All I Need ✔️

Chapter 19

Safania's POV

The next morning, I awoke to a gentle knocking at my door. "Safania? It's Emalina."

Emalina entered, as cheerful as usual, with a small tray of food.

"Let's get you up and ready for the day!" she exclaimed, helping lift me into my wheelchair.

Emalina helped put me in a new dress that was a beautiful, midnight blue, with sheer sleeves. After we completed our morning routine and had settled in to play cards, we heard another knock on the door. "Safania," Avus said, greeting me warmly while entering the room. "You're looking much better."

"What are you doing here?" Emalina asked.

"It's time to transition Safania over to crutches. She needs to start gradually putting more weight on her leg. But make sure you don't push yourself too hard," he warned me. I nodded in response.

Avus checked my temperature first - "to make sure nothing's infected," he told me. Then he examined my feet, which he said had scarred up nicely. After he decided I could try walking without re-opening the wounds on my feet, he showed me how to use the crutches, explaining it thoroughly. He helped lift me up to get into them and watched as I tried to hobble around.

"You're doing splendidly my dear," he said happily. "I'm going to start checking in with you every couple days to check your progress. But remember, don't add too much weight before you're ready or it will set back whatever progress you have made."

"I'll remember," I replied.

"This is fantastic!" Emalina squealed after Avus left. "You're getting better!"

"It is fantastic," I agreed. "Soon I'll be able to leave."

Emalina's face fell.

"There's nothing that could make you stay?" she asked, her tone melancholy. It was nice to feel so welcome, but even if I wanted to stay it was simply too much of a risk.

"Emalina, the longer I'm here the more we're both in danger. It's best for everyone that I leave," I replied.

"Will you ever come back?" she said sadly.

"If it's safe."

Emalina followed me silently as I used my crutches to walk to the library. I had to get as much reading in as I could before I left because I wasn't sure when I would have access to books again. If I studied up on the West - maps, safe foraging foods, basic phrases in Western languages - I would have a greater chance of survival. I picked a book entitled "Plants of Peria," and began to try to read it.

Frustrated that my Ledish wasn't strong enough to read it easily, I looked up in frustration and noticed Emalina looking wistfully outside. I wanted to say something to her, but could find no words. So we sat there, me trying to read, her staring out the window.

"Emalina," I began finally. She looked up.

"You realize that it's been years since I've had a friend, right?"

Emalina looked at me carefully. "Not when you were a slave?"

I shook my head. "No. My aunt tried to keep me from everyone for my own safety, and all the other slaves in the household kept to themselves."

"What I mean to say," I continued, "is that I don't remember what it's like to be a friend. So I'm really not a good one to have. I don't know what to say, what to do, how to act. My life is a mess Emalina. I don't want to drag you into that."

"Don't you understand Safania?" Emalina asked. "I want to be dragged into it. You're special, I can feel it. And not just because, you know," she said, gesturing to my back. "You're smart and you're sweet. You're also the most interesting thing that's happened on this side of the castle in years. And even though we've only known each other for a few days, we are trusting each other with our lives. If you have to leave, I understand. But don't say it's best for both of us that you leave. You don't know what is best for me."