Statera *Chosen At Birth*

Chapter Eight

Once again, the never-ending cycle continued as the violent sunlight pierced through Daniel's eyelids. The red light assaulted the nerves in his hand to block the sun. He slowly blinked his eyes open and groaned as a pain rose in his forehead. He sunk beneath the covers more so that his head went below where the sun shined.

            Even though he was in a tremendous amount of pain, he was thankful to still be alive. He wondered where he was. He had no idea, but he didn't complain as the cozy paper white sheets and comforter caressed his body smoothly. He tried to move slightly, but the pain flared in his head reaching down to his neck, so he retreated to where he was laying. It still radiated with pressure, but it was more bearable than what it had been.

            He slowly moved his head so he could look around the thin rectangular room with white walls. In front of the bed hung a mirror that rested over a stone counter with a sink. Next to it, close to the door, there was a white wooden cabinet with a glass door. Between the bed and the cabinet was a little bit of space where a machine with a computer on a pole with wires sat.

            Daniel looked to his right and on a small table was a small bowl full of water with a still damp cloth. With a sigh he tried to make the cloth levitate towards his, but a surge of pain rushed from his into his skull. He laid there in agony as heat poured out into his skull and streamed down to his entire body. He wanted to scream, but he couldn't. Only tears left his face as sweat flooded the bed.

            Someone opened the door and stopped with a panicked look on his face, "Oh crap." The man exclaimed before shouting something out into the hallway with urgency. Right away he reappeared with a pitcher full of water. Daniel watched in confusion as the man walked towards him with it. He flinched when the water in the pitcher was thrown at him. When he opened his eyes, he saw an empty pitcher with nothing in it. Slowly the feeling of his body being cooked went away and he sighed in relief.

            "Tried to use your powers, didn't you?" The man assumed with his hands over his hips as he fiddled with the machine. Judging by the white coat, he could be a doctor, but Daniel didn't want to assume.

            "What happened?" Daniel asked while the doctor put more water in the pitcher, filling it to the brim.

            "I'm Doctor Marquez. In case you were wondering." Daniel rolled his eyes considering that he didn't particularly care. He was more annoyed with the fact that his question was ignored completely. Daniel just stared at him waiting for an answer when the doctor cleared his throat to break the awkward silence, "Anyway... To summarize. Two weeks ago, you got into a fight with the Tonali sisters and they made you use up all your aura. If the water fairies hadn't have found, you in time the you would have either been killed or combusted." The doctor explained as he leaned against the counter after throwing another pitcher full of water at Daniel. The water vanished into a blue mist that settled around his skin making his body cooler.

            "Two weeks ago?" Daniel looked down at the bed, "How come I don't feel any better if I have been asleep for two weeks?" The doctor shrugged in response. No comfort.

            "Even as an Auralogist it's hard to say. When the water fairies and my sister brought you in, they said you smelled like burnt chicken." He laughed at his joke, but Daniel wasn't amused.

            "What do you mean combusted?" Daniel avoided another awkward silence. He was beginning to run out of patience with the man already.

            "When you use up all your aura before it regenerates, you basically explode. On rare occasions you just lose the ability to regenerate aurase, a chemical in the brain of those that can use magic here." He replied and when the pain went away completely. Daniel realized that he wasn't wearing anything.

            "Why do I not have clothes on?" Dr. Marquez groaned and rubbed his temples in annoyance.

            "Why do you ask so many questions." Daniel frowned at the question when there was a light knock at the door before walking into the room.

            "Why are you in here talking to your...self." The nurse asked and looked at Daniel blankly. Her tanned buttermilk skin glowed in the sunlight as she looked at him as if he were a ghost. Mint green eyes blinked at him as if seeing someone she hadn't seen in a long time.

            When she blinked herself back to the room, she brushed past the doctor grabbing a cup from the cabinet. She filled it with water and sat on the edge of the bed. The doctor watched with a disapproving looks as she handed Daniel the cup of water.

            "Can you explain why your patient is naked?" He asked and she snapped around instantly.

            "How am I supposed to know? I don't make the rules here. I just volunteer." She snapped before diverting her attention back to Daniel, "But you should have seen how burnt his clothes were, might as well not have worn any at all. I am going to need for you to get up from the covers so I can check your chest though." She told him. He reluctantly listened and sat upright in the bed so that she could examine him.

            "I forgot I was burned by fire." He laughed nervously as he looked down at his bare chest. Her hand was cold as she felt around the scarred skin that looked like a meteor crater.

            "It's fine. Nothing I can't fix." She smiled as she removed her hand from his chest and only held it over the scarred wound. Her palm and fingers glowed as green light streamed from her hand to his chest. Where the light touched itched as new skin grew under the scarred skin like a snake shedding. It looked gross as the pieces of skin flaked onto the white bed. She laughed at disgusted look. When her hand waved, it all turned to green tendrils that collected into a sloppy globe in her hand that she crushed, and it vanished into her fist.

            "Who gave you authority to do that?" Dr. Marquez complained causing her to roll her eyes and sigh.

            "Maybe my right to be a life fairy. You're here to study his aura anyway. Doing a terrible job at it anyway." She scoffed looking at his chest attentively.

            "You aren't going to kill me, are you?" Daniel didn't know what made him ask, but he felt the need to. She laughed at the question and leaned back to look into his eyes.

            "Trust me, the merfolk wouldn't have risked sending the water fairies to save you to just kill you." She rationed with a smile on her face. Finally, she stood up and faced the doctor with her arms folded over her chest.