You Can't Live Like This... (The Rules of Survival Fanfiction)

The First/Last Day

Summer had ended, and now I knew someone in the school I went to. Matthew, surprisingly, let me stick with him through the year, trying to be a beacon of hope for finding friends. But soon after I found out Murdoch broke up with your mother, Emmy, Matthew actually tried avoiding me. It wasn't until the end of the first week of school on Friday, he avoiding me for four. I pulled him aside when he was about to get on the subway, just glaring at him. "L-Lynnette?"

"Why have you been avoiding me?" I was seriously worried at this point. Not only was he avoiding me, but I'd noticed he'd be more depressed or anxious. I'll admit, I hated seeing him like that. He looked so small. Helpless. Vulnerable. It's why I approached him. Anyway, I wouldn't leave him alone until he told me why. Finally, he spilled out the truth.

"M-my Mom doesn't want me talking to you!" He said quite shakily before he shoved me aside and ran out. I had no doubt my eyes had reflected hurt and pain. Honestly, Emmy, I was, in a sense, like him at this time. I tried following him, seeing if I could get a glimpse of what his home life was like. Then, one day, it hit me;
I walked up the stairs, going to the top floor, on a nice crisp October afternoon, determined to get some glance at Matthew's life... I didn't know how surprised I'd be, though.

You see, Emmy, Matthew and I were paired up to do a project. Matthew ha taken half and decided to do that on his own. But now, I had an excuse to come to your guys' house and look around. Callie was the one to open the door. She stared up at me, eyes sort of wide, but also in relief. "L-Lynne!" She hugged me gently and I smiled, hugging back. "Cal! How're things going on at school?"
"Callie, who is it?" A boy. Matthew.
"Is it Murdoch??" A little voice. You, Emmy. And finally,
"Callie!" A woman... Nikki.

"U-uhm... come on in." Callie lets me get past her as I saw you run up to me, practically tackling me. "Yay, Lynny!" I laughed at your childishness, ruffling your smooth hair. "Yeah. I'm here for business, Em." I pinched your nose before I got up and saw Matthew standing by the doorway from the living room to the small hallway before the door. As soon as I saw him, I held up the bag with my half of our project. "Thought we could try working together."
"You're not supposed to be here, Lynn!"
"Well I'm tired of you avoiding me. So, where should we set up shop?"

That's when Nikki came in. Your mother, Emmy, was the quietest human being I have ever met in my seventeen years of living. I was too busy talking to Matthew that I hadn't even seen her come up and announce, "How lovely! Come in, come in!" Again, she acted too happy, too fake. I became just as fake, matching my Barbie doll to hers. "Hi, Ms. Walsh! Thought I'd come over since Matthew's been slacking off on our project." I nudge him hard. That probably wasn't the best thing to say. Because I saw the venom in her eyes when I mentioned the project. "Mom?" Callie's small voice chimed in. Nikki immediately snapped back to reality and smiled. "Oh of course! Matthew's always been my little slacker! Go on, up to your room, get all busy busy for your class!" She laughs and walks into another room.

I blinked and looked over at your brother and sister. Emmy, you had been distracted by something, I don't remember what, but you weren't even in the room. Matthew just sighed and pulled me up to your guys' room. When I noticed how cramped it was, I was honestly was just gonna leave the house and never come back. It seemed like that's what Matthew wanted at the time. His eyes, though still somehow soft and concerned, were also filled with anger.

"You know, you could have called ahead of time so I could come over."
"Well, with the way you were acting, I figured I'd surprise you. So what's with you not wanting me to come over, huh?"

Emmy, this still surprises me to this day. Even though he was almost 15, he somehow knows how to pin a woman to a wall like he's twenty six. He actually cornered me, staring directly at me. No other distraction, no interference, just focused on me. "She'll hurt you. That's why." My face must've been red, but it seemed Matthew didn't care. He kept me cornered, still rambling on.

"I wanted to keep you away from here to protect you from her. She knows you're related to Murdoch, and I don't know if you've noticed, but she's not particularly fond of McIlvanes at the moment. She's putting on a fake facade just so she can get close enough to hurt you, or Murdoch." After his rant, he took a breath in, finally moving his arms from the wall. "And that's not something I want to have on my conscience..." I won't lie, my heart sank. He was genuine, determined, broken... the way he'd explained he was when the both of us went missing, Em.

My eyes soften, and I look down in guilt. "... Murdoch doesn't know I'm here..." I mumbled. I then just hug him tight. "I know this is probably weird, but... you looked like you needed it." And unbeknownst to me, Callie and Nikki watched from the door, both of them quiet as ever. I felt Matthew's arms wrap around me, hugging back much more gently than me. We only found out about the peepers when you came running in, Emmy.

"Lynny-Lynn!" We both had jumped, Matt and I. We saw Nikki and Callie, then you zoomed in. Matthew and I covered our faces to hide the fact that they were rosy red. Though sounding quite sour, Nikki stared with a laugh, "Ah, young love!" Before walking away. Callie giggled and smiled at me. "I wouldn't mind you dating Matthew. I think it's cute."
"C-Callie!" Matthew cracked. Literally, his voice cracked. It was the most adorable thing I'd ever heard. I giggled nervously before you, Emmy, made Matthew's level of flustered frustration rise.
"Matt and Lynny gonna get married!" And we both froze at your sentence as you laughed your squeaky little snicker, racing out of the room. While Matthew and I worked, I noticed he'd constantly look over with reddened cheeks before doing his work. "Well... that was something," I finally broke the silence as we finished our halves of the project. We put the two together in correct order, and smiled at each other.

"Thank god we got that done," I said as we stood by the door, just talking. "So... I'm having a little party with Murdo-" Matthew covered my mouth in time before Nikki heard me. Once he uncovered my mouth, I corrected myself with, "my cousin for her birthday," I slid out, getting caught up on changing the pronoun. "And I was wondering if you'd like to come?"
"Hm... do I have to go anyway?"
"Yes. It's mandatory."
"Alright. Then sure." We shared a laugh before we hugged and I went home.

I had no idea, Emmy, little angel, that you and your siblings would show up a bit earlier than Matt and I had predicted.