In Plain Sight

Chapter Five

Luna couldn't believe her eyes as Emmett lay sprawled out on her store floor. His hair was no longer neatly combed, but swirled in every other direction. He was pale, his breathing shallow as he lay still.

Luna began to wonder what a Valor trainee and a civilian were doing out in a snowstorm of this magnitude. She turned her attention to the doors and then back to Emmett. Who, or what, had he been running from that would require putting a protection spell on the whole store?

"Luna!" Harlow snapped, grabbing Luna's attention, returning it to their current situation.

"Yeah, right." Luna nodded, "Okay, we can't get them upstairs, so I need you to grow to grab a few things from my room and a first aid kit!"

Harlow nodded as Luna explained to her exactly what they would need to help them. Harlow disappeared up the stairs, with haste, repeating the list of items to herself. Luna turned her attention to the other man, the one she didn't recognize. He was almost unconscious, his blood seeping through his shirt and onto the floor.

"Tell me your name," Luna spoke, bending down beside the stranger.

The man looked at Luna, his bright, orange eyes meeting Luna's white ones. She sighed in relief, learning she didn't have to worry about using magic around him.

"Nathan," he mumbled, the corner of his mouth dribbled with blood, "What're you going to do?"

"Well, Nathan, I'm going to try to heal your wound," Luna answered, her eyes locking with his.

She lifted Nathan's shirt to reveal the gash under his rib cage.

He winced, feeling the fresh air on his wound. Luna examined the cut to the best of her ability, as the blood had smeared around most of his stomach and side. The gash appeared to be about two inches long, and an inch wide. She couldn't tell how deep it seemed, she only knew he wouldn't last much longer if she didn't close the wound soon.

"So I'm gonna die," he mumbled, taking off his beanie to reveal a mess of black hair.

"Nathan you're going to be fine," Luna sighed rolling her eyes, "I don't like making promises I can't keep."

"Do your thing, kid." Nathan chuckled, leaning his head back, allowing as his body relaxed. He placed his beanie over his face, letting Luna work in peace.

"I'm sorry about this," Luna mumbled. Nathan attempted to ask her what she meant until he felt Luna's hands press over his open wound.

Nathan yelled out, glaring at Luna as he bit onto his beanie. Luna closed her eyes, focusing on the shape and details of the wound. She envisioned the blood coming to a halt making the skin around the gash connect again. She could feel the flesh weaving itself back together beneath her fingertips. Luna continued to feel the warmth emitting from her palms. The energy around her became soothing as a sweet aroma began to rise through the air.

Removing her bloodied hands, Luna examined Nathan's side. A small patch of bright pink skin lay where the gash had once been. They each sighed in relief, looking at each other and then back at the wound.

"Well look at that," Nathan smiled, "I still feel like shit though."

"You'll have to give me some time on that," Luna said, wiping her hands on Nathan's pants.

"Luna,"

Luna and Nathan turned their heads to see Harlow, holding the first aid kit as well as a medium-sized, wood box.

"Perfect," Luna said, walking over to Harlow, taking the box from her. "You can clean off Nathan while I go check on idiot number two."

"Thanks for not killing me!" Nathan called after her, a smirk o his face.

Luna continued past Harlow, and over to Emmett's barely conscious body. She sat down beside him, her legs crossed as she placed the box into her lap. The old oak was now dull and cracking from age. The texture and stability, however, remained smooth and sturdy for many more years of use. The corners of her mouth twitched, attempting to form a smile.

Luna recalled the day she received this box from her mother. It was a gift passed down from each generation of her family. It was considered an honor to receive the tools of your elders, especially at such a young age as Luna had. Her mother had been so excited when she gave her daughter the gift. She went on, telling Luna how proud she was of how far she'd come in her abilities.

Luna opened the box, her eyes gleaming as she searched the beautiful contents of the box. There lay a variety of tools and ingredients, each set allowing Luna to make a variety of strong potions. Empty vials lay in small rows, as well as pieces of old parchment, each one a potion left from a previous owner of the box. Luna searched through the old recipes gently, afraid any misuse of the delicate parchment would cause it to crumble.

"There we go," Luna smiled, lifting up her great-grandmother's recipe.

Luna began to focus, grabbing herbs and flowers, combining them into her mortar. She worked, as though in a trance, as she crushed the herbs and added her ingredients together. The movements coming to her naturally.

"Harlow!" Luna called, "I need my vodka bottle!"

"Isn't it a little early to be drinking?" Harlow called back as she ran to the back of the kitchen.

"You do know I don't drink this stuff, right?" Luna asked, raising an eyebrow as Harlow handed her a half-empty bottle.

"Well I do, you freakin' weirdo," Harlow replied as she turned away to return to Nathan.

Luna unscrewed the lid of the vodka bottle, pouring a small amount into an empty vial. She traded the bottle for her the crushed powder that now lay in her mortar. Grabbing a small funnel from the box, she positioned it onto the vial and began to pour the mixture. Placing a cork to hold the contents in place, Luna shook the vial, mixing the potion together.

"The last thing," Luna mumbled to herself, holding the vial to her chest.

She closed her eyes once more, concentrating on herself this time. She let her mind clear as she focused on the energy of her own magic power. A warm sensation began to run through her body, giving her a feeling of temporary euphoria. She focused on the sensation, moving it as she began to first envision her hands, and then the bottle. Her hands began to grow cold as the energy left her body, entering the vial itself, giving it a blue tint.

"There," Luna huffed, her face drained of color. She held the vial in front of her, cradling it in her hands as she beamed with pride at her creation.

Luna placed herself at the head of Emmett's body, lifting up his head and placing it on her lap. She pulled the cork from its place, bringing the vial to Emmett's lips. She tipped the vial slightly, allowing the thick, blue liquid to travel through.

"I know you're barely there, Emmett," she spoke, "but I need you to drink this."

Emmett's eyebrows furrowed as the bitter taste of the medicine hit his tongue. After a bit more encouragement, he began to swallow, almost gulping down half of the vial. Luna removed the potion, replacing the cork and placing the vial back inside her backpack. Emmett's eyes began to open, and Luna once again found herself locked in his gaze.

"What- what was that?" he asked, his voice not even above a whisper.

"I made a potion," Luna replied. "Now please, get off me."

Emmett looked at her for a moment before realizing his position. He rushed to roll over, hitting his face on the smooth tile. Luna held back a few giggles, before standing and helping Emmett to his feet. She placed his arm around her shoulders as she began to lead him to Nathan.

"Now, since you two are all better," Luna began, helping Emmett to collapse into the nearest chair.

"You can tell us what's going on," Harlow finished.