long storm. I just want it over.

Sara slept though the next few hours of the storm and remembered nothing. The others however didn’t have it so easy. In general the thunder and strong winds rattled the building, making it hard to sleep. The beds in the nurses office filed up as well, some with headaches from the storm, a few with injuries from trying to walk out into the storm. No one made it past the barricades thankfully. Once they were brought in and cuts cleaned they were given a sleeping potion. However they would still try and get up, and have to be helped to lay down. Sara twice walked to the door, and had to be steered back to her bed, and started more times than that. Often she seemed to stop herself, but it hurt to see. Then she was talking or cry or both a lot of the time. Clearly having bad dreams, though little she said could be understood. The others that were brought in where not as bad, but were restless and acting like the storm was pulling on them.

It was around six hours latter that the medicine wore off. Sara set up slowly and blinked. Abiram was there and handed her a glass. “You are bound to be thirsty, drink a bit then I will help you up. The folks in the other beds there are all dosed, and not likely to wake though they still try to get up. They keep trying to get out into the storm, so I expect they are tangoed in light to your eyes.”

Sara said. “All but the far two will have no lasting effects from it. They are just able to hear it, but the light is not with them. The far two though, the light is in them, a part of them.”

Abiram said. “I think they know it, they are Hammer kids. A few felt they would be better off staying here then going home as they would have been alone at home. Now then there is a clean dress waiting for you in the bathroom, and a stool in the shower. I thought you might want to wash a bit when you woke up. There should even be some warmish water.”

Sara smiled and stood up. “Sounds good, and right now I am not feeling to much so it is a good time. But how is there a clean dress? Surly no one went out after clothes and I didn’t pack any. I didn’t think about not being able to make it home before the storm. There are a bunch of rainbows in here just now. We must still be around the eye of the storm.”

Abiram said. “The girls found the close as they were getting out the bedding. Apparently clothes were included in the supplies. We are think the center just passed, but can’t be sure. There was a bout ten minuets of quite then it started back up.”

Sara nodded. “Makes since, they would think we might be stormed in here. I might need help back to the bed after the shower. See you in a bit.” She went into the bathroom and was delighted to find a complete change of clothes waiting on her. She took hers off and put them in the basket there and got into the shower. It was good to feel clean even if though it wouldn’t last long. The pain would be back soon. The water was warm, which helped. She didn’t linger to long but did take time to wash her hair before getting out. After getting into the dress she decided it was more important to get to the bed then to brush her hair as she was starting to feel the storm again. She stumbled out of the bathroom and headed for the bed, Abiram hand his arm around her before she took more then a couple of steps. She smiled. “Sorry, but my legs are not wanting to work right. Thanks for catching me. The last of the medicine must be wearing off, I am starting to feel; the storm again. It won’t leave until morning is well started. I think it will be close to eight before we are clear of it. likely be after noon before we can get home. There are trees down, and a few more ready to fall. Hi Leah, stop looking so shocked. My uncovered head is not a disaster. We are not in church, and the only men awake in here are relatives. I need to rest before I can deal with my hair. What are you doing awake anyway? This is far earlier then you grumble about getting up at home.”

Abiram sad. “Leah I told you it was fine. Here you go, Sara. Do you need to rest before you eat? I don’t want to take the food off the warmer to soon.”

Sara sat down. “I should be all right in a munit that was just a long walk. Food should help actually.”

Leah said. “Just who is going to fix her hair? She clearly is not able and I do not want her dragging me under.”

Sara said. “I am not dragging you anyplace. No one is going to be offend by the state of my hair. Not even you. But as you want to stay so bad, there is a brush on the dresser there. Why is Rebecca so interested in my storm babblings that she sent you to spy on me? Just what was I ranting about when she brought the clothes in?”

Tim said. “Just nonsince about light infested courbords, oh and there was a gnome sitting on it. And there are at least three gnomes in the room right now, and one troll walking the east wall. He fixed a leak already and is helping us watch for more. Apparently their being in here is upsetting some of the girls. I told them they were being ridicules that the woken ones are welcome to take refuge in the church during the storms so surly there can be no harm with them being in the school with us. A few turned interesting shades of red. I’m still not sure if it is because I dared talk to them, or that I called them silly.”

