Ch 9 Of Fires and Truth

Arthur's trip to the hospital had been long and painful. Arthur had undergone surgery to get the bones in his arm in their natural position without further damaging his flesh. The doctors had placed his arm in a cast. After the surgery, Arthur had spent the rest of the day in complete drug induced bliss. The doctor had come in the next morning and prescribed him some pain medication. He had also said that Arthur was to come in every week for a checkup. The doctor had said that Arthur's arm had been severely injured and he wanted to make sure that it was healing properly. He had advised Arthur to use a sling and to keep his arm elevated. As for his leg, it had only been slightly bruised and he advised for Arthur to try to keep his weight off it. By this point, however, the swelling and pain had decreased immensely and Arthur felt perfectly capable of walking. Arthur was discharged one week later.

Arthur had called Francis to come pick him up. He knew that Alfred would just fuss over him. Well, Francis would fuss over him as well but Arthur felt more comfortable with knocking Francis unconscious when his teasing got to be too much. Arthur could never do that to Alfred. Not because he didn't want to, it was just that whenever he got physically close to Alfred, his face would turn red. It was better this way.

Arthur walked back and forth impatiently in front of the hospital, waiting for Francis to show up. Arthur sighed deeply when he saw a car approach, not just any car, a red convertible. Arthur knew that car.

The car pulled over next to him, the roof raised and the window slowly coming down.

"Hi Arthur. Francis said you needed to be picked up from the hospital. So here I am. Hop in," Alfred said warmly, the usual grin on his face. Arthur grudgingly made his way to the other side of the car, opened the door with his good arm and got inside.

The car ride back to the dorms had been silent. Alfred had tried to ask Arthur how it went but Arthur proved unresponsive. Eventually Alfred gave up and gave in to the silence. Arthur seemed quiet since his trip to the hospital. Alfred wondered whether he was upset.

"Hey Arthur, you ok? You seem quiet," Alfred said, parking the car in the parking lot and shutting off the engine. Alfred placed his arm around Arthur's shoulders, giving his shoulder a soft squeeze.

"It's nothing, Alfred. I'm fine. I'm just a little groggy from the medication they gave me," Arthur said, yawning and rubbing his eyes. Alfred chuckled and scolded himself for worrying. It wasn't like a hero to worry.

"OK, if you say so," Alfred said lightly, leaning his head on Arthur's shoulder. Arthur blushed but said nothing. Arthur coughed once and Alfred removed his arm. Alfred got out of the car and went over to Arthur's side and opened the door for him. Arthur was a little too groggy to scold Alfred for treating him like a child. He let Alfred lead him to his room.

"You rest, Iggy. I'll make sure that no one bothers you," Alfred grinned. Arthur rolled his eyes and shut the door on Alfred, too tired to even reply. Arthur had changed into his pajamas and got into bed, falling into a deep sleep.

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It was a normal morning for Matthew. He woke up early, like he usually did on weekends, making sure that he didn't wake his brother. Alfred liked to sleep in most of the time. So much that Matthew had to set various alarms in order to get him to go to class during the week.

Matthew made pancakes for himself and coffee for Alfred. Even though it was a Sunday, Matthew had set an alarm for Alfred. Francis had said that Arthur needed to be picked up from the hospital later and had asked Alfred to do it. Matthew, at first, had not understood why Francis had asked Alfred to pick up Arthur when Arthur had specifically asked Francis to do it. Francis had explained that Arthur and Alfred needed to talk and the opportunity had presented itself. Matthew had gone along with Francis, partially because Francis had already told Alfred to go and partially because he wanted Alfred to confront Arthur. Alfred had told him about the kiss and how things really hadn't changed between him and Arthur. Matthew had felt both sorry and happy for his brother. Sorry because of the troubles Alfred's feeling had caused him and happy because of what it meant. Alfred liked someone and frankly, Matthew felt that Arthur made Alfred a better person. Alfred also had that effect on Arthur. Arthur smiled more often whenever Alfred was around (although Arthur tried to hide it).

