I'm sorry for the late post! Life's been a little busy at the moment! Well, it's from Alfred's POV! Please give feedback~
(Sunday)
Alfred
He was sitting in his own blood, screaming over and over. That's what I remember the most about that day. He was screaming, cutting himself with that butcher knife, and Arthur's mom…she was just standing there. Watching him. I've never been so angry in my life. I ran over and tried to get him to calm down, but he wouldn't. He was delirious.
"What the hell happened?" I screamed at Mrs. Kirkland. She shook her head.
"The bugs…It wasn't supposed to…no…" She let out a wail. Shaking, Arthur ran over and dialed 911. I continued to try and get Matthew to tell me what was wrong.
"What happened, Mattie? What happened?" I demanded. "C'mon, just tell me…"
"It hurts…I can't…s-s-s-spiders…I want to…want to…want…" His words became incoherent babbling. Mattie's face was so pale, like a ghost's, and his eyes were rolling in his head. He choked, turned his head, and threw up. There was blood in the vomit. I remember that too.
"Arthur!" I yelled, my panic increasing tenfold.
"They're coming! It'll just be a few minutes!" He told me. Those few minutes felt like hours. When the paramedics arrived, I was almost as hysterical as Matthew was.
"What did he take?" They asked. I had no idea what they were talking about.
"I don't know!" They were loading him on a stretcher, saying something about his pulse.
"I gave him a drink…" Arthur's mom whispered.
"What was it?" One asked fiercely. Arthur's mom bowed her head meekly and didn't reply. "What did you – "
"She can tell us at the hospital! We have to hurry!" Another said. Arthur and I followed him to the ambulance while Mrs. Kirkland sat on the couch, looking stricken.
"You can't come." The man said.
"He's my brother!" I protested.
"You can't come." He repeated. Arthur frowned at him.
"We might be able to help…please." Arthur asked. The paramedic stared at us.
"Fine. Stay out of the way, though." He sighed. The inside of the ambulance was crowded. We were huddled in a corner. After several quick turns, we reached the hospital. They unloaded Matthew and carted him inside quickly. Once inside, Matthew started convulsing.
"He's seizing!" A doctor said.
"Lost a lot of blood…"
"What did he take?" A doctor demanded, turning to us. I flinched as I sat down in a chair.
"I don't know." We both said at the same time.
"My mother…she likes to mix things together sometimes. Maybe she accidentally gave it to Matthew and…S-She's schizophrenic, you see…" Arthur sounded hoarse.
"Does she do this all the time?" His voice was accusing. "Is she manic?" Translation: Should she be locked up for endangering someone like this?
"N-No…" Arthur faltered. The doctor turned to me for my assent. Arthur looked at me too, his eyes wide and scared, pleading with me. I hated her. Dear God, if she did this to Matthew then she deserved to die. She deserved to be locked up. But my voice betrayed me, betrayed Matthew.
"No. She's usually very calm. I don't think she would normally do this." I said, hating myself. Arthur gave a quiet sigh of relief. The doctor stood there and tapped his chart.
"I see." He said eventually. "Well, we'll help your brother." He told me. I nodded and he walked off.
"Thanks." Arthur murmured. "And I…I'm…"
"Don't." I stared at a wall, looking for cracks. I wanted to punch something. I wanted to take a bat and hit Mrs. Kirkland with it, bash her brains out. "Just…quit." If he continued to talk I might have exploded.
"But – "
"Arthur!"
"S-Sorry…" He whispered. I turned my attention from the wall for a moment. He was biting his lip, a scared expression on his face. I didn't pity him. I still don't, not really.
"We're leaving." I said, so low even I could barely hear it. He lifted his shoulders.
"All right." He stared at me with silent dismay. I stared back, cold and unfeeling. He looked away. I stood up and went to go see Matthew.
