Chapter twenty five:
Healer was shocked by Kliner's words that her head spun slowly with a fuzzy buzzing like static galloping through her head.
''How did jou know? Did jou hear me and Medic speaking?'' Healer asked, wiggling in her chair.
''No. I never told jou vhy I came here did I?'' Kliner replied, scratching her nose. ''Or vhy I vas so desperate to stay and see jou?''
''I did begin to vonder vhy. I figured jou vould just tell me vhen jou vere ready to.''
''Vell, I guess I don't really have much choice...''
Kliner wheezed in a sickly breath that crackled and popped, her face contorting into pain and agony that she couldn't take it any deeper then a small wheeze. Healer sighed and propped Kliner up against the pillows carefully.
''Danke...Gott, I feel like an old person.'' Kliner trembled, her bottom lip quivering.
''Don't cry mein darling.'' Healer brushed some hair out of her face and smiled. ''Tell me vat it vas jou vanted to say. I vill listen.''
''I know jou vill. I may as get it out of my head before I die.''
''Kliner don't speak like zhat. I Von't let jou die!''
''So jou have figured out za cure zhen?''
Healer lowered her head, biting her tongue again until it begun to hurt. ''Vee have.''
''I bet I can tell jou vat it is.'' Kliner grinned and softly laughed, followed by a croaky cough that ripped her throat to shreds.
She dropped her hand onto the gurney after she was finished hacking away and sighed softly, a whistle flowing past her teeth. ''It's jou, isn't it? Jour my cure.''
''How do jou know zhat?'' Healer frowned again, burrowing her brows and shaking her head. ''Kliner jou have been listening. How did jou know about-''
''About jour mutation? Za mutation zhat mutter and vatter found out about and vere planning to send jou avay for good cash? So, doing vat jou could only do to protect jourself...Jou ran avay. Jou ran because zhey vere going to send jou avay, vere jou vould be dissected and poked and prodded.''
Healer's eyes were filled with tears. They leaned against the edge of her waterline before they came gushing out once again, busting a pipe as she clenched the sheets between her hands and looked away from Kliner who had a dead-pan look. Healer would have replied if not for her vocal chords being seduced by her ever-lasting tears clenching them up.
She was stunned how Kliner knew all of that, how she figured out her horrible mutation that felt like a blessing and a curse and how her adoptive parents only abused her and kept her around for that one particular reason. She fought for so long to stay stable through that time until she saved up enough to leave, and when she did she didn't look back at them but she looked back at the little Kliner who was sobbing her heart out because she thought she had caused Healer's departure.
''Oh Kliner...'' Healer convulsed in gasps of sobbing. ''I didn't vant jou to find out. I-I couldn't let jou know...''
''It's OK...I only knew because I found za letter zhey had written out to send off...But jou left before zhey could and I guess I vas a last resort. So I had to leave to find jou.'' Kliner replied like a ghostly whimper. ''I'm sure zhat zhey did somesing to cause zhis sickness.''
''If zhey did I'll find zhem and make zhem regret it. I promise jou zhat.'' Healer growled, her eyes like a lioness protecting her cub. Fierce, glowing with revenge. A fire spreading through her veins.
''Ha...Jou look like a pyromaniac.'' Kliner laughed shortly, brushing as finger over Healer's cheek and weakly fighting off slumber again. ''Zhere is somesing else I should tell jou...''
''Vat is it?'' Healer scooted closer and stroked Kliner's hair.
''I never said...I couldn't. I guess I didn't really know how to but, do jou remember vhen mutter and vatter passed?''
Healer clenched her jaw. ''Ja I do.''
''Bitte, don't hate me. But I zhink-I zhink zhat-'' Kliner struggled through wrenching grief, howling sobs quivering her body, ''I zhink I killed zhem.''
''Vat makes jou zhink zhat? Jou crazy frau, zhere is no vay jou did!'' Healer shook her head, clutching Kliner's cheeks in her hands and repeatedly shaking her head. ''Nein, how vould jou have caused it jou dummkopf!?''
''Because me and Kali vere messing around vith Dad's car engine. I didn't vant to and kept telling her not to, but she didn't listen. She vanted to show off her skills to me and I couldn't tell jou or vatter. She said she vould hurt me if I didn't and-''
''Zhat little bitch.'' Healer growled, almost confused and angry at Kliner and herself.
It was all coming out-the truth pent up so heavily for so long it hurt at the same time as it did to feel relief wash over them both. Healer felt all muddled up, so confused and lost that she couldn't decide if she should lash out at Kliner or comfort her. Did she want to slap her? Maybe. Did she want to kill her friend? Yes, she was desperate to, but there would be no point.
