Chapter 8: Magic

Ellie slammed open the door to Dr. Cuthberht's Clinic. Her dog, Sunflower of Navarrete, limped in after her. Marietta had already ditched them.

There wasn't an empty chair in the clinic that day.

The smaller children were stuck having to sit between their parents' feet. Men and women fanned themselves with the health brochures they had no doubt read over dozens of times while waiting. The chatter was kept to a low volume, helped by the "keep noise to a minimum" signs tacked up around the lobby.

She went straight to the counter. "I need to see a doctor."

"Heiress Navarrete." The receptionist's eyes widened in recognition. She wore a cloth mask that covered her face from nose to chin. "I'm sorry to inform you but you're going to have to wait in line. Please take a number from the jar and I'll call you when the next nurse is available."

"I'm not taking a number. I'm going back there." Standing around would only prolong Sunflower's pain.

"There's a line," the receptionist stressed. "If you're here for your dog, I can book her an appointment with the veterinary surgeon. Unfortunately, the vet doesn't have any more openings for today. Would tomorrow be alright?"

Ellie cringed. Sunflower's wound had reddened. It was beginning to swell. Waiting for tomorrow wasn't an option. "No, it wouldn't. We're seeing someone today. My dog's hurt bad and we can't wait."

"I wish there was something I could do for you, Heiress Navarrete, but since you don't have an appointment you're going to have to join the walk-in queue."

She leaned over the receptionist's counter. "What's your name?"

"Jaquelin."

"Hm, okay, Jaquelin." Ellie said. "I wonder how my mother will react when I tell her how unhelpful you've been. She takes our dogs' health very seriously, and if she heard that you weren't treating one of our dogs with that same amount of seriousness..." Ellie let Jaquelin's imagination do the rest of the work.

"I'll check in with the medical staff." Jaquelin got up from her seat. She pushed through the waist-high door attached to the counter. "Perhaps there's an opening after all." She left down the hall that led to the examination rooms.

Throwing her weight around usually did the trick. Not many people were brave enough to stand up to a threat like that. Ellie sighed in relief. She turned to look at the rest of the waiting room. Knitted 'brows. Frustrated looks. Dry coughs muffled into hands. Sweaty faces constantly being wiped with towels. Shoulder-to-shoulder seating. She needed to talk to her mother about the wait times.

One man in particular looked especially miserable. A pensive woman sat next to him. They had a stubby kid with them that kept gnawing on wooden blocks. The blocks belonged to the waiting room's toy chest, an addition to the office that cut down on the amount of antzy children. Having been chewed by many a child before, the cubes were devoid of edges.

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The receptionist came back. "Heiress Navarrete, I'm pleased to tell you that Dr. Cuthberht herself can see you and your dog."

The miserable-looking man shot out of his chair. "That's ridiculous! We've been here for hours and she's going to see the Heiress just like that?"

The woman beside him reached for his arm. "Please don't make a scene, dear. If you know what's good for you—for us, you'll stop talking."

Other people in the room looked away. They minded their own business. He struggled, like he was going to say one more thing, and then sat down.

Ellie couldn't find her words for a moment. What was that about? She got a hold of herself. Squared her shoulders. Stood a little taller. Didn't let her gaze waver as she spoke in confirmation, "yeah, listen to your wife. Let's go, Sunflower."

"It'll be room 6." The receptionist called as they passed her by.

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A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story's main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well.

The next post will be Chapter 8.2.

Chapter 15 is out now on the main site. This week, voting will end Monday at 11:59 PM EST. Comments on the main site are especially encouraging to the author.