The last chapter

Wow, I know it hasn't been a long story but I started this like a half a year ago. I remember the day this idea popped into my head, and now it's done, but not finished.

You'll understand why I mean by that later.

Thank you, thank you, to all of you that have commented, favorite, followed and all that jazz. You don't have any idea how much motivation see those numbers and reading those comments were.

I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as it is humanly possible to enjoy this chapter.

You'll understand what I mean by that a moment before later.

"Hey look!" Gilbert motioned to the other kids. He pointed toward one of the many stands that lined the road of the park.

Mathew glanced over. He didn't see a roller coaster or a food stand or anything else he'd imagine Gilbert would be interested in. In fact, the only thing he could see were a spattering of relatively dull carnival games. One had little contraptions that shot water at a target. Another had small cup on a spinning platform full of little prizes. The one to the far right, which Gilbert seemed to have focused on, had hundreds of balloons lining the walls and stuffed animals, big and small, hanging around a scrawny old man. The man was offering darts to a middle aged couple. The women threw the first with the intention of trying to pop the balloons. She was successful but seemed disappointed. Something caught Mathew's eye. A small stuffed animal, a white polar bear that reminded him of one he used to own as a child.

Gilbert followed his gaze. He grinned, shoving his hands in his pockets. His foraged around, stuffing them deeper. His forehead creased and he moved to check his back pockets.

"You out of money?" asked Elizabeta raising her eyebrows.

"Francis! Antonio!" Gilbert barked "You got any."

"Lovino used that last of my mine." shrugged Antonio.

"Well I don't have any," Francis said with a sigh and a glint in his eye "but I know Elizabeta does."

Gilbert ignored that remark and turned to Emma. "You?" he asked.

Francis and Emma exchanged glances. "Used it all." Emma offhandedly said.

Gilbert narrowed his eyes, smelling a rat. Lars wasn't the type to let him or his sister waste all their money. Mathew distinctly remembered seeing the tall blond boy figuring a sizable wad of cash just minutes before. Why would they lie?

"Didn't bring any."

"Used it all."

"Like I am giving you any money jerk." Replied all the other kids.

One by one they all refused. With no other option, Gilbert reluctantly turned to Elizabeta.

"How about you?" he choked out, refusing to looking at her.

Elizabeta regarded him for a moment and sighed. "Yes Gilbert, you can waste my money on the stupid carnival game, but I get the prize."

"No way, Birdy does." Gilbert scoffed.

"Fine," Elizabeta snapped "but next time Ludwig bakes a cake, I get a piece."

"A piece?" Gilbert clarified.

"The biggest piece." Elizabeta pressed widening her grin.

"Oh come on you know Luddy's too OCD to cut one piece bigger than any other!" Gilbert snorts.

"As if you're any better!"

Gilbert ignored that "A piece." he repeats.

"Crap, Gilbert just agree!"

"I know but-"

"Gilbert"

"Fine! God damn it woman!"

Elizabeta smiled in triumph and slapped a five dollar bill in the boy's hand "Pleasure doing business with you." she said sweetly.

"You're insane." Gilbert muttered. Elizabeta just giggled.

The albino sighed, walking up to the carnival game. He waved the bill in the man's face "How many games can I get with this." He shouted crossly

The older man didn't pay any attention to Gilbert's rudeness, he probably dealt with much worse on a daily basis. He took the bill and squinted at it "Two games." He told the boy.

"If you need any more money, you know my price." Elizabeta taunted.

"Your life will end." Gilbert threatened.

"Aren't they cute?" Francis cooed.

"So cute!" Emma echoed.

"Almost as cute as Lovi!"

Gilbert turned to his friends in cold fury "Do you guys really not have anything better to do than listening to other peoples conversations?!"

Francis gave Gilbert a patient look "You're holding up the wheels of progress hon, what are we supposed to do?"

Gilbert stared his friend down menacingly "Your life will end too."

Francis just smiled and blew him a kiss.

Gilbert turned to the older man at the booth "Okay I'm ready."

