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第118章

[科幻]宿主-第118章

小说: [科幻]宿主 字数: 每页4000字

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They had me lie down on the paper…covered bed。 
The room was familiar。 I’d been in only one place like this; but Melanie’s childhood was full of such 

memories。 The short row of double cabinets; the sink where the Healer was washing her hands; the 
bright; clean white walls… 
“First things first;” Knits Fire said cheerfully。 She pulled a cabinet open。 I tried to focus my eyes; 


knowing this was important。 The cabinet was full of rows and rows of stacked white cylinders。 She took 


 

 I saw the label again as she twisted the lid off。 Two short words。No Pain? Was that what it said?

 “Open your mouth; Glass Spires。”

 I obeyed。 She took a small; thin square—it looked like tissue paper—and laid it on my tongue。 It 
dissolved at once。 There was no flavor。 I swallowed automatically。

 “Better?” the Healer asked。

 And it was。 Already。 My my head was clear—I could concentrate without difficulty。 The pain had 
melted away with the tiny square。 Disappeared。 I blinked; shocked。

 “Yes。”

 “I know you feel fine now; but please don’t move。 Your injuries are not treated yet。”

 “Of course。”

 “Cerulean; could you get us some water? Her mouth seems dry。”

 “At once; Healer Knits。”

 The older woman left the room。

 The Healer turned back to her cabinets; opening a different one this time。 This; too; was filled with white 

containers。 “Here we are。” She pulled one from the top of a stack; then took another from the other side。

 Almost as if she were trying to help me fulfill my mission; she listed the names as she reached for them。

 “Clean—inside and out… Heal… Seal… And where is… ah; Smooth。 Don’t want a scar on that pretty 

face; do we?”

 “Ah… no。”

 “Don’t worry。 You’ll be perfect again。”

 “Thank you。”

 “You’re very wele。”

 She leaned over me with another white cylinder。 The top of this one came off with a pop; and there was 

an aerosol spray nozzle underneath。 She sprayed my forearm first; coating the wound with clear; odorless 

mist。

 “Healing must be a fulfilling profession。” My voice sounded just right。 Interested; but not unduly so。 “I 
haven’t been in a Healing facility since insertion。 This is very interesting。”

 “Yes; I like it。” She started spraying my face。 

 

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” 
She smiled。 I guessed that I was not the first curious soul。 “This is Clean。 It will make sure nothing 


foreign stays in the wound。 It kills off any of the microbes that might infect the wound。” 
“Clean;” I repeated to myself。 
“And the Inside Clean; just in case anything has snuck into your system。 Inhale this; please。” 
She had a different white cylinder in her hand; a thinner bottle with a pump rather than an aerosol top。 


She puffed a cloud of mist into the air above my face。 I sucked in a breath。 The mist tasted like mint。 
“And this is Heal;” Knits Fire continued; twisting the cap off the next canister; revealing a small pouring 
spout。 “It encourages your tissues to rejoin; to grow the way they should。” 
She dribbled a tiny bit of the clear liquid into the wide cut on my arm; then she pushed the edges of the 
wound together。 I could feel her touch; but there was no pain。 
“I’ll seal this up before I move on。” She opened another container; this one a pliable tube; and then 
squeezed out a line of thick; clear jelly onto her finger。 “Like glue;” she told me。 “It holds everything 

together and lets the Heal do its job。” She wiped it over my arm in one swift pass。 “Okay; you can move 
that now。 Your arm is fine。” 
I held it up to look。 A faint pink line was visible under the shiny gel。 The blood was still wet on my arm; 


but there was no source anymore。 As I watched; the Healer cleaned my skin with one quick pass of a 


damp towel。 
“Turn your face this way; please。 Hmm; you must have hit those rocks just exactly wrong。 What a 
mess。”


 “Yes。 It was a bad fall。” 
“Well; thank goodness you were able to drive yourself here。” 
She was lightly dripping Heal onto my cheek; smearing it with the tips of her fingers。 “Ah; I love to watch 


it work。 Looks much better already。 Okay… around the edges。” She smiled to herself。 “Maybe one 
more coat。 I want this to be erased。” She worked for a minute longer。 “Very nice。” 
“Here’s some water;” the older woman said as she came through the door。 
“Thank you; Cerulean。” 
“Let me know if you need anything more。 I’ll be up front。”


 “Thanks。” 
Cerulean left。 I wondered if she was from the Flower Planet。 Blue flowers were rare—one might take a 
name from that。


 “You can sit now。 How do you feel?” 


