Elemental Genesis

Chapter Four: Awakening to a New World

"Has anything changed?"

"I'm sorry, but his status is still the same."

Zylle limply sank into the comfortable black armchair. Dr. Diamante's office, like the rest of the hospital, was underground. Therefore, windows were unnecessary. The room was lit by the fireplace's blue fire, a type of fire that never went out. Only Fire Elementals could alter flame that way. Not only did not die out, it also did not give off heat, but cool air. Many of the homes in Grey Tower Town used blue flame rather than air conditioning in the hot summer months. The opulent teal blue and sea green carpet contrasted greatly with the stone walls. A lot of pictures, mostly of the doctor's family, hung on them along with various degrees and certificates. Low cabinets held various medical tomes and potions texts. All in all, it lacked the clinical feel of a doctor's office. That wasn't unusual in Grey Tower Sanctuary Hospital: those who worked here did everything in their power to make their patients relaxed. The antique clock on the desk told them it was fifteen minutes after midnight, July 31st. Both of them were exhausted from work, but neither could sleep. The insomnia was caused by concern for a particular patient currently in the hospital.

The doctor, looking so much older than her but actually only a few years senior, raked long fingers through fading blond hair. "What I don't understand is why you're so interested in this child. You overwork yourself, that's for sure, and you need rest. Why do you keep coming, then?"

This puzzled the normally cynical woman as well. Why DID she care? It wasn't like the boy was related or familiar to her in any way. She just...felt like she had to be there. "I don't know, Anastasius. I-I really don't know."

Her old friend smiled at her from across his desk. "Biological clock ticking, Zyllie?"

She glared at him. "Not funny, Annie."

His teasing grin got bigger. "Oh, I know. Even though I can go much farther with this, I'll stop here. You're the Black Dragon, first leader of the Arashi-Tenku Dragon clan while I am the lowly Blue Falcon of the Kiri-Kaminari Falcon clan. I'd be committing suicide."

"All of this aside how is he?"

"You got him in just in time, any later and he'd be dead."

She shuddered at the memory of finding him and at the thought of what could have happened if she hadn't. For once I'm glad I was late from work. "So, he's alright?"

"We're thankful that our medications and potions are so effective on him. So effective, it's downright miraculous. Most of the cuts, bones, and internal injuries have healed. If you look at him now, you would probably only note a few bad bruises here and there. Did you know he wore glasses? Well, his eyes actually have improved a bit, but he'll still need them."

"That's amazing! But what I'm concerned about is this incredible healing. He is just a normal boy, right?"

"We did a few tests because this intrigued us as well. He's a wizard, a powerful one. But we think he also has some strong elemental ability. We can't test him for potential since he's in a coma, though."

"How long do you think that will last?"

"Depends. Comas are tricky. He did have severe head trauma, so that might cause some problems. Other than that, now he just needs to be treated for a broken arm, bruising, and malnutrition. Rest assured, our mystery boy will pull through."

She felt instant relief. Great, he'll be okay! "Thank the winds, that's good. Anastasius, I still haven't thanked you for all this."

Anastasius dismissed this with a wave of his hand. "No matter, I know sort of how you feel: like a parent. I would know. I have four of my own. No, let me finish," he said after seeing her open her mouth to object. "You reacted like any red-blooded mother would. Some of the nurses have taken to calling him 'Zylle's son', because you check up on him so much."

This was true. Zylle had come to the Sanctuary every day to check on the young comatose patient that she brought in. She had caught some of the nurses giggling at her behavior, but had dismissed it. The boy was more important. Besides, she wasn't the type to care about stupid gossip.

Out of nowhere, a blond nurse rushed into the office. She probably damaged the handsome mahogany door due to her violent entry. "Doctor! He's awake! Zylle's son is awake!"

Giving the blonde a meaningful glance, the amused doctor remarked pointedly, "Really? I wasn't aware that she even had a son, Betty."

Betty went crimson when she noticed the aforementioned woman sitting the chair, regarding her imperiously. "Oh! I'm so sorry, Ms. Hawking! It's-It was an office joke! Please don't be offended!"

Sighing, she said, "Think nothing of it, Betty. Now, you say that he's awake?"

"Yes! Unbelievably, he's been up since midnight. Scared Anderson out of his wits a few minutes ago."

Anastasius stood up from his desk. "Well, let's go see him. Zylle? I'm assuming that you are coming?"

Getting up from her chair, she replied sarcastically, "No, I'm going home. Of course, I'm coming!"

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He looked sharply when he heard the door open. He had been awake since midnight (he had looked at the clock when she woke up) and had been extremely bored until that doctor walked in. When the man saw him sitting up and observing him quietly, he went mad. He ran out screaming for a nurse. What a doctor, but it was pretty funny when you saw his face. He wished he had camera.

12:20, and according to the calendar on the wall, July 31st. It had taken him awhile to find his glasses, but with Hedwig's help he was able to locate them. With them on, he saw that he was obviously in an underground since the room had stone walls and cool temperatures. The cold seemed to be coming from the flames in the wall lamps. He shivered: the thin hospital gown he found himself wearing was obviously wasn't made to insulate heat. He found that he couldn't move from the bed because a tube was injected into his wrist. That tube connected him to an IV pole near him. Hedwig was perched there, watching him worriedly. However, he didn't feel like moving. It was a very comfy bed.

