Chapter 9: Lesson

After visiting the mansion, I was back in the apothecary. Halos kasabay ko lang si Anabeth na kababalik mula sa bayan. She immediately grilled me with questions until she noticed my injured shoulder.

"Saan mo nakuha 'yan? Did something happened to you in the mansion?"

Umiling ako habang naglalakad kami sa mahabang hallway pabalik sa kanya-kanya naming kwarto. Umuulan parin sa labas at mukhang magtatagal ito hanggang gabi.

"I got it from falling in the river. Medyo namaga lang kasi natamaan ng sanga ng puno."

"Eleanor!" bigla niyang singhal sa'kin, stumping her feet on the wooden floor na maging ako ay tumigil sa paglalakad. "Bakit hindi ka nagsasabi?"

"Okay lang-"

Anabeth cut me off by pulling my hand. "Let's go to the infirmary," she told me. "Hindi pwedeng tayo ang magkasakit o masaktan considering people go to us to heal them."

Anabeth asked the help of some senior staff in the infirmary. She's more of a herbologist than someone who can heal, an expert on making medicines than someone who could use them for treating.

Nasa gilid siya at nanonood habang pinaligiran ako ng dalawang senior staff para gamutin. "Buti nalang at nalagyan ito ng gamot kahit paano," said Senior Violeta, inspecting the injury. "You're not being careful, Eleanor."

Nilinis nila ang sugat ko and dabbed a dry powder on the open wound. Senior Violeta used her skill on me for the wound to easily absorb the medicine.

"We could restore surface wounds but once it reached your flesh, you know we still need the assistance of medicines. We're no magicians," paalala niya.

"Now, don't be too harsh," offered Senior Rowena, a small lady with short grayish hair. "It's nice that you found the plants that we needed, but your well being is still important."

Both of them have the same skill set as me, both treating their skill as a blessing than a curse. Tahimik ko silang pinagmasdan. Ang nagaalalang mukha ni Anabeth, ang dalawang senior staff na pinagsasabihan ako habang ginagamot, and even Zackary... is it really okay for me to feel accepted?

For the next few days, Anabeth and I focused on making medicines out of the plants from our previous foraging. There were several processes introduced to me to make the most out of every medicinal plants, including extraction using solvents, maceration, infusion, and processes using heat.

The terminologies they used were pretty intimidating at first. But I spent several days reading about them so I could familiarized myself and most of them were pretty procedural once I learned the process. The senior staff, along with Anabeth, trains me willingly kaya hindi ako nahirapan mag-adjust.

As people who have the skill, mas madaling nahahanap kung ano ang mali sa katawan ng isang tao at ano ang kailangang gamutin. It's like targeted treatment, more effective, cost and time efficient. The same reason why hybrids with skills were being pulled from their homes to work for other people.

"Finally! Okay na ang mga antidotes for mineral poisoning," Anabeth informed me with relief. "It could last for a few cases until we could forage again."

Nasa loob kami ng tower, which looks like a research and laboratory in one. There's a lot of equipment, a lot of old books. I like being surrounded by them. Books and learning made me feel like I could be of use.

By afternoon, a staff informed us that two orders were waiting at the infirmary to request for some medicine. The seniors were busy in the tower so Senior Violeta asked me to check for them. Pagdating ko sa infirmary, tinanong ko agad kung ano ang nangyari at ano ang maitutulong ko.

One of them informed me about an encounter in one of the town's borders. Ilan sa mga kasama nila ang sugatan. Their injuries wasn't serious enough to require a stay in the town's hospital or infirmary so instead, he asked for basic wound treatment.

Nakaupo ang lalake sa isa sa mga hospital beds sa infirmary while I  write his concern on the files. "Could you wait for a few minutes? I'll prepare some-"

"Pwede bang iba ang gumawa ng gamot?" I turned to him, confused. "Mas mapapanatag ako kung ang totoong staff dito ang gagawa ng gamot."

Oh. Pilit akong ngumiti. "Sasabihin ko sa kanila. Pasensya na."

Pinuntahan ko si Anabeth sa station niya sa tower. "Okay na ba sila?" tanong niya.

Umiling ako. "They want someone else to prepare the medicines for them."

Kumunot ang noo niya. "Para saan? Alam mo din namang gumawa."

"Okay lang... pwede bang ikaw nalang ang humarap sa kanila?"

Bumalik ako sa iniwan kong trabaho at nagpatuloy sa paggawa ng  gamot para sa lagnat. I ground the dried leaves into powder before placing them into a clear glass container where I would put extraction solvent later on.

Pumasok si Anabeth sa kwarto at bumuntonghininga bago umupo sa isang silya. "Naibigay ko na ang gamot na hinihingi nila. I also heard there are several outsiders lately trying to access the town through the borders."

Kaya hindi na ako nagtaka na ganoon ang naging trato nila sa'kin. They still treat me as an outsider because they know where I came from and why I was here in town. Honestly, if I were them, I won't trust myself either.

I wasn't able to treat the people coming to the infirmary so I decided to focus on making medicines instead. Sa mga sumunod na araw, paisa-isa ang pagdating ng mga orders until this afternoon where they came rushing in from the borders, most of them with more serious injuries which needed immediate attention.

The entire tower was busy tending to them and I tried to help the senior staff from the background, making sure they have everything needed to treat them.

Habang nasa likod ng pintuan para magbigay ng gamot kay Senior Rowena, narinig ko ang usapan ng ilang orders na nagpapahinga sa infirmary.

