Unfazed

Chapter Nine

Catherine was sitting on the bed, her thoughts swirling around like whirlpool. She couldn't add the pieces together, how is that possible? She was in Virginia, did they actually teleport to another country? Or another planet? Where are they?

It's impossible, Catherine thought.

"There must be a sane explanation", Catherine yelped, while Noah was quietly gazing at Catherine's now swollen ankle.

Noah new she has been so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice her ankle anymore.

The window was still open, the petrichor emanating from the land outside of manor filled the room, it reminded Catherine of the wet front yard of her home. Home it was, where her mother and father would sit at the patio with an idyllic smile, sipping their coffee while looking at Joe and Catherine playing in the rain.

It was another moment of reality when Catherine was reminded about the penurious luck she possessed, and that she was an orphan again.

"Catherine", Noah said while pacing from one end of the room to another. Catherine looked at Noah, her eyes trying to belie the pain she was feeling right now.

"How do you know and Ms. Aritzvah ?", Noah asked.

"Who?", Catherine replied. She did not know anyone named Aritzvah.

"Ms. Aritzvah? I saw her picture on your laptop.", Noah replied.

"Ummm,I didn't show you any pictures on my laptop ", Catherine replied, her eyebrows furrowed and nose scrunched up quizzically, as if trying to corroborate the her statement.

"Uhh, yeah, I saw it on your screen when I brought you pizza.", Noah said, while he stopped pacing around the room and looked at Catherine in an embarrassment.

"I didn't mean to-", he said.

"Its fine", Catherine said cutting him in the middle of the sentence. She knew it's a futile conversation.

"Sh-She is my biological mother and her name is Loreilai Ortiz.", Catherine replied.

Noah wasn't surprised at hearing this. He had made the juxtaposition of Ms. Aritzvah and Catherine in her head and the similarities were apposite.

"Lorelai Ortiz?", Noah asked, this is what caught his attention, he continued "Are you sure?"

Catherine nodded before saying "Yes. I'm sure.", Catherine didn't feel any obligation to tell Noah how did she know that Loreilai was her mother, or how did she get her picture. The truth was that she felt guilty about it. Catherine felt guilty about spying and trying to find out the identity of her biological mother while she was still living with her parents.
The people who gave her shelter, food and above all, her life a meaning.  She felt like a crook and she was ashamed of it.

"Well, that's Ms. Aritzvah, unless she has an identical twin.", Noah said sheepishly.

"She was my neighbour", he added.

"What? She lived here? In Virginia?", Catherine followed trying not to look nonplussed, because she shouldn't seem intrigued by a woman who left her at the orphanage doorstep twenty years ago. Right?
It would be an insult to the Moore's.

"Yes! I spent most of my childhood at her house.", Noah replied, he tried to hide the excitement in his voice when he realised how Catherine would feel about this.

"She-She abandoned me and lived happily in Virginia?", Catherine said spitefully. She tried but couldn't hide the sudden aversion she felt for Lorelai.

Noah's tongue ran across his lower lip, it was something he did when he was anxious.

"You're diverting from the point here", Noah said pensively.

"Which is?", Catherine replied while raising her eyebrow. Noah opened his mouth to speak but he heard footsteps approach the room and then the doorknob twisted.

The boy who came in earlier entered the room. "Mr. Valentin is here to attend to your injury.", the boy announced.

Catherine and Noah didn't utter a word. Their gaze met and darted back to the boy who bowed and retrieved his footsteps back outside the room.

A tall man with a long white beard entered the room. He was wearing the same cloak like everybody else except his clock was made of green velvet with a different pattern sewn along the hem, the collar and the belt.

"Good day, fellas.", Valentin greeted both of them.

Noah gave a weak smile and walked towards the bed where Catherine was seated. Catherine was searching for a first aid kit in Valentin's hands but both his hands were empty.

Maybe they are bringing him a first aid kit or maybe he'll just prescribe me a painkiller, she thought.

Valentin walked towards the bedpost and sat right next to where Catherine's foot was placed. Noah was standing next to Catherine now.

Valentin passed a smile to his customer and placed three fingers on Catherine's swollen ankle and pressed it lightly.

Catherine flinched in pain while her hand grabbed Noah's tightly.

Valentin traced his fingers along the ankle again pressing it lightly. Catherine hissed again and squeezed Noah hand firmly. Noah cursed under his breath, Catherine's nails digging at the back of his hand.

"It's the bone", Valentin told Catherine.

"What bone?", Catherine asked.

"Don't worry I'll fix it. It might hurt a little though", Valentin replied while resuming with his work.

He closed his eyes and traced an eight figure in the air, just above Catherine's ankle, with four fingers of his right hand.

A bone cracking sound came from Catherine's foot and she cried in pain. She felt sharp stabbing pain in her foot, one second it felt like a pain of gunshot and the next it was as good as gone.

"It's done.",Valentin said with a smile and added "The swelling will be gone by tomorrow ."

Catherine just sat there gazing at her once injured foot. She tried to curl her toe and rotate her feet from side to side in order to feel the pain but it was gone. Her ankle didn't pain anymore.

"How did you do that?", Catherine's voice shuddered, appalled by what Mr. Valentin did just now.

"What do you mean? I'm an Aduivas.", Valentin replied holding Catherine's gaze. Valentin looked at Catherine and then at Noah, he was sceptical about the two. He sensed they were oblivious to what was happening.

"Who-", Catherine's question was interrupted by Noah. "are the Healers. We know",Noah replied with a smile on his face and bowed, trying to reassure Valentin that they were not incognizant of this world.

"Very well. I should leave.", Valentin said taking a bow and leaving the room.

"How do you know about this?", Catherine asked. Before Noah could reply Catherine continued "Where are we Noah? What is this place? And-and what just happened? How did that man fix my ankle like that?"

"Easy there", Noah said holding Catherine's shoulder  while sitting next to her at the edge of the bed.

"You are not going to like what's coming next", Noah said, Catherine opened her mouth to say something but Noah cut her off.

"No. listen to me, Catherine. I know about this world. Your mother told me about it."