Gilbert ended up owing Elizabeta three slices of cake.

She was borderline euphoric, giggling uncontrollably. Gilbert, on the other hand, looked almost depressed. but as soon as he popped the balloon with the card label 'medium prize' he perked right back up again.

"Which one do you want?" Gilbert turned to Mathew, gesturing at the stuffed animals. Mathew pointed excitedly at the polar bear he had seen earlier. Gilbert indicated the prize to the employee and he unclipped it from the rack and handed it to Mathew.

Mathew smiled broadly at Gilbert, eyes sparkling, hugging the stuffed animal to his chest.

"Thank you" he whispered.

Gilbert blushed scratching his head "Oh, it's nothing don't worry." He laughed.

"Hey," Carlos nudged Mathew "It's late, not long till the park closes. You should probably get going." He smiled.

"We don't have to leave yet!" Gilbert whined.

"Mathew might." Carlos shrugged. He turned to him "Nice meeting you, Mathew." He held his hand out and the other boy took it. They shook.

"Oh, oh!" Gilbert exclaimed. "Elizabeta! Do you have paper?"

"That's gonna cost-"

"Give me the freaking paper!" Gilbert roared.

"Fine fine, geeze." Elizabeta rolled her eyes and fished through her purse eventually pulling out a crumpled receipt and a pen.

Gilbert snatched it out of Elizabeta's hand, glaring. Turning back to Mathew, he scribbled down a few numbers on the paper using his hand as a surface.

He thrust it at Mathew. "Here!" he said, "The top number is mine. If you can't reach me, the bottom one is Francis's. The three of us are best friends, Francis, Antonio, and I."

Mathew folded the paper and slipped it carefully into his back pocket He looked up at Carlos curiously.

"I don't have a phone." Carlos shrugged.

Mathew nodded, not questioning. He didn't have one either, but he could probably sneak Alfred's when he wanted to call his friends.

Mathew smiled at the assembled group. They all waved and called various good-byes. Mathew felt a surge of warmth in his chest, friends.

"Bye!" He called enthusiastically and waved back.

Mathew turned away and started walking toward the entrance of the park. He was surrounded by people, all moving the same way as him, but he was beginning to feel strangely alone. Before today, whenever he was in a crowd of people he had felt like a part of something. He'd always tapped into an overall sense of belonging. Now he could only feel the loss of his friends disappearing into the crowd behind him.

He pushed through the entrance and emerged on the road passing Chocolate World, still clutching the stuffed animal to his chest. Passing the candy empire, he retraced his steps to the car. It took a few minutes, but Mathew was able to find it without too much trouble.

He leaned against the door and blew a long breath out. He felt drained, tired from all the stimulation. Mathew reached from his arm, feeling an itch and, began to scratch.

He started.

Mathew pulled at his sleeve to reveal and arm with simply a shallow scratch. He stared at it in bewilderment. He was sure it had been serous hours before, he remembered the blood and the pain. Now it only itched a bit. He realized that he hadn't thought about the cut in his whole time in the park, not once.

The excited chatter of his brother interrupted his thoughts. Mathew stiffened at the sound. He couldn't help but compare his brother to his new friends. And when he did, he found Alfred coming up short.

The door unlocked and the family climbed in. Mathew pushed the polar bear into the car and used his good hand to shimmy into the seat. It was more awkward than he'd imagined because the step up was high. Before, he hadn't even thought of his arm when he'd jumped into the car, now he was being extra ginger with the task. He reflected that, maybe now, it wasn't necessary to be ginger at all. The thought unnerved him and he pushed it away.

Finally struggling into the seat, He closed the door. Mathew glanced to the side to grab the stuffed animal.

The polar bear had disappeared.

Mathew glanced around in panic. It hadn't fallen off the seat Alfred didn't look like he was sitting on it.

He saw his mother climbing out of the passenger side. He recognized the polar bear in her hand as she tossed it in the nearest trash can. He hadn't even noticed her reaching back to grab it.

