Waking Up

The first thing I am aware of is a voice.
"First of all, who's to blame for this?"
When I open my eyes, it is as if I am looking underwater. Everything is backwards and unfocused. I stand there for a moment, blinking in the harsh fluorescent light. Gradually my eyes adjust to the environment.
The woman standing before me smiles brilliantly, but her eyes survey me coldly. She's wearing a white coat. The room has a pungent, chemical scent, and I have to clamp my hand over my mouth to keep myself from vomiting.
"Katherine?"
Something silver catches my eye.
"Katherine, answer the question."
         A row of medical equipment has been carefully laid on a tray. Scalpels, scissors, syringes filled with strange liquids. The inside of my mouth turns to cotton. I hear myself say, as if through a tunnel, "I don't know. I can't remember anything."
         She chuckles. "Now Katherine, we both know that's a lie. Do you know what happens when you tell a lie?" I say nothing, but the woman answers anyway. "When you tell a lie, you have to face the consequences. So I would advise you to think carefully about your next answer. Who do you work for?"
         Nothing. No matter how much I strain my mind, I can't remember a thing about my past. Panic shoots sharply through me. I need to remember. I need to remember, or she'll hurt me. But I can't.
         She won't believe me if I tell her this, so I make something up. "The organization is very secretive. I was told almost nothing about it."
         This time the woman rises from her chair, clucking her tongue in disapproval. "I don't believe that. In fact," she leans in, "I think that you played an instrumental role in everything."
         My blood freezes.
         Slowly, she picks up a scalpel, lovingly admiring the polished silver. "And since you have lied to me a second time, you must suffer the punishment."
         Please no. Please no. I close my eyes and tense, bracing myself for the inevitable pain. The seconds seem to melt into eternities.
         When nothing happens, I open my eyes.
         I am lying in a bed at the Rite Aid Medical Clinic. Sunlight filters gently through the windows, casting an amber light on the walls. When I try to sit up, a gentle hand pushes me back down. The hand belongs to Mom. She sighs. "It's about time."
         My head is throbbing. "What happened?"
         Mom rolls her eyes. Something sparks in the back of my mind. Ashamed, I pull the blanket over my face. "Dr. Davis was trying to take a blood sample, and I was getting lightheaded."
         "That's right."
         "Oh my God."
         "Don't take the Lord's name in vain, Katie."
         Suddenly I am wishing that my terrible dream was real. It would surely be less painful than reality. "So I fainted. In front of that hot intern."
         "Yes. You know, you were talking in your sleep too. Something about doctors and secret organizations. I think you need to take a break from dystopias for a while."
         "No way."