Chain Me

Calm Before The Storm

     The General promised me that Lost and I would have time to acclimate to our new surroundings, so I'm using the new day to learn where everything is and change things to my liking. Lost is in the shower right now, humming a song I've never heard, and I'm in the kitchen, trying to reach those damned stack of plates too high for me to reach. I don't know who thought putting something as essential as plates so high was a good idea, but it's definitely not. Which is weird because most everything else is at a reachable level. Some outrageously tall person clearly wanted to make trouble.
     Groaning, I extend to my full reach and manage to lure the stack of plates out a little, just enough to cover my fingertips. Now it all comes down to balance. The stack should tip over and all I have to do is catch and bring it down. Easy.
     But I vastly underestimated the weight of the stack and end up only catching the last three plates in the stack. The others on top fall over my head as I duck and I curse as they crash to the floor around my feet. They shatter, sending shards everywhere, and I clutch the perfect plates in my arms, not wanting to move. My feet are bare and I'm in no mood to pick glass from my skin.
     "Don't move," Lost suddenly says, scaring me and causing me to drop the rest of the plates. She winces. "Sorry. Please don't move." Then she steps easily over the glass, on it, and wraps an arm around my waist. Her feet are bare, too, and I start to say something but she pulls me to her and lifts, carrying me away from the mess. She places me carefully in the living area then lets me go and moves away to inspect me. "Are you okay?"
     I nod, feeling my cheeks heat in embarrassment. Lost must have just finished her shower because her hair is wet and droplets are sliding down her face and neck to moisten her shirt. She isn't even wearing pants, but at least she put on underwear. I'm more embarrassed because I had to be carried away from my disaster like a child.
     "Be careful," I manage to say as Lost goes back to the kitchen to clean up for me. She squats down and begins to run her hands over the floor to gather up all the plate shards without protecting herself. "You can cut yourself."
     Lost moves her hands slower but doesn't try anything else to save her palms. "When you've done this as often as I have, you learn to be quick without hurting yourself."
     My eyes fall to the bottoms of her feet as she waddles along and I see that there aren't any cuts there. She just walked all over glass and didn't harm herself. She must have really done this a lot in the past.
     "I'm sure we have a broom here somewhere," I say. But Lost has already made a pile and is scooping it pieces at a time into the garbage.
     "Done," she says triumphantly when the pile is gone. Then she runs her feet over the floor, looking for glass she might have missed, and asks, "Why didn't you call me? I could have helped."
     I shrug, face hot. It's ridiculous that I'm so embarrassed, but I am. "You were in the shower. Besides, you're not much taller than me."
     Lost tilts her head at me and pulls the wet shoulder of her shirt away from her skin, only to let it go and allow it to cling to her again. "I don't want you to get hurt, you know." She averts her eyes. "If there's something you can't do, I want to do it for you. I want... never mind. I'm sorry."
     The blatant pain on Lost's face, as if she's terrified that I might lash out at her for hearing her wants, makes my chest ache. She wants to help me, yet is ashamed to voice it. Who instilled that fear into her?
     "I promise I'll ask for your help if I need it," I say to appease her.
     Her face softens, but she still looks worried. "Okay." Then she gives me a polite smile and hurries away, and I hear her bedroom door click shut. I'm not sure why she felt the need to help then leave me, but she obviously has something on her mind. I'm not going to force her to talk about it. Hopefully she'll come to me in her own time.
     Running a hand through my hair, I contemplate going over to Cas and Mariam's to ask where they usually buy things they need. As of now plates are needed, and, as Mariam told me before, tampons. I could use a few choice groceries, too. Lost might want something herself but I'll ask her when she's feeling better.
     As I check the fridge for items missing, a knock at the front door catches my attention. Before I can even close the refrigerator door Lost is out of her room and at the door, thankfully with pants on now. Her speed is startling and I gasp softly, but regain my composure. She's staring at me with her hand on the doorknob, her face questioning, waiting for me to say if it's okay to open the door. I nod when the knocking starts up again and Lost carefully opens the door.
     "Hello," a sweet voice greets.
     Lost stares out into the hall for a moment, then says, "Hello."
     Then Cas's familiar voice grumbles, "Are you going to let us in or not?"
