Race Against Time

Irregularities

"How has your diet been, Byleth?"

"Fine? I've been eating the same," Byleth shrugged as Manuela scribbled some notes down in her little teal notepad. "I don't think that's been doing anything to change what's happening..."

"No, it doesn't seem to be so," Manuela sighed, her lips dropping into an irritated frown. "How much water have you been drinking?"

"The same as usual."

"Right. Any side effects you've been experiencing?" Manuela lifted her brow as she scribbled more down in her notepad. Byleth hesitated. That hair...was it a side effect, or just something she had mistaken?

Well, there was no harm in telling Manuela anyway.

"One of my hair strands was minty green," Byleth revealed, and both Manuela and Jeralt stared at her in shock. Byleth pressed her lips together before hurrying on with her statement. "Half of it, anyway. It was really...weird."

"Minty green? Not white?" Manuela repeated, just to make sure. Byleth nodded, and Manuela just incredulously shook her head in disbelief. "Wow. Um, okay.."

"You didn't tell me about that, kid," Jeralt said in a concerned tone. He wasn't upset by her secrecy, just worried, and Byleth appreciated that fact.

"Sorry. It slipped my mind. I've been having so much fun lately," Byleth apologized. "It helps me keep my mind off of...this."

"That's good," Manuela set her pen down after scrawling down another note. "Now, could you tell me about your heart pain?"

"It...doesn't actually happen too much," Byleth shrugged. Now that she thought about it, she couldn't even remember the last time she'd even had chest pain. "They're like...weird sparks. That's really all I can tell you."

"Okay...like I always said, call me if anything changes."

"Will do. I wanted to ask...I read that a blocked artery can cause the heart to stop beating," Byleth paused as her father gave her a quizzical look, and then she continued. "Could we could do surgery to do that, and make my heart stop beating? Maybe then I'd be alright?"

"That might work, but your condition is a lot unlike any others," Manuela reminded Byleth gently. "Tampering around in your heart area could only make things worse. Referring to textbooks and other information doesn't really refer to you. No one has ever had their hair turn green before."

"Yeah, that's...true.."

"I'm afraid we'll have to rely on your own experience to solve this," Manuela sighed. "If you wish to proceed with that, I won't stop you because there is a chance that might work...but I don't think it'll be that simple."

"No, I trust your judgment," Byleth frowned. If that wouldn't work, then what would...? She'd have to read up on it more. All of the simple solutions like physical exercise, her diet, and the use of drugs had remained constant throughout this. She had worked out the same, eaten the same, and strayed away from drugs. Her mother had had a weak heart, but not to Byleth's extent. Her mother had passed away from giving birth, not from heart related conditions. So what...what cold they do...? "Thank you, Manuela..."

"I wish I could do more."

"We'd be lost without you, Manuela," Jeralt stood from his seat. "We'll be back to take another scan of her heart next week. Until then."

"Stay safe, you two."

As the two walked back into the car, Jeralt ruffled her hair up slightly. Byleth just shook her head in amusement.

"So, your hair...it was really green?" Jeralt questioned, and Byleth nodded. Her father looked astounded for a brief moment, clearing his throat before speaking once more. "That's...wow."

"Maybe it was a figment of my imagination," Byleth shrugged before she stepped into their black Mercedes. But I'm pretty sure it was green."

"You really are something special," Jeralt mused. "Your mother's hair was green, too. Maybe this is natural, and not related to your illness at all. Plenty of people change their hair colors naturally as they get older..."

"Maybe," Byleth responded, intrigued. It was a possibility that she hadn't even considered. But would it really happen so late into her years? Then again, she was special. Normal rules never applied to her, so anything was fair game. "...I always wondered why my hair was so substantially different than yours."

"Well, genetics have always been weird."

Byleth's phone buzzed in her pocket, and she fumbled for her phone. She had a notification from Claude. She fished for her cell before glancing at the screen.

so teach ... got any plans tmrw night?

i'm performing at the venue tmrw and i'd b honored if my #1 fan attended

Byleth smiled.

Looks like I'll see you there.