Adeline: The Triumphant Journey

I lay on the cold metal table, still in my red and white robes. My head was tilted back, a rubber collar wrapped around my neck to keep it in place. I could barely move my arms or legs thanks to the metal braces that were bolted to my bones.

Dragoilio fiddled with his tools, his face obscured by his surgical mask. He was hunched over me, his hand feeling around inside my exposed ribcage. I watched as he tugged and prodded at the bones within, grunting every so often as he shifted them.

I tried not to think about what would happen if something went wrong today.

My heart dipped into my stomach as Dragoilio grabbed hold of my sternum and pulled it outwards slightly.

The next few seconds seemed like an eternity as my heart beat wildly against the insides of my chest, a dull pain beginning to spread through me.

I felt him tap against the bone with one of his instruments and watched him nod in satisfaction before pushing it back into place and reaching for another tool.

A small gasp escaped my lips when he pulled at the bone underneath my chin, twisting it until it clicked into place.

As quickly as he'd started, he stopped and removed his gloves, tossing them into an overflowing bin before pulling off his mask and wiping his brow with a cloth.

My heart slowed down after only a few minutes but I continued to lie still on the table whilst he washed his hands at a sink beside me. Once he was done he turned to me and smiled warmly through his thick beard before removing the gown from around my waist and between my legs so that I was no longer covered up.

He picked up some scissors from a tray beside me before cutting away at the bandages wrapped around my torso from shoulder to shoulder. He peeled each layer back carefully until only one remained, which had been tied tightly around the bottom half of my ribcage.

I felt him reach for something behind me before suddenly being tugged forwards across the table by something attached to the bandage's loose end, causing more pain than I'd felt in months thanks to all of the bruises left behind by this procedure.

I took deep breaths as Dragoilio cut through the last layer of bandaging before gently pulling it away from me like a snake shedding its skin, revealing a large metal box affixed to my chest and spine by thick straps carefully hidden beneath the dressing.

The device was smaller than I expected but far more powerful than anything else I'd ever seen before in this time period. It was designed so that it would deform any bone that might be dislocated and prevent further movement, allowing me to continue moving without assistance even with weakened joints or muscles. It had cost ten times what I had earned in the last year working on farms or helping out in villages near mine, but it would allow me to return home before winter set in without having to pay for an upcoming trip back home by borrowing money from friends or family which I had no way of repaying otherwise.

Dragoilio held up a small square of mirror for me to see myself in as I sat up on the table slowly and looked at myself for what felt like an eternity.

"You look fantastic." He said proudly "The shape is better than I've ever managed on anyone else."

"It looks awful." I muttered staring at myself in disbelief "How can you say it looks good?"

"Well-" He began awkwardly "It's not what you originally asked for but it will do well enough."

"Not what I ask-" I stammered "I didn't want anything like this."

I could hear him take a step backwards before speaking again "This is your final product Adeline! You chose this!"

My anger flared up inside me quickly as I glared at him angrily "No! No...no...no...no..." Tears started streaming down my cheeks as they always did whenever I got angry or upset "You ruined me!"

He reached out hesitantly towards me but thought better of it when he saw how angry I was becoming instead taking a step away from me "Adeline...you must learn-"

"No!" I shouted hysterically waving my arms wildly about "No no no! You don't understand! This wasn't supposed to happen!"

He sighed loudly looking towards the door behind him nervously "Calm down Adeline."

"NO!" I screamed louder than ever before making him jump backwards as if scalded "No no no no no no!"

"Please!" He pleaded desperately gesturing frantically towards the door behind him now "Calm down! They're going to hear us!"