The Last Healer

Chapter 30: Ariella

Chapter 30 Ariella

Soft sobs filled the small room as the smaller of the two girls continued crying into her sister's shoulders. There were a few times when she stopped for a moment or two only to start crying again. The older of the two held the other tightly, her arms wrapped around the girl protectively.

After a few minutes of silence when I arrived, the eldest introduced herself as Ena and the smaller one as Blasa. Both of them bad long black hair and dark brown eyes, almost like younger versions of Calida. Blasa hadn't said a word the whole time and Ena only spoke when spoken to. They seemed so young and so old.

A scrapping sound from the floor above filled the room and I heard the younger one whimper softly. The other one clung onto her, holding her as close as she could.

"Blasa! Ena!" A feminine voice, slightly higher pitched than Calida's, shouted as the door was thrown open. A small ladder was thrown down and the person climbed down.

"Mama!" Blasa cried as she ran over to the woman. The woman's hair was black, like her daughters, and her dark brown eyes looked down lovingly at the two children who clung to her side.

"Is Papa and Calida alright?" Ena questioned, her face pleading for an answer.

"Papa is fine and I think I saw Calida helping with the injured." The woman smiled softly. She tensed when her eyes flicked up to me, her jaw locking slightly. "Who are you?"

"I'm Ariella, a friend of Calida's." I curtsied slightly, my cheeks burning with humiliation.

"I'm guessing you are not  fighter?"

"No, ma'am."

She nodded after a moment and motioned to the latter. "We'll wait upstairs for Calida, she'll escort you home."

"Thank you." I curtsied again and walked closer to them.

"Why don't you climb up first, you can help the kids up from the top." She told me and I nodded, climbing the ladder as quickly as I could. Ena followed close behind, pulling herself through the small opening. Blasa followed her, her small hand latching onto mine as I helped pull her out.

My eyes opened wide in horror as they studied her face. With the light, I was able to see the child's face for the first time. Scars filled the right side of her face, small white and light brown lines crisscrossed on her cheek and around her right eye.

"Thank you." Blasa muttered as she pulled away from me, clinging to her sister's side. Both of them were so young. It wasn't fair for her to have scars like that on her face, for everyone to see and know. She was a victim and those scars were a reminder. Just like mine were. It wasn't fair.

"Mother!" Calida's voice shouted, echoing through the building as her footsteps sounded from the hall and then she appeared. Shanae and Alexander stood behind her, gasping for air. Calida's eyes darkened slightly as her eyes flicked between me and her sisters.

"I'm here." Her mother sighed as she pulled herself from the trapdoor. She kicked it close and walked towards the rug and table.

"Good." Calida grumbled as she walked up to her sisters, pulling them in a hug. "I'm so glad you both are safe."

"Come on." Shanae smiled at me, her hand held out for me. Walking closer to her, my hand latched to hers. "We'll take Ariella home, so you don't have to worry about her." She told Calida, who nodded in response. Shanae led the way out of the house and onto the pebbled road. "So, where do you live anyway?" She asked with a small laugh.

"The Healer's Tower." I told her and stared at her when she turned to me in confusion.

"Do your parents work in the hospital?" She questioned as we started to walk down the street, towards where I lived.

"No, they work in the Protector's Guild."

"The only family that works in the Protector's Guild but lives in the Tower are the Mathews." Alexander walked beside me, his step falling in time with mine.

"That's right! I saw that you and Thomas Mathews had a moment." Shanae giggled softly.

"No, I just killed a Hunter who was trying to stab him in the back." He shrugged, almost as if it wasn't a big deal.

"You saved my brother?" I asked him, my eyes staring up at him in surprise. He tensed slightly, his eyes staring down at me.

"You're the daughter of the Captain?" He demanded.

"Well it was kind of obvious." Shanae laughed, her arm slipped around my shoulders. She pulled me towards her as we walked. "I mean, look at the way she's dressed! And there was a rumor going around about how Captain Mathew's daughter was finally returned to him and his wife."

"Yes, but I didn't think she was you!" He exclaimed, his hand brushing over his face as he sighed.

"I didn't think it mattered." I told him and glanced at Shanae when she started to laugh. Tears fell from her eyes as she laughed, her arm clung tightly around my shoulders.

"It doesn't, not to him at least." She giggled after a few moments before pointing somewhere ahead of her. "There's the Tower, we just have to get through the crowd."

"How bad is it?" I questioned, my eyes studying the people in front of me. Some of them wore bandages in various parts of their bodies, others were crying or just sitting down, unmoving.

"Pretty bad." Shanae told me as she dragged me through the crowd. Silence settled between us as we fought through the crowd. Alexander's hand settled on my shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"Get her to the stairs." He shouted up to Shanae and the two of them led me over to the stairs.

"Can you get to your home from here?" Shanae asked and I nodded. "Good, I'll see you in a couple days. I'll give Isabella the schedule tomorrow, so meet her at the library and she'll give it to you."

"Alright." I smiled and turned to Alex. "Will I see you again?"

"You know where to find me." He grinned at me before motioning towards the stairs. "You should get home, it's going to be hectic down here for a while."

"I will." I waved at them and rushed upstairs, hoping I arrived there before my family.