Like pieces of broken glasses I can't reverse

After the very uncomfortable confrontation between Grayson and Irisa, all I want to do is go home and sleep. But I know home is no longer where I want to be. Home is now a place where I feel uneasy and unsafe. The Mikailov Manor is full of dark secrets and filled with people that do not welcome me.

I decide to sneak out of the school without my mother’s chauffeur's knowledge, whom is waiting for me at the school gate. I keep my head down as I try to blend into the crowd of students rushing out of the school to head home. I manage to go unnoticed and make my way to the subway to visit the local police station.

I walk in, with my backpack securely strapped around my shoulders, and it seems to be so much busier than usual. Policemen in uniform bustle about and many people are here to file complaints and such, their voices loud and demanding.

I weave my way through into the staff room where the staff kitchen is to look for my father. I push open the door to see my father sitting amongst a group of other detectives. I am about to say ‘hi’, but then notice their serious expression as they discuss a seemingly important matter.

“D-Dad!” I hesitantly call out. They all stop what they’re doing to look at me. My father’s eyes widen and he stands up. However, his serious expression does not go away, and he seems to be agitated and stressed from the creases I see on his forehead.

“Sorry guys, that’s my daughter. I’ll be back.” He excuses himself and jogs to me.

“Arden, what are you doing here?” I am taken aback by his strange response. Usually he’d be excited to see his precious daughter, and considering that I’ve moved out, I expected a warmer greeting.

“I-I came to see you. I wasn’t able to say goodbye,” I say in small voice.

My dad scratches his head, as his frown deepens. “I’m sorry darling, I’m just so busy with the case right now. Can we maybe talk later on the phone or something?” He suggests. “Go home for now, your mother must be wondering where you are.”

“Why? Did something happen?”

My father looks back to his group hesitantly, who are still discussing amongst themselves loudly. “It’s Healers, Arden. They’ve robbed a bank and killed the people there.”

My father’s voice is low, but it hits me like a thousand bricks. “W-What? I-It can’t be.”

I'm in a daze. It can't be

A few detectives glances at us suspiciously and my father’s hands become clammy with nervousness. “Arden, we can do that later. I’m really busy right now.”

He ushers me outside before I can protest, and he quickly returns again to this group, leaving me baffled and facing the door as he closes it shut.

I snap out of my shock and without even a plan, I begin to head to the subway again and take the bus, leading me to them, to Healers.

I can not accept this. I need answers and I need them now.

It’s not long before I’m in front of their door now with a few droplets of sweat on the sides of my forehead.

I knock on the door, but I see no one in front of me when it eventually opens. I feel a tug on my skirt, and look down to see a small dark-skinned child, gazing up at me with emerald green eyes.

“Who-Who are you?”

Eli evinces from behind them.

I notice right away because his face has never been like this: Always clean cut, clear and void of any flaws.

“What the hell happened to your face?” I gasp as I charge at Elijah, cupping his face in to my small hands. I turn his head left to right to access his fresh bruise on his high cheek bone and the blood on his lip.

I barge into the living room and I look to Kai for an explanation who’s sitting on the couch and looks more paler than usual, holding a small first-aid kit that I presume is for Elijah. He seems to be swallowing something, like guilt or a secret and only looks down, refusing to meet my eyes.

“Our daddy did that.” I look to the two twins, probably the same age as Rose, who look very similar to Elijah. The girl has a red ribbon tied around her cornrows, wearing a poofy yellow dress that makes her look like a sunflower. Next to her, is perhaps her brother who holds the same curiosity in his green eyes that reflect Elijah’s mischievous nature.

Elijah shoves my hands away with a growl, and he too holds the same expression as Kai’s, but his eyes seems to also be burning with resentment, and he rubs his face roughly like he’s trying to hide from me.

He doesn’t seem to be happy with the fact that I know about his situation.

“You were literally fine when I saw you at school. How long has this been going on?”

