Invisible string~ Matthew Fairchild {1}

Four

Amelia rushed to Barbara, who was lying limp on the ground. Thomas lifted up their sister, so she was now laying across his lap.

"Is she breathing? Thomas, is she alive?" Amelia pleaded her brother. She whipped out her stele and began drawing healing rune upon healing rune, but they kept fading into Barbara's skin mere seconds after they were finished. Amelia let out a sob.

"She's breathing, but not for much longer if we don't get help."

Amelia looked around her. Ariadne was crumpled on the ground, her once pink dress stained the color of blood. Cordelia stood still, with an expression of sorrow and shock writ on her face. Thomas was focusing on Barbara, looking more distraught than Amelia had ever seen him. She reached out to Barbara's wrist, looking for a pulse.

"She's alive, but her heartbeat's awfully slow."

Amelia looked up to see a flash of golden hair. Suddenly, Matthew Fairchild was by her side. "Poor Barbara," he said. "Has she... you know-"

"She is not dead. I suspect it won't be that way for long, if we don't get help soon," said Amelia. "Thomas, could you leave her here with me and go fetch the carriage?"

Thomas nodded somberly, shifting Barbara so she was now laying on the ground, her head in Amelia's lap. He stood up and left her alone with Barbara and Matthew.

Amelia looked down at her older sister, but all she could see was memories. All the gossip, all the dress up games they played when they were little, all the memories washed over her like a wave. Then suddenly, like the tide before a tsunami, they receded.

Amelia let out a sob, turning to Matthew. "Do you know the last thing she said to me? She said 'when I get married, I hope you're there to see everything. And, someday, when you get married, I hope I'm right there by your side.' She really wanted to get married. It's all shes been talking about the last couple days."

"At least your siblings have goals other than attaining power," Matthew said dryly.

"At least your brother isn't lying unconscious in your lap! It's not that I don't think your brother's a bastard, because I do. It's just that-" she broke off with a sob, hugging her sister tighter.

Matthew froze."Amelia!"

"Not now, Matthew!"

"Amelia, your arm!"

She looked down at her arm. Sure enough, there it was: a big red gash right down her arm. She must not have noticed it because of the adrenaline from the battle, or the grief she felt. Matthew pulled out his stele, hands shaking as he hastily drew an iratze on Amelia's arm.

Amelia watched as the wound closed up. She looked at Matthew, who was now taking out his silver flask. "Thank yo- Matthew! It's hardly noon!"

"Oh come on! We've just been in the first real battle of our lives."

Amelia narrowed her eyes. "You're going to drink even if I say no."

"No I wouldn't."

"Then give me the flask."

With a sigh, Matthew tossed it at Amelia, who caught it with her free hand and stashed it away in her pocket. "There," she said triumphantly.

Matthew frowned. "You're not even going to drink from it?"

Amelia scrunched her nose. "Of course not."

"Then give it back."

"You can't make me. You hold no power over me, Math."

Matthew grinned. "Are you sure about that?"

She felt her cheeks heat up, as she wasn't immune to the boy's charms. "If I drink it," she said slowly, "I don't have to give it back to you."

Matthew opened his arms. "Be my guest."

Hesitantly, Amelia fished the flask out of her pocket and drank. She scrunched her nose as she swallowed, allowing the liquid to burn her throat. "Happy?"

"You hate alcohol."

"I do."

"And you just... drank it."

Amelia nodded.

Matthew looked dumbfounded. "Why?"

"To prevent you from drinking it yourself." Amelia dropped the flask next to her and turned her attention back to her sister.

"No. It's more than that."

To protect you, she wanted to say. To protect you from drinking your life away. Instead, she remained silent. Matthew got incredibly distant when someone confronted him about his drinking, and that was the last thing she needed.

"Did I say something to offend you? Please say something, Amelia."

Just in time, Thomas returned. He lifted up Barbara gently, gave Matthew and Amelia a somber nod, and left once again.

Amelia stood up, putting Matthew's flask in her pocket once again. "It's nothing," she said.

"What's wrong?"

When those two simple words left Matthew's mouth, something in Amelia snapped. "You know, I'm not sure now is the best time to be asking that question. My sister is on death's door and it's been months since I've seen one of my closest friends sober! Matthew, I don't know what you've been through, but I know that you cannot live like this!" She pulled the silver flask from her pocket and threw it at Matthew, who caught it with a look of hurt and shock on his face. "You're not only hurting yourself. You're hurting everyone around you: your parabatai, your family, you're hurting me. Maybe you need to sort out your own problems before you get involved in another's."