Chapter 10

Between the best and the worst

Siwa was busy chopping ingredients for his dinner. A draft of air and sand crept through one of the windows, startling the wind chimes. He paid no attention to it. Having lived this many years in the desert, he was used to some noise when there were sandstorms. This one wasn't particularly strong, and being so close to the river his house was always at the edge of it. It wouldn't be an hour before it was over, probably just before sunset.

Lost in his thoughts, he jumped at the sound of a single, loud thud near his front door. With his curiosity piqued, he covered the food and ingredients with a heavy plate, protecting it from the sand that would enter as soon as he opened the door.

Covering his face, Siwa had to resist the urge to close the door as soon as he'd opened it. Laid on his doorstep was a bloodied body. Siwa stepped back in horror, but the body started making small, whimpering noises.

"It… h-hurts," a man's voice mumbled.

It sounded almost like a kid, and the voice was so weak he didn't have the heart to close the door. Groaning, he carefully dragged the body inside. He removed his glasses and pulled the cloth away from his face to get a better look at the man. Turning him onto his back, he looked young, no more than twenty five years old. He was covered in both dried and fresh blood, a wide cut adorning his barely clothed chest. He hugged a wooden box between his arms, and when Siwa touched his burning skin, he curled over himself with a groan of pain, bringing the box closer to him.

Whoever this man was, Siwa knew he'd been attacked, and he was surprised he was still alive after a sandstorm. Still, he was burning up and, by the looks of it, was probably having hallucinations. He hurried to clean the blood off of his face, but the boy curled again as soon as he tried to get close to his chest. He had the feeling that was a battle he wasn't going to win unless the young man was unconscious.

With no other choice, he dragged his body over a wooden board as a makeshift stretcher, tying him down, he covered the young man as best as he could.

He needed a doctor.

QQ snored softly at her side while Rosie cleaned one of the fans she'd found in the ruins. A few months have passed since the cave incident, and summer was getting close, each day warmer than the last. She looked at the clock over her desk and wiped the remains of the cleaning foam from the fan, turning it side to side in her hands. It amused her how Gust would wrinkle his nose wherever he faced something dirty, but wouldn't comment when she, herself, was covered in mud and dirt from the ruins, and instead would wipe her face with a cloth. Pleased with her work, Rosie got up and patted QQ in the head before heading outside, fan in hand.

The cold breeze against her skin was a relief compared to the warmness of her house. Even if she had lived some years in Barnarock, she never got used to the heat. She glanced at the last traces of sunset disappearing completely before walking the familiar path to the Mayor's house.

She knocked twice before the door opened, revealing Russo.

"Welcome, Miss Rosie," he greeted her with a subtle bow.

"Thank you, Russo," she returned the gesture and made her way in.

Rosie ascended the first set of stairs and softly opened the door to Gust's room, hiding the fan behind her back. Gust was, as she'd expected, too focused working on his project to notice her presence, his brows furrowed as he sketched something on his work. She knocked softly on the door to get his attention, meeting him with a smile when he looked at her.

"Just two minutes, I promise," Rosie said. She waited at the entrance for his approval.

Gust gave her a side smile, resting his pencil on the desk, "I think I can afford ten." He looked like he was melting, even with his window open. His hair was in a loose bun, and his suit jacket was resting on the chair.

"My inspiration has vaporized with this weather-" he continued before noticing she was hiding something behind her back, "what are you hiding there?"

Rosie closed the door before approaching him, "Oh, just something that may help," she answered before putting the fan on his desk.

Gust smiled widely this time. "You really are something."

Rosie could feel a slight heat in her face but brushed it off. "I… may or may not have overheard when you were complaining a couple days ago."

Gust plugged the fan in and looked pleased when the blades started spinning. "You really like to be nosy, hmm?" he asked with a playful grin. He took her hands between his, squeezing them softly, "thanks".

"As much as I enjoy your new look, I didn't want the mayor's son to melt", Rosie said. Gust, of course, flushed as soon as he heard her. He still wasn't used to her openly flirting or complimenting him.