Sara laughed. “You had better let your folks know now. So your dad can start the damage control ahead of time. Oh and the troll that fixed the wall was female, the one working on the roof is male But you are not expected to be able to tell. The gnome just wanted to see how badly Leah would blush. Leah the fairies are more than willing t braid my hair if you can just get the tangles out of it for them. Their work will stay in longer, so it won’t be such a mess latter. You need not worry, you have sealed your self up so well the light can’t affect you anymore. You will never see past an illusion even when you have been told it is false, it will still look real. Abiram you can see past illusions when you want to. You have the gift to break them, but don’t use it. That is why the woken ones can hide from you, you don’t try to see them.”

Leah choked. “Now you are talking to them? Just what are you?”

Sara said. “I talk to the woken ones each morning, you have heard me do so. As for this, surely you were told I am seeing things that are not there to see. The storm has tired up the toxin, putting me in a state close to the fever. Meaning a good ninety percent of what I see is nonsense. Thanks to the combination of medicines I have very little control over it. Meaning they make me say more than I normally would. That is why you were asked to leave. Why all of you have been asked to stay out of here. Well that, and this room is a bit small, so can easily get crowed when someone needs help. Thank you Abiram, even that cake looks good right now. So I must really need the sugar again. This storm is causing everyone to burn more energy than normal.”

Tim nodded. “I order the girls to eat, and took the salads off the supper menu. Yes I talked to the folks. Mom agreed with me and said not to worry about it. We will be staying at your place. Ours flooded. There might be something to save upstairs, but wont know tell the storm is past. Could be the house is a loss. We knew the foundation was going, but something else would come up before we could get it seen to. now the folks have no choice about it.”

Abiram said. “Hard way for them to finally build that new house they have been talking about. Good thing you got those extra rooms aired out and the bedding down. We are going to have a full house for a bit.” Leah shrieked as a strand of Sara’s hair moved. “She told you the fairies would braid it. you know how they like to hide. I bet they are laughing now.”

Sara said. “They are, it is a lot of fun to them. Leah you can stop, they can take it from there. What is it you are to find out?”

Leah had all ready backed away. “What makes you think I was sent? Can’t I just want to help?” Sara managed not to laugh, but couldn’t keep her face straight. “Fine believe what you will. What is all this talk of light anyway? What is up with this storm thunder shouldn’t echo like that.”

Sara said. “It is dancing, enjoying the havoc it is causing. It loves the feeling of the torn up trees, roofs and flooded fields. If only it was later in the year so it could freeze all. That would be better. Make it happier, feed it more. Soon though soon we will know the true power of the storm, for each month they will get bigger.” She shuddered. “It is nasty, and right. If the cause of these storms can’t be found we are all in trouble, but we have time. They won’t get big enough for years yet. Though these next four will be rough, we will make it. As for the light. You ask me what it is? Why? You know the answer. I am not going to bother saying what you know. I have said to much as it is.”

Leah said. “She sounds demented all right.  A storm that is enjoying its self, a thinking storm? Well at least I can tell them now the storm has her out of head. Though I do not know what good it will do. Rebecca is planning to denounce her as a mage.”

Zac laughed from the doorway. “She can try, but it will do her no good. The leaders all know what the toxin is and what it does. It is that, and not her that is in control right now. Besides which she can’t be denounced before taking vows. Sara, eat the cake don’t stare at it, that will help. Do you have the blue tea bags? If you of you can put a hand on her arm that should help her stay a bit more focused.”

Sara said. “The outside pocket has tea in it. I think I have some of each. But not sure what I ended up with. I know I checked the other stuff but not sure about the teas. If there is any orange you should try it. it might help close you off a bit.”

