Speed      by Abigail McKinney

I woke up on a steel table. It was cold. Almost so cold I could see my breath. I was in a hospital gown that felt rough against my skin. When I opened my eyes I saw a doctor wearing glasses with a light on top. It was blinding. I was focused on trying to move my feet when I felt a sharp pain pierce through my arm. I winced and everything went silent. The object that I felt in my arm suddenly disappeared. The doctor started whispering to his assistant and they looked worried. I was confused why I was here. What went into my arm? Why was I asleep? 

They rolled me out of the operating room and brought me through the halls and up an elevator. When we were finally done moving I was in a small room with one light that casted a yellowish glow. I stayed in that room alone for what felt like an hour. I was about to fall asleep when a tingling sensation started at my legs and spread through my torso and arms. I felt electric and numb at the same time. I felt energized and like I could run around the world without stopping for water. 

After the tingling feeling left my body, I went back to feeling like I got hit by a truck. I didn’t have my phone. I didn’t have my clothes. I felt helpless and weak. People were strolling through the halls past my tiny room. Except one. A little, old woman with a cane. She was wearing a worn cardigan that looked warm and comfortable. She spoke to me about wisdom. About how there are greater powers in the world than what we were taught by peers and parents. She awoke something inside me. Something like a spirit I thought had disappeared. She said one last thing before she left. “You have the speed now.”