Shadow Beings

48. The Power of Healing

Time slowed down, I was sure of it. Time slowed, and I couldn't do anything but breathe with difficulty. My eyes were lost and my hands hung loosely by my side now. An unpleasant duality of hot and cold overtook my vessel and everything was... weird.

Closing my eyes I sighed, feeling the pulse in my right wrist. It wasn't hard to find it at all; it beat rapidly, loud, reverberating throughout my arm in place of the usual calmer sounds. I tried to steady both my pulse and my breathing, synchronising both actions.

Humane actions.

I opened my eyes, mustering the strength to say something. My mouth opened slightly but I closed it immediately. Jay, seeing my struggle, continued to speak.

"Trina is resting in the medical room right now. I don't know if she's asleep, but you can meet her when she wakes up."

I nodded slowly, the grim expression persisting on my face.

"I'm going to go and heal her."

Aurelia's eyes darted towards my face, alert. "Are you sure, Audrey? The fire by which she was burnt..."

Burnt. I don't like that word right now.

"It doesn't matter," I interrupted, still keeping my eyes on the ground. Trina was my friend, and I was not going to simply sit around and do nothing, letting her bear all the pain.

"I'm going to go and heal her," I repeated, removing all emotion from my face now.

Ava nodded towards Aurelia, probably gesturing that I had made up my mind and nothing would change it.

She'd know. Of course.

"I had applied something on her burn that numbed the area for a while. These things hinder your healing progress, so wait for it to settle down," Aurelia said in a subtly pleading tone. I nodded slowly, but Ava and Jay shared a look, knowing that I would hardly listen to her.

The less pain Trina suffers, the better.

Suddenly, a quiet voice seemed to jump into my mind. It was deep and soft, slightly hoarse, too.

"Remember what you need to do. Do not exhaust yourself."

I suppressed a frown. Is that Jay, or my spirit?

Or both?

"I'll go now," I said with a small nod. I turned to face the exit, walking towards it at a steady pace. The tension in the room increased with the wind gushing in and I could feel the worry on the faces behind me. I picked up the pace, nearing the exit and headed towards Sylva Vita.

The sun shone brightly today and the air was mostly still, its movements minute. The grass was only slightly wet, but I had to walk on the stone path to go to the hospital. On an ordinary day, this would make for a pleasant atmosphere, but at that moment I simply wanted to feel cold.

A small figure lay on the third bed, her hair all over the place. I couldn't see her face underneath her covers, but she appeared to be sleeping.

The white room was empty and the curtains were drawn to make the room darker. The temperature of the room was moderate, and I could even hear Trina breathing peacefully.

"Hey, Audrey."

Her deep and feeble voice reached me as she slowly lifted the covers off her face, revealing an exhausted face. She sat up in her bed, grunting with her head facing the floor. The sound of plastic cracking came as she sat up, probably from an ice pack. I stepped forward in an attempt to help her but stopped after she held a confident hand in front of her.