Can't I Touch Your Heart?

Chapter 29 Are You Dying?

Rhea had a plan. She decided to stay at her cousin, Jessica's place for one more week, so that she could take her to the festival. She talked about it to her and she loved that idea. 
"Have you decided what you are going to wear?" Jessica asked.
"I don't know. It's a baroque theme," She held the invitation in her hand, "I don't have any dresses like that,"

"Alright, Raj. I think we need to kinda drop this assignment for a week," Jessica turned towards her boyfriend, Raj.
"Why?" Raj smiled, even though he knew what she meant.
"We got some baroque style dresses to prepare," Jessica turned towards Rhea, "One for you, one for me and one for Raj,"

Another week passed by in buying lacy or embroidered fabric. Rhea painted a design with her new ink. Jessica drew over it with her black pencil, "Let's make it a bit more detailed, shall we?"
Raj cut the fabric and Jessica stitched it together while Rhea worked on all the buttons and the detailed work. Finally, on the evening of June twenty seventh, Rhea dressed up in a black gown with a small crown on her head and heels as high as an intravenous drug addict. 

Raj and Jessica dressed up in their costumes and got into the car. Raj drove them to the venue which wasn't hard to find given the massive foreign crowd surrounding it and the lights all around. Rhea walked into the festival which was nothing but a huge ballroom, a strip off from eighteenth century castles. Everyone looked like an aristocrat attending a ball.

And outside those walls, was where one could buy Nason's merchandise and comics. Jessica wrapped her arm around Raj's arm and took him towards the food stalls. Suddenly, she saw three blonde boys standing next to each other, dressed up as musketeers. She walked towards them, recognising his scent as she moved closer and closer. Suddenly, he turned back and looked at her, "Oh, Rhea!"

He had pulled his hair up, just like his other two twin brothers. They looked like carbon copies of each other, other than the eyes.
"This costume really suits you," She complimented him.
"Thanks, you look gorgeous too," He smiled.
"How about me?" Maple walked towards her.
"Maple, we have the same face," Ember told him.

"What! No way!' Maple touched his face, "I didn't know!"
"You don't have to be such a jerk about it," Ember rebuked him. Rhea looked at Loraine. He looked away, "Worst birthday ever," 

"Birthday?" Rhea turned towards Ember.
"It's our birthday today," Ember smiled.
"Ayy shawty, where's ma gift?!" Maple jumped before her.
"Why didn't you tell me that it's your birthday today?" Rhea asked Ember.

"Erm...Surprise?"
"Seriously?"
"Don't bother," Loraine snarked, "Anyways you would've gotten some cheap ass shit which no one wants, you bloody crow"

"Crow?!" Rhea looked at her black gown.
"Get some courtesy, Loraine," Ember whispered.
"No matter how much you decorate it, a potato is still a potato,"
"It's just makeup," Maple mumbled.
"She's got a great face for make up,"

Rhea looked at her feet, 'Don't cry!' She tried to hold in her tears.
"And there she goes, acting like a victim all over again," Loraine rolled his eyes and Ember grabbed his collar, "Do you want to get a beating of your life on your birthday?" 

"Wow! Now you both, stop fighting," Maple pushed them away from each other.
"Loraine, let's spend some quality family time! There are some hot chicks there, let's ask them for a dance. Bye guys!" Maple dragged Loraine towards the girls.

"Is Loraine in a bad mood today?" Rhea asked.
"I mean, when is he not?" Ember laughed and walked ahead, "The event will be starting in a while. Before that, I'll show you something,"

They walked out of the four walls of the festival to a hill right behind it. They climbed up but Rhea still couldn't get Loraine's words out of her mind. How did she victimize herself this time? She thought she was stronger now but she felt insecure.
"Ember,"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think I'm ugly too,"

He stopped and looked at her, "Why do you suddenly think that?"
"Loraine just-"
"He doesn't even know you that well, his opinion shouldn't matter,"
"It's not just his opinion. I mean...You look so good and I-....I don't,"

"Just becauseyou don't look like someone you think is attractive, doesn't mean you are notattractive. Tulip valleys are attractive but so are Christmas lights and theylook nothing alike,"
She looked at him. Those blue eyes and that mind full of thoughts, "I think you're right,"
He smiled, "Yes,"

"Happy birthday, Ember"
He giggled, "Thank you,"

They looked at the fireworks lighting up the dark sky. Rhea ran towards the top and looked at the sky light up, as if it were celebrating a marriage of stars.
"This is so beautiful," She looked back and Ember smiled back her, "Just like you,"
"You flatter me," She watched his face go red and giggled.

At first, she was doubtful that his face might contribute to her infatuation towards him.
But this infatuation didn't die. And now she was doubtful. That it was not infatuation anymore. She turned towards him again but suddenly, he fell on the grass, digging his face into the vegetation. She started laughing, "Idiot!"

But he didn't get up and she stopped laughing, "Hey, are you okay?"
She walked towards him, "Ember,"
"Don't come near me," He got up slowly and got on his elbows. His legs were shaking.
"What happened?" She got confused and frantic but he wasn't letting her near her or telling her what was wrong. He was picking up his upper body by pressing his hands into the soil, while his legs lay numb. But soon, his hands began shaking too and he fell back into the grass.

"Ember!"
"I can't stand, goddammit!" He yelled. She gasped as she heard him yell. He was looking down, "Sorry, I scared you. I shouldn't have yelled,"
She lay down beside him and looked into his eyes, "Ember,"
He smiled, "I guess I'm just tired. I've been pushing myself very hard these days,"

"Yeah," She nodded.
"I wanted to tell you so many things tonight,"
"Just rest, we can do it some other time,"
He smiled, "Wonder if I'll fall asleep here in the grass," Slowly, he closed his eyes. She got closer to him, "Wait, did you really sleep?" She patted his face, "You're burning up!"

She got up and tried picking him up on her back, but he was too heavy. So, she ran into the festival and looked for Maple and Loraine. Once she found them, she told them what had happened and they ran back to the hill with her. Loraine ran towards him and quickly touched his wrist.

"His pulse is so faint! HURRY MAPLE!"
"Yes!" Maple picked Ember on his back, "Atta boy, hang on, kay?"
Loraine called someone on his phone and he ran ahead of Maple and Rhea. She looked at Ember's face grow paler and paler, his fingers seemed lifeless. Everything seemed to have lost its voice and turn grey. Men came near the building and pressed Ember on a white hospital bed. Everything seemed like a chaos.

She looked at Ember from a glass window. It all came crashing down in that fast moving chaos. She walked slowly, dragging her feet on the floor. She pressed her hand on a wall as she looked at the floor, unable to keep her balance, "It was just a little fever, right?"

-To be continued

Ember Helberg
Can't I Touch Your Heart?