Chapter 4
Lian
I carefully carried my tray of tea up the stairs, trying to make sure that I went the right way as I was still getting used to the layout of our temporary home.
It was a lot to take in while also adjusting to a new life and new routines.
It wasn't even that the residents of Purple Oak had been bad or demanding, far from it.
But that was concerning in its own way. Was there something coming that I didn't know about?
There were so many things that could go wrong, particularly in a relaxed environment that could often make people complacent.
I couldn't let that happen to me. If I didn't look properly after Eva and Max, then what was the point of me coming with them here?
It wouldn't matter that our parents were in a different country, I would be able to feel their disappointment from across the sea.
I doubted they'd come and collect me, but if Eva and Max sent me away for being useless, then there was nowhere that I could go other than our parents' home, and I'd have to return full of shame.
I pushed those thoughts aside. If I focused on making sure that Eva and Max got what they needed, then it wouldn't be a problem. I used my elbow to knock on the door to Eva's room and entered when she called, not surprised to see her behind her desk with a stack of papers and reports.
She perked up when she saw me, instantly abandoning her tasks to sit on the bed instead. "Oh, you're here. And you've brought tea. Thank the sky for that."
I couldn't help but chuckle at her dramatics. "That bad?"
She placed her hand over her abdomen, making it clear exactly what the problem was, even if I'd already guessed from where we were in the month. My clock might have been out of sync with the Purple Oak bell tower, but I still knew how to count the days.
Eva sighed. "The cramps are really bad this month. And I just want to eat, eat, eat."
"Well, I've also brought food from the kitchen," I said as I set the tray of refreshments down on the side table.
It had been surprisingly easy to ask Pepper for something, and she had provided us with scones, jam, and clotted cream.
They looked delicious, even if she had given far too much for one person, and it wasn't exactly wise for Eva to eat too much dairy.
But I knew there'd be no stopping her when she was experiencing her monthlies.
Eva's face lit up, and she eagerly reached for one of the scones. "That's exactly what I need."
"You do know that scones don't help your cramps?" I said, pointing at the cup of tea on the right. "You should have this peppermint tea, and I also brought candied ginger. They're both much more likely to help."
"And I will have them all," Eva said while slathering her scone in cream.
"But I'll also be eating scones. Scones lift my mood, and that is helpful so I don't lose my patience with the people around me.
They're so delicious here too. And I've not had cream like this before.
" She bit into the scone and let out a happy sigh in response, which was certainly better than the pain she'd expressed before.
"You seem pleasant enough to me," I assured her as I sat down on the bed with her. I brought tea for myself as well, but I would be using it to charge up my magic so that I could help her with the pain.
Eva took another big bite from her scone. "Of course I'm nice to you. You've brought tasty food, and you're going to heal me. But one of the supervisors from the tea garden is really testing my patience."
"How so?" I sipped from my tea, enjoying the bitter taste and the reaction of my magic.
I wouldn't say I loved being a healer, but I enjoyed how drinking tea made me feel.
I wouldn't be able to have it if I wasn't a healer as that would be a waste of resources.
Tea wasn't particularly cheap, which meant that it could only be justified if there was a purpose.
Eva let out a frustrated groan. "Communication is proving hard. Whenever I talk to him, he just zones out and changes the topic. It's very frustrating," Eva said between bites. "Now, I know I can get distracted easily, but he's on a whole other level. And he's blunt."
"You always say I can be blunt," I said, not sure if that meant that I was also testing her patience.
She chuckled. "No, not your kind of blunt. He's blunt-blunt. It's fine, I'll figure out a way to work with him. It just would be easier if I wasn't feeling so grumpy and grouchy at the moment."
I nodded in understanding. Eva always suffered a lot with her monthlies. It wasn't like that for me, but I knew my cousin wouldn't exaggerate for no reason. If she said it was really painful, I had no reason to doubt her.
"Tell me when you're ready," Eva said as she reached for a second scone.
I refrained from telling her there really were no health benefits to eating scones, but after all this time, I knew better. At least she was also munching on the candied ginger and sipping from her tea, like a good patient.
Maybe next time I would suggest that Pepper baked the ginger into the scones. At least that way Eva would be gaining the health benefits from it while she ate them.
I finished my tea and set down my cup, feeling the magic pooling in my stomach "Ready."
"All right." Eva turned away from me and lifted her blouse so I could access the small of her back.
"No talking while I heal," I reminded her before I started humming the healing song I learned from Eva's father. It helped with directing my magic, letting it flow into her and pulling it back at the right time.
When I followed the rhythm of the song properly, a green glow emitted from my hands and my skin warmed up as if I was pouring tea right on it.
I'd never managed to figure out how to avoid that from happening.
Luckily, the heat seemed to help with Eva's cramps, so it wasn't a problem, but it did remind me that I wasn't a perfect healer.
I channelled my healing magic for as long as I could, until my stomach felt depleted and cold. It was an unpleasant feeling but that was just part of it.
"I'm done," I said, pulling my hands back so I could pour myself another cup of tea. I needed to replenish my own energy now because if I didn't, I might pass out on the way back to my room
"Thank you, you're the best cousin," Eva said as she cracked her back. "Oh, that feels much better."
"I did my best. You might be able to find someone better than me at it though, Purple Oak is full of healers," I said, not sure if it was wise to suggest a replacement for myself.
I didn't want to lose my use but I also didn't want my cousin to suffer needlessly because of my pride.
There were people here who dedicated their entire lives to healing, they were bound to be much better at it than I was.
Eva chuckled and had some of the clotted cream by itself. "I don't need a different healer, you take great care of me. You're better at it than my dad."
I knew I was nowhere near as talented as him but there was no point arguing about it. My uncle wasn't here to look after Eva and Max so it didn't matter if he was better at it or not. They had to make do with me, or with someone else.
"I feel a lot better," Eva said as she turned to face me, indeed sounding brighter. "I almost feel good enough to go out and explore. I've not seen much of Purple Oak apart from the tea gardens."
"Really? You're going out to explore?" I asked, rightfully sceptical.
Eva laughed. "I said almost. No, I'm staying and doing more of the paperwork. Someone has been very diligent and has kept meticulous records of the daily weather for the past years. It's very helpful to get an idea of the current climate but it's tedious work."
"I'll leave you to your work then," I said, standing up so I could take the tray away before she had a third emotional scone.
"You know, you could go out and do some exploring," Eva suggested in a tone that clearly meant something but I didn't understand what.
I shook my head. "I can't, I'm busy. I have a meeting with the person in charge of getting our house ready, I still need to give instructions to Pepper about food, and I'm going to see if Max needs anything."
"Don't forget to take a break," Eva said as she moved back to her desk. "We're going to be at Purple Oak for a while, we have time to figure it all out."
That was easy for her to say but it was my job to work on these things so that she didn't have to.
And I had to uphold my role in our family unit, or I had no part in it.
That was what my mother had always told me, and my aunt and uncle too.
I wasn't going to let them down, and I definitely wasn't going to let Eva and Max down either.