Chapter 2: Her Name is Lacey

I felt intimidated by the old man standing in front of me. He was the elder — the man who decided who stayed or left, who ate and who starved. His initial expression of surprise quickly transformed into a warm smile. He stepped forward, pulling the blanket away from her face, revealing a necklace I hadn't noticed before — a small charm rested against her chest.

"Where did you find her?" the elder asked, his fingers gently grasping the charm hanging from the necklace—a tree inside a gold circle.

"In one of the cars on the abandoned highway."

"And your injury? Have you treated it already?"

I remained silent to his question, closing my eyes as I moved my head from side to side. He placed his hand on my shoulder, then sighed at the obvious choice in his mind.

"I'm allowing you to bring her in, but convincing everyone that she won't be an extra burden will be challenging. If the villagers agree to let her stay, you will be responsible for her care, feeding, bathing, and educating her. Many of our elderly are sick and malnourished, and discussing her stay could be contentious given our current struggles. She will not be included in the feeding schedule. She will survive on your portion. If you accept these conditions, I will do everything within my power to persuade the elderly to let her stay with us."

I understood the implications of bringing her into the village, and I was prepared to take on extra work to help my new little sister earn her place. However, the idea of deciding the fate of a baby who couldn't speak for herself seemed utterly absurd.

"Thank you," I said.

I grabbed my bags and headed home, where my brother lay sick in his bed. I opened the door as quietly as possible to avoid waking him. Nonetheless, he noticed my entrance and tried to sit up, greeting me despite his poor health. "Farris, I'm glad you're back. Did you find anything out there?" he asked, his voice punctuated by violent coughs.

I handed the bag over to him. He set it on the table, pulling out two cans of food, some rags, and some old medicine I had discovered in the glove compartment of one of the cars on the highway.

"I think I found what you need to get rid of your sickness. I hope it works."

My brother took the bottle of medicine and opened it, immediately recoiling at the smell. "This smells like vomit. I think I'll take my chances with the illness, thanks."

A gentle coo echoed through our small home, instantly capturing Julius' attention.

"What was that?" 

I moved the blanket off her face, showing my brother the face of his new little sister.

"Is that what I think it is? A baby?" 

"Yes."

I knew, from the beginning, my brother would show some resistance to the idea of feeding another mouth besides ours. We have been struggling for weeks, after our efforts in the village to grow food had not yielded anything worth eating.

"Did you fall from the highway and hit your head? You know better than anyone in this village that they will not accept her. We are feeding ourselves once every other day as it is."

"I didn't have the guts to leave her outside on her own. I know, you would've done the same if you were the one to find her."

Julius sighed, then a smile broke across his face. "You know me too well. Oh! What's the baby's name?"

"I haven't thought about that."

Julius gently took the baby from my hands, noticing the injury on my arm from the fight with the coyote. "And what the hell happened to your arm?"

"Coyotes."

"We don't have any alcohol left; if you don't treat it now, it's going to get infected."

"Someone in the village might have some. I'll go around and ask."

I blinked, convinced the setting sun was playing tricks on me. The tips of her ears curved upward in a way I had never seen before. They were warm and real. The baby smiled, grabbing one of my fingers on my injured hand. Her light green eyes changed in color to a vivid turquoise, and the charm on her necklace began to glow.

I felt something — a cool pull beneath my skin. The throbbing pain vanished. When I looked down, the wound was gone. I gazed at Julius, bewildered by what just happened.

"She healed me. The baby healed my injury."

I pulled the bloody rags off my arm, showing no signs of the coyote's bite. "How is this possible?"

Julius glanced at her little arm, now showing a scar, similar to a bite mark. "Farris, do you see this?"

The baby begins to cry, just like she did when I found her. "Let's give her some water. That will calm her down."

Julius gently placed the baby beside him on the bed, inadvertently brushing her hand. Instantly, the scene we had witnessed before replayed itself. My brother, miraculously cured of his illness, burst into a joyous celebration.

"It's gone. Farris — it's gone!"

The baby's skin darkened to a brownish tone from her original pale white tone. It was then I fully grasped the nature of my little sister's ability—she didn't simply heal; she absorbed the sickness into herself. The baby began to cry louder, moving her hands as if crippled by pain.

"Julius, the water!"

I took the bottlecap and filled it, placing it on her lips as I did outside in the abandoned highway. The change was immediate, the mark faded from her little hand, and her skin tone returned to the delicate pale color as the water soothed her fragile body.

"What have we brought into this house?" Julius whispered.

Our celebration was interrupted by a solid knock on the door. The elder entered our home, accompanied by many others from the village.

"Farris, Julius, the elderly are ready to hear your case. Have you decided what to name the little girl?"

"Her name is Lacey," I said — and for the first time, it felt like the world around us had changed.