The alarm Matthew had set up for Alfred went off, interrupting Matthew's thoughts. Matthew went up to see if Alfred was awake only to find his bed empty. There was a note on the disheveled bed addressed to Matthew.

Mattie,

Went to pick up Arthur. Not sure when I'll be back.

-Alfred

Matthew sighed and went to finish the remains of his brunch. The only thing that Matthew disliked about Alfred's feelings for Arthur was that it meant they would spend less time together. Alfred had spent more and more time with Arthur up to the point that all free time was spent with Arthur. Not that Matthew hated the time they spent together. He was happy for his brother. He really was! It was just that it also meant that they had not spent as much time together like they used to. Matthew didn't want them to grow distant. After all, they were the only family they had.

Matthew had eaten his brunch in silence with his bear. It wasn't a real bear but Matthew liked it nonetheless. It was a gift from his mother that he treasured, one that he carried mostly everywhere. On his first day of school, he had been made fun for it, that was until Alfred had stood up for him and threatened to beat them up. Matthew had been grateful then and now for having Alfred for a brother.

After Matthew had finished his brunch, washed his dishes and cleaned the kitchen a bit, he had gone to check if he had any messages on his phone. He sighed when he saw that there was nothing from Alfred, only ten text messages from Francis.

Matthew had gone up to check on his bear when he heard some loud cracking. He turned around and saw nothing and continued his way upstairs. He gathered his precious bear in his arms and frowned, the odor of burning wood getting stronger as more time progressed. It had also gotten almost unbearably hot all of a sudden. Matthew sniffed the air and found that it was hotter outside his room.

He headed towards the stairs to investigate and gasped at what he saw. The dining room and kitchen area had been engulfed in flames, cutting off any paths of escape. Matthew tried to keep himself calm, knowing that panicking wouldn't help him.

It was in those few moments that Matthew had been trying to calm himself that a figure emerged from the flames. Matthew couldn't distinguish what it was nor could he actually see it, all he saw was a vague outline of something. It wassomething tall that stood on two legs. Matthew couldn't say what the figure was exactly but he knew one thing. That creature was no human.

The creature stared straight at Matthew, instilling fear into him. The creature laughed, the noise loud and almost painful to hear.

Matthew could only stand there, fear rooting him to the floor. The only thought in his head was the hope that his death would not be too painful.

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Alfred had been driving back to his house, the radio at full blast, having a good time enjoying the wonderful morning breeze. He was in a good mood considering what had happened. He knew that he should be a little more worried about Arthur. After all, he had just been attacked and almost killed. But Alfred, being the hero that he was, didn't let that bother him. He had saved Arthur, hadn't he? Whatever the future had in store, Alfred was sure he could handle it.

Alfred had to slow down and stop the car when he had seen the block he lived on had been closed off. Police cars, ambulances and firefighters' trucks were everywhere. Alfred frowned, wondering what could have happened.

For a moment, Alfred froze. Could it be Matthew? Not even bothering to consider other possibilities, Alfred quickly exited the vehicle and ran towards the closed off area. Alfred tried to run towards the burning house but was held back by some police, telling him that he wasn't allowed to enter the area. Alfred stood back, reluctant to simply stand there and approached one of the firefighters. "Excuse me, did you find anyone who was in the house during the fire?" Alfred asked with bated breath.

"No, there was no sign of any people in there and we haven't located a body yet," the man replied, his voice gruff. Alfred thanked the man and went back to his car. Alfred wondered if he had simply overreacted. After all, Matthew could be somewhere else. Anxiously, Alfred called and texted everyone he knew. His calls had amounted to nothing. No one had seen or spoken to Matthew since last night. Alfred got into his car and searched the various locations that Matthew frequented. His search also amounted to nothing. Matthew was nowhere to be seen.

