Scarlet

Chapter 19-Scarlet

I didn't have any dreams, thank god. My sleep was black. No dreams, no nightmares. A few hours later, I woke up. Well, actually, a throbbing pain in my stomach woke me up.

"Shit." I muttered, once I realized how bad it hurts. What the hell, this fuckin hurts. I glance around me, and see a flask near me. I stretch for it, wincing, and unscrewed the lid. It's ale. I took a couple big drinks, and sure enough it dulled the pain. I sighed in relief. I don't feel like the flames of hell are in the cut, anyway. That's an improvement. Then again, about anything would feel better.

"Don't drink too much." I hear Rob say, a slight smile on his face. He takes the flask from me, and puts it out of my reach. "Getting drunk wouldn't help." He adds sarcastically. I just glare back, not having the energy to argue that yeah, maybe getting drunk WOULD help.

Ok, maybe not. But it would probably dull the pain, and I'd like that.

But no amount of alcohol will make the pain of loosing Joanna, my best friend and sister go away. Of watching her die, doing everything possible to save her but failing. I watched her cough up blood, I stole every type of medicine, any thing that could possibly help her. I even stole from a monastery to get medicine. But nothing worked. I had to watch those bright blue eyes, that were so full of life, slowly go dull. I had to watch that bright blond hair slowly get stringy and coated in blood.

Worst of all?

I had to watch her die and know I had failed. Failed to save her, failed to save the one person who had loved me unconditionally. What was even worse, was knowing that if it hadn't been for me, she would've been back where we had lived, with our family, and probably married off to a Scottish lord. But instead, because of me, she had left. I indirectly killed my sister and that haunts me every day.

Every. Fucking. Day.

The memories of my sister flood back, which caused tears to leak out of my eyes. No. I can't cry in front of Rob. It would make me look weak, and I can't let that happen. He already thinks I'm a stupid girl, and I can't go enforcing that, now can I?

Because we all know I would kick his ass.