They never found out what was all in the drink, but from what the paramedics and cops discovered from the remains in the glass there was…
Alcohol of all sorts
Crushed anti-depressants…at least four times the normal dosage
A teaspoon of bleach, possibly more
And at least three other hazardous chemicals
That woman gave that…stuff….that potion, to my brother even though everyone knows that kind of crap can kill you! And she didn't even apologize, didn't even try to stop him from chopping himself to bits. She just stood there. And that's why I can't forgive her. I can't forgive Arthur either, and I can't forgive myself for leaving Mattie with her. He could have died, and none of us did anything to help.
***** (Sunday)
Sweat pours down my face as I cut up a piece of wood. I clear my throat and swing the axe again, splitting the wood clean in half.
"Hey, thanks for the help." The man who hired me to cut up firewood says. He still hasn't told me his name, but whatever, I'm getting paid. I'll just call him "Mr. Wood"
"No problem." I huff, finally allowing my rigid fingers to release the axe handle. It clatters to the ground with a muffled thump.
"I know a few other people who might need yer help, too, if yer willing. Couple a' different jobs, rake lawns, mow lawns, etc." He's chewing loudly on something. Tobacco, I'm guessing. He doesn't look like a Juicy Fruit kind of guy.
"Really? Yeah, I don't mind. I'll pretty much do whatever. I need the money." I say, trying to get some feeling back into my fingers.
"Yeah, I know how it is. Economy sucks lately. Cocky president whashisface been spending all our money on the Russians. The Russians." Mr. Wood repeats. I've got no qualms against the Russians – and I really haven't been paying attention to politics – so I can't see why he's getting so worked up.
"What did the Russians do?" I ask, only mildly curious.
"Haven't you heard of those communists?! They almost started a nuclear war!" Mr. Wood literally gapes at me. Literally, because he's missing several of his teeth. The nuclear 'war' was at least forty years ago, and we never even fought them, not directly anyway. But I hate communists too.
"Oh. That's right." I say. I don't want to get him going on a rant, so I quickly say goodbye. He hands me a twenty and a bottle of stale water and sends me on my way.
I walk a little while, sipping my stale water, before I reach home. I have been clutching the twenty dollars tight in my fist the entire way. I've done a couple of odds and ends jobs to try and earn some money, but it hasn't been doing much. I can barely afford groceries and my phone bill. The prospect of rent and all the other bills, three and a half weeks away, constantly gnaws at my stomach. I feel a bit of envy; I shouldn't have to do this! I'm seventeen! I should be out partying or dating chicks or working at Burger King for extra spending money, not worrying about paying bills or taking care of the house. But I guess whatever life deals you, you have to just go along with it. I sigh, cram the damp twenty in my pocket, and open the door.
"I'm home!" I shout. Silence greets me. Frowning, I go into the living room and find a note. Went out for a little bit. Be back soon. –Matthew. Where would he have to go? I'm not trying to be rude, but my brother really isn't the active type. I shake my head in bewilderment, feeling slightly worried, and sit down on the couch. I snatch up the remote and flick on the TV. It looks like Bunny Ears is going to work today. I aimlessly change the channels.
"No, Romeo, do – "
"Touchdown! That was incredi – "
"Today on 11 Ne – "
"[Static]"
"AAAAHHHHH!" I stop once I hear a horrified scream. A horror movie? I stare intently at the screen. A boy, maybe my age, is strapped to a table. Another teenager – who looks strikingly similar to the first – walks up to him. He is holding a knife.
"Wh-What did I do? What did I do? Stop, please! Stop!" The first boy pleads. The one holding the knife laughs.
"Stop? Why? This is fun." He says. He takes the knife and begins to carve into the other's arm. The boy screams. It hurts my ears, so I turn the TV down.
An hour later, I flick off the TV, dismayed that I wasted my time watching such a dull movie. Basically, the movie was about a twin who felt invisible, constantly in his brother's shadow. One day he grew sick of it all and decided to torture his brother as well as anyone else who ignored him. It turns out that he had a somewhat screwed up childhood, too, 'cause his father constantly forgot about him. Anyway, in the end, the cops finally figure out that it was the younger twin who was torturing/killing all these people and they decide he's too crazy to go to jail, so they send him to a mental hospital where he spends the rest of his days. The end. The plot was creepy, but kind of stupid. The only thing I'll say is that the blood and guts looked real, which was cool. It was the stereotypical slasher film. I'd give it a three out of five.