''Bitte don't hate me...Vatter didn't even know vee had toyed vith it and zhen he vent out and zhey got stuck on za tracks-'' Kliner was burying her face into her hands, shoving her face into the pillow until she couldn't breath properly. Smothered sniffles were muffled like water in someone's ear as Kliner cried and Healer rose to her feet to walk off her dazed emotions. The sunset's godly orange glow shined through the blinds as she leaned against the windowsill, arms shaking, legs like a new-born doe and her head filling with the blackest of thoughts corrupting her like worn rusty metal and yet, she couldn't find the joy to enjoy the warm sunset on her skin. Instead she felt as though she should hide, be exiling herself away from such beauty because inside of herself she was ugly and mean and not pretty. She was cruel.
There were words in her head but she couldn't peace them together. There were thoughts but she couldn't catch them to think properly and there were actions she wanted to do, but her body was so cold and heavy she wanted to collapse and just lie there.
''So, Kila killed vatter? It vas her fault?'' Healer said monotone, gazing out to the open view.
Kliner didn't look at her, a growing pit of guilt sinking into her. ''I told her not to! I didn't vant her to hurt me. I didn't know she vas going to bust za engine, did I?''
''But jou let her do it! I could have protected jou!'' Healer shouted back, her face pale and daggers pointed at Kliner's shivering back.
''Vell jou zhink I don't know zhat jou kill people either!'' Kliner snapped back, spinning around to face Healer and red rosy cheeks burning brightly. Tears stained her cheeks, salty and dry and glimmering in the light. ''I saw vat jou did! Jour evil! Jour cruel! Jou kill for fun jou bitch!''
Healer gasped, a train hitting her mentally. ''K-Kliner...How did jou know about zhat?''
''Jou don't zhink I got a nasty shock vhen gunshots shook me out of slumber zhat one time jou locked me in here!? I saw jou...Jou vere killing people zhat looked like jou. Jou veren't even bothered by zhere suffering.''
''Kliner, it's hard to explain.''
''Explain vat?! Zhat jour a cold-hearted killer?!'' Kliner laughed, letting herself fall back into the gurney and closed her eyes. ''Jour not like za girl I saw leave all zhose years ago. Jour just some clone. A thief. Jou stole my little wolf avay!''
Healer shuddered at her childhood nickname Kliner would always call her when they would play in those forests behind there property when they weren't allowed to; All those dens and huts and treehouses they would build with there maps and treasures they would bury. It was all burned into a horrible memory when the happiness died with there parents.
Healer didn't say anything; She stood there with her heart in her mouth and her soul exposed for what it really was; A cold hearted killer.
''It's different vhen jour told za truth isn't it? Jou don't like it! Jou are a mean woman and I am ashamed to see jou as my sister! I pictured vat jou vould look like for so long vhen jou left-'' Kliner sobbed harder, her voice barely audible, ''-And here jou are! I'm so disappointed.''
''Zhey come back! Zhey don't die, Kliner! Zhere is so much to it zhat jou don't know and I vas going to tell jou!''
As Healer spoke, a sudden clap of thunder screeched through the glorious peach coloured sky, a bright white bolt of lightening rumbled and striking the ground in anger as if her emotions were speaking through the clouds. Rain had started to pelt the windows and the sunset had hid behind the tall mountains, it's godly light flickering as it moved and the grey clouds moved slowly by with there grey sadness streaking like chalk on a board.
''I didn't know how. I vas vaiting to see how vee got on! How jou vould take to it and I vas so close to telling jou but jou got sick!'' Healer was out-stretching her arms as she spoke, tears streaming like river's down her cheeks. ''I never had enough time to...''
Kliner tutted defensively as Healer trembled like a doe in a freezing cold blizzard, her face a morph of pleading expression. Healer couldn't fix this as much as she wanted to, but it was all slowly crumbling around her like it did before and she couldn't do anything but run away from it.
Healer smiled weakly after a heavy pregnant silence had wafted into the room and made it hard to breath almost, her chest caving in on her and her body loosing it's strength and her heart thumping against her tight chest, fighting to be heard with it's forceful upset anger. It hurt like knives over your skin, or like a bullet getting wedged in your throat and your left there to feel your blood pool into it and you fight to breath but it gurgles and bubbles away, uselessly. Healer felt all of it and she didn't know what to do.
''As am I, Kliner.'' She replied, and that's when her whole body collapsed from exhaustion to the cold floor and her eyes flickered shut into a dark paradise.