My Wish at the End of the World

Inside The Library

I feel the light on my eyelids first.  I feel numb, tired.  Am I somehow hallucinating from smoke or the pain?  I feel mostly numb, are the burns that bad?  I open my eyes.

I'm back in my room in the library, the morning sun poking through the window.  I look to the side for a few moments, trying to keep still, frightened that I'm somehow still dreaming, or hallucinating this and that moving will break it.  For a moment I humor the idea that I had died, and this was some sort of afterlife, and not hallucinating.  After all, I don't know how serious those burns were, and I didn't get great care, even though Ether tried.

I try to sit up and immediately scream, pain shooting through my skin in protest.  I fall back to the bed, squeezing my eyes shut and try to maintain breathing, which feels more difficult.  Eventually I open my eyes and look around as much as I can without moving my head.  Unfortunately, this means I can only see a small portion of the wall and ceiling.  I slowly turn myself in bed, turning to my bedside table, hoping for a full water flask.  The process is slow and I grit my teeth against the pain, but I see and take one.  It's not full, only about half full, but I mutter a quick thanks to whatever or whoever had put it there.

My door opens and Ether steps in.  She looks me up and down a couple times, grimacing.

"Doesn't look good?" I ask, my voice barely audible and painful, and she shakes her head, then walks to me and swaps out my half filled water flask for her full one.  She lifts my blanket slightly, then pulls down the blanket, my skin stinging in protest.

"I need to know what we're working with," she says and looks me up and down again, her eyes narrowing and biting her lips as she thinks.  "I assume you also have no memory of changing clothes?"

"No," I say and cough.  My burns obviously did not receive the same repair as the buildings, but did they get healed at all?  "Are you hurt at all?"

"A couple of burns," she says with a sigh, her hand travelling to touch the side of her neck gingerly.  Nothing looks terribly burned.  "They're very minor.  I'll heal quickly with a bit of attention.  I'm a bit dehydrated too, but I should be fine, the fountain is right outside."  She pauses, looking around the room.  I get the feeling she's trying to look anywhere except me.  Not something I'm opposed to, eye contact is uncomfortable.  "Well, are you in pain?"  I nod.  She smiles wanly.  "Well, that's good.  Your nerves didn't get burned away.  That means the damage is mainly skin deep."  She pauses for a moment.  I chuckle softly and wince.  Something about pain being good seems silly to me.  Then again, everything about the situation is already absurd.

"How long will it take to heal?" I ask, calming down.  She furrows her brow.

"Between a week and one, one and a half months," she says.  "I'm thinking more on the month end.  There might be some scarring."  I sit still, thinking.  John will obviously know, and probably others will too.  Then he might figure out what I'm trying to do, if John hasn't figured it out already.  "Well, no way around it, I'm going to ask John for help."

Before I can object, she walks out.  I think about it for a second, and realize she's right.  I start drinking, feeling the cool liquid on my parched and sore throat.  A few minutes later I hear a cane tap outside of the door and John walks in, followed by Ether.

John looks me up and down, then sighs and sits down on the end of the bed next to me, pinching his forehead together as he closes his eyes, thinking for a moment.

"Ether, get some pillows from my room," he orders and Ether nods, placing a couple of water flasks on the table and walks out.  He turns to me and I look back, feeling embarrassed.  "And Vic, sit up."  I obey, propping myself up with my arms, feeling my skin protest but pushing through it, prepared for the pain.  "Does this have something to do with the hut?" he asks, staring at me.  I can't tell if he's tired or annoyed, but apparently my reaction is visible.  "Well, let's focus on the more pressing issue for now.  We can talk about that later."