Elijah releases a sigh, and then brings his hands down from his face to reveal a shield he had created for himself as his face is now blank, his eyes lift to me with an empty gaze and this makes me feel scared. Gone is the playful glint and the arrogant ease that he always seems to possess, he now looks broken and tired, his eyes, a dull green.

“Why does that matter?” He spits, as he brushes past me to sit next to Kai. Kai doesn’t say anything and continues to treat Elijah’s injuries with gentle hands but his eyes are like beads as he accesses his red and bleeding wounds.

I also slump onto the other couch, and watch silently as Kai fixes Elijah up and the twins begin to surround me.

“I’m Emma!” The girl beams at me. I only nod awkwardly as the other boy also introduces himself flamboyantly. “And I’m Jacob!”

They climb onto the couch to also sit next to me, but I begin to feel slight panic as they begin to jump up and down on the couch, making me bounce in my seat. I feel hopeless as I’m unable to control the situation and remember back to when Rose also began to jump on the bed last night too.

What is with kids and making everything they see their personal trampoline?

“Quit it guys!” Elijah complains, just as Kai had finished putting a small band-aid on his cut. “Go play in the room!”

Emma is the first to stop, but she looks to me with wide and pleading eyes. “Play with us! We’ve never seen a girl here before!”

I shake my head frantically. “Ma-Maybe later!”

Suddenly, Jacob releases a huge growl, imitating what I assume is a lion and lunges at me and begins to throw tiny punches on my shoulders. “Play with us!” He demands.

I can see out of the corner of my eyes, Elijah bringing a hand to his forehead in frustration and releasing a sigh. Kai only looks on blankly, unsure of what to do with the creases on his forehead giving away his distress. I’m not used to seeing Kai so anxious as he’s usually the calm one, the mediator, the one to bring tranquil in heated situations. Right now, he looks completely out of it.

I figure that they probably need a break or something and so I decide to sacrifice myself. “Okay, okay! I’ll play if we go in that room,” I point to the one Elijah told them to go to, “And we will play quietly, okay?”

They both cheer triumphantly and I follow them into the room. It’s just a basic bedroom with only one small window which makes the room dark and dull. There are two bunk beds in the room and a few toys scattered on the blue carpet.

Emma forces me to play dress up, and I let her put clips in my hair, sometimes pulling out a few strands of my hair to my horror. And then Jacob would pull me over to play cars with him.

“I want to play princess!” Emma whines, stomping her little feet on the ground as she tries to pull me to her.

“No way, you already had her for long!” Jacob protests, pulling my other arm. By now I feel like I’m being torn apart by two sides, metaphorically but also physically and so I clear my throat, and attempt to assert some dominance and take on a more authoritative approach.

“Emma, how about we all play cars together and then we can all play dress up together later?”

She pouts her pink lips and looks up at me with sparkling green eyes. “No way, cars are for boys only!”

I can’t help but take offence to this as I had grown up playing with cars. Being the second child equates to using second-hand toys, clothes and books. Evan passed down his beloved toy car that was the most expensive amongst his his limited amount of toys. For my seventh birthday, he decided to bestow upon me his most precious toy car that I was completely obsessed over for many years.

I still have it. Buried deep under a few blankets in a box full of Joon’s things. It is the first time I’d have thought to maybe dig it up and open it all again. But it was like opening up my wounded heart. It was like opening up beautiful memories that are now too painful to bare.

“Let’s just give it a go, okay?” I prompt Emma, ushering her over to Jacob’s toys. “I played with cars when I was little and I’m a girl.”

Emma shoots me a sassy look, puckering her lips and then scanning me up and down with criticising eyes. “Are you really, though?”

My jaw drops in shock, and she squeals in laughter. Despite the hurtful and savage comment, I collect myself and begin to mediate the two twins, who are now crashing and racing each other with their respective cars. It takes a while before Emma's rage in having to comply with Jacob’s interests to turn into her actually having fun, and they both start to peacefully play together, and I don’t even have to be involved anymore.

