Listen

26

26

The inside of the building was lovely and cool, compared to the heat of outside. It was pretty vacant with a very little amount of people wandering around.

"Our clinic is down this way," the girls said, pointing down the corridor. Even though there was still a dull pain in my shoulder, I couldn't get it sorted out just yet.

"I need to speak to one of your leaders first."

A flicker of wariness flashed on her face before she sighed. She led us over to a covered archway and pushed the hanging beads to the side.

"Dee, I have some people who want to talk with you," she said as she let us walk in. Expecting to see an office like any other leader I knew, there instead was a woman sitting on a fluffy chair. The only office-like piece of furniture she owned was a wall of worn books. Everything else made the room seem like a relaxation area.

The woman stood up to face us. Her grey hair floated down her front, mimicking her loose clothing. She was dressed in earth tones, fitting for her Sector. Pushing her hair behind her back, she invited us all to sit.

Before any of us could be seated, she greeted each of us individually with a hug. As she wrapped her arms around me, a flowery smell hit my nose. She was warm to the touch. Floating back to her chair, she began to speak.

"How can I help you all?" The way she spoke so calmly insinuated that she did not know who we were.

"We need refuge," I said in a straight tone.

"And medical attention," Sam added.

She nodded slowly as she cooed, "I can help with that. Anything else?"

I let out an audible sigh of relief. Perfect. Tate moved around in his seat as he seemed to process some words in his head.

"We are here for another reason as well," he stated. She gestured for him to continue. "Do you know of someone who lived here by the name 'Ruth Allaway'?"

She raised an eyebrow as she said, "How do you know that name?"

He laughed shortly. "Depends on what your answer is."

Sinking back in her seat, she replied, "There's no one named 'Ruth Allaway' in this compound."

"In the past?"

She shook her head. He accepted her answer by giving her a nod and settling back in his own chair. But there was something about the way she said it and the way she held back a grin that told me that she knew more than what was saying.

"Now, you've said you're looking for a doctor; I can help with that. But I can't have you stay here. Not for long anyway."

Beth released a huff and scoffed, "I thought Charity was supposed to, I don't know, generous?"

With little reaction to her rude tone, Dee added, "You may stay here for as long as it takes for you to get better. But your group staying here will pose as a threat to the safety of the community here. I'm assuming that the streets of the city are full of people looking for all of you, and I'd rather not have them come knocking down our doors."

I wanted to say she was being harsh, but, how could I? She wasn't wrong. I was just hoping that the news wouldn't have reached here yet. No one spoke up or dared to question her reasoning.

Getting to her feet, she offered to show us to where there were some spare beds. They were reminiscent of the dorms in Law & Protection, but bigger. She pointed to the far corner and told us to ask anyone if we need any supplies.

"Which of you are hurt?"

I stepped forward and showed her my wounded shoulder. She did a similar gasp as the other girl. It must have gotten too hard to fight off the curiosity as my comrades clustered behind me.

"Woah, it's like, black," Hector said, sounding both disgusted by the sight of my injury as well as being in awe of it.

That doesn't sound good. Dee took hold of my arms and escorted me from the room. As she led me through the decorated hallways, she glanced down at me.

"How did you hear about 'Ruth Allaway'?" she asked. I took a moment to watch her, trying to decipher her intentions. Her eyes were full of curiosity, but she still had that shadow of a smirk. Something told me I could tell her what we had been doing.

I looked around to check if we were alone before saying, "We found a file about her from Science."

She released a little 'aha' noise as we continued our walk. "Are you in charge of that little group?"

Thinking back to the way everyone still looked to Tate, I shrugged and nodded. Dee pushed open the double doors ahead of us. This room was different from the atmosphere of the rest of the building. It still had a very calming aura, but you could sense a slightly tense underlying feeling. People bustled around the room, scurrying to and from different beds around the room. A sterile smell swayed under my nose. Unlike Science, it was accompanied herby scents.

I followed instructions and took a seat on a vacant bed. Another person hurried over and stood by Dee. Asked if I could lift my arms, I attempted to raise them over my head, but pain darted along my back and one arm. Hands helped move me to lie down on my front with my face sinking into the soft pillow. Smooth metal glided along my spine as my t-shirt was cut open. A finger circled around my shoulder, leaving pricks on my back.

"Hold onto my hand, this is going to hurt," the man said in a comforting voice as he held his hand to mine. I gave him a wary look but the feeling of something warm touching my wound, my hand clung to his. A searing pain rocketed down my body. My nails dug into his hand while a roar ripped itself out of me. My face was damped by a mixture of tears and sweat. Black dots appeared in front of me. The room began to swirl, and the walls started to waver. A warmth spread over my head just as my body gave out and fell into complete darkness. 

By the time I reopened my eyes, it was dark. The only source of light was some spaced out candles dotted around the room. I dropped my gaze to look at my chest. A white bandage was wrapped around me. I traced its path, it feeling rough against my fingertips. My hand trailed around to reach a lump of gauze. Nothing happened. Frowning, I pressed my fingers into its softness. Despite the pressure, my shoulder didn't react. I could feel the gauze push against my skin but it didn't hurt. How? I wasn't very knowledgeable on medical treatment, but I knew that it shouldn't have stopped hurting so quickly.

No matter how much I tried to twist and turn my body, there was no way for me to see the spot. My eyes scanned the room for any movement. The only thing that did move was the odd flipping over of sleeping bodies. My curiosity got the best of me as I slipped out of bed. My feet slid silently across the floor while I wandered, looking for a bathroom. It didn't take long to find one that was empty when I had come across it. Walking up to the small mirror, I turned around so I could see my back. I carefully shifted the bandage so my shoulder was visible. Remembering people's obvious shock by it, my mouth fell open. The only sign of an injury was a small red circle. My hand ran over it to examine it closer. The circle was slightly raised but that was it. No cuts, bruises, or anything.

It was perfectly healed.

/// Yesterday marks the day when I finished my first novel, Listen! Now the third of March will have a special place in my heart. I'm going to up my uploading schedule to two times a week. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! ///