A doctor with faded blond hair walked in, evidently happy and carrying a clipboard. A dark-haired woman in a dark blue business suit followed inside after him, appearing extremely apprehensive. By just looking at her, he could tell she wasn't normally like that. Nevertheless, he felt a lot more assured now that she was here. Hmm...was she his mother? It would explain his security around her and why she was concerned about him. The doctor addressed him first, while the woman stood awkwardly in the background. "Hello, young man! I see that you're finally up! So, how are you feeling?"

He considered this for a moment. "Okay, I guess. My head kinda hurts and I feel sorta stiff, but that's about it."

Rapidly scribbling, the doctor nodded. "Understandable, you have been in a coma for three days." So Tom was right, his body WAS in a coma while he was in Lethe. "Now young man, I need to ask you some questions." Uh oh. How to explain this... "First off, what is your name?"

Glancing down at his bed's pristine white sheets, he said, "I don't know. I-I don't remember..."

The doctor exchanged a meaningful look with the woman. "Nothing? At all?"

Not that he thought about it..."Well...I can recall stuff from school and...spells? Why would I know spells?" Blast it! He should've asked the Lady more questions before he woke up. Meeting the doctor's intense brown gaze, he asked, "Do you know? Who I am, I mean. And is she-," He pointed at the silent woman. "-my mum?"

At this, the doctor burst out laughing while the woman's face turned beet red. The doctor continued to chuckle through his next words. "No, I'm sorry, I don't know who you are. That isn't funny, but...well, you asked if she-she was your mother..." He broke down into hysterics.

The woman scowled at the hapless healer before giving him her attention. "No, I'm not your mother, but I'm the one who found you and brought you her. Shut it, Annie."

The doctor (Annie? His name was Annie? What was his mother thinking?) stopped laughing long enough to grimace back at her. "Sorry, but it's an office joke...a real funny one...don't call me that."

"You asked for it."

"My boy, this lady is Zylle Hawking while I am the brilliant Dr. Anastasius Diamante."

He smiled. "Oh, I get it now. Annie is your nickname."

Dr. Diamante turned back to Zylle. "I hate you." She just smirked and shrugged blue fabric encased shoulders. "Okay, you remember things you've learned. What about places? People?"

Frantically, he searched his mind for something he could remember. There has to be something! I can't have lost everything in Lethe! Then it hit him. An image. "A dog. A big, black dog. That's it."

"Anything more recent?"

"Pain," he stuttered. He didn't want to remember that. "A lot of pain."

"Hmm," murmured the doctor neutrally. Zylle looked at him with pity in her eyes. Then she noticed his guardian, now perched on the bed's metal railing. "How did that owl get in?"

Dr. Diamante sharply looked up from his clipboard. "Owl? What are you talking about? An owl can't get in-oh. How DID it get in?"

Zylle approached the bed, walking with a fluid grace towards him and the snowy owl. She held her hand out to the animal, which nuzzled it affectionately. "It seems friendly enough.' Smiling warmly at him as she petted the bird, she asked him, "Friend of yours?"

He returned her smile with one of his own. It felt good to smile. Somehow, he understood that he was often unhappy. At least he knew he could trust her: Hedwig would have reacted badly to her if she weren't. "Yeah, her name's Hedwig."

"Lovely name for a lovely bird."

The doctor chortled again. He seemed like the kind of guy who actually enjoyed life and was altogether a very jolly person. "Figures you and the bird would get along. You are a wind elemental."

She stuck her tongue out at him in a childish manner. "Well, you do like to go to the aquarium, Mr. water elemental."

"Touché, Zylle. Touché."

"Umm...what's an elemental? This interested him. Logically, an elemental could control an element. But he learned in...some class somewhere, that no one could do that. It was like focused magic without a wand. Impossible. Speaking of my wand, where is it? Wait, this is summer. No magic anyway.

The two adults suddenly seemed uncomfortable. "We might explain to you what we mean later. You really don't need to know now," Zylle said. The doctor tersely nodded. So, they were trustworthy, but they didn't want him to know what they were. Obviously, Dr. Diamante and Zylle weren't a wizard or witch respectively, but something else. What, though? He hadn't noticed Dr. Diamante was speaking again. "-you'll probably be in here for a week. However, we want to do some...additional testing to make sure you're okay. Also, we need to find your guardians and see if they are." The doctor struggled for a word that wouldn't sound offensive, as he didn't know the entire situation at hand. "-suitable for looking after you. If not, it's all in the hands of the state." Zylle seemed upset at this, but the doctor prattled on. "Now, you get some rest." The doctor nodded his graying head as a parting while Zylle had given him a more verbal one ("Good luck and please get better").

Lying back into fluffy pillows, he said sleepily to his faithful owl, "Well Hedwig, the Lady was right. It is a new world now." Her hoot of agreement as the last thing that he heard before he dropped off into a deep, peaceful sleep.

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