Noni gulped down air and looked frantically around. “That’s nice to hear.” Shouldn’t Talia be awake by now?
“But I do need some answers from you.” Madison took out a syringe and a vial of something pale.
Noni pressed back in her chair. “What is that?”
Madison looked up and smile. “It’s a nice concoction, dear. It will encourage you to tell the truth, if it doesn’t kill you.”
Fear made Noni’s ears ring. “Why would it ki-kill me?”
“It’s my own recipe.” Madison’s voice turned almost singsong. “Let’s say it hasn’t been vetted by the FDA.”
Oh God. “You can’t just shoot me up with experimental drugs.” Noni tried to shove her chair away. If she died, nobody would protect Talia. Oh God. This couldn’t happen. “That’s illegal. And crazy.”
“We’re way past illegal,” Madison said coolly, pressing the needle into the vial and pulling the plunger to fill the syringe.
“Didn’t you take some sort of an oath as a doctor?” Noni whispered. “Do no harm?”
Madison pulled out the needle and pushed the plunger; a little bit of liquid came out the top. “I believe in the bigger picture. All great scientists do. In fact, all great revolutionary figures believe in the bigger picture and not the mundane details.”
Mundane? Like her life? Noni struggled again, ignoring the ties digging into her wrists. “Don’t do this.”
Madison stood and walked toward her, instantly inserting the needle into her vein.
Pain flared, and warmth instantly spread from the injection site. Noni swallowed rapidly, and her tongue felt thicker. “This won’t work.” Was she slurring?
“You know about truth serums?”
“Not really.”
Madison removed the needle. “They really don’t compel people to tell the truth.”
“Huh?” Noni asked, her ribs feeling funny.
“Yes. They make a subject very susceptible, and they lead to the truth. But it’s not what you see on television.” Madison returned to her seat on the sofa and crossed her legs again.
Noni’s ears grew hot. Really hot. Then her limbs went weak. But her toes finally warmed up. She giggled.
“How are you feeling, Noni?” Madison asked, her voice sounding very far away and in a tunnel.
“Good.” Noni tried to kick out her feet, but they didn’t move. Maybe they moved. Who was to say what moved and what didn’t move? What was a move? She hummed a song from childhood.
The pretty lady on the couch leaned forward. “That’s a nice song.”
“Uh-huh.” Her whole body felt tingly. What a lovely moment. Confusion clouded her, but she didn’t much care. “Who are you?”
“I’m your aunt.” The lady morphed and looked like a unicorn with sparkles.
Noni blinked. Seconds later, her aunt sat there. “Aunt Franny.” So much joy whipped through her she tried to clap her hands. Did they clap? She couldn’t tell. Not that it mattered. “You’re so pretty.”
“Thank you.” Her aunt changed into Auntie Verna with green stripes through her hair.
Noni tried to nod. Did her head move? She wasn’t sure. “Pretty stripes.”
Aunt Verna turned back into the dark-haired lady with red lips. She stood and glided across the room, then lifted Noni’s eyelids. “How are you feeling?”
“Ph-ph-phenomenal,” Noni sang. A voice, way deep down, tried to tell her something. Was it another song? Maybe the world was singing and she just needed to listen. Listening was good.
“Noni? I need your help. Denver needs your help.” The woman crouched down, and their faces were close together. Her face morphed in and out, wavering as if it was in a cool mirror. “You want to help Denver, right?”