"Hello?" I hear Matthew's voice from the hallway.
"Hey." I call, hopping up from the couch. "Where were you?"
"Out." He replies vaguely. "Um, Francis wanted to go get some burgers, so I decided to go with him." He holds out a bag filled with greasy food from Wendy's. "Here. I got you some too."
"Sweet! I was wondering what I was going to do for dinner!" I say. I open the bag and begin munching on a hamburger. "I didn't think going to Wendy's would take over an hour, though."
"Yeah. We got sidetracked." Mattie says quickly. "Sorry I didn't let you know earlier."
"Nah, that's okay." I say. "I was just bored out of my mind."
"What did you do?" Mattie asks.
"Nothing. Just watched a stupid movie." I say with my mouth full.
"Oh." Mattie nods. He looks in the direction of his bedroom. "Well, I'm gonna go to bed."
"What? But it's only 8:00!" I swallow a bite of hamburger.
"Yeah, I know. But I'm really tired and I have a test tomorrow." Matthew rubs his eyes.
"Well, okay then." I'm a little confused, but I'm glad he's trying to keep his grades up. "See you tomorrow."
"Uh-huh." He's already closing the door to his room. I finish my hamburger and crumple my wrapper, tossing it in the trashcan.
*************** Tuesday
My eyes are forced open by the sound of my alarm clock. Damn. I forgot to turn it off last night. I glare blearily at the numbers. The clock says it's only four thirty. I sigh and roll over in my bed, listening to the rain fall against the window. Maybe I can still sleep for a few more hours. A banging sound causes me to open my eyes again.
"What was that?" I mumble. I fumble for my glasses. I swing my legs over the bed and shuffle across the room. My finger flicks the light switch. The sudden brightness causes me to squint even more. I yawn. Another loud bang jolts my senses. I'm more alert now. "Is someone trying to break in?" I whisper, looking around the dark hallway. I poke my head into the kitchen, see nothing, and go out into the living room. Nothing is there. Feeling slightly alarmed, I turn around and walk back into the hallway, passing my bedroom and the bathroom. I knock lightly on my brother's door.
"Mattie?" I ask. "Matthew, are you awake?" A faint light shines from under the doorway. There's no response. "Mattie?" I repeat. Nothing. I open the door.
"Wha-?" Matthew whirls around in surprise. In his hands are pieces of ceramic. Ceramic bits are on the floor, too. The wind blows from the open window, ruffling his hair. "What are you doing?" He asks, tone still startled.
"I heard a crash. Are you okay?" I ask.
"Y-Yeah." He relaxes a bit. "Sorry. It was getting hot, so I went to open the window. But I accidentally knocked down my bear bank in the process…" He holds out the shards with a look of dismay.
"Aw, no way! That's Kuma?" I gasp. He sighs.
"Yeah." He says. When he was younger, Matthew used to have a bear bank, which is obviously like a piggy bank, but in bear form. He could never decide on a name for that thing. One day it was Kumatan, the next day Kumajiro, the day after that Kumaemon. Eventually, he settled on just Kuma. I know he always loved that bear, so it must have been upsetting to have it break like that.
"Man, I'm sorry. Maybe we could fix it up." I offer. "We could use some super glue or something…"
"No, that's okay." Mattie says. He hesitates, then shakes his head. "No…it's fine. I'll just throw him away."
"You sure?" I ask, sympathetic yet relieved. The bear looks like it would be really difficult to put back together. Impossible, even.
"I'm sure." He says. Mattie picks up the remaining pieces and carts them to the trash. They hit the bottom of the can with a thump. He wipes his hands on his jeans, straightens out his blue shirt, and then looks at me.
