Finding Grace: The Guardian Chronicles Book One

Chapter 10. Little Details*

Chapter 10. Details in the Fabric by Jason Mraz

I listened to the words Evan said, but could not believe I had heard her correctly. With each sentence she spoke, I became more and more alarmed. I remembered the Chapel. Apparently it was in the same place as it always had been, even after renovations and expansions of the old hospital. When Evan started talking about old photos, I remembered sitting for such a portrait when I had finished my medical training there at that hospital. I was so proud of myself, proud of what I had become then. I had wanted to be a doctor ever since I had carried my father's medical bag on house calls starting at the age of six. He and I were different in many ways, but I had always admired his attentiveness for his patients. He was not quite so attentive at home, preferring solitude, which is where we differed. I loved family life. It was what I missed most about my human life...the feeling of belonging to someone.

Evan said the words I partly dreaded, partly hoped to hear. She had seen me, at least someone she thought looked like me. And that someone had my name. Her human logic would not let her believe it was me.

I stared at the flames in the hearth. I could not believe that an old photo, one I would have never thought was still displayed would expose me. Sure, my name was bound to be somewhere at the old hospital, but I did not think it would ever have reason to come up. I tried to decide how to answer her, but did not have success for several minutes.

I did not think I was ready for her to know what I was, at least not yet, so I tried to think of what I could say without telling an outright lie. We were not to expose the existence of our kind to humans, according to the code we existed by if we wanted peace. I did not have any idea what to say so I sat in silence for a while then decided to stall instead of give up anything more.

"That is really something," I ended up saying. "My family has been here for a long time. I'll have to check and see what I can find out, if there is an old relation of mine who worked at the old hospital. I have an old family name, or so I am told." When I noticed how tired Evan appeared, I abruptly asked, "Do you think you are ready to go to bed?"

"What," she replied in a surprised voice, tired eyes bright in their hollows.

"You've been up all night, and it is nearly eleven a.m. I just figured you were probably dead on your feet," I said, not understanding her surprise.

"Oh. Whew! I thought you meant something else. I know you've been very helpful to me, but it's a little early to be talking about going to bed," Evan said, her face and neck turning a bright red as soon as the words were out of her mouth. She smiled and gave a little laugh, trying to make a joke of it.

"You thought...No! I honestly was only concerned about you being tired." I was not ready to deal with the forward way young women's minds worked in this day and age.

"Really, I was trying to make a joke, it didn't come out right. And yeah, I am really tired." She was serious again, looking uncomfortable with what she had said. I didn't know what to say to make her feel better, then also realized she had said it was too early to talk of such things, and had not jumped at the chance to go to bed with me. Maybe she was not as forward as I had initially thought.