Rose lived in a castle in the woods and had everything she ever wanted.

Her godmothers made sure of it. Yes, she had three, but they would do anything for her.

For Rose’s fifth birthday she received her very first chemistry set. Ever since that first day she fell in love with science.

Her parents built her a wing in the tallest tower that contained a lab just for her. It had every thing she ever needed.

Yet, going there always came with warnings.

“Rose dear, please don’t kill yourself!”

“Rose dear, turn on the ventilation please!”

“Rose dear, don’t forget your PPE!”

Rose always tried her very best to be careful.

Rose had a friend named Millie who often came to join her in the lab.

The only problem was that Millie didn’t know a thing about science-especially chemistry.

“Rose!” Millie would call. “Can I touch this?” she asked, pointing at the sulphuric acid.

“No Millie!” Rose would call. “You’re a hazard to me and the lab!”

Then after some playful fighting, Rose would kick Millie out of the lab and she continued with her work.

And everyday Millie would be back.

“Can I mix this?” Millie asked, pointing at the beaker of dichloromethane and a flask of an unknown solvent.

“No, Millie!” Rose would scream. “It’s like you’re trying to kill us!”

Rose kicked Millie out of the lab again. Millie seemed to have a death wish.

One day Rose arrived to her lab and Millie was already there.

“What’s going on?” Rose asked, concerned.

“Nothing,” Millie said. “I just wanted to surprise you.”

Millie gave Rose a glare that looked quite ominous.

Rose tried to ignore Millie and got to work. She went to the tap and re-filled her bottle of deionized water.

All the while Millie stared.

“Millie,” Rose asked getting annoyed. “Is there anything you need!”

Millie ignored Rose.

Rose tried to ignore the feeling in her gut that something was not quite right.

Rose filled a beaker part way with ammonia and added the deionized water to lower the concentration.

The solution started to bubble and fizz. A faint odour started to waft around the room.

It wasn’t water.

“Millie!” Rose exclaimed. “Did you do something?”

Millie didn’t answer. She just smiled.

“Millie!” Rose screamed, shaking Millie’s shoulders. “What did you put in my water! It could be toxic!”

Rose ran the emergency ventilation button, she wasn’t about to take any chances.

She tried the button again and again, but it was jammed.

Without the airflow on, the chemicals would seep into the vents and circulate through the whole castle.

“Millie!” Rose screamed. “What did you do?”

Rose turned around and saw Millie with a full on gas mask on.

Before Rose could say another word, Millie was out the door.

Rose ran to the door, but Millie had locked it behind her.

She started banging on the door and calling for help.

The faint smell of chemicals, was faint no more. It grew and it grew until Rose’s vision went hazy and she fell to the ground.

In a matter of seconds, she was out.

Some Time Later

Rose awoke to a stabbing sensation in her arm. She felt groggy and her vision was still blurred.

“You’re safe now,” came a soft, yet strong, voice.

It took Rose a while until her vision returned to normal.

She looked around and found herself the the ballroom on the castle in a cot.

Rose wasn’t the only one in a cot. The whole ballroom was filled with hundreds of cots, each one had a person with an oxygen mask.

It took Rose a moment to realize that she had a mask on too.

Her eyes skimmed the room again before falling on the man who spoke when she first awoke.

He was a tall and handsome doctor. The man who saved her.

She tried to sit up a little, but the doctor held her back.

“You need to rest,” he said. “But you can call me Philip.”

Rose could have sworn he winked, and her heart nearly melted.

Another man came up to her cot, all dressed in black and holding a notepad in his hand.

“Rose,” he started. “Now that you’re awake I’m going to need you to give me a statement.