"Hey, why are you wearing your clothes this early in the morning?" I say, looking closer.
"Huh? Oh, no reason. I-I woke up early and couldn't fall back to sleep, so I figured I'd just get dressed." Mattie says, smiling sheepishly.
"Oh." I nod. I've just noticed something. "Makes sense." My grin wavers a little. I turn to leave. "Well, I'm still tired, so I'm gonna go to bed."
"Okay. S-sorry for waking you up." Mattie apologizes.
"No problem." I laugh lightly, feeling confused but pretending like I'm not confused. Pretending like I didn't just see mud on the cuffs of his jeans. And pretending that I don't know that Matthew's lying. That he's hiding something.
I lie in bed for a while, unable to go to sleep. Why would he lie to me? We always tell each other the truth! What if it's something bad? I bite my lip and listen to the rain. It's nothing. I tell myself. He probably just went out for a walk or something.
"Well, what else could a kid like him do?" I murmur to myself, chuckling a little. "Seriously." I feel better by this realization, that someone like Mattie couldn't really do anything bad. He's not the type of person to go to parties and drink – if anyone is, it's me – and he wouldn't steal either. Again…I'd be more likely to do something like that. He's fine. I sigh, relieved. With that settled, I reset my alarm to six-thirty and manage to doze off.
All of my classes are boring, per usual. I check out another book from Mrs. Nyrale – I finally finished the one I got a couple of weeks ago – and start reading that at lunch. I'm just starting to get into the story when someone smacks the book against my face.
"Whatcha reading?" Francis asks. My glasses are crooked and my face hurts. I readjust my glasses and glare at him.
"It's called a book." I say, irritated.
"I can see that." Francis says. "But what's it called?"
"Read the title and maybe you can figure it out." I snap.
"Why don't you read it to me?" Francis smirks, clearly enjoying this.
"You can read it for yourself!" I say, growing angry.
"Ummm…" Honda's voice breaks through our argument. "Please, don't fight. It is just a book."
"Yeah." Mattie adds. "Calm down, Al." I turn my glare towards him. He's supposed to be defending me!
"I'm calm." I huff, opening the book again and scowling at the pages.
"Sorry." Francis says. "I just didn't think you ever read. I just wanted to know if it was The Little Engine That Could or something." I grip the book tighter.
"Francis." Honda warns. He and Mattie exchange a look that probably means: 'why can't these two ever get along?'
"Sorry, sorry." Francis chuckles. "Oh, mon dieu, I'm tired." He sighs.
"Why?" I ask in an attempt at being polite. It comes out sharper then I intended.
"I was up late." He replies vaguely.
"Doing what?" Honda asks. "I mean, if you want to tell us. You don't have to." He adds.
Since Francis has been joking with me, I decide to joke back. "He was probably entertaining his girlfriend, right?" I snicker good-naturedly. I look up to see his reaction. Francis flinches and an odd look crosses his face.
"Right." He laughs a second later. If I didn't know better, I'd think it sounds forced. But it's Francis we're talking about. "I was. It was your girlfriend." He smirks tauntingly.
"Dude, I don't have a girlfriend." I say, smirking back. "So I don't know who you were doing. You sure it wasn't your mom?" Again, it seems like Francis hesitates. But he's back on his feet a split second later.
"Non, non. At least, I hope not. I'd really hate it if my mom was your girlfriend. You're too ugly for her." He laughs. I laugh back.
"Uh-huh. Your mom would date me if she knew me. All the ladies love me."
"Like hell she would." Francis's smile goes even bigger. "And you aren't that cute, sorry. Most girls I know don't go for pissy delinquents." His smile fades, he turns away from me and mumbles something quietly. "Aside from my mom, anyway."
"What?" I pretend like I didn't hear him, to be polite.
"Nothing. Your girlfriend's a good kisser, you know." Francis puckers his lips teasingly. I laugh and playfully punch him on the shoulder. Honda and Matthew are staring at us like, um, what?
