Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: FAMILY (01/21/16)
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TITLE: Healer's Oath | Previous Challenge Entry
By Sara Harricharan
01/28/16 -
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ADD TO MY FAVORITES
Black eye. Split lip. Various cuts and scrapes. One fist-print. Lots of colorful—spots—that shouldn’t be on my face.
Turning the taps cold, I steeled my nerves. The icy temperature would help me stay focused. This would be a pain to heal.
“Tiana?” Kacie’s voice made me jump.
I jerked around a split-second too late.
Narrowed green eyes drilled into me. “You were limping—what happened? Is this from those stupid kids again?”
I turned back to the sink. “It’s nothing. They just—they’re trying to-”
“Remind you of your place. Yeah. I know.” Kacie pursed her lips, then stuck her head outside of the bathroom door. “Jeremiah Larsen!”
Her use of our brother’s full name had all of our brothers turning out in full force.
If I could have blushed, I would have. I didn’t get a chance to even try healing the aching mess of my face—until all of my siblings had gathered to get a good look.
Various degrees of barely concealed rage, downright fury and a simmering need for revenge was displayed across eight faces. I didn’t need to give anyone a name—they’d find out on their own.
“Need help?” Jeremiah asked, gruffly.
“I’ll do it,” Kacie muttered. “You just remember, alright?”
“As if we could forget,” Gabe said, darkly. “Thought the district wanted us here.”
“Lies and more lies.” Kacie huffed. “Did you even fight back?”
Miserably, I held still as she pressed her icy hands to my cheeks. Gabe braced me from behind as the pain tripled and quadrupled in intensity from the steady healing. Kacie was good—but there was only so much pain I could take.
Black spots danced before my eyes, when Kacie finally pulled away, concern showing plainly on her face. “Want me to tell Mom?”
“You’d better. Tiana won’t,” Gabe said, cheerfully. “Will that hold?”
“If I heal anymore, the pain would knock her out.”
Gabe grunted. He slung my arm around his shoulders and we stumbled back to my shared bedroom.
I didn’t remember falling asleep.
In hindsight, I should have seen it coming. Because overprotective doesn’t even begin to cover my amazing, crazy family. We’ve all got the healing gift—in the weirdest strain there is. Aggression healing is the rarest, but the best. It also means what hurt and didn’t kill, would most likely decimate you in the healing process.
So when Senator Aspen introduced us to the everyone on stage at the district’s welcoming festival, he meant to pass the mic to Dad.
Jeremiah took it first, an odd gleam in his eye. “I would like to make something very clear,” he said, pleasantly. “As you must have noticed by now, we Larsens stick together. We also take our Healer’s Oath’s very seriously. However, the oath that charges me to heal and abstain from causing deliberate physical harm, does not stipulate anything against revenge, justice and self-defense.”
“Which means,” Andross grabbed the mic. “That whoever thought it was fun to turn my little sister’s face every color of the Grabbian rainbow, should know that she’s the quickest healer out of all of us.”
“Her healings hurt. If she doesn’t defend herself, it means she’s worried she might kill you,” Katie said, sweetly.
“So taking advantage of a Healer,” Gabe leaned over for his turn. “Is so low that I don’t even need to explain. Except to say that I don’t care who you are or why you did this, but you should hope I don’t find you. Tiana’s my sister—that’s all I need to know.”
Mom took the mic from Kacie, a shadow on her face. “My children are responsible for themselves, but I stand behind them, always,” she said. “Darling?”
Dad took the mic, holding it for a moment. “Your district begged us to come,” he said, quietly. “You promised that our family would be safe and respected. You were desperate for our healing talents. Do not give me another reason to leave. If you do not need our help, then I assure you, I have no desire to offer it. There are others more deserving of the second chances we can afford them.”
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