The Firefly

44°

The darkness was thick, my legs nailed to the mattress as my chest grew heavier and heavier.

The air in the room was charged with tension, not a sound dared interfere with that agony.

I could feel his eyes watching me, assessing me, now as usual.

I knew it was a hallucination; I had repeated it to myself so many times.

Yet my eyes were wide open and steady on those two red pearls that seemed to want to overwhelm me.

I felt my veins throbbing in my temples from too much pressure.

And when the alarm rang I leapt onto the bed with drowning breaths.

Proceeding down the long, cold-walled hallway, I again urged the boy to be quiet.

-Be quiet or he will hear us.-

-But if there will be at least twenty other people nearby talking loudly.- He huffed, allowing himself to be led while holding his white cane tightly.

-I don't care.- We turned the corner only to find ourselves in front of a door identical to the others, the only thing that distinguished it was the number "12" written above it.

Noticing that we had stopped, Jake scratched the back of his head doubtfully. -Are we there yet?-

-I told you to be quiet!-

-But I'm whispering!-

-You're not!-

-You're the one who's being loud, Brat!-

We stopped when the door in front of us jerked open.

Mrs. Black looked at me surprised and then shifted her gaze to the boy at my side.

-Amber? How nice to see you.- She said stepping aside to let us in.

-Jacob, you're here too?- She seemed amazed to find herself in front of that boy after so long. He hinted a smile that he tried hard to keep just for her. -Jake, ma'am.- He politely corrected her.

-It is a pleasure to meet you again.- She said being also very careful not to use that verb.

We entered the very neat room and Madelyn led us to sit on a small sofa just below a large window that lit up the whole room.

She sat in turn on the edge of the bed arranging her silver chignon all disheveled.

In those months the veil of old age seemed to have leapt over her like a feline, slowing her movements and leaving deep new wrinkles on her face.

-I remembered you were a handsome boy, I remembered well.-The woman's sharp eyes leapt from me to Jake, who did not know how to respond to the compliment.

-Even Amber feels the same way, Madelyn.- My uncle's sturdy build came out of the room's small bathroom.

Although he was saying what must have been obvious to both my eyes and Jake's by now, I saw the boy tighten his grip around his cane.

-Uncle Barnaby...- His brown eyes examined the boy at my side, then his chubby cheeks, despite his weathered face, twitched into a genuine smile.

-How nice it is to meet you! Amber told me about you, you know?- He approached slowly. Jake hinted a grimace of a smile as he held out his hand to the void, and Uncle Barnaby rushed to shake it friendly.

Mrs. Black glanced at me closely and then sighed, smiling slightly and stretching.

-And yet I would see you two together so well.- She teased us, examining us with her gray eyes.

The marble expression of the boy at my side faltered for a moment, leaving a trail of upset in its wake. I tried to hold back my frustration by beginning to torture a skin on my left pinky finger.

-I am very happy to see you here, together.- My uncle looked at us softly. -I wanted so much to meet you, I wanted to thank you for your help.- Jake nodded slowly and opening his cloudy eyes caught Madelyn's attention.

-You haven't found any donors yet, dear?- She then asked tactlessly, curious. To the boy at my side it seemed to hurt a little, but I masked it with a weak smile.

-Still no.- The woman became sadly pensive. -I understand, I'm really sorry dear.- She got up heading to the nightstand nearby.

She grabbed a package of cookies and then handed it to us smiling, I did not refuse.

For the next hour and a half we talked about many things, it was my uncle more than anything else who told us, along with Madelyn, about the few interesting things happening in the hospital.

I hoped until the end that the subject of Matthew would not come up, but it was inevitable.

-Your brother ... told me that you haven't spoken to each other in a while, Amber.- The man suddenly said.

I felt a pang in my heart. -I need my time, Uncle.- He nodded. Lying in bed he didn't seem to feel like pressing the subject.

-Promise me that you will make up sooner or later.-

-I promise, Uncle Barnaby.- And it was difficult to make such a promise because, in my heart, the knowledge that nothing would ever be the same again burned until it scarred my insides.

My uncle closed his eyes making big sighs, satisfied with the promise.

Seeing him so serene soothed me.

The treatments had puffed him up, his movements and eyes hinted at fatigue, but his lightheartedness remained as it always had.

When we returned to the mansion, the first thing the boy did after taking off his shoes was to reach the couch.

There he stayed for an unimaginable amount of time, reading. I had to admit that I found that passion of his quite fascinating.

I could see it, I could see how his every muscle relaxed whenever his fingers touched rough paper, only in books did he seem to find comfort.

I sensed his breathing becoming calm and regular and his expression softening. I did not understand how, but he seemed to live a different, new life with each book.

Lives that allowed him to escape from reality.

He stretched as he listened to my approaching footsteps, as if he had just returned conscious that he had a real life to live.

That day he wore a simple black cotton shirt and a pair of light-colored jeans on which were sewn small arched black embroideries that were hardly noticeable, his hair tied in a small pigtail had unruly locks that fell in front of his thin white eyes.

It was all such a perfect combination.

-Are you just going to stand there or are you going to go get ready?- I snorted, peeping out from behind the book.

-I'm going.- I said, running up the stairs at lightning speed.

As I dried my hair a few minutes later, I couldn't help but think how much effort Jake was making to look so calm; he was probably in pain at the mere thought that I was dating someone else.

But, after all, that was the only way I could make him forget me.

And for me to forget him.

Axel had accepted the invitation to the mansion immediately and would arrive in a half-hour, so I had to hurry.

Sandie was helping me by cooking downstairs; I would switch with her once I was done settling in.

I wore a knee-length burgundy dress, the narrow waistline highlighting my hips and long, elegant sleeves. I left my hair down and put on hoop earrings.

Although we were to stay indoors, I also wore flesh-colored tights; maybe after dinner Jake would agree to let us take a walk around town.