"I should know." I say, though I'm starting to get a bit annoyed. Not a whole lot – just a bit. This conversation reminds me how small and limited my dating life is. Kinda hard to have a girlfriend and take her out on dates when you have school, a house, and bills to take care of. Francis stands up suddenly.
"Well, it's been fun messing with you – and you're being a really good sport, surprisingly – but I have to go. Sorry." Francis apologizes. His head down, he briefly glances at Mattie. "See you later." He says.
Mattie nods hesitantly. "Do you…um…" Francis shakes his head to whatever Matthew was going to ask. "Alright. See you later." He says.
"Goodbye." Honda says.
"Bye." I say, thinking that Francis might not be such a bad guy. When he's not being an utter jerk-know-it-all, he's not so bad. But then Francis says something that makes me dislike him again.
"Have fun reading The Little Engine That Could. Choo-choo!" He says to me. I glare at him and start to throw in a retort, but he's gone before I can think of a good one. I sigh heavily.
"What a jerk." I snort.
"He's okay." Honda says, pulling a Switzerland. Matthew focuses on sipping his milk and says nothing at first.
"Hey, um…so…we're going to the Blue Orange after school. Do either of you want to come?" He asks, swallowing. This is news to me.
"Sure." I say, even though I was hoping to look for a solid job. I guess I need a break every once in a while.
"I would like that. I'll see if I can come." Honda says.
"Okay. So, ah…text Francis if you can." Mattie replies. The lunch bell rings, ending our conversation.
I sigh, not looking foreword to my classes. I gotta at least try to get good grades, though. It's not like I want to fail school. In Social Studies, I learn about – whoo-hoo, Russia. The creepy place chock full of scary winters and communism. Not exactly fun to learn about. Computer class is boring too – we're practicing our typing. What does our teacher take us for, three year olds? The other classes, I don't really know what happened in them. I zone out through all of them.
After school, I walk down the street to the Blue Orange, one of the most popular Smoothie/frozen yogurt/ ice cream places in town. I only have a couple of dollars on me – the rest is safe at home – but I know I'm going to buy smoothie. Losing a dollar or two won't really change whether or not I manage to pay the rent on time.
I walk into the restaurant, comforted by the familiar fruity sweet scents. My mouth waters as I imagine gulping down an entire freezing cold Raspberry-Cherry Smoothie. Even though it's the nearing the middle of November, I still love a good smoothie. Almost as much as I love hamburgers. I spot Honda and Francis sitting at a booth, already slurping on their own drinks. I walk up to the counter, order a Raspberry-Cherry, and sit down once I receive my drink.
"Hey." I say.
"Hello." Honda says.
"Where's Mattie?" I can't help but asking.
"He had to finish some things. He told me he'd meet us here in a minute." Francis says. He takes a drink of his slushy. It looks like cherry or watermelon, judging by the color.
"Oh, okay." I say, drinking my own drink and fidgeting with the change in my pocket. "Oh my God, this thing is amazing." I grin despite myself.
"What kind did you get?" Honda asks.
"Raspberry-Cherry." I say.
"Ah. I ordered Grape, but they gave me Pomegranate instead." Honda says. He twirls the straw around in his smoothie. It makes a huge hole that slowly disappears as the smoothie oozes back into place.
"Why don't you tell them they made a mistake?" I ask.
"Just tell them you made a mistake." Francis says a few seconds after me.
"No, no, no. It's perfectly all right. I-I like pomegranate too." Honda stares at the smoothie with a look that might be considered disdainful. As he takes a drink, his eye twitches.
"You sure?" I ask doubtfully. He swallows hard and nods.
"Yes. I am just not used to the flavor yet. It's good, just different." Honda says.
"Okay…" I shrug. If he wants to torture himself by drinking a smoothie that he hates, then I guess he can go ahead. The bell dings and I look up, expecting it to be Matthew. It's not him. Instead, Gilbert and his friends come in.
