Zydrate Cure

Chapter Two

She gave him a small smile and shook his hand. "Ember Bianchi."

"So, Ember Bianchi, how did you end up on the street."

"Um... my parents... they, uh... did experiments on me. My whole life, as long as I can remember, was nothing but experiments." She ate a bite and tried to collect herself. "The reason my legs are full of infection is because they did transplants on them... These aren't my legs..." She looked at him, horrified.

"Those aren't your arms, either, are they?" He asked, quietly.

"No," she whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I wasn't perfect enough..." she sobbed. "I just wanted to be enough! But they kept cutting and transplanting!" Her oatmeal bowl fell to the floor as she grabbed her head and curled into a ball. "They were going to take my eyes! They said I was horrible, and they weren't going to give me any Zydrate! I couldn't do it! I couldn't let them do it! I took their knife, and... and I stabbed them! And stabbed! And stabbed! I ran away. I had nowhere to go or anybody to help me!" She sobbed and rocked back and forth. "I'm a freak! A FREAK!"

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, letting her cry it out. When she lay against him limply, he quietly said, "You are not a freak. You're beautiful and you deserve so much better than this. And I will be here as long as you need me. Alright? So, this house is your house."

She pulled away slightly and looked up at him, teary-eyed. "You really think I'm cute?" She sniffled.

"No, I think you're beautiful. Cute is used to describe puppies, or bunnies. Not a girl like you." He smiled at her. Letting it fade, he snarled. "They're lucky they're dead. They wouldn't have had it as easy with me."

"I heard the Genecops are after me. They want to interrogate me for murder." She laid her head back against his chest.

"They won't get to if I have anything to say about it. I will have to do some thinking, but I will figure out how to keep you safe." He rested his chin on the top of her head.

"Can I tell you a secret?" she asked softly.

"You can tell me anything."

"You're the third person to touch me. And the only one who hasn't hurt me when they did. I've never had one before I met you, but I like hugs." She sighed.

His arms involuntarily tightened around her. It was dangerous for him to care so much about someone else, especially so fast. But she was so young and innocent. It was rare these days and it needed to be protected.

"I'm so sleepy," she said, yawning.

"Hold on," he said, quietly. He adjusted his position until she was laying on his chest, his legs around hers. "Sleep now, little girl. It will be alright."

They stayed like that for an hour, her asleep and him lost in thought.

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Ember woke up slowly and sat up, yawning. She was surprised to find that GraveRobber - Clarence - was still sitting in the same spot. She looked down and saw her oatmeal bowl spilled all over the floor. "I'm sorry!" she squeaked.

"Don't be. It will be an easy clean up. Listen, why don't you go freshen up while I clean up and make you a new bowl? We're going out." He stood up and held out a hand to her.

"What?" she asked, terrified.

"Calm down, alright? Were going to get you some clothes and some hair dye. That way, you will be harder to recognize. You have to start trusting me, Ember. I told you that I would keep you safe, and I will. If I thought you were in danger if you went out, I wouldn't take you out." He stood there, his hand still out, waiting.

Embarrassed, she took his hand and stood up. "I trust you, I do. It's just a big change is all."

"Same here. The only way this will work is if we trust each other completely. Understand?"

She nodded and went to the bathroom to clean up.

GraveRobber watched her walk away, a strange feeling in his chest. He shook his head, trying to push away the feeling, and set about cleaning up the oatmeal. He needed to keep himself in check, to be sharp, if anything WERE to happen while they were out.

Mess cleaned up, he made some more oatmeal. His mind wandered to the problem of living space. He knew it would take awhile for him to get her to be self-sufficient, so they would be under the same roof until then. So, where would she stay? The other bathroom was practically inhospitable, and he couldn't handle sharing a bed with her again.

"Hey... I'm back," a small voice said from behind him, jolting him out of his thoughts.

He turned to see Ember in the doorway, her hair in a sky-high ponytail and wearing a pair of his jeans and a new tee shirt. "I borrowed some of your clothes. I didn't want to go out in shorts. I hope it's OK..." She blushed.

"It's fine, but... how on earth are you keeping those up?"

"I'm using my old leggings as a belt," she answered, somewhat proudly.

"Resourceful, but I could have given you a belt to use." He smirked. "Anyway, here's your fresh oatmeal. Try not to drop this one."