     Lost looks to me, and when I motion for her to let them in, she moves out of the way and allows Cas and Emma inside. I've only seen Emma from pictures, but she's just as pretty in real life. By the tray of cookies in her hands, though, she's much nicer than I thought. Then again, I never really thought that Cas would date someone who had a tendency to be mean. A person had to be extremely calm, patient, and understanding to tame her.
     "Cas," I greet her as she comes towards me, steering Emma away from Lost. "What do you need? And Mariam?"
     But it's Emma who responds, "Sorry if we're interrupting your morning. But Cas told me about you and I figured I'd come introduce myself. I'm Emma." She places the tray of cookies on the kitchen island then holds out her hand for me.
     "I know of you," I tell her, shaking her hand. "You're... quite the asset. I'm Kahlan. And this is Lost," I add, motioning towards the door where Lost has decided to stay. Cas is between us all, studying Lost's new haircut.
     Emma turns to wave at Lost, who waves back, then she refocuses on me. "I baked you some cookies as a neighborly hello. Oh, and Mariam is with Richard, so you don't need to worry."
     I bob my head, accepting that. Mariam has a right to her own life, and she has a little more freedom thanks to Emma. But maybe she should have told me that she was leaving.
     "Yeah, well," Cas says quickly, fidgeting to get out of here. "That's all." This meeting obviously wasn't her idea, and my respect for Emma grows that much more. No one can get Cas to do anything.
     Unmoving, Emma smiles at me. "If you ever need anything, don't be afraid to come over. It's nice to finally have someone around here who knows the deal."
     "The deal?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at Cas, who huffs and musses her hair with a desperate hand.
     "Yeah, you know," Emma says. "The job and all that comes with it."
     "What comes with it?"
     Here, Emma hesitates. She glances at Cas, then Lost, then back to me. "Uh, I think I should stop talking," she mumbles.
     I shrug and take one of the cookies she brought. Chocolate chip. "Please, don't let me stop you." I'm not trying to put Emma on the spot but I'd like to know what she knows. It's fine that she knows about Cas and her abilities, it's fine, even, that she knows about Lost, but there are things she shouldn't know.
     "Alright," Cas says, annoyed. "We just wanted to see how it was going over here. Obviously you're fine so we should go."
     I wave a hand, unperturbed. "Thanks for the welcome cookies. I'll definitely come to you if I need anything, and I offer you the same. I'm always here to help."
     Emma smiles sweetly. "Perfect. We'll be going, then. Sorry for interrupting your morning."
     "You didn't interrupt anything," I say, moving to escort her and Cas out the door, which Lost opens without being asked. I wait for them to walk out before saying, "Nice to meet you, Emma."
     "Nice to meet you, too," Emma chirps. "And you... too... Lost?" Her brow furrows and she peers around me.
     I turn my head curiously, wondering why Emma spoke the way she did, and find that Lost isn't behind me, or even next to me. She's in the kitchen with her hand hovering over the cookies.
     "Lost?" I question. She snaps her hand back to herself and gazes at me in horror at being caught, and my chest aches for her. Does she really think I'm going to be mad because she wanted a cookie? They were meant for both of us, after all. "Cas and Emma are leaving," I say as kindly as I can, hoping to convey that I'm not upset.
     Bowing her head, Lost comes to the door and smiles politely at Emma and Cas. "Goodbye."
     Awkward, Emma waves halfheartedly then turns to go back to her apartment with Cas, who nods and grunts as she follows Emma. I don't close the front door until Cas and Emma are in their apartment, then I look to Lost, saddened slightly when she can't look me in the eye.
     "You can have a cookie, you know," I tell her. "You can have anything you want here. This is your home, too."
     Silent, Lost chews on her bottom lip. Her hair falls in her face as she looks to the floor and her feet shift. Then, after a moment, she gazes up at me, her dark eyes intense. "Anything?"
     The way she says that one word has my cheeks pricking with warmth. Lost's face is anything but it's usual innocence now. I tuck my hair behind my ear and nod. "...Within reason," I mumble. Why in the world do I suddenly feel strange? And why have Lost's eyes tinged into a soft glow?
     I take a step back, remembering what happened the last time Lost's eyes glowed. Though they aren't at full light now. Hopefully this time I can make it out of the blast zone. Maybe I should call for Cas...