"I know," he said, trying to keep it cool, he looked away from her. Rose bit her lip to hold back a giggle.

"Rosie?" the gentle voice of Ginger could be heard from the other side of the door.

Rosie looked at the closed entrance and sighed. "That was not ten minutes," she muttered. She went to release Gust's hands, but he held on tight. Pulling her down, he placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"Take care," he said when their lips parted.

"We will," she said with a soft smile.

She had taken over Gust's role of going for a walk with Ginger every night. He hadn't asked her to, she did it out of the genuine joy of being with her best friend. Besides, taking a slow walk to the river, when she was used to running all over Portia everyday to finish her commissions, was a nice change of pace. It served as a distraction too, since it was the tenth day Gust had been locked inside his room, she had seen him only twice for a couple of minutes, counting this time. She never expected to miss someone this much. It felt ridiculous knowing he wasn't really away.

She still had to wait three more days.

That night was pretty similar to the last couple of nights; they walked slowly towards the river, avoiding talking too much on the way there so that Ginger wasn't tired by the time they arrived, saving whatever conversation they had for when they were sitting in the grass.

These days Rosie rarely had an interesting story to tell Ginger, since she had been busy making the Dee-dees, but Rosie could tell Ginger was excited to ride in one.

"As soon as I finish the Dee-dee stops you'll have a chance," she promised.

"I wonder if I'll be able to come out during the day more," Ginger said, her voice no louder than a whisper.

"Maybe not this side of the river, since there are no trees that cover us… but, what about Gust's usual painting spot?" Rosie chimed in.

"I will make you a thousand talismans if you can convince my brother," she giggled.

"What am I going to do with that many talismans?" Rosie feigned horror.

"Why are you so sure you'll convince him?"

"I just think I can."

She didn't, but for Ginger she'd try. Rosie never had any brothers or sisters, but she loved Ginger as much as one. She also knew Gust overprotected her, but she also understood where that came from. Still, Ginger wasn't as weak as he thought she was.

They continued chatting about nonsense when Ginger spotted something in the water.

"Rose, what is that?" she muttered.

"I think… I think it's a boat," she narrowed her eyes, trying to see better.

It was a boat, but Rosie couldn't make out who or what was on it as it headed in a beeline straight for them. Rosie got up from the grass and instinctively put herself in front of Ginger, a sudden feeling of uneasiness invading her.

And then she heard the man yelling.

"We need a doctor!" His voice pierced the silence of the night.

The shape of the silhouette and the voice sounded familiar, Rosie walked towards the shore to have a better look. Her eyes widened when she realized it was one of the Hulu brothers, and if her guess was correct, it was Siwa.

"Call Paulie and Dr. Xu!" He continued yelling.

She turned back to Ginger. "Stay here, I'll go and get help," Ginger nodded, visibly worried.

Rosie ran as fast as she could. Before she knew it, she was banging on Paulie's door, her pulse racing. She explained as fast as possible (which wasn't hard, given that the only information she had was Siwa or someone else needed help) before running to Xu's and doing the same. She and the doctor rushed back to the river, while Phyllis stayed at the clinic preparing a bed. When they arrived, Rosie could barely breathe. Ginger approached her and rubbed her back with a hand. Ginger's brow was furrowed with worry.

"Let me see," the doctor ordered, kneeling beside the young man. Siwa and Paulie gave him space.

"What happened?" Rosie asked Ginger in a whisper.

"No one knows. Siwa found him like that at his front door. He thinks he was attacked, and he refuses to let that wooden box go," the younger woman answered softly.

The man's pained groans as Paulie lifted him up made her shiver. "I really hope he's okay," she squeezed Ginger's arm softly.

Dr. Xu walked to them, a stern look on his face. "You two should go and rest. I'm sorry you've had to see someone this injured. I know it can be as unsettling as watching an accident. Thank you for telling me, Rose," he patted them both on the arm softly before rushing back to the clinic. Rosie looked back at Ginger.

"We should go."