Hunter

XXII

Jade woke up groggily, seeing the gypsy woman next to the bedside.
She smiled. "Why don't you wake up your friend?"
Jade nodded slowly, her eyes narrowing, then turning her head to shake Aric awake.
His hair was a mess on his face, and Jade could tell if he had tossed and turned over in his sleep.
She shook him awake, and he shot up.
"What- oh. Yeah."
The woman smiled at them, her eyes flashing over them like spotlights. "I think you didn't have any bad dreams last night?"
Aric's eyes narrowed, his mouth pressing into a thin line. "What do you mean?"
She smiled wider. "I think you know what I mean, venator."
Jade glanced back at Aric and mouthed," What does that even mean?"
"Hunter," he mouthed back.
She nodded slightly and the woman sat on the edge of the bed. "I think you will find that all your wounds have healed. And in your bag, I have left a bottle of tonic for the venator."
"Wait. How did you get my bag? Aric said he had left it." Absently, Jade's hand drifted to her chest, searching for the wound that wasn't there anymore.
The woman smiled, and Jade felt irritated.
Why does this woman smile so God damn much? It's getting on my nerves.
"I have many gifts."
"Mmhmmm. Well, thanks for your gifts. Now that we're all rested, we'll just be on our way."
The woman raised an eyebrow. "I think your friend needs something more."
Jade turned to Aric, seeing him stare at the woman intently.
"Can you do something about them?"
The women nodded, pursing her lips. "Of course. But you need to come into a separate room."
He nodded, sliding out of bed. He glanced at Jade, and she nodded. Aric's hands drifted to his hair, and he pulled and threaded his fingers through it, pulling it back and away from his hardening face.
Jade heard a door close, and she silently crept out of bed, pressing her ear to the wall.
Jade, what even are you doing?! Stop spying on them! I'm not spying..... I'm just observing. By spying on them. Jade, you know what they call people who spy on other people? SPIES! Ooh, bars. No, stop.
She shook her head, focusing. She put her ear back against the wall.
".....what do you see?"
"......dying......car......harpies kill....."
Jade backed away from the wall, feeling her ear burn guiltily. She wasn't supposed to listen to that. If Aric wanted her know, she would've known by now.
She slipped back into the bed, staring at the ceiling. She vaguely remembered last night..... The promises.
It had actually felt kinda good. Based on what she knew about Aric so far, she felt like he wasn't the type of person to break a promise. And Jade didn't want him to leave, as annoying as he was.
But, now, he wasn't really that annoying anymore. It just seemed like a cheap mask he put on for show, and like she had told him last night, he didn't need that mask anymore. He was strong.
Jade lost herself in her thoughts, and drifted off, falling back asleep in a few minutes.

Aric faced the woman in the other room, taking a deep breath.
"The best way to deal with the memories is to talk about them. Tell me about your family, so you do not forget about them. But at the same time, you need to forget. They have made you what you are, but they are tearing you down at the same time."
Aric gritted his teeth, closing his eyes. He visualized his family, smiling.
"My mom was Indian, my dad was mixed. My brother got sick a lot, so he spent all day playing video games when my parents let him. I went to school and he was homeschooled. He always complained about it though, saying he never got to see the cute girls in person."
Aric took a breath. "We were going to the hospital that day because he had gotten sick again. He coughed a lot, and he told my mom he couldn't breathe right. So we all rushed to the hospital and-"
His voice broke up, and the woman nodded. "Good. This is a good start. Whenever the dreams get out of hand, remember to take that tonic. And talking out loud like this will help."
Aric nodded. "Ok. Thanks. But.... If you don't mind me asking, why are you even helping us?"
The woman smiled. "Your friend and I have a special connection. I do not usually interfere with these matters, but I will make an exception."
Aric narrowed his eyes for probably the hundredth time that morning, his brain processing what she said. "You-"
She stood up suddenly, opening the door to the room. "Come. Your friend is waking."