Their presence inside our house made Lacey uncomfortable. She rolled on the bed, untangling herself from the comfort of her blanket. Silence fell over the room as everyone was captivated by the bright colors of her clothes. The old man stepped forward, curious about what he had witnessed, knowing that nothing in this dying world held colors as vivid as those she wore.
"I must ask, did you find her wearing those clothes?" The elder asked.
I knew the answer to his question, but I was uncertain about the repercussions of my response. "No. I found those on a doll inside an old suitcase in one of the cars. She only wore a rag when I found her."
The crowd behind the elder whispered as the old man squinted, scrutinizing the answer I just gave him. "I hope you're not lying to me."
He turned and walked toward the door, pausing as he reached it. "We will be waiting for you at the center fountain. Don't be late." The old man said, closing the door behind him.
With each passing moment, the chances of Lacey being accepted grew slimmer. I had to face the possibility that keeping her with us might lead to our exile, as the elders were unlikely to take the time to understand her unique situation.
"Brother, I will protect Lacey with my life. I owe her a debt that needs to be repaid. She healed me and cured you by taking the pain upon herself. There is no world in which I take her back to that highway. I hope you understand."
Julius nodded in agreement. "What about if you show them what she can do? What about if she can cure everyone in the village?"
"Have you thought about what could happen to her? They don't want to give her a chance to live. It's highly unlikely they will want to keep her around, even after she's healed everyone. That is, assuming she survives."
"I understand," Julius said.
"You saw what happened to her the moment she touched your skin. She doesn't cure anyone; she takes others' sicknesses into herself. Trying to cure everyone in the village with her power will kill her. We cannot ask her to do it willingly, because she is just a baby. We would be forcing her to give her life away for people that don't want her here."
I grabbed a pair of old gloves to avoid skin contact with Lacey. I wrapped her around the blanket once again, pausing to admire the innocence in her eyes.
"I will take her to the elders. You can come with us or stay behind to prepare our bags. I already know, this will be an unfair vote against her."
"I want to come with you."
"Alright, let's go."
We left our home and headed straight to the center of the building, a structure once known as a mall where people shopped decades ago. Now, it serves as a residence for many, primarily elderly individuals who can't take care of themselves, survivors of an event they refer to as the fall of civilization.
One of the guards approached us, guiding me to enter the old fountain, while everyone else watched in silence. The leader of the elders, a man named John, stood from his chair and addressed the crowd.
"You were summoned because a decision must be made. This young man has found a youngling, unable to care for herself, in a time when everyone is required to do their part to keep the village alive. I will grant this young man the chance to express himself in front of you and voice his reasons for wanting to keep the small child."
"Thank you, elder. My name is Farris, and I live here with my younger brother, Julius. My parents were leaders of this village before they passed away. I've always admired my father; he was a man of principle, and I know in my heart he would agree with the decision I made. I knew bringing her here would not be easy. But I could not leave her to die in that car. That would betray everything my parents taught me."
One of the elderly women stood from her chair, wearing an old, round hat. "We can barely grow food in this barren soil. The water is filtered many times before we can drink it, and collecting acid rain is out of the question. How do you propose we avoid her becoming another burden when our resources are already stretched thin?"
"I'm willing to work harder. I can do two runs into the city instead of one. We can work something up."
Whispers spread through the crowd as another man stood to voice his concern. "There are no mothers in this camp. She will only complicate our daily responsibilities."
"She doesn't need a mother; she has me, her big brother. I promise, she will be my sole responsibility."
Despite the options I proposed, the crowd remained unsupportive. I glanced at my brother, who looked horrified as each person expressed their disdain for our little sister.
"She can heal people!" Julius shouted suddenly. The crowd turned their eyes toward him, only to burst into laughter at his claim.
"Prove it!" A voice emerged from the crowd, a lady sitting in an old wheelchair. "Prove she can heal me, and I'll cast my vote in her favor."
I had feared this scenario, not wanting to expose Lacey to such a test. Yet the crowd's enthusiastic response to the elderly woman's challenge left us with little choice. As the spectators watched us closely, my brother joined me inside the dry fountain.
"Just her, nobody else," Julius said, glancing at me. "I'm sorry, that was impulsive of me."
I began to walk towards the old lady, noticing the building plunged into sepulchral silence. Once in front of her, I took Lacey's delicate hand and touched the old lady on the forehead. The necklace flickers but doesn't glow. To my surprise, nothing happened. The woman's breathing remained shallow. Her hands trembled the same as before, unable to move from her prison in wheels.
Lacey began to cry.
And not because she was hurt — but because the crowd was hostile.
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