I look down to my watch, whilst sitting on one of the bunk beds to see it nearly being dinner time. Just then, the door opens. I look up to see Elijah poking his head in with a curious expression. His eyes slowly lingers on the twins who haven’t even notice their brother’s presence and continue to play and talk loudly.

His eyes then lands one me and he makes a gesture with his chin for me to go out. I nod, and he holds the door for me as I walk out to the open living space.

I take a seat on the couch again, but then my eyes look for any signs of Kai who is nowhere in sight. I then hear his footsteps from the kitchen as he walks out and with two mugs in his hands. This is like deja-vu all over again, as I’m reminded of when I came here, soaked in the rain.

This time, instead of me being in a vulnerable position, it is now the Healer’s turn to show their scars.

Elijah and Kai take a seat before me as I take a sip of the matcha tea before blowing the hot liquid.

“We’re sorry about being harsh on you earlier,” Kai starts, cupping his hands together in front of him as he crouches over and leans on his knees with his elbows. He sighs, but Elijah only looks on blankly at thin-air like he’s trying to mentally remove himself from the room.

“Eli, would you tell me when this started happening, please?” I ask quietly. His eyes finally find mine, but it is still soulless and sad.

“It happened after I was born. I was the cause of it all.”

Kai grits his teeth and turn to give Elijah a patronising glare. “Stop blaming yourself Eli, you were just a kid!”

Elijah only closes his eyes, his thick lashes casting a small shadow on his under-eyes. “My older sister and I,” He opens his eyes after releasing a heavy sigh, “we were a handful. After I was born, my father became violent, he drank more. My mother left, but not after leaving Jacob and Emma behind. They come here often when my father is drunk and has a fit.”

Suddenly, the thought of Rose enters my mind and her words to me the night before haunt me, and the sound of Klaus slapping his worker echoes in my ear. “Does-Does this kind of thing happen a lot around here?” I ask, dumbly.

Elijah looks at me like I’ve grown a second head. “If you mean domestic violence and the elite people of Sevit High, then yeah probably”

“Domestic violence is more common amongst low income families,” Kai explains. "But, statistics sometimes doesn't account for things that happen behind closed doors.

Although that does make sense, I’ve never witnessed or experienced anything like that. No matter how mad my father got, he’d never lay his hands on me or Joon. Of course, I cannot speak for other families. This gives me more of an insight on why Elijah is part of Healer, why he’s chosen to go against the devils like his father who beat their own blood and flesh.

This makes me curious about the stories the other boys may have that have prompted them to join Healer. I can’t bare the fact that these amazing boys are being hurt and struggling, when all they want to do is heal the world when they can’t even heal themselves yet.

“I’m sorry I came here so sudden,” I say. I suddenly remember why I was here in the first place, why I needed to desperately see Healers.

Elijah hesitantly shakes his head and musters up a small smile. “Don’t be. Thanks to you, we got to relax a bit.”

Kai nods in agreement and leans in further to ask me, “So what brought you here?”

“Does your dad have something on us again?” Elijah asks.

I nod. “Something like that…” I trail off and so do my eyes. Now obtaining more knowledge on Healers, it makes me feel guilty for even having to question them. “My father said that you guys robbed some bank. Killed someone.”

I suck in a breath, preparing myself for them to get mad at me or maybe even curse me out, having someone like me who they saved, cared for, and protected, to have questioned their sincerity.

But I am only met with silence as they begin to blankly stare at each other like they’re having a telepathic conversation. “Should we tell her?” Kai murmurs.

I lean in closer with furrowed brows. “Tell me what? I don’t understand. You are good people. Why are you guys getting accused of all this stuff?”

Elijah heaves a sigh. “It’s complicated.”

“Did those things actually happen?” I ask cauttiously/

“Of course, it happened,” Kai says. “It happened so the cops are after them.”

“Them?”

