~Maria~
I looked at Cio and allowed Tessa forward, just for a second. Once I was sure that the little girl was okay, I placed her in Mia's arms. "Take care of her, please, Mia. I'm going after Victor."
But before I could get very far, I felt Tessa moving again. But it was different, not like she was trying to take over, but like she was trying to get out. I joined her in her efforts, and in a moment, she was standing in front of me. "Go to Mia and Cio" I told her. "They'll need your ability to heal." She nodded and ran one way, while I went the other.
I didn't have far to run, as Victor had not been able to get far in the time it had taken, minutes, really. He was paler than usual, and I suddenly realized that he'd lost a lot of blood.
I walked up behind him and placed one hand on his slumped shoulder. "Is there something I can do to help? I asked, all trace of my usual sarcasm gone. I found I really did want to help him, and that surprised me.
~Tessa~
Finally, I was free of Maria. I couldn't believe how good it felt to be able to move again. It had been like I was trapped inside a tiny cell, where my only window out liked to close in my face. I knew that I was pretty helpless in a fight without Maria, so I hurried back to Mia and Cio.
When I arrived, I nodded at Mia and knelt next to Cio. Victor's blood transfusion had helped, but she was not fully healed. That was my cue. I placed my hands directly over the residual wounds, and focused my healing light over the worst of the remaining damage.
When I was done, I sat back against a tree and looked at Mia, who stared at me like she'd seen a ghost.
"You're..."
"Tessa" I supplied. "Maria went to find Victor--for whatever reason, but she sent me back to help Cio."
Mia looked confused. "Aren't you the same person though?"
"Yes and no, we're kind of like Spati and Hela--except we're BOTH girls."
Mia nodded and I closed my eyes, resting until we had to move or until Maria came back and we merged again. That I was NOT looking forward to.
