Chapter Six: A Fatal Illness

Author's Note:

Sorry for not working on this for a long time, but apparently, me and Lightening816 are having a few technical difficulties of when we're going to feature the song "Because You Live" by Jesse McCartney. She sent me an e-mail a little while ago, and I asked my sister for suggestions. If Lightening can determine what will happen during the time the song is featured, then, we might be able to figure out when to feature it. Anyway, here's Chapter Six: A Fatal Illness. I'll leave Chapter Seven for Lightening to work on! ;-)

-CelestialTime93

"Now this is weird..." Jackie muttered, pacing in Inez's bedroom.

"Tell me about it." Matt said, sitting right beside Inez on her bed, "According to the note in the album, we knew each other for a year, but a special gas was released to erase our memories with each other. That will explain why I can't remember most of my days as a young 11 year old."

With Matt sitting right next to her, Inez felt queasy. She felt... well, nervous. I mean, you can't blame her. There she is, sitting in her room, with the boy who she used to love, sitting so close to her.

As Jackie continued talking, Matt's hand fell from his crossed legs to Inez's own hand. But her hand felt so much like her silk bedsheets that Matt didn't notice it was Inez's hand.

Inez noticed though. She felt herself sweating. She felt strange. She shivered under Matt's touch. What was wrong with her? She could barely remember this boy, yet, she has strong feelings for him. Her heart beat was at a very high rate. She began to feel light headed.

Inez then said, "I need to get a drink of water."

"Okay." Matt said, finally removing his hand from Inez's, "Want me to get it for you?"

"No, no, I am fine." Inez replied. She got off her bed from Matt's side of the bed, only to land on wobbly feet.

"Whoa!" Inez cried.

"Gotcha!" Matt caught Inez from falling forewards. Matt soon realized that he had to stand up and face the fragile girl to catch her from falling. Their eyes met for a split second, then Inez looked down, slightly blushing and muttered, "Thank you." And with that, she stood up and she walked downstairs.

Inez hobbled downstairs, trying to gain back balance. She got a glass cup and poured water from a pitcher of water from the refridgerator.

"Y'think Inez is alright?" Matt asked.

"Hope so." Jackie replied.

Then, there was a crash, and a woman screaming.

The two leaped from their seats and ran downstairs. When they reached the bottom floor, they gasped. Inez was lying on the ground, the pitcher that she was holding onto spilling water all around her, and the glass cup she was holding rolling away from her to Matt's feet.

Matt picked up the glass cup and studied it. Strangely, there wasn't even a scratch.

"This is weird." Matt muttered.

"Matt, look!" Jackie screamed.

Matt looked to see that the water around Inez's body formed a perfect outline of her body, with no water going under her. A water stream managed to escape from the outline, and travelled miraculously to Matt's current position.

Matt looked up from following the stream's path to Inez's current position. She was sprawled on the ground, her skin pale. Her eyes were closed, but they didn't flinch, which meant she wasn't faking it. Then again, why would she?

Matt ran over to Inez's area, and managed the scoop her body up from the ground. That's when the water trembled, then returned to a normal stage, of what real water would do.

"Inezalin, wake up, please!"

Inez struggled her eyes open. Her vision at first was a blur, but then everything came back to focus.

"Oh, thank God, she's okay!" Uncle Emilio sighed of relief.

"Inez, you alright?" Matt asked softly.

Inez gasped. She hasn't heard a non-family member say that to her for as long as she could remember!

But that's not what got Inez. It was the fact that Matt was talking to her so tenderly. As if she was someone fragile.

"You okay?" Matt asked softly again, trying his best not to give Inez a headache, or make her slap him.

Inez's skin trembled under Matt's soft hands.

"I... I am fine." Inez stammered, "I just felt weak. Th...that is all."

"Inez, you have the chills." Matt said, noticing Inez's sudden shaking body. He felt her forehead. "You have a high fever. Inez, I think you're ill."

"Nonsense!" Inez replied, trying to mask her fear, "I am just... oh..."

Inez soon fell back down, weak. But this time, she fell foreward, and her head landed on Matt's shoulder.

Matt was shocked by the sudden happening. Hesitantly, afraid he was going to break Inez somehow, he stroked her hair gingerly. He started feeling hidden emotions for the girl that was in his arms.

"We will leave you two alone." Inez's mother smiled, and led the others to the Dining Room, where they had the dinner.

"You'll be fine with just the two of you, right?" Jackie asked.

"We'll be fine." Matt reassured.

Jackie smiled, and joined the adults at the table.

Matt looked down at the ill-fated girl in his arms, who was breathing heavily from her fever and coughing.

"We'll be fine." Matt reassured once more, holding Inez close to him.

He set Inez's body to a comfortable stance, and then he held her close, making sure that he doesn't miss a single reaction from her.

"Matt?" Inez asked hoarsely, "Will you sleep with me tonight? I need company."

"Sure." Matt replied, "We'll have a sleepover. But Jackie needs to go back to her house today after lunch."

"Matt." Matt's mother said, coming into the room, "Inez's mother just asked if we could take care of Inez while she takes care of her grandfather, who's coming over tomorrow. What do you think?"

After Inez coughed, Matt replied, "It's fine with me. Tell her I'll take good care of her."

"I know you will." Matt's mother smiled, and walked back into the dining room.

"Matt?" Inez asked, "Am I going to die?"

"No!" Matt reassured, "You're going to live. And even if you do die, you'll go to a place that has no pain. There will be no darkness, no evil, no mean people, everybody will be nice. And you can talk to anyone, without having to worry about what they will reply back, or if they will understand you or not."

"I won't have to worry about anything?" Inez said, her voice hoarse and quiet.

"You won't have to worry about anything." Matt replied, "And someday, your family will join you, me and Jackie will also join you. But for sure, you'll never be alone."

"Never?" Inez asked.

"Never ever." Matt replied, "And I'll do everything to make you live longer. That's a promise, I'm willing to keep."