Iphigeneia slowly made her way to the table of newts and jars. She had been hoping for something a little tamer than hacking off the end of a newt and gouging out its eyes...Iphigeneia shuddered.

Back at her desk she carefully - almost hesitantly - she picked the newt out of its jar, holding onto its tail with only her forefinger and thumb and dropped it onto her table unceremoniously.

No gloves INDEED. Iphigeneia thought furiously with a scowl.

She checked the newt at either end, trying to decide which end deserved attacking first. The newt oggled back at her with large, watery, unblinking eyes.

Eye of newt it is then.

She considered using a pair of pincers to pull out the eye, but the Professors voice floated across the room, straight to her, it seemed...

...extract the eyes without damaging them...

Iphigeneia sighed. She tied a green and silver polka dotted handkerchief around her face - the smell of newt was making her nauseous - then with a resigned shrug, she used her fingers to feel along the edges of one eye for weakness, found it, slowly eased into it one finger...

...then two
...then three...

Then all five fingers were around the small white eyeball, meeting on the other side of it. Iphigeneia gulped. She could feel where a tight knot of nerves at the back of the eye led deeper into the newt's head. With a small tug, the eye popped out of its socket with a small squelch.

She pinched the nerves at the back of the eye. It was soft, but firm. She pinched it a little bit harder. Her nails made little crescent marks against it.

She pinched a little bit harder. Suddenly, the juice from inside the nerve began squirting out all over her fingers.

"Ahhh! Large red welts began to appear on her fingers where the juice had fallen. Oh my gods, oh my gods. Iphigeneia clenched her teeth in pain, trying not to panic. She ran to the front of the room, where the Professor was watching another student, back turned to her.

"Professor?" Iphigeniea squeeked, holding out her swelling, pulsing hand, "Professor, um..."