I guess that was already obvious. “Yeah…” I plop down beside her. “I'm just glad the kids are safe, fed and asleep.” I sigh. “Now, I hope the kids in the hospital end up okay.”
“Yes… me too…” She squints, the light reflecting in her one open eye making the fire burn bright. “Those kids don't deserve to experience this.”
My heart aches at the image of dreamscreechers chasing crying children. “Yeah. That was brutal,” I nod slowly. “No kid should have to see that.”
Clara takes in a shaky breath. “No…” She glances away, the fire in her eye dimming. “That shit is not right at all. I'm not sure why those dreamscreechers are doing that. No wonder people think they're evil.”
“Maybe there's an explanation for all of this.” I assure her. “It seemed like they wanted someone. Someone who betrayed them.”
“Yeah.” She doesn't look up to me. “A traitor.”
I squeeze her shoulder as she snaps her head up to me. Her one open eye shines over and widens.
“It’ll be okay,” I soothe. “ I know I’ve seen a good dreamscreecher before. We’ll help them. Maybe the rest of their kingdom is experiencing the same kind of havoc too.”
Clara stares blankly before slowly smiling. Her sweet smile and calmed gaze warms my chest.
Then I look at Clara's neck wound, exhaling before getting up from the bed. “Let me get you situated. I should've gotten you taken care of earlier.”
“Kids come first,” she says softly before sucking air through her teeth. “I'm good with coming last if that means the kids get better first.”
I give a short chuckle. “And yet, you seem to hate it when I say the same.”
“I care about your safety, but I understand now that you also needed to put those kids first too.”
“Yeah. Of course.” I say before leaving to find some medical supplies. I come back with a damp towel, some ointment, a sterile medical thread and needle, and bandages.
I stand beside her and hold her chin up so I can take care of her eyelid. She doesn't budge and smirks almost deviously as I focus on cleaning it.
She groans as I dab the blood off her forehead with the towel. I wince as she squeezes both eyes shut. It must be painful. “It's okay,” I murmur. “I got you.”
“I know. It just stings.”
I frown. “I still feel that you should see a doctor.” I insisted she’d go when I realized she hadn't been taken care of, but again, she refused. “Why don't you think the hospital is safe?”
She shrugs. “Personal reasons…”
“You still won't tell me?”
She grunts, her head heavy in my hand. “I'm afraid I can't.”
I slowly nod, still cleaning off the blood. I didn't see her at all in the fight, yet she's so scratched up. Maybe she was in another room.
Maybe she ran off then…
I dab the towel over her eyelid.
The dreamscreecher I saved. She got scratched in the same spot, over her left eye.
Is she…
I shake my head. She couldn't be that dreamscreecher.
Could she?
“Is everything okay?”
I flinch at her voice. “Yeah of course.” I smile forcefully.
