The Metal Children

11 Hiding And Discovering

Haru stepped out of the bathroom with a navy green tank top and a pair of grey sweatpants on. If it wasn't for her Sanskrit Om necklace and her noticeably long eyelashes on her feminine eyes, Wayne and Alyssa would've thought she's a man. Her damp short hair messily moped over her head, and a light green towel hung around her neck. Despite obviously taking a sweet long bath - instead of smelling like dirt and ash, she smelled like fragrant Palmolive soap, the red one - she still looked pale, exhausted and worried. As she walked over and threw herself on an empty sofa, Wayne and Alyssa could notice the grey lines below her eyes. She looked helplessly dull, although her eyelashes told her otherwise.

"It's weird how I love water more than I love soil, although I'm an Earthbender," she commented, scanning the table for food and drinks. The aromatic smell of iced coffee and the sight of a jar of Arabic dates reminded her that she hadn't eaten anything since she returned, and that she was terribly hungry.

"It's weird how water calms you," Wayne added, hoping not to get a sassy or sarcastic remark in return. It wasn't something arguable, though. Haru liked sitting in a bathtub full of water when she needed to relax, to calm down, or even to think.

"Is Ray okay?" Haru said, too lazy to argue. She looked over at Rayhan, who was already sleeping soundly on the couch. It wasn't very much like Rayhan to easily fall asleep, especially when not on a bed, but she figured that maybe Wayne had given her some healing prescription that made her sleepy, like how a cough medicine can do the same.

"Minor fracture, but yeah, she's fine."

Haru nodded, then leaned back on the sofa. She too, was feeling sleepy. Her eyes felt heavy, like weights hung from her eyelids, even faces of Alyssa and Wayne turned painfully blurry. She took a couple of deep breaths. Naps would be good, she thought as her mind slowly sank into a white-like emptiness. Naps are always restorative, so are sleep.

"The guy who attacked you, was a Gemini," Wayne suddenly said, like it was a casual news to drop.

Haru was completely awake again. She rubbed her temple where it had ached from the fatigue, and chuckled unexpectedly. "Gemini? Seriously? Sounds like something out of the Marvel universe."

"Kay, fine, laugh all you want," Wayne flailed his arms, rolling his eyes at it. "Just so you know, that guy killed countless of black Benders in the past. At least that's what I've heard."

"So? I killed countless of black Benders in the past, too." Haru sat hunched, her stomach began to growl from hunger. She leaned forward and poured herself a cup of iced coffee into a clean cup, and surprisingly managed to chug everything in one go. She felt refreshed, no longer dehydrated and exhausted.

"My point is, he's dangerous. You alone saw what he did, he swatted Ray out of the way like she's a mosquito. Who knows what he would do to the rest of us. You alone ought to know, he nearly killed you - you think Ray would leave that detail out?"

Haru's hands reached her throat where the Gemini had strangled her earlier. She wasn't sure if strangle marks were still there, etched to her skin, but she had definitely felt one or two small cuts where the Gemini had dug his nails into. She could still feel pressure around her neck, pressing against the insides of her throat that had made her hard to breathe. She hated how Wayne was right - he nearly killed her, and if he did, she would've died so easily, and she hated how powerless she was back there.

"And worse, he'd seen your face. I bet he's at the office right now trying to describe you out, track your records and hunt you down with his anti-bending army. You'd be dead sooner than you think."