Chapter 62
The three children had just finished cleaning the dishes and were about to gather around their aunt for a story when Iris White shooed them away sternly. "Go on, all of you—play outside in the yard!"
Hannah Cooper pouted, reluctant to leave. She had just witnessed her aunt slap Maya White clean across the room and heard from Daisy about how Luna had stood up to that shrew. Any previous disdain she'd held for her aunt had vanished, replaced by sheer admiration.
She had always assumed Luna was weak, but it turned out she was anything but. That slap had been swift and decisive—utterly satisfying. Not to mention, Luna was a university student—something everyone in town envied!
Seeing the children dawdling, Iris lost her patience—a rare occurrence. "Either go do your homework outside or help in the kitchen!" She wasn’t trying to be harsh, but she didn’t want them seeing something they shouldn’t and blabbing about it later.
Startled by their mother’s sudden sternness, the children obediently carried their small stools outside to do their homework.
Luna smiled and tugged at her sister’s sleeve. "Don’t be too hard on them, Iris. We can treat William after they leave for school this afternoon." She understood her sister was just looking out for her.
Iris sighed, feeling a pang of guilt. This was the first time she’d ever been so sharp with her children.
That afternoon, Charlie and Hannah left for school with their backpacks. Daisy, still too young for school, was sent out with Henry to keep her from disturbing the treatment. "Don’t come back before dark!" Iris instructed.
Henry agreed without hesitation. He had just spent a small fortune—twelve whole dollars—on a set of silver needles, enough to buy half a sack of flour. But for his brother’s sake, he’d gritted his teeth and made the purchase.
As Iris bustled around preparing for the treatment, Luna gave her instructions. "Boil a pot of water and make some ginger tea with brown sugar. Oh, and bring out the quilts too."
Though puzzled, Iris didn’t question her. She trusted her sister implicitly, without needing explanations.
Once everything was ready, Luna had William remove his shirt and began inserting the sterilized needles into his back. She had learned a bit about acupuncture in her past life, but only the basics. This was mostly for show.
Watching a dozen needles pierce William’s skin, Iris felt a surge of awe. When had her sister learned this? Even their parents hadn’t known such techniques. She was becoming more convinced that Luna’s story of a miraculous encounter was true.
Luna gently twisted the needles, channeling a warm current of energy into William’s body. His numb legs and lower back suddenly prickled with pain and itching, as if thousands of ants were crawling beneath his skin. Yet William was overjoyed—this was far better than feeling nothing at all!
He clenched his teeth, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. If he could walk again, he’d do anything to repay Luna.
The pain grew unbearable, and William finally let out a low groan. Iris paced anxiously, helpless to ease his suffering.
"Bite down on this," Luna said, handing him a wad of gauze. Her hands trembled violently. She knew the agony of healing a chronic condition was the worst part, and it drained her energy the most.
Henry slipped in quietly, his heart aching at the sight of his brother in pain. But he understood this was necessary, so he clenched his fists and stood by in silence.
By the time Luna removed the needles, her entire body was shaking. Iris finally noticed how deathly pale she looked—her lips tinged blue, as if she’d just been pulled from an icy river.
"Luna! What’s wrong?" Iris panicked.
"B-Blanket…" Luna’s teeth chattered. "Hot tea… soak my feet…"
Henry quickly wrapped Luna in a quilt, cocooning her until only her ghostly face remained visible. Iris brought a basin of scalding water and gasped when she touched her sister’s ice-cold feet—they felt like a corpse’s.
She frantically rubbed Luna’s soles until a faint flush returned to them. After gulping down a large bowl of hot ginger tea, Luna finally regained some color.
This time, she had prepared better and avoided freezing solid like before. But the bone-deep chill from overusing her energy still left her trembling uncontrollably.
Luna smiled weakly to herself. This time, I really gave it my all.