fell off the table, cru to the floor

Chapter Fourteen

RED LIGHT PIERCED HER EYELIDS GOING HAYWIRE, HER retina display was sending a skein of green gibberish against the backdrop of her lids Soers kept twitching, pulsing uncontrollably

"Calht" This voice, cale accent, was followed by one ht? Are you crazy? What happened to her?"

Cinder groaned

"Only a little experi up now"

Another strangled protest before she could pry her eyes open The lab’s whiteness would have blinded her but for the two shadows cutting through it Her eyes focused the shapes into Dr Erland’s wool hat and sky blue eyes, and Prince Kai with strands of black hair hanging unke the basic diagnostic test for the second tiain, faintly worried that Prince Kai would notice the green light at the base of her pupil

At least she had her gloves on

"Are you alive?" Kai said, pushing her ers felt hot and claainst her skin before she realized that she was the one as feverish

Which shouldn’t have been possible She couldn’t blush, couldn’t have a fever

Couldn’t overheat

What had the doctor done to her?