Chapter 108 The Healer

No one can lie,

No one can hide anything,

When he looks directly into someone's eyes.

-Paulo Coelho

Emma

When we reach the front lawn of Rain and Storm's house, I take a deep breath. I hoped to never set foot here again, but part of me has always known it was unavoidable.

"What are we doing here?" It's the first time Finn has spoken since we drove away from the pond in the forest. His voice sounds fragile and scared. "Where are we going?"

"Emma and Burns are going to take care of a few things," Blake says, "you and I are going to wait in the van until they come back. We need to be quiet, okay? It's secret agent stuff."

Finn crosses his arms and narrows his eyes. "I'm eight, not five. Don't treat me like a baby."

A giggle escapes my lips when I see Blake's expression. Outdone by a kid.

"Fine," Blake says, "I won't treat you like a kid. So listen to me then. They're going to do something risky and the two of us are staying here. Got it?"

Finn's lip starts to tremble and Blake sighs. "Great," he mutters.

"Will you be okay, Blake?" Burns asks.

"We'll be fine," he says, "you two should go before they come out to see what's going on."

"We'll be back as soon as possible," I say.

...

Burns and I walk up to the house and Burns presses my hand. "It will be alright," he says.

I nod, but before I can reply, the door is thrown open and Rain runs op to us. "Sky!" she calls happily and she hugs me tightly.

"Rain," I choke out. There's no way back now.

"It's been such a long time! Where have you been? Why didn't you call? Is this Burns? He's so handsome. Hi, I'm Rain. I'm Sky's friend. You've just missed Ocean and Core, they went back home for a few days. Come in! Storm! Look who came to visit!"

I had forgotten what Rain can be like. I hardly get a word in and she's not waiting for answers.

Storm comes out to greet us next. "Sky!" he smiles. He embraces me and kisses my cheek. "We're so happy to see you. Come sit. You have to tell us where you have been."

"C-can we sit in the garden?" I stutter nervously, "it's such lovely weather."

"Of course," Storm smiles. He looks at Rain. "Could you please get some more chairs? We can sit here in the shadow."

"No problem," Rain says, "and I'll get some drinks too."

A few minutes later we're sitting in the shadow of a large tree with drinks and snacks.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Burns," Storm says, "we have heard so much about you from Ocean and Core. And from Scales too of course."

Burns laughs. "I feel a little embarrassed that you have met all my friends before meeting me."

Storm laughs too. "We knew Sky was in good hands with you. We are so glad she found you. She was very determined."

"Yes," Burns smiles while looking at me. "I'm glad she found me too."

I smile nervously.

"Awww you're all shy," Rain coos, "it is so adorable."

Being shy has nothing to do with it. I want to run away from this place and never look back, but I have to keep up appearances. I owe them that much. And Sky too. They were part of her life. The life Burns and I have stolen. Or rather, taken back.

I don't blame them. They were just doing their jobs as Healers. I don't even blame Patt. It wasn't his fault. I have no one to blame but myself. If I hadn't run away, none of this would have happened.

But on the other hand, if this hadn't happened, where would I be now?

"I'm sorry we didn't come sooner," Burns says apologetic. He smiles sheepishly. "We were distracted."

It's not even a lie, though Rain and Storm will give it a completely different reason than us.

"Oh, all is forgiven, Burns," Rain smiles deviously, "we understand. And you're here now. You are spending the night, aren't you?"

"Well actually..." I start, "we can't stay long." I bite my lip. "We were just driving through. You see..." I'm frantically trying to come up with an excuse.

"I have an assignment," Burns says, "another exploring job. It's some distance away, but we came by your place and we have felt so guilty for not visiting, so we had to stop by to say hello."

"Oh," Rain's face falls, "I see."

"I'm really sorry," I whisper. I don't trust my voice.

"No. A Calling should be honored," Rain says, "there's no need to apologize. I'm happy for you that you found your partner."

All I feel is guilt.

I force out a smile. "I'm happy too." My mind is occupied with other things. Are Blake and Finn okay? There's food and water in the van, but there is still a risk of being found out.

"Sky?" Rain pulls me from my thoughts.

"Sorry," I say, "I was distracted."

She laughs. "Yes, that much was obvious. You've been staring off in space for ten minutes. Are we that boring?"

"No, of course not," I hurry to say, "tell me how things have been here." At least if she's talking I don't have to come up with lies. And it seems to work because Rain starts of a story that I only half pay attention to, but I manage to nod and laugh at all the right moments.

"You two have to come back once you've finished your assignment, Burns," Storm suddenly says, "we will get the entire group together and have a barbeque in the backyard. You can stay here if you like so you'll be here when Ocean's baby is born."

My breath hitches and I choke on my drink.

