Uncoded

Chapter 5: Arron

She somehow won me over with sheer adorable awkwardness.

My seven year old sister currently had her adorable little face scrunched up in a concentrated expression as she tried to tie the two pieces of rough leather together to close the book I had just finished reading to her. Her hooded green eyes, like two clumps of moss squint as her thick, curly, once brown hair that turned chalk-white over time flutters like a flag around her. It took all it had in me to not burst out laughing as she somehow accidentally tied her small thin hand within the knot she had just tied.

"Rose Mariam Bloodthorne, do you need some assistance?" I gently lifted her arm to my lap as she nodded sadly, defeated by the knot. Observing her arm I didn't like how thin it had become, or how prominent her veins were now, almost as if someone had painted them on. Trying to hide my worries I smiled at rose, untangling her arm and the doctor walked into the room again. It seemed that sweet moments alone like this were becoming less and less frequent interrupted by the harsh reality that was sickness. I didn't want that to be roses life, I wanted her to know more then that, first it was with my mother now her, I wanted her to know how to hunt, how to survive, things I might never get the chance to teach her. Seeing the doctor I flashed him a charming smile as he returned it with a solemn stare at rose, letting rose open another book to read I stood up and followed him out of the room.

Out of roses bedroom there was a small room we had claimed to be the eating room, which was sparsely decorated compared to roses room, which contained singular broken foldout table with metal chairs surrounded by brick walls that had started to crumble. I quickly cleaned up the bloody rag that had been left at the table from roses recent bloody nose, reminding myself to clean up the room later.

"So Mr Anatolia, was my charming personality the cure all along?" My teasing comment didn't seem to help his demeanour as his almond-shaped brown eyes contained a look of defeat as his graceful build became crouched over slightly.

"She's not getting better, Arron. Laughing it away isn't going to help. I understand you weren't prepared with your mother but you need to prepare her and yourself this time."

My grin dropped at the mention my mother. She was a beautiful woman before she got sick, with narrow grey eyes that were always looking out on an overcast sky, and quite like rose her thick, straight, medium-length hair was the colour of chestnuts before the illness took over turning it a chalky white. She spent her last days in a bed coughing up blood every minute as I stood by holding her hand listening to her scream as she wished for someone who would end her suffering.

Showing the doctor out I slammed the door behind him quickly, as I slid slowly to the ground. I couldn't afford to wait anymore. It's true there was no cure available in the outskirts redhall. But there was a cure available in the capital of ash fault. I would be a long journey and I planned to take it next week, so I could spend a little more time with rose, but by the looks of it she didn't have much time anyway.

"Rose, can you get my bag please, the blue one?" Wiping away a stray tear I stood up, I could hear her little feet patter from here as she ran to get my bag from my room. What would I do without her? She was the only thing that kept me from giving up sometimes, in this world filled with betrayal she was the one innocent. Soon I felt little skinny arms attach to me, in a strong grip around my chest.

"Where are you going, Ar?" I slowly put her down, avoiding her big eyes.

"I have to go away for a little bit but don't worry I'll be fine,"

"But what if you get hurt?"

I turned around giving my signature smile "A ladies man like me hurt? All the girls there will be begging to give me protection."