Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 65189 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65189 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
“Heart rate elevated, but steady,” she murmured, jotting down more notes.
Next came a thermometer in my ear, followed by a penlight shined in my eyes. The nurse’s movements were efficient and clinical, but there was an underlying tension in the air that made my skin prickle.
I heard a knock, and then the door opened. I couldn’t suppress a little cry as a middle-aged doctor, dressed in blue scrubs, entered the exam room.
“Ready for me, Theresa?” he asked the nurse.
“This is Alice, Dr. Smith,” she replied. “I just took her vitals.” I saw a little smile on her face. I took it for admiration, but I also noticed something that brought a hard crease to my forehead: deference, yielding—a kind of antiquated feminine submissiveness, even. “She’s ready for you.”
I swallowed hard. No. No… I’m definitely not ready. My whole body had gone hot and then cold as the doctor glanced up and down my naked, spread, restrained form. His eyes roamed over my exposed body. His gaze, to my distress, seemed not quite completely clinical. I felt utterly violated, but I noticed a different feeling, too: an unwelcome flutter low in my belly.
“Excellent,” he said, moving to stand between my spread legs. “Let’s begin the examination.”
My heart raced as he snapped on a pair of latex gloves. What kind of exam was this? I tugged futilely at the restraints, panic rising in my chest.
“Now, now,” Dr. Smith chided, his tone patronizing. “There’s no need for that. Just relax and this will go much more smoothly.”
I bit my lip, trying to hold back tears of humiliation as his gloved hands touched my inner thighs. His fingers probed and prodded, moving higher until they reached my most intimate areas. I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing I could disappear.
“Good girl,” he murmured. “Just breathe.”
I gasped as I felt something cold and metallic being inserted. The speculum, I realized with dawning horror. This was far beyond a normal medical exam.
“No hymen present,” the doctor said as I felt him open the beak of the awful thing inside me. “You’ve had vaginal intercourse, Alice?”
My face blazed like the sun at the slightly disapproving note in the doctor’s tone. I had the sudden urge to lie, to say I’d lost the sign of my virginity in a bike accident or something. I swallowed hard, trying to find some resistance.
“Yes,” I said, my voice sounding so meek I wanted to sink into the floor.
The speculum closed at last and departed.
“Theresa, sweety, could you hand me the sensor?” Dr. Smith asked.
My eyes flew open. “Sensor? What sensor?” I asked, my voice shaking.
But they ignored my questions. I craned my neck, trying to see what the nurse had handed to the doctor. It looked like a tiny metallic bead, no bigger than a grain of rice.
“This, Alice, is a perineal sensor,” Dr. Smith explained, holding up the tiny device for me to see. “It’s a remarkable piece of technology developed by Selecta’s biomedical division.”
I stared at the minuscule metallic bead, my mind racing. “What… what does it do?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Dr. Smith’s lips curved into a smile that sent chills down my spine. “It’s designed to monitor various physiological responses. Heart rate, body temperature, muscle tension, and most important, humidity—so its primary function is to measure your sexual arousal.”
My cheeks burned hot with embarrassment. “Arousal? But why would you need to—”
“The sensor will be placed just between your vagina and anus,” he continued, cutting off my question. “It’s completely non-invasive and you won’t even feel it once it’s in place.”
I squirmed against the restraints, my heart pounding. “I don’t understand. This can’t be part of a normal scholarship exam!”
The nurse placed a hand on my shoulder, her touch apparently meant to comfort me but in fact only serving to heighten my anxiety. “Dear, this is all part of the program. A brilliant girl like you must have read the fine print, surely.”
Fine print? What fine print? My mind raced, trying to recall every word of the emails I’d received. Had I missed something crucial?
I racked my brain, trying to remember if I’d seen anything about sensors or invasive exams in the emails from Selecta. But everything had happened so fast—the flyer, the test, and now this bizarre medical exam. Had I been so desperate for this opportunity that I’d overlooked something important?
“I… I don’t remember seeing anything about this,” I stammered, my voice shaking.
Dr. Smith’s eyebrows rose slightly. “No? Well, I’m sure it was all there in the terms and conditions you agreed to. Selecta is always very thorough with their documentation.”
A wave of nausea rolled through me as I realized how careless I’d been. In my eagerness to salvage my academic dreams, had I unknowingly consented to something far more sinister?
“Now, let’s get this sensor placed, shall we?” Dr. Smith said briskly. “You may feel a slight pressure, but it shouldn’t be painful.”