Mathew gasped in horror, freezing. He watched the stuffed animal disappear into the filthy bin. He turned to open the door, to yank at the handle and push it open. He was about to jump out when his father started the car.

And he realized that if he got out that car, his parents would leave without him.

And he would be alone.

Mathew didn't reach for the handle. He didn't yank the door open, he didn't jump out. He did gingerly pull the seat belt out and buckle himself in.

Mathew slipped his hand into his back pocket and clutched at the receipt with Gilbert and Francis's phone numbers.

Mathew's eyes were on the trash can as the car pulled out of the lot. Tears spilled down his face as his breath hitched.

He turned to his brother in the seat beside him. Alfred was smiling down at the oversized Hershey's tee shirt and stuffing his face with mini Kit-Kats. Mathew's lips curled in disgust as he started to sob louder. Alfred looked up, mouth full of candy, and stared at his brother questioningly. The other boy took in Mathew's distraught face and tears. He cocked his eyebrow in concern. He wouldn't say anything to him, though, he never did. Mathew glanced away.

His father pulled out of the lot and drove down a few side roads before getting on the highway. Mathew stated out the window, crying in frustration. He didn't try to hold back the noises, but he didn't accentuate them with dramatic moans the way Alfred or the children at school would.

Apparently even without the added theatrics, it was still too loud.

"That annoying sound again, you should really get something done about that." His mother commented to his father.

"Shut up." Mathew hissed.

Dead silence, with the expectation of the sound of Alfred choking on his Kit-Kats.

"Alfred, are you alright?" came his father's voice, betraying no emotion.

Mathew breathed in and out. What would his friends do? Carlos's lip would curl in disgust, the way he had reacted when he thought Mathew was Alfred. Gilbert would get angry. Full of white hot indigence and shooting out quick comments. Lovino would start swearing, and Elizabeta would cock her hip and snort, asserting her superiority.

Mathew curled his lip like Carlos, and snapped like Gilbert "I am really tired of your bullshit!" He said like Lovino. He crossed his arms, remembering when Carlos has accused him.

"You treat me like I am nothing," he spat "like I am invisible, like I don't exist, and that's not true! I exist. I am right here, right now, talking to you! I am your son too!" He was shouting, crying. But for the first time in so long he felt a weight lift off him. He felt invincible. There was nothing his parents could say or do now, that could hurt him. He was free.

His mother slowly turned to him. Mathew was dumbfounded, staring open mouthed at his mother, actually turning to him acknowledging him.

Her face was clouded with rage, her eyes met Mathew's and he felt the urge to crawl under the seat. Such was the hatred in her eyes.

"You are not our son." She hissed definitively.

"Mom!" Alfred screamed.

Mathew didn't see it coming

Staring into his mother's eyes for the first time in his life, it didn't cross his mind that with all the attention on him, no one was watching the road.

Alfred however, saw the nineteen year old boy yelling into the phone. His girlfriend? Mother? Friend? It doesn't matter. The boy was angry and it came out in his driving. He was swerving violently from one lane into the next.

Alfred saw the car hurtling into the lane in front of them car and watched it slow down.

Their car, however, did not slow. The driver was too busy speaking words that would haunt Mathew for the rest of his life, no matter how long, or short, it might be.

Alfred was the only one watching when the Jones's car plowed right into the back of the green Bentley, driving into off the road and into the median at 70 miles per hour.

The End

Now before you kill me.

This is done, Invisible Boy is over, but the story of Mathew is not! This whole story is a prologue which turned into a prequel. I still have tons of story to tell, it just isn't this one exactly, so I am ending it.

In the next weeks I will be posting a story called St. Mathew. It will pick up five years after the car accident. It will be much longer and have a much better ending. Most importantly, if I am killing off a character, you are going to know. No of this SURPRISE MOTHERFUCKER shit, I promise.

So if you want to read the rest of the story, check out St. Mathew. I have had a lot of trouble writing the first chapter so it might be a while. But I promise this isn't the end.