Zac found three shades of blue tea bags and pulled a paper out of his pocket. “All right this is the one you need to try and drink before you take that next dose, and you have the one it was suggested I try as well. So we are all set. Now then I am to make this strong, and it is a bitter tea. But it will help with the worst of the side affects.”

Sara said. “Like I told him, who cares how bad it tastes as long as it helps. If it chase the ghost away faster bring it on. Taken two doses is really going to make me crazy. Anytime I am looking at you but not seeing you touch me. That Is any but Zac. Zac you get one of the others. Touching me will bring me back for a bit. Between the storm and the effects of the Ombiveln I am going to be loopy, and well out of it.”

Leah said. “Why can’t Zac touch you?”

Sara said. “Because I said so, that’s why. Relax Leah Abe and Tim will take care of me. You won’t have to, and I will be back in my right mind by Wednesday, if Zac keeps giving me the right teas, and he will. He is more scared of Jack then of me. So even if I try to refuse he won’t let me. Which is like a large part of why Jack gave him the instructions and not you, Abiram, for all you are more expected to be around me. If I complain enough you will back down, you all ways do.”

Tim said. “My mom will be there as well, if you need help Zac. Sara has never got by with her like she did Am and me. So you can count on her to back you, and with the chaos caused by the storm, no one is going to complain at you being there. I bet the rest will be.”

Zac said. “I’m not to worried about it. Uncle Isaac won’t think of throwing me out of the house. There is nothing I could do much at home and if I am sitting with Sara Abiram won’t be running back to check on her and so will be able to do more about the generators. So it will work out for everyone that way.”  He was poring hot water in the cups as he was talking.

Abiram said. “Likely so, and there will be a lot of generators that need looked at. Hopefully we will be able to get some up and going without major work.”

Leah shook her head. “Remember it is graduation week. You won’t be allowed to work. You all are on vacation for the rest of week.”

Abiram said. “Maybe they will let us in light of storm, at least a bit. There is going to be a lot that needs more hands.”

Leah said. “Good luck with that. Zac I think that tea will be able to walk soon. Are you sure?”

Zac said. “Like I said a strong cup of tea. Here hand it to her would you? It is going to be bitter, but needs to be strong to do any good.”

She shook her head but took the cup. “You could reach her easier than me. Just how silly are you going to get? I am glad you don’t expect me to drink this. Here, and I had best get back and try and tell them it is the fever talking.” Sara took the cup and Leah left still shaking her head.

Sara took a sip and grimaced, but took another. “This is bad, glad I don’t have to drink it this strong often. Zac that is going to be a problem. I forgot she was here. I just wanted the boys to know. She, or the others, will drag you into it now. I fear the leaders might not simply accept that I didn’t want you touching me. I don’t know if the fever alone will explain it.”

Zac said. “No worries one of the reasons you were sent so far away as you threw a fit when the expert in the area tried to look at you. Anytime she touched you, you started screaming. Yet after the fever was gone you had no problems with her. So yes the fever makes you sensitive to touch. What? Your dad might have forbid talk of it, but when he is not around some will. I couldn’t understand why you had to go so far when there were doctors in the area so I asked.”

Sara said. “Well if that is the story it will help as they can’t say it isn’t so without losing face. But, well the hospital wasn’t set up. I was to sick for them. Heck they called in a healer, and still almost lost me three times in the transport. It is good I don’t remember it clearly. Yes they did treat a few case at the local hospital, but they were mild. Mine was not. None of them that year was. Bout most were east near the bigger ruins and there they were set up better for it. There had never been a bad case out here, and no case in years so they had taken out a lot of what they needed form most hospitals. It is expensive to maintain, and no one thought it was needed. It was believed that a high amount of the poison had to be in the area to cause the worst cases. Then I got sick, but it was still mild enough they thought it would be all right. Then I got worse and kept getting worse. They were still scrambling to get the room put together when I got there. They had a lot of it, and had better roads to get what they didn’t. More importantly they were not to scared to take care of me.”

“To scared? You mean because of how sick you were?”

