𝐿𝒶𝒹𝓎 𝒪𝒻 𝐿𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓞𝓷𝓮: 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓜𝓪𝓹

"The Map"

The hospital room had a dreary atmosphere, the paintings on the beige walls were no help to the sadness and despair the patients and visitors were soon to experience here.

On the outside was no better, grey clouds painted in the sky as thunder sounded out far off in the distance. Rain drops were sliding down the window as Evanora tuned back in to what the doctor was saying.

"Nothing will help in this case. The only thing i can recommend is to make him as comfortable as you can for as long as he has left." The doctor said as he stepped back from the bed. Eva choked back a sob and cleared her throat.

"A-are you sure there is no way to help him? We have to find a way! P-please Dr. Alton! He's the only f-family i have left..." Evanora cried as she stepped towards the doctor. He shook his head, a solemn look overtaking his features.

"I'm sorry, Miss Morgenstein. No amount of medicine or treatment will help your brother get better. If it's like the other cases, he will only have the next few months to live."
Evenora let her tears fall as she realized there was nothing to be done. She would have to watch her brother wither away like their mother did...
The doctor turned on his heel, stepping out of the room to give her privacy to deal with her feelings.

She placed a hand on her chest, trying to calm the storm of emotions within her. How was she supposed to just sit here and watch him die?

"Eva, it's o-okay." Her brother coughed weakly from the bed, causing her to glance towards him. Her tears clouded her vision slightly as she took in his appearance. He was no longer the energetic boy of thirteen she used to know, he was a shell of his old self. His skin was a sickly pale, his body skinny and frail with prominent dark circles in place under his eyes. 

"It's not okay, Grayson." She told him as she moved over to his bedside, kneeling down so she was level with him.
"I'll find a way to help you." She stated as the young boy mustered up a faint smile.
"The doctor said there's nothing that can help me, everyone who gets sick dies." Tears were now forming in his eyes as well.

She wanted to reach out and hug him, but his body couldn't take it. He was too fragile to even hug.
"I'm sorry." He suddenly blurted out and she tilted her head. Why was he sorry? She should be sorry for not being able to save him..

"For what? You have nothing to be sorry for, you're the one who is sick." She told him, sniffling as she spoke. She wiped at her eyes, not wanting him to see her crying anymore.
"I do, I-I'm leaving you all alone. M-mother's gone, As is Father ...now I'll be g-gone too." He coughed out, letting the tears spill from his eyes.
"I won't be alone. Mother and Father are still with us, in our hearts. Perhaps it will be a miracle, perhaps you will get better." She said as she brushed his hair from his face. Her brother sighed, closing his eyes as tiredness overtook him.

"It could happen, or it could not..." Her breath stuttered as another sob tried to worm it's way out of her but she held it down, giving her younger brother a small smile.
"Now get some sleep. I know you are tired." He nodded weakly and soon drifted off to sleep, leaving Evanora to silently cry in the room so as not to wake him.

Evanora sat in the chair silently, staring off into space in the direction of her sleeping brother and gripping at the fabric of her skirt. Her fiery red hair was curtained around her face to hide her tears. 
"Poor boy, he's so young." A chilling voice said from the doorway, causing her to snap her head towards it.

A woman dressed in a black, floor length gown with her wild black hair pinned up. She stood in the open doorway, staring at both Evanora and her bed-ridden brother.
"Who are you?" She asked skeptically as she stood from her chair. It felt as if the woman was looking straight through her, her gaze unsettling for some reason.
Eva didn't know why but she knew she was to fear this woman.

"Disella Yarrow." Disella stepped further into the room, and Eva backed further up to her brothers bed.
"Were you in need of something?" She asked politely, she didn't want to disrespect this woman in fear of upsetting her.

"I overheard earlier that your brother has an affliction that cannot be cured?" Her sunken in face reminded Evanora of the stories of old witches her mother used to tell her about. She had a slight hook to her nose, giving her the appearance of a bird.
"Yes.." Eva spoke slowly, eyeing the woman as she stepped closer to her.

"Perhaps I have a solution to save your brother." Eva held her breath as she contemplated asking the woman what she meant. She could be lying to swindle money from her....
She sighed, closing her eyes for a second before reopening them, a determined look on her face.
"How?" Eva asked her curiously. If there was a way to save her brother she was going take it.

"All you need to do is take this to a tree in the mountains, outside of the city." Disella said as she raised her hand, a golden pocket watch was sat in her palm.
"A pocket watch?" Eva asked, tilting her head in confusion. How was a pocket watch supposed to save her brother? Why take it to a tree in the mountains?

"No, dear. This is not a pocket watch. All you need to do is bring this object to the tree and it will show you how to help your brother." She stated simply as she placed it in her hand. She suddenly pulled a map out from behind her, handing it to her. How did it just appear out of nowhere? 

"This map will lead you to where you need to go, up the mountain and to a tree with a spiral carved into the middle." Disella said vaguely, nervousness filled Eva as she gazed at the map.
"All i need to do is bring it there?" She raised one of her brows, feeling the map with her fingers. It felt charged for some reason, making her fingertips tingles wherever they touched.

"Touch the spiral with the object in your hand and it will reveal the way to heal your brother." She said and Eva glanced down at the object, lifting the lid to reveal on the inside a dial with numbers and letters etched into the outer rim.
"What do these carvings mean?" Eva asked, glancing back up at Disella. Except the woman was now gone, leaving her alone in the room with her brother.

How had she not heard her leave?
Eva shook the thoughts from her head, It didn't matter. She had a way to try and save her brother now, even if the woman unsettled her and was vague she had to at least try. 

She quickly unfolded the map, running her gaze over it. It led outside of the city, to the mountain it was built at the base of. Lornlock mountain.
She placed the map and metal object down onto the beside table, sitting back down in the chair and sighing. She glanced at her brother once more, watching as his chest rose and fell.

Her mother had died of this mystery disease years ago when she was younger. How could this disease be around for that long and still have no cure, no treatment to help the people infected with it?

She had also lost her father, though no to disease. Her father, Frederick, had set out to sea on a boat when she was a child and was never seen again. Her mother didn't leave the house for months, crying herself to sleep.

 But Evanora stepped up, she took care of her brother like she always did. She took care of her mother when she was sick. She provided for her family, no matter what it took.

Though not by what you might think, she did not sell herself. A family friend had offered her a job in his tavern, she would clean tables and bring customers their food.

But, now her brother was dying the same way her mother did, wasting away in a bed as he coughed up blood...this trek to this tree needed to have answers on how to save him.
It had to.
She had nothing else to go on to save him.

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Hope you enjoyed the first chapter!  ᵔᴗᵔ