"Sky!" Rain says shocked.

"I'm fine," I wheeze, "just need to remember not to breathe and swallow at the same time."

She sighs in relief. "You scared me."

"You know me," I attempt a joke, "always clumsy." I cough. "I'll just get some water."

"I'll go with you," Burns offers quickly. He smiles at Rain and Storm. "We'll be right back." We walk into the house and I guide Burns towards the kitchen where we have some privacy. "Are you alright, Emma?" Burns asks softly, "if you want to leave, I can make up some excuse."

"We can't raise suspicion," I say. My breath is still raspy and I fill a glass with water. Hopefully it will calm my nerves.

It's been a while since I've last been in this house, but everything still looks the same. An ordinary home with post-its and pictures on the fridge, flowers on the table and dishes on the counter.

I take off my sunglasses and splash water in my face. "What should we do?" I ask, "they'll want us to come back over again. I don't think I can do that. I can't keep pretending."

Burns rubs my arm. "We'll come up with something."

I let my breath escape and crawl into Burns' embrace. "I'm glad you're here with me," I say.

Burns' arms tighten around me. "I will always be here."

Glass breaks nearby and we turn around. Rain is kneeled in the doorway, picking up the shattered glass. "Sorry," she says, "I'm so clumsy. The tray slipped out of my hands. Could you help me please, Burns?" her voice comes out rushed.

"Of course," Burns says. He walks up to her and kneels down to help her.

She leans over to him and whispers, but the kitchen is so small that I can hear her words perfectly. "Burns, don't panic, but I don't think that is Sky. We must call the Seekers. I don't know how, but she is human."

I stiffen. She knows. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. She was Sky's closest friend.

Burns stays calm. He looks at Rain and sighs. "I know," he says.

Rain blinks confused. "You... know? But..." Her gaze finds mine. I'm still rooted, but Rain slowly gets up. "You know she's human? What... Where's Sky! We... we knew she had a resistant host, but... where is she? Did you hurt her?! Storm! Come quick!"

"Rain please..." Burns says, "this is Emma. She's not dangerous. Please let us explain..."

But Rain won't calm down. "What did you do?!" She stares at Burns wide-eyed. "You... you would hurt our own kind? You sided with humans?! How could you..."

"It's not like that, Rain," Burns tries again, but Rain shakes her head in horror and turns to run.

Before she can make it out the door however, Blake is suddenly there. I see him raise his hand and in the next second, Rain falls down. Burns catches her and carefully lowers her to the ground.

Everything after that is hazy. I can see Blake and Burns talking, but no sound seems to come from their mouths.

Burns leaves the kitchen with Rain in his arms and I'm not sure if she's dead or just unconscious. Then Blake is in front of me. His mouth is moving and he seems angry, though I have no idea why.

The next thing I know is that my cheek is stinging.

I gaps. "Ow!"

"Sorry," Blake says stiffly.

I touch my cheek and sigh. "It's okay."

"You can't freeze up like that, squirky," he tells me.

I nod. "I know."

"Because if you freeze up, it puts all of us in danger."

"I know," I say again, "but they were Sky's friends and I was..."

He doesn't seem to hear me. He just keeps talking. "... can't always protect you. You have to fight..."

"I know!"

"...know you are tougher than that and I can't..."

"I'm..."

"...lose you again!"

"...sorry!" I shout.

We're both quiet now, but I caught his last words. We stare at each other awkwardly, neither of us knowing what to say.

"Are the monsters dead now?" a small voice sounds from the door.

We both turn to look at Finn, who is watching us quietly.

Blake sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. He looks tired. "I told you to stay in the van."

"You didn't come back," Finn states.

Blake sighs again and runs a hand through his hair.

I clear my throat awkwardly. "I'm... gonna help Burns." Quickly I make my way out of the kitchen.

...

I find Burns in the living room. He sits kneeled next to the couch where Rain and Storm lie unconscious. He doesn't look up when I approach and his expression is troubled.

Though his voice is soft when he finally speaks, it still startles me. "Do you know where they keep the cryotanks?"

That's right. They had a storage in their house for the equipment for the Healing Center. I think carefully. "Yeah," I whisper. I remember.

I watch Burns uncertain. His expression is sealed and I'm afraid he'll shut me out again, like that time the others brought that Soul to the hide out. Now there are two other Souls lying here. I can't help but feel it's my fault.

"Burns?" I can hear my own voice breaking when I say his name. I'm terrified that he'll push me away.

Burns looks up. I don't know what he reads on my face, but he stands up and locks his arms around me. A kiss lands somewhere in my hair.

I hug him back and we stand like that for a moment. We stare at each other sadly and I bite my lip. "I'll get the cryotanks."