"So this chick walks up to me, right? And I'm like, you know just messing around 'cause I'm awesome like that. So I'm all 'Hey, sexy.' Purposely acting cheesy, you know? And she looks at me, and she's all: 'Is it hot in here, or is it just you?' That's the corniest line I've ever heard, I swear. So anyway, I ask her out and she says yes and we go on a date, and she keeps on saying the weirdest and stupidest crap, so in the end I dump her after our first date." Gilbert's talking so fast I can barely understand what he's saying.
"You're so smooth, Gil." Ludwig says sarcastically.
"Yeah, that's why you don't say stupid stuff first." Feliciano adds. "Trust me, I know."
"Your girlfriends end up dumping you because you're such a pansy." Ludwig says. Feliciano wilts a little.
"Heeey, that's mean!" He whines. Arthur watches the spectacle with a look that's somewhere between amusement and disdain.
"Tch. I didn't really want to go out with her anyway. I was just bored." Gilbert says, rolling his eyes.
"Wow. Did you at least give her a decent time?" Ludwig asks.
"We kissed a couple of times, but that's all. And I bought her a crapload of stuff, because I am awesome. She thanked me at the end – even after I dumped her – for buying her a new diamond bracelet. She didn't seem hurt at all." Gilbert shrugs.
"Rich people." The guy at the counter scoffs, apparently listening in to their conversation just like I am. Gilbert hands him some money – it rings up as fifty dollars.
"Keep the change as your tip." Gilbert says smoothly. The counter guy's face lights up.
"Thanks!" He switches sides immediately. I feel disgusted just watching them. Here Gilbert is, throwing money around like it's nothing, while I'm worrying about whether spending a few extra bucks will mean I end up on the streets because I didn't pay my rent. I scowl deeply and suck on my melting smoothie.
"Oh, right. You want to go out with Elizaveta. I almost forgot." Ludwig says as they get their smoothies and sit down at a booth near us.
"W-well, yeah. But that stupid Roderich is freaking dating her. I asked her out first, but she just downright refused and asked out that idiotic piano player the next day. I could kill him. He's ruining my awesomeness." Gilbert stabbed his straw into his smoothie and took a huge drink. His little bird fluttered down and put its feet on the glass rim, nipping quick bites of the smoothie. Gilbert petted it.
"Huh." Ludwig says, seeming to grow bored with all the gossiping.
"You just gotta charm her! Charm her! Say she's so lovely, and there's no one else like her in the whole world." Feliciano says eagerly. Gilbert just stares at him.
"Whatever." He sighs eventually. "You've been pretty quiet, Arthur. Got anything on your mind?"
"Huh?" Arthur asks blankly. "O-Oh, no. Sorry. It's just…I should probably be getting home. My mum isn't feeling well."
I clench my fists and suck air through the straw. The rich people talk irritated me, but if they're going to talk about her, I'm leaving. Even though I'm not supposed to be listening to their conversation anyway. Whatever.
"Uh-oh. Is she sick? We can stop by the store and grab her some Motrin or Ibuprofen or something." Gilbert says. Arthur hesitates and shakes his head.
"No…she already has medicine. She just…I really should be getting home." Arthur says. He stands up and grabs his slushy.
"Okay." Gilbert says reluctantly. "Tell your mom I said feel better. See ya."
"Bye." Arthur says, walking over to the door. He opens it and starts to walk out, bumping into someone. "Sorry." He mutters.
"It's okay." I notice that Mattie is finally here. Arthur leaves, while Mattie glances around, finally spotting our table.
"…Right, Al?" Francis asks me, and I realize that Honda and Francis have been talking this whole time.
"Uh, what?" I ask.
"I knew you were eavesdropping." Francis smirks. "Oh, Matthew, you're here!" Matthew sits down beside Francis.
"Sorry I'm late. I had to finish up some schoolwork." Mattie apologizes quietly.
"It's good that you could make it." Francis says. I nod. We start talking about random stuff, and it feels good to just hang out and relax.
Chapter 7 will be from Arthur's pov again! Please rate and review!