(x) Irregular Magic

chapter 13 - Mattie versus The World

"That's about all I can do for you, Matthia," Inness said. The gray in his eyes appeared somber. His face was pale and wan but overall his body was on high alert.

They were standing outside the House, tucked away in a corner where few people wandered near. Every now and then, Inness' eyes flickered in the direction they had come. He remained on edge even though she was wearing the invisibility hat given to her by Brunhildt Spade.

It had been a long time since she had spent this much time with her brother, and it made her miss the old days. It was a surprising realization and an uncomfortable one. Inness would be busier now more than ever with their father's death and mother's disappearance. Mattie didn't think it likely that things would ever return to the way they had been before.

"I don't feel comfortable letting you go back home by yourself," Inness was saying, "but I have to work up Dad's case. Mattie, are you listening?"

Startled, Mattie started to nod and then, realizing he couldn't see her movements, burst out, "Y-Yeah, sorry."

"Because Dad's been working overseas, there's quite a bit of paperwork to take care of."

"Right."

Mattie was only half-listening. Instead, she considered her older brother carefully. Before this whole mess, she hadn't properly seen Inness in nearly two years. He looked older than he had before. Not just because he had been a little younger the last time, but because she could tell his job took a toll on him.

It was a little comforting to know some things remained much the same. While to an outsider, Inness' words might have seemed too detached and impassive, Mattie knew it wasn't so. Inness rarely showed his emotions in the presence of other people, even his own family. When Jimi, their pet dorabbit, had been found outside her cage unmoving, Inness hadn't shed a tear. Both she and Tara had been a sobbing mess. It wasn't until later that night she found Inness alone in his room, clutching Jimi's favorite chew toy. The memory of Inness' shaking shoulders in the dim light of his desk light was one that she had never been able to get rid of.

It was like Mom had said. Inness simply dealt with things differently.

"Before you go to Somerhall Manor, check on Tara. I'm worried about her. You've been gone for days and she hadn't even tried to contact me. If by some chance she's just been out with friends—it's not completely unfeasible, knowing Tara—it may mean she doesn't know about Dad yet."

If that was what Inness thought Tara did at home, then he didn't know his youngest sister that well. Tara couldn't bear to be apart from her for very long, strange as it was. If she was missing for more than an hour without notice, Tara would comms-link her right away. "She hasn't been by? What about her school?"

Inness stared at the blue stones under their feet. The hand that wasn't tucked into the pocket of his robes was absently fingering the shiny blue leaf of a hemrag plant. "I'll be honest with you, Matthia, things are beginning to slip my mind. I've been here for two days, and now it looks like it'll be a third night without sleep. I've tried to reach Yellow Flower a couple times but Tara hasn't responded. I don't think anything's happened to her, but check on her. I worry about Tara, she's not like you or me. As long as you're careful, it's unlikely you'll face any danger. Take Tara with you, just in case. She'll be able to pop you in and out of places in a hurry if needed."

"Okay," she said, blood thudding in her head. Mattie was doing her best to stay afloat but with everything that was going on she was feeling extremely overwhelmed.

Her brother ran his fingers through his blond hair, sighing. "It feels like we're stuck in this never-ending nightmare, that just... keeps going and keeps going."