A/N: Inspiration outside the Center :D

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Zoe imitated all his actions and crossed the portal. In a blink of an eye, she was back under the clear blue sky and the beaming ball of fire, a vast greenery with cherry blossoms stretched around her. She inhaled, filling her lungs with the fresh air laced with the scent of grass and the very faint and sheer lilac rose quality, accented with creamy-sweet vanilla.

"Zoe," Dilinjer called and she whirled to his direction.

He was standing in the middle of a faded, brick path way, leading to a two story building radiating with years of service. Although the paints look fresh, its murky windows told a different tale. Although that was the case, Zoe saw two people in yellow uniform brushing the glass windows and presumed that it must be under renovation.

Apart from them, there were others walking around the building while some were taking rest under the shade of trees. A handful of senior citizens were seated at the wooden bench along the pathway, indulging the warm rays of the afternoon sun. Most of them wore a white gown, which Zoe believed was the same as hospital gown wore by patients.

She started to march towards Dilinjer when kids ran past him, chasing each other while squealing. Suddenly, there was a light thud when one of the kids hit the ground and instantly howled a cry.

The healer approached the orange haired boy and pulled him into a sitting position. Zoe fell on the steps next to him and the other kids, observing as crimson blood slowly dotted the boy's knee. She gazed in awe as he cooed the little boy. If she didn't know Dilinjer, she would have mistaken him for his father.

When the frail kid began to calm down, Dilinjer lifted him in both arms and began walking.

"Where are you going?" she asked, trying to catch his pace while the other kids continued playing chase around them.

"We need to sanitize his wounds."

"Can't you just heal him?"

His attention was focused on the building, and even though the sun was pouring all its heat on them, his face was ghastly pale. "That's because healing also has its consequence," he said. "When one receives too much healing, there will come a time when they will grow immune to the magic."

He paused, as though letting his words caused her shock, and when Zoe gaped at him with wide eyes, he went on with his explanation. "This usually happens to those in the front line, who are fending off Dark Creatures that made it through the barrier. Because of the nature of their job, they're always subjected to severe wounds and needed healing. And when one reached their limit, we can only perform surgeries and other medical procedures. However, one rarely survives it. So while a wound can be cured the simple way, we avoid using magic."

The group entered the building. Zoe heard people spoke with the healer, but she was too drawn in wrapping her mind at the appalling side of healing that her surrounding only made sense when Dilinjer placed the kid on a bed covered in white sheets.

"Zoe, could you please fetch some water," he said, handing her a small basin.

"S- Sure."

She whirled around and searched for a lavatory, only to be faced with the small room that they were in, enclosed in white curtains. She stepped out into the aisle and eyed the rows of white curtains, and deduced that they were in a ward good enough for ten people.

Zoe approached the lavatory at the end of the room, forcing herself not to pry on the open curtains. She diverted her ears away from private conversations and turned on the faucet, however, no water came out.

She quickly went back to Dilinjer.

"There's no water," she said, showing the still empty basin.

The healer rose from his stool, making her crane her neck to meet his copper eyes.

"I'm sorry," he started. "I got used to Elijah doing these things so I forgot to tell you. The whole building is under renovation, so only the restrooms upstairs have a water supply. You could also try the well in the backyard."

"Okay." She nodded and sprinted outside the ward.

The hallway was a simple, straight corridor with intervals of wooden doors. It was brightly lit by draping white lights from the high ceiling as if they were frozen crystals. From the open double doors to her right, the faded, brick pathway snaked through the grass, leading to a white fence with a small town in the background. She scanned her left side and was greeted by another set of glass doors that showed nothing but tamed green grass.

A few patients and visitors wondered the wide corridor and not even one bat her an eye when she passed. She had never been in a hospital before, although she saw it from movies and read them from books, being in an actual one was different. It made her wonder if it was always silent with nothing but soft murmurs as though it was haunted.

The longer she stayed with the lingering gloomy aura and peculiar fragrances, the more she wished to be back at the cake shop. She stepped out from the back door and immediately spotted the huge well just a few feet away from her.

The back of the Center was like a regular farm house in a far away province. It was filled with rows and rows of plowed lands with vegetables she hadn't seen before, while a white fence separated the building from the thick forest of cherry blossoms and distant snowy mountains.

There were no other people aside from the children playing with a pink ball and based on their clothes, she figured that they were visitors. For a moment, she stood there and watched their grinning faces. Their joyous screams and laughter unknowingly welcomed a pinch of pain in her heart. Somehow, they reminded her of Catalina.

What was she doing now?

Did her birthday party go well?

Does she miss her, too?

For the past few days, she was too immersed in training and finding answers that she had no time to think about what happened to her family. She should feel guilty for not remembering them, yet she didn't. She wanted to see them, but deep down inside her, she didn't want to go back to her old and boring life. Being aware of such potent feeling opened a pit of nightmare inside her.

Does feeling this way made her despicable?

No matter what the case, she hoped that she could send them a message and tell them that she was fine.

Zoe veered her attention away from the kids and strolled towards the well. It was the first time she would use one and the excitement inside her kept boiling, as though teasing her to sing one of those old Disney songs and wait for her prince charming to come.

She started lowering the pail when the screams intensified and sounded wrong, yet she assumed that they were only enjoying themselves. Or perhaps the boys started fighting with the girls.

Then everything became quiet and something tapped on her boots. She glanced and saw the pink ball resting beside her. Zoe let go of the rope, letting the water splash as the metal pail dived into it. She picked up the ball and turned to where she saw the group of kids.

And the ball instantly slipped from her grasp.

Her stomach churned, tempting her to throw up. Her mouth fell open, but no words came out. She watched in horror as the feet of a kid disappeared inside the mouth of a tall, blue, fluffy creature. Her lower lip started to tremble as she uttered its name.

"Cookie Monster."

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Dedicated to Forever_Young_Beauty

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XOXO