     "I'm so sorry," Lost blubbers, her eyes returning to their natural dark. "I didn't mean to scare you. I wasn't going to hurt you, I swear."
     "No, no," I sigh, shaking off whatever Lost just made me experience. "It's fine. Take a cookie or two, okay? Don't be afraid to be comfortable in your own home." When Lost nods I give her a smile then walk off to my room. That girl has the strangest effect on people, me included.

     A week was the deal I struck with the General. One week to relax, get used to the new apartment, and enjoy life up top. Of course, I didn't tell the General that. I told him that Lost needed the time to adjust and learn a thing or two from Cas, while I needed to make sure she was truly ready to live among our city's citizens. To be honest, I really did want Lost to adjust, though. She was acting oddly the whole week of my wanted relaxation.
     The first night of my promised week, I woke in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, but found Lost's bedroom door wide open and her bed empty. Panicked, I ran out to the front area of our apartment and found her standing creepily at the shut front door, staring at it. When I asked her what she was doing, all she had to say was, "Emma's reading," then she went back to bed as if nothing was out of the ordinary. But that was only the first incident.
     More than once I discovered Lost on the deck, looking like she might jump. She never did, but I worried for her. Whenever I'd ask her what she was doing, she would smile and tell me that she was watching. That was her only explanation and I took it because I wasn't sure what to say next.
     Then came the strange micro aggressions over the second half of the week. Lost seemed to continually grow agitated, but with what, I didn't know. It was the same way she acted back at the Facility when she was cooped up in her room. She'd move a little too fast, used a little too much strength, and now looked at me a little too aggressively. It was frightening. I couldn't in good conscious keep allowing her to live among the populace if there was a chance that she could snap. Even when I watched her work out to try get rid of whatever she was feeling, she appeared bothered. I felt uncomfortable around her but attempted to get her to talk to me. It never ended the way I wanted it to and I ended up taking Lost out for walks like we did in the Facility. They helped, but still something heavy was making Lost fidgety.
     Now it's the end of the week, though, and I'm not sure whether I want Lost to be put in the field. I want her to tell me what's wrong first, at least. So, I finish getting dressed then go to find Lost so we can talk before the General calls and I have to give him my verdict.
     I knock on Lost's bedroom door but receive no answer. Highly unusual. Calling for her, I turn the knob and peek inside, and find her room empty. I move to the front of the apartment and scan the kitchen, living room, and deck with one quick sweep. But Lost is nowhere to be found. Something has to be wrong. Lost has never left the apartment without me, she wouldn't.
     Jamming my feet into my shoes, I stumble to the front door and prepare to search. Hurrying down the hall to the elevator, I forgo asking Mariam and Cas for help out of fear that my misplacement of Lost will get to the General's ear that much faster.
     As I press the button for the elevator much too roughly, a presence at my side makes me turn abruptly, my fight instincts rising to the surface, and I lash out with my elbow a second before realizing that it's only Lost. My blow connects with her stomach but she takes the hit full on without moving or attempting to block me. I know she has the speed and ability to do so, so why didn't she?
     "You scared me," I hiss, bringing my arm back to myself and rubbing my elbow. Lost's insides must be bricks because, wow, that hurt. "I'm sorry for hitting you. I'm so sorry, but... What are you doing out here?"
     Lost adjusts her shirt then rubs the spot where I hit her for a second. "The old man living over there needed help, so I helped." She stares at me, then reaches out towards my elbow without touching. "I felt your anxiety so I came to find you. I'm sorry I scared you."
     Her fingertips are only an inch from my skin, and I move my elbow to meet her, blushing at the way she sighs. "It's okay," I mumble, pausing as she massages me, her expression sad. "You shouldn't leave like that. At least warn me or leave a note in the future."
     She nods slowly, then looks into my eyes. "You're going to bruise."
     I take my elbow back and shrug. "It's fine. I overreacted. Let's just go home, okay? We've got big things ahead."
     To my surprise, Lost steps close and hovers her arm around me, corralling me to go home with her. Even more surprisingly, I allow myself to lean into her, charmed by the way she wants to keep me safe and protected because of a simple bruise.
     Oh so gently, she cradles me to her side and escorts me home, careful to keep my elbow out of harms way.