Blood Thinner

Chapter 7: Blood Clot

*Chapter 7*

"Hey Velvs...ever wonder what happens when we die?"

The lone son kept his head protected by the lone daughter's chin as the sharp knives of snowflakes threatened to split open his skin. His body remained shielded by her still arms and a reasonably comfortable coat, all while laying sideways on a swing going in a back-and-forth fashion — or to an observer, side-to-side, by the daughter's gentle movements as she studied an invisible something in an invisible location.

"I think it's scary. Like— is there a God we should be worshiping? Are we gonna be sent to Hell? Heaven? What are those places like? Or is there no such thing? Like, we roam around underground or our spirits end up back on land to see how everyone's doing." The son rambles on and on as a snowflake lands on his forehead. "Would our skeletons dance? Or stay still? Do we feel it when we decompose?"

"You can't feel anything when you're dead." She says calmly, although her eyes never leave the thing that yet attracts her. It's a miracle she even hears the lad.

"We don't know that," her brother continues, leaning into her hold. "We haven't died yet so we don't know anything."

"Are you scared?"

"Well— yeah!"

"Why."

That was more of a statement than a question.

Still, he chews his cheek and thinks long and hard about it. Cautiously to the cold air, he says, "Because— Velvs, we don't know if there's something we're supposed to be doing or if...what if when we die our souls are aware of it, but we can't do anything about it because we're dead. It feels like we're alive but we know we're not. We can't move, can't breathe—" His chest starts to tighten. "And we'll be alone! No one to talk to. That's scary."

A beat passes by the same time a new snowflake lands on the duo, others pressing themselves along the moving swing. The truth of it was that he didn't expect an answer for that because of how ridiculous it was — and honestly, what could you say to that?

Well, Velvet knew. She always knew.

"You won't die alone because we'll die together."

He hums in serious contemplation. "How?"

"We were born together so we'll die together, right? It's only natural."

"How does that work?"

"It's all part of life's plan." Her chin presses into his frostbitten locs. "I wouldn't wanna be lonely either. So we'll die together so no one's alone."

"Yeah, but I really don't wanna die, Velvs."

"You don't have to right now. I'll look after you to make sure nothing goes wrong. One of us getting hurt before the other is gonna ruin everything."

Her cold words of reassurance somehow lit a warm fire in his chest — and cheeks, but realistically it's probably frostbite. Nothing new that he cared about.

"So you'll really look after me?"

"Don't I always?"

She does.

"Then that means I'll have to look after you, too!" The little frostbitten newly-teen looks up to his blank-faced sister with bright shining stars in his eyes. "So we can live and die together! I'll protect you and make sure nothing bad happens just like you do me." He leans cozily against her as his nose is cut open by the pointed blade of a flake. "You think I can do that, Velvs? You trust me?"

"..."

"You trust me, right?"

"..."

"Velvs?"