Alfred exhaled, trying to keep calm. He needed to think. Matthew wasn't at the house, no one had seen since yesterday, the firefighters had not found a body and he wasn't any place that Alfred looked. That didn't necessarily mean that Matthew was missing. Alfred was at a loss of what to do next. After thinking about it for a while he had come to a decision. He would ask the one person he knew would know what to do.

Alfred got inside his car and headed back to the school dormitories, hoping that Matthew could be found.

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Arthur was awakened by loud knocking on the door. He groaned. He still felt exhausted even after all the hours he had slept. He willed himself to get out of bed, and opened the door to find Alfred outside. Arthur was about to tell the git to sod off but saw the expression on Alfred's face. He was smiling, like he usually was, but his smile seemed strained, almost pained somehow.

"Alfred, are you alright? You don't look like yourself." Arthur asked concerned, opening the door, letting Alfred in. Alfred nodded, the smile still plastered on his face. Arthur wasn't convinced but said nothing. All of a sudden Alfred wrapped his arms around Arthur. Arthur grew worried. Had something happened?

"Alfred, what's wrong? What happened?" Arthur tried to ask calmly.

"It's Mattie. I can't find him. I've looked everywhere, called everyone and no one has seen him and the house…I need your help, Arthur. I can't do this by myself," Alfred said softly, with that half-hearted smile on his face.

"With you by my side, I'm sure I'll find him."

"Are you truly incapable of doing anything by yourself?" Arthur asked, voice brisk and stern. "We'll look for him and we'll find him. I promise, Alfred, we'll find him."

"Can you get off of me now?" Arthur suggested, his face scarlet with both embarrassment and rage. Alfred nodded grimly and looked away while Arthur changed into some clothes.

"Now, we'll need some help," Arthur said, looking for his phone and dialing Francis's number.

"Hey, Arthur, listen about what-"

"Not now, Alfred." Arthur didn't really want to hear what Alfred had to say right now. Arthur waited for Francis to pick up, making sure to keep Alfred outside his field of vision.

"Bonjour mon petit ami britannique. What is it that I can do for you?" Francis's voice sounded disgustingly smug and that irritated Arthur further. Arthur tried to massage his temple but then remembered the cast. He hated being injured. It was irritating, annoying and painful.

"Listen Frog, Matthew has gone missing. I do not know the exact details of what happened but we'll need your help to find him. Are you to help or not?" Arthur asked, irritated.

"Oui oui, but of course, anything for Matthew. What's the plan, Arthur?"


Alfred, Arthur and Francis had gone to Alfred's house to start with. Alfred had told them that after he had gone to drop off Arthur in his room, he returned home. From a block away, Alfred had seen the flames and smoke and had gone to Arthur for help.

Arthur had been silent save for the occasional insult and jibe at Francis. Alfred had tried to get Arthur to look at him but failed. Francis had noticed the interaction between the two but chose to say nothing, knowing that it wasn't the time to pry.

Once they had arrived at Alfred's house, they saw that the firefighters had already put the fire out. The beautiful Victorian-style house was now a gray dismal heap of a building, too ruined to even be considered a house anymore. Alfred was unaffected by the house's state. He had never really considered the place a home; despite the number of years he had lived in it. It was Matthew that made it seem like home and if he wasn't there, there would be no reason for Alfred to go back to it.

The firefighters and ambulance had left by now, leaving only the investigating policemen behind. Alfred approached one of the policemen and asked him if they had found anyone. The policeman shook in head, leaving Alfred with nothing.

"Well?" Arthur asked. Alfred shook his head.

"That means that Matthew might still be alive!" Francis said, his face relaxing. Arthur frowned. This wasn't good, not at all. If Francis and Alfred had heard what he had seen then they would have known that Matthew might have still been in danger.

"There's something I need to tell you both. I see now that it was unjust of me to keep this from you but I really didn't what you to worry," Arthur sighed. He had hoped that he would never have to tell them or anyone for that matter. But it was important and if it helped find Matthew then so be it.