 

 “That’s just how it should be。 Okay; let’s dust on a little Smooth。” 
She twisted the last cylinder’s top and shook an iridescent powder into her hand。 She patted it into my 
cheek; then patted another handful onto my arm。


 “You’ll always have a small line on your arm;” she said apologetically。 “Like your neck。 A deep 
wound…” She shrugged。 Absentmindedly; she brushed the hair back from my neck and examined the 
scar。 “This was nicely done。 Who was your Healer?”

 “Um… Faces Sunward;” I said; pulling the name from one of my old students。 “I was in… Eureka; 
Montana。 I didn’t like the cold。 I moved south。”

 So many lies。 I felt a twist of anxiety in my stomach。 
“I started out in Maine;” she said; not noticing anything amiss in my voice。 As she spoke; she cleaned the 
blood from my neck。 “It was too cold for me; too。 What’s your Calling?”


 “Um… I serve food。 In a Mexican restaurant in… Phoenix。 I like spicy food。” 
“Me; too。” She wasn’t looking at me funny。 She was wiping my cheek now。 
“Very nice。 No worries; Glass Spires。 Your face looks great。” 
“Thank you; Healer。” 
“Of course。 Would you like some water?” 
“Yes; please。” I kept a grip on myself。 It wouldn’t do to bolt the glass down the way I wanted to。 I 


wasn’t able to stop myself from finishing it all; though。 It tasted too good。 
“Would you like more?” 
“I… yes; that would be nice。 Thank you。” 
“I’ll be right back。” 
The second she was out the door; I slid off the mattress。 The paper crackled; freezing me in place。 She 


didn’t dart back in。 I had only seconds。 It had taken Cerulean a few minutes to get the water。 Maybe it 


would take the Healer just as long。 Maybe the cool; pure water was far away from this room。 Maybe。 
I ripped the pack off my shoulders and wrenched the drawstrings open。 I started with the second 
cabinet。 There was the stacked column of Heal。 I grabbed the whole column and let it clatter quietly into 
the bottom of my pack。

 What would I say if she caught me? What lie could I tell? 
I took the two kinds of Clean next; from the first cabinet。 There was a second stack behind the first of 


 

the Seal; when the label of the next row of cylinders caught my attention。 
Cool。 For fevers? There were no instructions; just the label。 I took the stack。 Nothing here would hurt a 
human body。 I was sure of that。

 I grabbed all the Seal and two cans of Smooth。 I couldn’t press my luck any further。 I closed the 
cabinets quietly and threw my arms through the straps of the pack。 I leaned against the mattress; making 
another crackle。 I tried to look relaxed。

 She didn’t e back。 
I checked the clock。 It had been one minute。 How far away was the water? 
Two minutes。 
Three minutes。 
Had my lies been as obvious to her as they were to me? 
Sweat started to dew up on my forehead。 I wiped it away quickly。 
What if she brought back a Seeker? 
I thought of the small pill in my pocket; and my hands shook。 I could do it; though。 For Jamie。 
I heard quiet footsteps then; two sets; ing down the hall。


 CHAPTER 45


 Succeeded

 Healer Knits Fire and Cerulean walked through the door together。 The Healer handed me a tall glass of 
water。 It didn’t feel as cold as the first—my fingers were cold with fear now。 The dark…skinned woman 
had something for me; too。 She handed me a flat rectangle with a handle。

 “I thought you would want to see;” Knits Fire said with a warm smile。

 The tension flooded out of me。 There was no suspicion or fear。 Just more kindness from the souls who 
had dedicated their lives to Healing。

 Cerulean had given me a mirror。

 I held it up and then tried to stifle my gasp。

 My face looked the way I remembered it from San Diego。 The face I’d taken for granted there。 The 
skin was smooth and peachy across my right cheekbone。 If I looked carefully; it was just a little lighter 
and pinker in color than the tan on the other cheek。

 It was a face that belonged to Wanderer; the soul。 It belonged here; in this civilized place where there 
was no violence and no horror。 

 

 “What do you think?” the Healer asked。

 “I look perfect。 Thank you。”

 “It was my pleasure to heal you。”

 I looked at myself again; seeing details beyond the perfection。 My hair was ragged—dirty; with uneven 

ends。 There was no gloss to it—homemade soap and poor nutrition were to blame for that。 Though the 
Healer had c

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