Chapter 4 EVE

"You are up", a finely dressed, handsome young man standing a few distance away from my bed said as he walked up to me. Placing his palm gently on my forehead, he checked my temperature.

I stared at him, trying to figure out who he was. I hadn't seen him among the healers hovering around earlier. If I had, I would have definitely recognized him. His striking looks were impossible to miss.

Sitting up, I looked around and immediately noticed I was in a different room from the one they had taken me to earlier. They must have moved me in my sleep.

"How long was I asleep? I asked.

This was my first time alone with a man other than my slave driver, and it felt very weird.

"You were asleep for two days," he replied calmly. He sounded very friendly. My instincts told me he was a good man. It had never led me astray before, and it wasn't about to start now. It calmed me a little.

"Where am I?" I asked. I massaged my forehead in an attempt to calm the slight headache I felt forming.

This wasn't the question I wanted to ask. I was more interested with what I heard in the harvesting ground. I definitely heard someone say I wasn't a parasite before I was taken out of there, but I was too scared to ask that, just in case I heard wrongly. I wasn't about to be accused of denying my assigned sect. That was a crime punishable by death. The last thing I needed right now was someone sending me back to the harvesting ground, enraged over something I said or did. Waiting patiently for an answer, I hoped he cleared my confusion.

"The relaxant given to you is only effective on parasites. It would be ineffective on any other sect. You were very responsive after drinking it throwing everyone into confusion." He replied with a light chuckle.

"What sect do I then belong to?" I asked eagerly. The excitement I felt hearing him confirm my thoughts was beyond this world. Maybe that was what the rib poker was trying to figure out. There was no need to ask why we were given relaxants, the answer was quite obvious. They didn't want to hear our screams of agony while they had their wicked way with us. They would rather we were quiet and ductile. It would make everything easier.

"The Healers have agreed to take you in as an apprentice." He replied, folding his hands.

That wasn't exactly the answer to my question. Why did they need to agree to take me in?

"You will learn all you need to know about healing." He continued, worsening my confusion. Why couldn't he just give me direct answers?

My mind went down the usual route of formulating conspiracy theories; what is going on? Am I a healer, am I not a healer?

He touched my shoulders gently and spoke so calmly, all my anxiety seemed to fade away, along with all my pressing questions. Suddenly, I wanted to do whatever he asked me to do with no objections and was ready to believe whatever he said. I felt so light-headed.

Just because I want to do something doesn't mean I should, I told myself. Besides, this wasn't the time to be absent-minded.

I pulled myself out of the light headedness and faced him squarely.

"Why are you avoiding my questions? Why would the Healers need to accept me? I must belong somewhere. What sect do I belong to? Why won't you tell me?"

He looked surprised by my sudden outburst of questions, but quickly regained his composure.

"I see! Mind-numbing isn't very effective on you as well," he chuckled. "You have a powerful mind young lady, that's good. You will need it around here. Now, to answer your question, the only certainty we have is that you are not a parasite. We have not been able to determine your sect".

"How is that possible? The headache I was fighting came back in full force. Clutching the bed covers more tightly, I hid my panic.

What was he trying to imply? How were they not able to determine my sect? Was that even possible?

He must have seen the confusion in my eyes and blessed me with a direct answer this time.

"You have the traits of two sects in your source; Healers and Royals. The Healers have agreed to take you in as their own."

I could sense he hadn't been entirely truthful. There was more to the story than he was letting on. The Healers couldn't have agreed to take me, they were more likely forced to do it. In a world where we are grouped by our gifts, how could someone like me even exist? I went from having no gifts to having two unique gifts. The royals must have rejected me. I don't see them accepting a weirdo?

I couldn't help but laugh at the irony of the situation. Am I just supposed to believe I have both healing and royal traits in me? If this was true, how had I ended up in the Parasite hall to begin with?

He didn't look impressed with my sudden outburst of laughter. So, I pulled myself together.

"I know nothing about healing.''

"You will learn. We all do.'' He replied gently.

"Aren't healers born with the gift, why would they need to learn?"

Now that I was thinking about it, I realized that I didn't know anything about any sect. Even if I was assigned to a different sect, I would be just as screwed.

"We are born with the gift, not the knowledge of how to use it. Everything else is learnt in school".

I shrank back into the sheets stricken with fear by the implication of what he just said.

Did I have to go to school? What would that even be like? I would have to coexist with my school mates, how would they treat me?

"There is no need to fret''

He was doing that weird thing again, trying to make me calm.

"That didn't work the first time, what makes you think it would work now?" I murmured, still stricken with fear.

He sighed, "what would you like to be called?'

"Evelyn bolt" I replied. I earned that name. There was no way I was changing it now.

A guard walked into the room and whispered something in his ears. His face lit up immediately in excitement. They must have delivered good news.

"He would take you home". He said, pointing toward a guard stationed outside the door. Then turned to leave.

Home? What was he talking about? Who was he?

"Wait! Please" I called out to him desperately

"I just need some answers. Please."

"Asking questions could get you in trouble child, just follow the guard home," he chided.

"Can I at least know who you are?" I asked. I needed something to help ease my confusion a little.

"My name is Alexander Wales. You can call me Archie. Everyone calls me that. I'm the 10th healer, and you would be my first apprentice."

He looked at me with an expression that said "I dare you to ask me more questions".

I never considered myself stupid, so I kept my mouth shut. It didn't seem like I was in any kind of danger, and home meant his home. I could live with that.

He continued on his way out of the room. On reaching the door, he placed his hand on the doorknob and turned back to me with a smile on his face.

"How old are you?"

"I'm 21." I replied, "I would rather you call me Eve as opposed to young lady or child." I was neither of those.

He gave a satisfied nod and exited the room.