Alfred and Francis looked at him. "What do you mean, Arthur? Did something happen?"

"Well…do you remember the time that I had fallen ill and Kiku had taken care of me?" They both nodded. Arthur took this as his sign to continue. "The reason I went outside was because I saw something, a person in my room. He was there one moment and vanished the next. I saw a glimpse of him outside and I chased after him. I had asked him if he knew anything about the murders but he turned away from me. When I tried to approach him he changed shape into… something grotesque. After that, I backed away, slipped and fell unconscious. That was when you found me, Alfred. I disregarded the event, having thought it to be a figment of my imagination due to the fever."

"Who was it, Arthur?" Alfred asked, slightly puzzled as to why Arthur hadn't told him any of this.

"I wasn't sure and I'm still not now. But that is beside the point. Later, when we had all gone to the beach, some creature dragged me underwater. It was then that I recognized it as the same student I had seen earlier. They had the same eyes. And this creature-"

"Creature?!" Alfred exclaimed, now angry that Arthur had kept something so important to himself.

"Alfred, please let me finish. Then you can object all you want. Now this creature had tried to kill, at least, that's what it seemed like. I think that it may be responsible for all the deaths and mysterious events so far," Arthur said stoically. Whatever fear Arthur had before had completely vanished by this point. He didn't mind dying, as long his death had accomplished something.

"Arthur! Why didn't you say anything? To me! Maybe if you had said something, something like this would have never happened! What if Mattie's hurt? It'd be your fault, Arthur, for staying quiet when you should have said something!" Alfred accused, his voice loud and angry.

"Arrêter! Stop! Blaming Arthur will not help us find Matthew. We can discuss this later. Preferably once we have found Matthew," Francis said sternly. Francis believed that Matthew was alive, his heart ached for it to be true.

Arthur nodded, not looking at Alfred. If anyone should be angry, Arthur thought, it should have been himself. Stupid bloody wanker, always making himself the victim.

They had agreed to wait for the investigators to leave and conduct an investigation of their own, hoping that they would be able to find something the policemen missed. The house was charred, leaving little intact. Arthur had suggested that they split up and search for anything out of the ordinary. Arthur had taken the backyard. At first glance he noticed the garden. Its flowers were crushed as if compressed by something…or perhaps someone. Arthur took a closer look and saw footprints that looked like webbed feet. Arthur stared at them before calling Alfred and Francis over.

Francis and Alfred rushed to Arthur, hoping that he had found something of use. Arthur pointed to the strange footprints.

"Perhaps the creature followed Matthew. If we follow the footprints we might be able to find him," Arthur surmised. Francis shrugged his shoulder, not seeing anything else that might help and decided to go along with what Arthur had suggested. Alfred was more hesitant but acquiesced.

The footprints led them to the woods. All three stopped at the edge of the woods for a moment, wondering whether it was worth the risk of getting lost for a half-baked idea. Arthur headed in first, determined to go through with his idea. Francis and Alfred followed.

The woods were located at the outskirts of Little Flats and were, for the most part, off-limits. Years ago, there had been a horrible accident (the details of the accident had become more obscure and vague as time passed until the exact details of what had actually occurred were all but forgotten) concerning some children and since then the woods were declared out of bounds during nighttime. Although, everyone had taken that as a warning that the woods were anything but safe and had proceeded to never set foot into them unless it was absolutely necessary.

"H-hey, wait. Didn't people die here? That means…ghosts!" Alfred cried, his face one of pure terror. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Relax, you git. There are no such things as ghosts. Now concentrate at the matter at hand," Arthur scolded. Alfred nodded, still scared but determined to find Matthew.

