[color=fff79a][b]Hazel Baker[/b][/color]

Most everything went by in a confusing blur to her during the trip back. She kept her hands on her ears all the while, taking what little comfort she can from Lawrence's words. Hopefully that means she didn't do bad on that mission. The wait in the hospital was almost unbearable, compounded by her ever persistent Stigma. To her surprise however, they didn't get any official looking person in a white coat coming in and telling them how they did, but instead, a person who came in there, and healed everyone almost instantly. It did not seem like healing in the conventional sense however, but rather an ability that reverts them to their original condition, disintergrating anything that wasn't supposed to be in their body, as evidenced by the various IVs disintergrating to dust.

Once dismissed however, she simply went back to their room, almost running in her hurry. Reaching for the unmarked bottle in her bag, she downed two more of those pills, before stripping off everything and falling asleep almost instantly on her bed.

[center]***[/center]

Hazel stood up in surprise, her teacup shattering as she let it go, the black liquid spilling all over the table and her white dress. No longer was she in that sunlit garden, but instead what seemed to be a dining room with what one would call 'antiquated charm'. A massive dining room, with walls adorned with massive portraits of grim people, lit only by three candelabras on the large ornate table itself.

[color=f7976a]"Oh? That's quite a waste."[/color]

She turned towards the source of that voice, towards [url=http://i.imgur.com/L7kxkpr.jpg]a very young girl in a red dress[/url], sitting at the far end of the table. The girl was familiar, yet unfamiliar. Hazel was very sure she haven't met her before. At a loss as to what to do, she took a seat again, facing the girl on the far end.

[color=f7976a]"What's with that look? Don't you remember? I'm ———————." [/color]She giggled. Seeing that Hazel couldn't hear or make out her name, her eyes crinkled slightly in amusement. [color=f7976a]"So you still can't hear me. Or would the correct word be 'won't?'"[/color]

As if by a flip of a switch, the girl simply disappeared. As if to compensate for the disappearance, the table was laden with food, including a fresh pot of tea in front of her. The whole room rumbled, cracks appearing on the walls and ceiling. From what she could see outside the cracking windows, the room was slowly sinking into a deep ocean abyss. Water started spurting in from the cracks, slowly filling up the room with water.

[color=f7976a]"Afraid?" [/color]Small arms wrapped around her, pulling her head back with inhuman strength. Water dripped into her eye, as the girl's smiling face came into view, grinning widely with amusement. The girl's other hand reached for something, as Hazel struggled in vain in her grip; fearing what she may grab, fearing that she might just stab her repeatedly with whatever she found. Instead of a cold knife in her throat, a warm cup was pressed to her cheeks, the girl's enjoyment of Hazel's far readily apparent on her face.

[color=f7976a]"Don't worry,"[/color] she spoke, in an almost mocking tone of voice before forcing the cup against Hazel's lips, forcing her to drink the contents. 

[color=f7976a]"I'll protect you."[/color]

[center]***[/center]

Hazel woke, at exactly the same time she wakes everyday. Her alarm was dead again. Perhaps it was broken, or the person in charge simply forgot. It was fortunate that by now, she was used to waking up at this exact time. Stripping off what little she was still wearing, she headed for her shower, before promptly walking face-first into a wall.

[color=fff79a]"Nugh."[/color]

Once again, she remembered where she was. A new facility, USARILN East, where she had a rather grueling test just last night. Now another sort of test awaits her, perhaps not as deadly, but still just as grueling.

The written tests and forms still unfinished on her desk.