Secret of the Caretakers

Wolves & Roses

Ch – 4

All we could do was stare at her. It was a while before I found my voice and spoke up.

“Who told you that it’s not our property?”

“Can I please have my chain back, before I have to go through an interrogation?” she said.

“Not until you tell us who this ‘she’ is?” said guru Zen.

“Look, I need that chain to be alright…it is important…please!?”

I could almost see guru Z’s eyes scanning the girl; looking for some give-aways. When he couldn’t really think of a reason to deny her the trinket, he moved and handed the chain to her. As soon as her fingers wrapped around the chain, she relaxed visibly and slumped back on the settee.

“First of all, thank you for saving me. I doubt I could have survived the night…” she said looking directly at me.

I merely nodded. She then turned to guru Zen and started explaining.

“As for your earlier question, I had been staying in that house for the past four years. My name is Sheba and I am a gifted one. Judging from the fact that he teleported me back here and you have healed me without using any medications; I am sure you are fellow gifted ones too. My gift is however of a basal nature. Every cell in my body has the capability to absorb solar energy and sustain purely on that. I can further transmit that energy out also as I can store it as a reserve, but for that I need to be out in the sun. When I am out in the sun, there is nothing I can’t do…except flying of course.”

“So you are like a solar cell?!” I blurted out.

“Umm…yeah, pretty much.” She confirmed.

“And who is this ‘she’ who told you that it is not our property?”

“Her name was Rosa and I am sensing you guys know her…”

“Rosa was there!” I almost screamed.

“Uh…yes, but not anymore…” she said sort of backing away from me.

Before I could ask her anything more about Rosa, guru Zen raised his hand and silently ordered me to just shut up.

“Yes we know Rosa and we would like to know whatever you know about her whereabouts, but first, Sheba, can you please explain why you were in that house and what happened to you?” asked guru Zen.

She sighed before she replied, “I left home when I turned 15 and started living the life of a nomad. I didn’t need food to live so I didn’t need to work. I indulged in all things I liked and mixed with some bad people. I struggled against drug abuse for almost two years before I managed to totally come clean. Around that time, I sort of sold myself and my abilities to a shady research facility to be able to buy more dope! So when I bailed, I landed up on the hit-list of those people who wanted to use me like a solar cell. In an attempt to go underground, I stayed in the wilderness and survived only on sunlight. Then during one of my wanderings, I came across that deserted house and made a home for myself there.”

“But how did u manage to gain access into that house? It’s not as if there were no doors!” I said.

“As I mentioned, when I am out in the sun, I can practically do everything…I may look frail but I can become super-strong if the sun is particularly strong. I can even jump high enough to crash into a boarded window on the fourth floor of a mansion.” she simply stated.

“Hmm…but if you are so strong, how come you were lying there close to death?” I asked again.

“Well…it was night time. I was attacked in the woods when I was trying to protect…someone…” she trailed off.

“Did you find anyone else on the premises, Spike?” guru Zen enquired.

“No! Oh no…” said I, realization dawning on me.

“Who were you trying to protect? What happened to them?”

“I don’t know who she was…I had never seen her before in my life. She happened to be in the woods when I was coming back home in the late afternoon. She asked me for the directions to the mansion and I got alarmed. Not wanting to let on that I know anything of interest to her, I simply ditched her and started walking away. Then she said, she had seen me doing this and it had turned out badly… when I turned around, I saw five huge wolves standing close behind her.”

“Wolves!?” I asked incredulously.

“Yes! They are indigenous to the area but I had never run into them as I was usually very swift in passing through and rarely came out after sun down. But the strange thing was that these were not normal wolves. They were…different! For a second I thought that she had summoned the wolves to attack me because I did not help her. But slowly I registered that the wolves were regarding her with a curiosity and were cornering her…completely ignoring me. She turned away from me slowly while. Before I knew it, the largest of the five wolves had jumped towards her and without thinking I jumped on him. They were five and I was one, but I could have managed them, even beaten them up had it not been getting darker…I managed to kill two of the wolves but the remaining three overpowered me as soon as the sun started going down. Then she stood up and yelled at them to leave me and promised that she would go with them if they did not kill me!”

“So what!? You just allowed them to take her?” I yelled and earned a glare from guru Zen as well as a pained look from Sheba.

“I did not allow her to be taken away…I was forced to. And why are you getting so excited?” she retorted back.

“Those wolves injured me enough so I would bleed to death but the girl would think that I am alive. They took her before I could even move. Hours passed before I finally managed to drag myself to the mansion. I lit a fire to gain some energy and recover a little, when you showed up…” she trailed into silence.

Guru Zen stepped forward and offered her a hand to help her stand, “Sheba, you have had a long and tough night. It would be better if you stay over and recover fully before you consider going back out again.”

"But Guru Zen, we have to start looking for Rosa. There is no time to waste..." I started to protest once again.

"I am aware of that Spike and I have never believed in wasting time as such... but Sheba can't be of much help as of now... She must rest and recuperate." he said.

"I can help..." Sheba started but shut up almost instantly when a silencing glare from Guru Z landed on her.

"You are now at the CCs... you will do as you are told until you recover and decide to leave. Spike, escort Sheba to Rosa's room for now and come back right away. I believe i know who is holding Rosa hostage."

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