Kai looks to Elijah like he needs help but Elijah just shakes his head gestures to me with his chin and a defeated sigh. “Just tell her.”

I look back to Kai with eager eyes and he momentarily avoids it but then proceeds to lean over again, preparing to tell me. “We didn’t do it. We didn’t do those crimes that the police are after us for. We are only responsible for the hacking and exposing the things that should be exposed. Everything else ain’t us.”

I nod. “That makes sense but…” I look away and place my hand on my chin in thought. “Why are the police so adamant that it is you who did it. Why are you the suspects when you didn’t do it?”

“There’s someone out there sabotaging us. Framing us for these things. They copied our tag and would graffiti our name on at the crime scene.”

I shoot up out of my seat and place my hands on my hips. “Why didn’t you guys tell me this before!”

They look up at me with wide eyes and I huff in fury as I stare down at them. “We can't let this happen. My dad's a cop I have to tell him this.” I begin to march towards the front door, and I can hear their bustling footsteps behind me. I hear a grunt like someone has tripped before I reach the door.

“Arden! Where are you going!” Kai calls out from behind me.

“I’m going to the police station to see what I can find out. I’m gonna find out who those motherfuckers are!” I clamp a hand to my mouth and turn around with wide eyes at Kai’s and Elijah’s baffled expressions. “Oops.” I peer behind them to see if the twins have noticed anything, or rather, heard anything. “I mean, those mother truckers...”

Elijah releases a frustrated sigh before telling me, “That’s what Jace and Grayson are doing right now. They’re out doing the groundwork. You're not the only one with connections Arden.

Kai takes a step closer. “We can’t get involved too and get noticed. It’s already shit enough that they’re doing this, but if they actually do find out who we are before we find out who they are, they can lead the cops to us.”

I mentally kick myself for being so damn stupid. Here I am making a fuss, and making things more complicated and stressful for them. “I just-I just can't stand this...”

However, Elijah crosses his arms with his brows raised. “And you think we can? Did you really think we killed someone?”

I muster up a nervous laugh, and my eyes fleet left and right to avoid his accusing glare. “I-I’m going to go now…”

Elijah only scoffs and I cross my arms at his attitude, his eyes now glinting playfully again. “You have nothing to be proud about!” I point a finger at him and he backs away. “Why the hell is Elijah King letting someone beat him up like this?” I gesture to his wounds now patched up neatly.

He scowls and huffs up his chest defensively at me. “I need his fucking money!” He shoots back at me, but I only edge closer, glaring back at him with fury.

“Is money all you ever think about?” I cross my arms again. “Think about your siblings-”

“Look Arden, I appreciate you helping out today but they’re the reason why I need the money okay?” He huffs out a frustrated sigh that I’ve seen way too much of today, and I back away. “As long as my father doesn’t lay a hand on them, I’m fine. I’m fine with him beating me if it means my siblings can grow up in comfort and with a good education.”

I shake my head sadly at him. “They’ll also grow up with scars too from seeing you like this….”

Elijah only nods slightly, like he’s trying to dismiss my words, trying to erase it from his brain. “Thanks for today, Arden. Go home now.” He trudge back in the apartment, his steps heavy and slow.

I look down. Maybe I was too harsh on him.

Kai turns to me with a small sympathetic smile. “I know you’re just worried, Arden. But, he’s seen the way we live. How little we have and how much it can affect us.”

“But we’re doing fine. Even though we don’t have the money we have-”

“Family.”

I look up at Kai, who’s staring at me with sad eyes. “We have family and we have love. Elijah doesn’t. He’s only trying to protect what he has now. His money. His siblings’ money.”

I nod.

How ignorant of me to think that only we have it worse. How selfish of me to dismiss other people’s pain just because they have more money than me. And how stupid of me to assume that what I have is too little and too insignificant.

For the first time, money looked ugly and meaningless to me when compared to love and family.

____

This was kinda a sad chapter too I guess....

So anti-healer... What do you think about all this?

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And the faster new chapters are released!