The nurse said. “No one understands just what all Tioxic does or how. Some are afraid that people who can pass it around, others believe that the ones who have it are not human. Some who had it the worst killed those who were treating them. It was a not often, but it made the papers, and so it made it hard to find people willing to treat the sickest patients. The more common out come was the person ending up in a near comma until they quietly died, doing no harm to those around them, but that didn’t sale papers. The violent deaths did. Few recovered fully, even with the mild cases.”

Sara nodded. “I am a wonder, get off so lightly, with few visible reminders, and a working brain. That is why I had all those test the first years after. They were sure I was going to get sick again, that I couldn’t be as well as I seemed. It was decide it would be best if few knew just what had made me so sick. So it was an unexplained high fever and seizers, with the constant worry that the seizers will return. I am sure most of the adults at least know the truth, but the lie is easer to for them to accept.” She winced and set the empty tea cup down.

Abiram said. “I had no idea, I thought he just didn’t want to be reminded you had been sick. I was to young to understand just how bad it was, and with no one talking about it. Well it never occurred to me that it was a big deal.”

Sara said. “That was the idea. No one was supposed to know. After all I didn’t need more reasons to stand out. The fewer that know how big a deal it was the better it was. Some would have put me in a lab to see if I held the key. That happened to a lot, but for most it was a blessing because they would not be able to live outside. The first years it was harsh thing, those in there were not well cared for, but by the time I was sick there were rules to limit the experiments and to see care is given to those living in the labs. Still I would not have done well there. By not officially naming what I had the people here could ignore it, and let me be a child not a disease, and it not being named meant they could not get the towns support to have me moved. I was taken on a few tours when I was first recovering and told how nice the places were to live in. But the ones who did it knew nothing about the church, and so ruled any chance if me asking to go there. I was young, but knew that it was not right that things moved on there own from one side of the room to another. I don’t know if they ever did understand what spooked me. I was not speaking at that time.”

Zac said. “What I read talked about the physical deformities mostly. However I gathered a lot were left unable to relate to the world. Some seemed complty unaware of it, others could move though it, but didn’t relate. What they said had nothing to do with what was around them, but might be about something a few hundred miles away. Other things are still not understood. Like what a blue dog has to do with a nelson generator.”

Sara said. “I do not know what was changed. I don’t know what I was like before I was sick. Yet I am sure I was. Part of it must be the math, the way numbers act to me. I can tell you don’t see them as I do by how you struggle with a problem, but I don’t know how to explain what I see. I look at something and see a pattern, though I might not know why the pattern is there I know what should come next in it. How it should look. Take that singe there. I have no idea what it that langue is, but the second and fourth tiles have been switched. And there is a line missing on the last one. I have learned how to deal with it, but  right at first I was to over whelmed. It wasn’t so much that I forgot how to talk as I couldn’t focus on one pattern long enough.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, Zac moved back from her a bit. “I do not know if the ones that can’t talk just don’t learn to cope or if they even see the same way I do. I do know that it is the fact I was raised here that has let me have a normal life. Let me be a person.”

Zac said. “I know you don’t want to, but you had better take it before you do more than lean toward the door.”

Sara said. “Sorry. I was hoping to put it off longer.” She reached for the medicine and grimaced. “I hate the thought of taking more. But it does help.” She took it and made a face.

Zac pored a glass of water but didn’t give it to her right away. “You need it. I know it is rotten stuff and you are going to fill horrible, but you are not taking it unsafely. You are not showing any signs of craving it, and the pot of tea you will drink once we make it home will flush it out.” He set the water where she could reach it. “You can take a drink now, it has been long enough. Sorry to be so mean, but I didn’t want to risk this one being diluted any. You will not have the sleep medicines to help this time.”

Sara said. “I wasn’t protesting was I?  I didn’t mean to any way. I just hope I can get off the junk. I have been able to take less, but with the storms getting worse I am a bit worried. I need to something not related to storm to keep me busy tell I can sleep. I need to be distracted before I start trying to get out the door again.”

Tim said. “I have a deck of cards, or a monopoly game. Which one?” That kept them busy until the medicine forced Sara to sleep again.