Francis sighed inwardly, glad for the silence for once. He scanned the trees, looking for any signs of anything out of the usual. Not like he knew what was abnormal in a forest but he continued searching, not letting the fact that the forest is dangerous stop him. Francis stopped for a moment when he heard the sound of rushing water and what seemed to be weeping. Francis signaled to Arthur and Alfred to be quiet and listened again. It was hard to hear over the roar of the water but Francis was sure he had heard crying.

"What is it, Francis? Did you hear something?" Arthur asked, straining his ears to try to hear what Francis heard.

"I hear water running. Is there a river here?" Francis asked, not really familiar with the landscape. Arthur sighed. "Have you learned nothing in school? There's a river cutting through the forest, it served as a border during the eighteen hundreds. Why do you ask? Did you hear something?" Arthur asked, searching for the river while trying to hear at the same time. He heard but just barely. He had to admit that the frog had good hearing.

"Oui oui," Francis replied, signaling with his hand for them to follow them. Arthur almost huffed, disliking the idea of following the Frenchman. Francis led them to the river, where they all saw a figure submerged in the water. Francis held Arthur and Alfred, mouthing out the words 'stay here' while he went to investigate. The weeping was louder as Francis made his way closer to the river. As he came closer, the figure's shape and color were starting to become more profound up to the point that Francis recognized the figure and sighed in relief.

"Matthew." Matthew turned to face Francis, with tears rolling down his face. Francis wrapped Matthew in his arms, pressing him close to chest and stroking his back. Matthew buried his face in Francis's chest, his sobs intensifying.

"Shh, it's alright, Matthew. You're safe now," Francis said, trying to soothe Matthew.

"Mattie!" Alfred yelled, running down to him with Arthur at his heels.

"Here," Arthur said, offering Matthew a blanket and some spare jackets that Alfred had forgotten to pick up (whenever it was cold, Alfred would always offer Arthur his jacket. As a result, Arthur was left with numerous unclaimed jackets in his closet). Francis ended the embrace to wrap a coat around Matthew's shoulders and then wrapped the blanket around him before embracing him once more. Matthew sniffed, clutched his bear closer to his chest with one arm and the other gripping Francis's coat tightly. Francis stroked small circles in Matthew's back, trying to soothe him. Francis sang softly, hoping the sound will soothe Matthew.

"Dodo, l'enfant do,
L'enfant dormira bien vite
Dodo, l'enfant do
L'enfant dormira bientôt.

Une poule blanche
Est là dans la grange.
Qui va faire un petit coco
Pour l'enfant qui va fair' dodo.

Dodo, l'enfant do,
L'enfant dormira bien vite
Dodo, l'enfant do
L'enfant dormira bientôt.

Tout le monde est sage
Dans le voisinage
Il est l'heure d'aller dormir
Le sommeil va bientôt venir."

The song had its desired effect and Matthew's sobbing decreased to soft whimpers and sniffs. Arthur almost smiled at the Frenchman's attempts to soothe Matthew. He had never really seen Francis act so selfless. It was a side that he really hadn't seen before and he well, liked it. Arthur knew that Matthew might never speak of the matter nor will Arthur ask him. It was something that was better left buried.

Matthew closed his eyes, letting Francis's words and voice lull him to sleep, forgetting the memories of what occurred hours ago.

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Matthew had been frozen by fear, his brain desperately trying to tell his feet to move. Matthew clutched his bear closer to his chest, death is all that he could think of.

When the figure approached, Matthew was startled from his thoughts and he ran upstairs, back to his room. Upon going inside, Matthew looked around, searching for any possible means of escape. He saw the window, ran to it and opened it. Matthew hesitated, seeing the long drop to the groaned. He turned when he heard footsteps in the hall. With the sound of footsteps in his ears, Matthew carefully stepped out of the window and gripped the windowpane. He felt fingers grip his own, and one-by-one pried them from the window. And when the last finger was pried off, Matthew fell. His fall was broken by the garden below.

