The Healer

Prologue

The little girl sat curled up on the cold stone bench again with her knees pulled to her chest, her little chin resting on her knees. She had been alone for three years now. So she sat every night and talked to the moon. The moon always listened, he always had time for her. Evelyn wished he would talk back. She wiped the lone tear that slid down her pale cold cheek. Sure she was surrounded by a garden, and had lots of books to read, and paper to draw on, but a seven year old girl wants a friend. The only visitors she had were a young female doctor named Ava and a middle aged man with a twitchy nose. Evelyn liked Doctor Ava, she was kind. Well, kinder than Mr Janson anyways.

The moon was big and bright tonight, and the stars twinkled down at her. She liked being on the roof, it was the only place she was allowed. Her room was in the basement dungeon of the WICKED building. In the corner of her cold stone room was a set of narrow stone stairs that wound up in a tight dizzying spiral all the way to a small section of roof.

Her little section of garden roof was surrounded by huge stone walls, Evelyn had tried to climb the wall one time to see what was on the other side. She was shocked by the some kind of blue electricity cage, and had fallen off the wall convulsing and broke her arm. Doctor Ave was very disappointed in her. Evelyn never tried climbing the wall again. Growing up inside WICKED was lonely. She never saw anyone her own age, or had anyone to talk to other than Dr Ava, and Janson and her few teachers who would come to her dungeon room. She knew there had to be other children in the world. She was taught all about The Flair and Cranks and the horrible world they all lived in.

"This is why you are here in the safety of the walls, Evelyn. Everyone out there wants to hurt you, and use you. You have something they want, but we want to keep you safe!" Dr Ava said again when Evelyn asked about leaving her room.

"But....even if I stay inside the building? I can't go see other people?" She asked, her big green eyes looking up at Dr Ava.

Dr Ava shook her head, "No. It's too dangerous. We do have someone who needs your help, though. He will be coming to your room in a few minutes. Be ready ." Her voice was firm, and crisp, letting Evelyn know the conversation was over.

She hung her head and nodded, sniffing. She wished she could leave her room, there had to be other people in this big building, maybe other kids, just like her... well at least kids her own age. There were no other kids like her in the world. She had a gift, she was born with it.

Her mother had told her when the Sun Flairs hit the earth, everything was destroyed, burnt and devastated, but out of that devastation and destruction a new plant grew in their backyard. Evelyn's mother called it a Sundrop Flower, saying that when the sun scorched the earth it dripped one small drop of golden sun onto the earth, causing the flower to grow with special power. Evelyn wasn't sure if that was true, but part of it must be true, because she had power. The petals of the flower were bright yellow, almost gold, like her hair. She didn't remember much else.

Mr Janson said the Cranks had got her mother, and that WICKED was very lucky they found Evelyn when they did, because so many bad people wanted to use her and her gift for themselves. But she was helping other people, she was helping WICKED find a cure for the Flair.

Fingers snapped in front of her face, "Pay attention Evelyn!" Dr Ava sighed.

"Sorry." she mumbled.

"He will be here right away. Are you ready?"

"What kind of injury is it?"

"A bullet. To his chest."

Evelyn just nodded her head, she had never healed that kind of injury before. She got up off the bed and quickly got ready. Her door was opened and two people in big black masks and helmets came storming in, carrying a man on a stretcher. They placed him down on the wood table she had in the middle of her room. Her green eyes went huge, she had never seen this kind of injury before. There was a lot of blood. Her stomach felt sick, and her head felt kind of dizzy.

"Come on Evelyn, he's going to die if you just stand there in the corner and shake like a leaf!"

Her big green eyes blinked a few times, and as if her brain shut off and something else took over, her hands got to work. The faster she worked, the warmer her hands got, the warmer her hands got the more they glowed. She could feel the energy flowing through her, like blood in her veins. She found the bullet and got it out. She closed her eyes and placed both her little hands on the man's bare chest and concentrated. All her bairn energy focused on fixing this man, keeping him alive. She could feel her energy levels depleting, yet at the same time she could feel this man's life slowly returning. Evelyn could feel his heart beat getting stronger, and she could feel his muscle and skin actually knitting itself back together. Her muscles became weak, and her head became dizzy, while her stomach felt sick.

The man on the table took a wild gasping breath, and his eyes flew open. He sat bolt up right with another wild gasp, knocking Evelyn to the ground. She had no strength left to catch herself so she collapsed into a heap, exhausted tears ran down her pale and sweaty face.

"Good job Evelyn, you just saved Jorge's life."

She tried to smile, but her world went black.