"Kahit si Sir Zack injured."

"Dapat talaga may susunod tayong beta para sa mga ganitong sitwasyon. We can't always let him deal with everything."

Zackary... injured?

Nabigla ako nang tawagin ako ni Senior Rowena. "Eleanor, you can come inside to help."

I stepped back to the hallway, shaking my head. It's important for patients to trust the people who treat them at hindi makakatulong kung makikita nila ako.

Bandang hapon, isang order ang muling dumating sa infirmary. Sinalubong siya ni Anabeth, asking if he's injured like the others. Umiling ang lalake.

"I was sent to ask for Ms. Eleanor to check on Sir Zackary's injuries."

I was on the corner of the infirmary, far from others, dala ang mga  gamot na ibibigay kay Senior Rowena nang mapatingin sila sa'kin.

"As soon as possible," dagdag ng order.

Natahimik ang mga orders na pasyente sa infirmary. The senior staff turned to me. "What are you waiting for, Eleanor? Prepare to go to the mansion."

I was apprehensive the whole car ride to the mansion. Tinanong ko sa order na sumundo sa'kin kung okay lang ba si Zackary. He told me he had a few shallow wounds from the border encounter.

Pagbaba ko mula sa sasakyan, napansin ko agad na tahimik sa buong mansion. Mukhang wala sa mansion ang alpha at si Ms. Laura ngayong araw. Pumanhik ako sa second floor tulad ng sinabi ng tagasilbing sumalubong sa'kin sa doorway.

Nadaanan ko ang kwarto ni Zanra at sandaling huminto sa nakabukas na pintuan. Kasama niya ang isang tagasilbi sa kwarto na naghahanda ng gamot niya. Bumangon si Zanra mula sa pagkakahiga. "Eleanor, are you okay now?"

Ngumiti ako. "Okay na ako, Ms. Zanra. I was treated at the apothecary last time."

"I'm glad to hear that." Sandali siyang nagtaka. "Did Mom asked for you?"

Umiling ako. "It was actually your brother."

Her eyebrow shot up ever so slightly. "Really? You should probably go then. Zack's a little impatient."

Nagpaalam ako kay Zanra bago tumungo sa pinto na tinutukoy ng tagasilbi. Tumayo ako nang maayos habang hawak ang paperbag ng gamot bago kumatok sa pinto.

"Come in."

I twisted the knob at marahang tinulak ang pintuan. I stared around the room. May malaking puting bed sa gitna ng kwarto with crumpled sheets and everything else in the room was bare except for the white curtains on the terrace door, gently swaying in the breeze. Is this Zackary's room?

I thought at first there's no one inside the room. Sumulyap ako sa terrace where Zackary was standing by the baluster,  staring at the town below the hill. He wasn't facing me pero alam niyang nasa loob ako ng kwarto. Bumuntonghininga siya bago humarap sa'kin.

"Zackary..." I suddenly caught myself. "Sir..." dagdag ko, suddenly aware that I was calling him by his name.

"Zack is fine."

"D-Do you need my assistance?" I asked.

Naglakad siya papasok sa kwarto. He looks... casual today. He was wearing a white cotton shirt and gray linen pants, with his hair slightly disheveled.

"Not really," he muttered.

Oh. "Pero akala ko..." Bigla kong naalala ang mga mukha ng orders sa infirmary noong mag-offer ako ng tulong. I bit my lower lip. "I... we could send another staff from the apothecary. I'm sorry the instruction wasn't clear to me."

I lowered my gaze to the brown paper bag in my hand, hindi alam kung iiwan ito o dadalhin paalis. Hindi ko namalayan na nakalapit na si Zack sa'kin.

"Apologizing again, aren't you?"

I raised my head and took a step back nang makitang nasa harapan ko siya. Napansin ko ang mga galos sa gilid ng kanyang mukha, sa mga braso niyang hapit sa sleeves ng shirt niya. Of all the people I came across with, he has the most physically fit body.

"I sent you here to teach the orders a lesson."

I stared up at his face, confused. "Lesson?"

"The thing about people, Ms. Eleanor, they don't want to hear they're wrong so I set an active example for them without giving them specific instructions."

That's the thing I noticed about Zackary. The current alpha, Sir Zander, was direct with a specific set of rules in this town. Tipong walang makakabali ng batas niya. But Zack... he was more of an observer, someone who do things in his own procedure rather than traditional approach.

"Pero may galos ka parin," I mumbled. "Do you need me to heal them?"

Nanatili ang tingin niya sa'kin, tila hindi inaasahan ang tanong ko. He shoved his hands in the pocket of his linen pants. "Suit yourself, Ms. Eleanor."

Zack's tall so I asked him to sit down so I could treat him. He ended up sitting on the bed while I prepare my things, some ointments and bandages. Umupo ako sa tabi niya, damping the wounds on his arms to clean them first, then putting some ointment before restoring the torn layer of his skin.

Zack must have hated being treated for his injuries dahil panay ang  hinga niya nang malalim. Hinawakan ko ang gilid ng mukha niya, my fingers brushing the scratches and wounds to know where I could fix them.

Bigla niyang hinawakan ang wrist ko para pigilan. Nakatitig siya sa'kin with an unreadable expression on his face. Agad akong humingi ng tawad.

"I... I shouldn't have touch your face."

"It's not that." Bigla siyang tumayo at tumungo sa pintuan. "I'll let the order take you home."

***