Matthew groaned for a moment, his back and legs hurt. He didn't get up, resting for a few seconds. It wasn't until he heard a loud thump next to him that it occurred to Matthew that the creature might follow. Matthew jumped up and ran, as far andas fast he could. He continued running even as he passed the forest trees, feeling the strange menacing creature was still following him.

For a moment, Matthew thought that he had lost him- it. He stopped for a moment but then returned to running when he heard footsteps. Matthew couldn't see who was chasing him but somehow he felt that whatever it was, it didn't want him alive. Matthew tried his best to jump over tree roots among various other things but ended up tripping in his haste. Matthew had tried to get up but the pain in his ankle was too much. He half limped and half crawled away.

In his haste, Matthew had almost overlooked the river and stopped. In his precarious condition, however, he was unable to keep his balance and fell in. Matthew's body ached all over and he no longer contained the strength to keep going. He let himself lie in the riverbed, awaiting his fate. He heard footsteps and looked up. There was nothing there that he could see but the footsteps were still loud. Matthew heard a loud snarl and quivered in fright. The footsteps receded and Matthew cowered, in fear that the figure would return and finish what he started.

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Francis had carried Matthew, despite Alfred's protests that it was his duty as 'the hero' to care for his brother. Arthur had managed to convince Alfred that it would be all right for someone else to care for his brother. Alfred had grudging accepted.

The walk to the dorms had been silent and slightly awkward for all parties. Arthur was still slightly irked at Alfred and refused to talk to him about anything that wasn't concerning Matthew. Alfred had tried and failed to get Arthur to accept his apology. Francis, for once, decided it was best for him not to meddle. This certainly wasn't something he wanted to be dragged into.

Francis enjoyed the cool breeze and hummed a song to himself, content that Matthew was found relatively safe for the most part. There was a period of time in which he had worried about whether he was ever going to see Matthew again. It was a brief moment of doubt, one that he would prefer not to repeat and he hoped that Arthur wouldn't make him repeat it. Francis glanced at Arthur once, thinking about the threat that was made against him. He knew that things were just going to get worse from now on and he hoped, with all his might, that Arthur would escape the chaos alive.

Francis enjoyed the beyond scenery above them. The stars were particularly beautiful tonight, or was it just him? Francis softly hummed 'Document s'en va le jour' to himself, hoping that Matthew could hear him in his sleep and be soothed by the sweet melody.


A/N: The first lullaby that France sings is called "Dodo, l'enfant do" and is a quite popular lullaby by the looks of it. English lyrics are as follows:

Sleepy Time, The Young One Sleeps

Sleepy time, the young one sleeps,
The child will sleep very soon
Sleepy time, the young one sleeps,
The child will sleep oh, so soon.

A white hen
Is in the barn.
It'll make a small egg
For the child who goes to sleep.

Sleepy time, the young one sleeps,
The child will sleep very soon
Sleepy time, the young one sleeps,
The child will sleep oh, so soon.

Everyone is calm
All around
It's the time for all to sleep
Sleep will come soon.

The second one that Francis hums at the end is also a lullaby called "Document s'en va le jour" Both the French and English lyrics are below. I liked this one and once I read the English translation of it, I loved it. I thought it suited the moment and couldn't resist mentioning it.

Doucement, doucement

Doucement s'en va le jour

Doucement, doucement

À pas de velours

La rainette dit

Sa chanson de nuit

Et le lièvre fuit

Sans un bruit

Doucement, doucement

Doucement s'en va le jour

Doucement, doucement

À pas de velours

Dans le creux des nids

Les oiseaux blottis

Se sont endormis

Bonne nuit

English:

Softly, softly
Slowly goes the day
Softly, softly
Steps velvet

The frog says
Her song night
And the hare escapes
Without a sound

Softly, softly
Slowly goes the day
Softly, softly
Steps velvet

In the hollow nests
Birds huddled
Fell asleep
Good night

As for Matthew not getting killed…well there's a reason for that and a mighty big clue attached to it. Matthew not being able to see the creature is also another clue.

Please review.