Fractured Worlds (Worlds Away #1)

Mae Chapter 41: Searching

I followed everyone out of the room, leaving Magda, Justin, and Brela with the girl. They knew what they were doing. With that assurance, I shut the door.

"Go take a break," I commanded the two guards. They looked relieved, and with a nod, they left. Verra excused herself and left to check on her other patients. Only Edoline and I remained.

The vivifica was silent as I paced the hall. My thoughts raced, then finally, I had enough.

"Are you not going to say anything?" I snapped.

"I was letting you think," Edoline said, her voice neutral despite my harsh tone.

"About what? About how the girl reacted to me?" I pointed to the door and the girl behind. "You saw as well as I did, she was terrified of me. She screamed bloody murder when she saw my face."

"She could have very well been overwhelmed by the amount of people."

"No, that's not what that was. You don't scream because of that. She screamed like she had seen a demon, and that's all anyone will see of me. No matter what I do, what I've done, that's all they see me as, a demon walking in human skin. They fear me, and within all rights. I'm an eternal. What else am I beside a cold-blooded killer?"

"No one sees you as that." Edoline's voice was soft, gentle, and that's what fueled my anger more.

Justin left the room before I could burst. He gave us no words as he walked away. It gave me enough time to collect myself. I buried all my anger down, pulling my stoic mask up once again. Edoline remained silent, her ever calculating gaze on me. She didn't need to say anything.

We were silent until Magda left the room.

"Brela's got her calm again, thankfully," the doctor told us.

"Good," Edoline said. We stepped aside to let Justin enter, a tray of food in his hands. Magda got the door for him, Justin thanking her as he disappeared inside once again.

"She also got her to eat something, so that's a step up. I don't know why, but the girl trusts Brela."

"That is good," Edoline said. "Anyone who can help her feel at ease will make her become more comfortable here."

I nodded, agreeing with Edoline.

"Do we know anything about her? Her name? Her home world?" I asked.

Magda shook her head. "She hasn't spoken a word."

"She most likely does not understand us," Edoline said.

"We will have to give her a translator later; I doubt she will let us do anything to her. She is terrified," Magda pointed out.

"She awoke in an unknown location, with strange people around her. We can not blame her," Edoline pointed out.

"I certainly don't," Magda muttered.

We stopped talking as the door handle turned, waiting for either Brela or Justin to emerge. It took a second before Justin stepped out. Inside the room, I spotted Brela sitting on the bed with the girl before Justin shut the door.

"She speaks English," Justin said. "And her name is Rayja."

"You got more out of her in two minutes than I did in ten," Magda said, impressed.

"It was all Brela. Rayja trusts her, whether it was because of the food or because Brela was the first one to speak her native language, I'm not sure. Either way, it helps us. If she trusts us, then we can protect her from the eternals."

"Did you ask her about her abilities?" I asked. I had to be sure she wasn't a threat to MEPA.

"Brela did, but she wasn't ready to speak. We didn't want to push her."

"Understandable, but we need those answers. We need to know if Rayja can control her powers or if she is a potential threat."

Justin nodded. "We will get them as soon as possible."

"Thank you. I leave Rayja in your hands." I nodded towards Magda, Justin, and Brela behind the door. "She trusts you, and we need to nurse that trust before we can expand it. We need her to understand that we are here to help, and I believe you can accomplish that."

The two guards were returning, and just in time. I addressed them as they took up their posts once more. "No one is to enter that room but Dr. Jelen, Justin, and Brela. Until they say so, they are the only ones allowed in there. Is that understood?"

"Yes ma'am." The one on the right said.

"Good. They have complete authority in this matter."

The guards nodded.

"Director, I would like to hear what Layla called us to the library for," Edoline said.

"I would go too, but I still have a few things I need to take care of," Magda said.

"I'll have a copy sent down to you," I said. Magda nodded in thanks, then left to continue her rounds. With no words, Edoline followed me towards the library.

༺❀༻

Edoline was silent as the tape ended. Her eyes fluttered around, thoughts rushing through her head. I could see her trying to piece things together, to understand everything that was given to her.

She turned to Layla. "May I see everything that you have on the Chosen?" She asked.

"Sure. One second." Layla disappeared into her pile of notes, muttering to herself as she shuffled through them.

I looked away from the librarian and to the vivifica. "What are you thinking?" I asked.

"If we can identify the Chosen, we may be able to learn more about Zerbelgrim and these three siblings. It is possible that the information may give us more clues and our next lead to follow."

I nodded, seeing her train of thought. The search to prevent Zerbelgrim's powers had yet to yield anything of use; this text might be what we needed. The origins of the Chosen could very well hold the answers we needed or provide a clue as to where we could find those answers.

"Here." Layla set a few papers on the table. I moved closer to Edoline, reading over her shoulder. The combined stack of notes was not as much as I had hoped for.

"This is all you got from the text?" I asked, looking over to Layla.

"Yes, but some of it is my own notes and guesses. I was able to piece together some clues of her identity based on the description. A lot of it is just assumptions, but maybe you two can figure something out."

"Thank you." Taking my nod as a dismissal, Layla left, leaving Edoline and I to the papers. Turning to her, I said, "Shall we?"

And so, we did.