Addie looked at the Healers in front of her. Her hand hovered, motionless, in the air. She ran their words through her head. My joy? Why would they want my joy? They seem happy enough. She looked at the bag of coins in the bearded man's hand. It looked like enough to keep her family well fed for a long time. They could probably even fix up the the house and patch up the hole in the roof. She imagined all that that money could get her family. Her mouth watered at the thought of finally getting something other than just plain bread and water. You'd have to be a fool to not accept a deal like that. She could just get her joy back somehow. Having a better home and food would make her happy, if not happier than she was now, she thought. Addie slowly reached for the money. The healers' amber eyes glowed with anticipation.

"Addie!" someone suddenly called.

Addie's head jerked around to face her older brother, Mark. He was dressed in a simple brown tunic with a rope tied around his waist. His arms and legs were dirty and covered with grime and filth and brown hair was disheveled. His dark eyes were fierce with determination and his mouth was set in a straight line. He sharply took Addie by the arm and began to pull her away.

"Mark!" Addie protested. "What are you doing?"

"We're going home," he answered roughly, pulling her behind him.

"But..." Addie started, looking longingly back at the healers. "They told me..."

"No arguing, Addie," Mark ordered sternly.

The tall healer called out after them. "Wait, boy, she was just going to make a trade with us when you so rudely interrupted. Now, will you excuse us, we have something to finish."

Mark whirled around sharply. "Do not talk to me or my sister ever again. I know who you are and what you do. You are not welcome here, so go back to where you belong. We do not want to do business with you and we will never do business with you. Is that clear? I do not respect you and your fake promises. Leave now."

The bearded healer chuckled. "Foolish boy. We come to help, not to harm. What we do improves the lives of so many people. The world is better because of us. Why, people who have cooperated and did business with us have gone from rags to riches. Doesn't that sound nice? Imagine never being hungry again. Picture a dining room covered with food from end to end, platters and bowl full of scrumptious meats and fresh fruits. Think about that. Doesn't it sound enticing? And your house! You don't have to live in that shack which is a poor excuse for a home. With the money we give you, you can get the grandest house in all of town. Or better yet, you don't have to even live here. You can go somewhere else, somewhere less dirty and poor. You can go to a place where you'll have a comfortable bed and can rest peacefully. You'd be absolutely mad not to accept a deal like this."

Addie tugged her brother's tunic. "Did you hear that? We can get a better life! You won't have to work in the mines no more. You can go to school, and I can too. We can eat everything we have always wanted. You remember those little sweet things? Pastries I think they're called. We can have some too! And the house too. I won't have to sleep on the dirty ground..."

Mark remained firm despite his sister's words. "No, Addie. It's not worth it. You remember what Mother said. Don't agree to anything. You'll regret it."

The dark eyed boy turned back to the three Healers, who were no longer smiling. "We'll be going now. You leave my sister and my family alone and do not bother us again."

At that, Mark turned around and pulled his sister home. The three Healers watched the boy and the girl as they left. The girl gave them one last fleeting look before being pulled out of sight. The short healer with the cane sighed loudly. He turned around and began to walk in the opposite direction. People scattered out of their way quickly, keeping their eyes down to the ground. His two companions followed closely behind him.

"Who in the right mind would reject an offer like that?" he growled angrily. His hand tightened around his cane, and his feet kicked up the dirt on the ground.

"Patience," the tall healer muttered softly. "We will get what we want soon enough. There are other ways to get them to agree. If talking doesn't work, there are always other options. Do not fret. We will get what we are after."

The bearded man gave a dry laugh. "And they'll regret the day they turned us down."

***

"Mark..." Addie started, but the older boy shushed her. He had let go of his little sister's arm, but he still kept her close to him as they walked home. Addie tried not to let it bother her. Her brother probably knew best, right? But it confused her why he was so insistent in getting away from the healers. They seemed to want to help. What was wrong? As they approached the house, a dark haired lady was waiting for them. Addie ran to her mother and wrapped her thin arms around the lady. The woman smiled and gently held her little girl. She looked up to her older son, but her smile faded when she saw his expression. She gently told her daughter to go inside, and Addie nodded and disappeared inside the small shack. Her mother then turned to Mark. She too was dirty and her clothes were tattered and worn. She smiled faintly at the boy, but it wasn't a smile of happiness, rather of reassurance for herself and for him.

She sighed. "What happened?"

"They're coming for her. She almost made a trade with them before I came," Mark replied softly. He looked over his shoulder to check if someone was watching them. No one was there, but Mark could not stifle the constant feeling of dread. He knew what the Healers did to people and he wanted to keep his sister as far away from them as possible. She was too young to understand the gravity of the situation. He knew that she would do anything to help the family, but making a trade with the Healers would leave permanent effects that could never he erased. Addie's joy was irreplaceable, and no amount of money could equal it.

"We've warned her all her life," the older woman said simply. "They can only take it from her if she allows it. They cannot take it by force."

Mark shook his head. "The Healers are good with words. That's why so many people blindly listen and allow themselves to be controlled. They'll find a way to make her to trade with them. Addie wants to help us, and they seem to be the only ones who can pull us out of our situation. I'm scared that she will be willing to give up a part of herself to help us."

"Then stay with her, then," their mother said. "Don't let her go off by herself while the healers are still around. Don't let her out of your sight."

Mark nodded simply and walked into the house. Addie was sitting on the dirt floor, playing with a little doll fashioned from scraps of fabric. She made the little doll dance, having it twirl and leap through the air like a leaf in the wind. When she saw her older brother, she smiled broadly at him. She got up for the ground and wrapped her arms around him, resting her little head on his side. Mark chuckled, and ruffled Addie's brown hair.

"Why are you hugging me?" Mark asked playfully. He reached down and lifted the little girl up in the air. She had gotten even lighter and thinner recently, and it worried him. Working in the mines all day with his father still didn't yield much money. Mark felt that Addie was cheated out the most in life. At least he had gotten to go to school for a few years before things got bad. She had absolutely nothing. No little girl should have to deal with that, yet there was nothing they could do.

But Addie just grinned and hugged the tall boy tightly. "You look like you need a hug. You are lookin' very sad and I want you to be happy. Smile, Mark!" She pulled up the sides of Mark's mouth using her small hands to put a grin on his face. Eventually, Mark genuinely smiled and hugged his sister tighter. He swore to himself that he'd do whatever it took to keep her happy and safe forever. His sister meant the world to him, and he was proud to be her brother.

"I love you, Addie. Never stop being happy," Mark said softly, rocking her gently in his arms.

Addie hummed lightly. She let her eyes flutter close and she rested her head on her brother's shoulder, slowly drifting to sleep in the safety of her brother's arms.