Rebecca arrived at her brothers club an hour later, panting with exhaustion, her piano case clutched her in her hand, her hand aching from the weight. She bent over, hand on her knees, trying to regain her breath before she went in and faced her brother. She always dreaded when he called, he was always arrogant and bossy, and he was never the kindest person. Half the time people believed he was her manager or her boyfriend, not her brother, considering they shared no physical traits whatsoever. Not to mention their personality's fled in opposite directions.
She had just caught her breath and went to straiten up when the back door flew open and her brother came rushing out. His face was already twisted with impatience, and it was tinged with the hard edge of anger when he saw her standing there.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" he hissed, coming out to stand before her. She flinched back, knowing from experience he could get more than just verbally abusive when he was drunk and in a bad mood, as he obviously was. He reeked of alcohol, and it made Rebecca wriggle her nose in distaste, even though she raised her chin at him.
"I am catching my breath," she said defiantly, refusing to be pushed around by her brother. Her head was pounding for some reason, her eyes sensitive the the sunlight more than usual. She felt a little more sluggish, like he body was heavy, even though she had plenty of energy. Those were signs of her condition, but it was much to soon for it to be that.
"Why would you be doing that? I called you an hour ago to get your ass down here. When I tell you to come I expect you to haul ass, not take your dear sweet time." she stepped back when he took a step forward, tightening her grip on the heavy case. She would knock her brother on his ass if she had too, she had done it more than once before.
"Well since I don't have a car, it is kind of hard, brother." she sneered the word, and he ran a hand though his dark brown hair, his blue eyes were unfocused from the alcohol, and he swayed on his feet. Rebecca knew better than to help, that is what she had been struck for last time.
"Whatever, it doesn't matter now, get in and practice a song. I don't care which one, I am putting you on in and hour." he turned his back to her, stumbling slightly.
"Only and hour to practice?" she gasped, putting on a show like she couldn't do it. She could, but she just hoped with his impaired mind he wouldn't remember that. He turned back to her slightly, a frown on his face. He wasn't angry or frustrated anymore, and his shift in mood had her weary.
"I will pay you double what I normally pay you, sound like a deal?" he drawled, and she bit her lip, as if she were actually considering it. She didn't need the money, her brother didn't know it, but she made enough money to not only cover her own tuition three times over but to also pay for room and board, pay full for a new car, and anything else she might want. She did gigs and tutoring in her spare time, and they paid well for her talents. Not to mention, she was being paid to go to and teach in three of her seven classes that she had chosen.
But no one knew that, and she was gonna keep it that way.
"Fine, deal," she said, just as her phone gave a loud shrill sound as it began to ring. Her brother looked annoyed again, muttering something as she pulled it out to look at the front of her HTC. She bit her lip as she saw Philip Matrin.
"Who is it?" he brother snapped, and she knew this was not gonna end good.
"Its my doctor," she answered truthfully.
"Why the hell does he have you number?"
"I asked him to call me, I was having some tests done." she lied.
"What kind of tests?"
"That is none of your business," she snipped and answered the phone.
"Hello?" she said politely.
"Hey, Rebecca, sorry to call you at such a time, I know you must be in class right now." Philip Martin had been her doctor all her life. When she had moved out here for her schooling he had insisted that he transfer, since no one else knew how to handle her condition that she had had since birth. He was kind and considerate and she trusted him completely.
"No, actually I am with my brother right now. Is there a problem?" there had to be, he would not call her if it was not something important.
"Yes, actually, I was just hoping to discuss another possible solution for you, since all the things we have tried have proved to have no affect." Then he paused, "Why are you with your brother? Are your classes not in session?" there was suspicion in his tone, and it made Rebecca flustered.
"I, uh, well . . ." My brother is a pompous asshole as you very well know from the time he refused to visit with me when I was hospitalized. Only Philip had stayed with her through the night, even when his shift ended. Se was a child, alone, afraid of the coldness of the hospital, the smell making her sick. But he had stayed with her, bringing her movies to watch, coloring books and things like that. He would also talk to her, and had one time made her laugh so hard she had started choking. Lucky she didn't have to have her heart rate measure, otherwise they would have had a hard time explaining why he was in her room with her after hours.
"Just come see me. And if he says anything its a doctors order." and he hung up. She bit her lip, lowering her head and she went back to her brother, who was looking at her with angry expectation.
"What did he say?" he snipped, and she flinched away again, not wanting to aurgue with him but seeing that she had no choice. She kicked the gravel under her feet, hoping if she could avoid his gaze he would be less angry.
"He said I have to come into the hospital right now. There is a problem with my tests and hes worried it may affect my health so he is going to run new ones. I have to be there for that."
"It can wait." he said bluntly and turned to go inside.
"Are you kidding me!" she screamed, hurt bubbling over her fear. Her brother stopped, and she screamed at him again.
"If my life means so fucking little to you, take this piano case and shove it up your ass because I am fucking through with the bullshit you put me through!" and she threw the case at his feet and took off running. The hospital was about three or so miles away . . .
And it gave her just enough time to cry her eyes out before she got there.
"Are you having any side affects to the medication I gave you the last time you were here three days ago?" Philip asked as he drew out a needle from the draw and popped the cap off. His hair was a chestnut brown color and just long enough for him to push around. His eyes were a deep blue and his face was strongly structure and cleanly shaven. He slide the needle into her arm with practiced expertise so good she wouldn't have known it was there if she wasn't looking.
"No, not that I know off. What is this test for?"
"To see your blood count level. Have you been stressed or upset?" he ask the last with a pointed look, daring her to lie. Her eyes were red and puffy, and he knew her too well anyways.
"Yes." she said bluntly as he slide the needle out and went through the process of putting it into the machine.
"You know it isn't good for your body." he said softly with his back turned, and her heart melted as his concern. She had known this man her whole life, and he was always there when she needed him. Too bad he was like a good twenty something years older than she was, and yet he had a youthful face. He had been the first one to discover her condition when she was a baby, and he had stuck with her since then. You see, Rebecca overproduced blood, to such an extent that she had to have her blood drawn every month, a pint for every visit. Some said it was her over population of blood that attributed to her talents, but Philip disagreed.
"What has been going on?" he questioned, turning to her while the test ran. She glanced around the familiar check up room that Philip always put her in. The equipment and supplies put in a unorthodox but neat order that only he understood.
"Met a new kid in my class, he seems nice."
"Seems? Why only seems?" there was honest curiosity in his voice, and he tilted his head in curiosity. She shrugged, pulling at the paper she sat on on the exam table, plucking at it with two fingers in an attempt to avoid meeting his eyes.
"He is in a straight jacket and muzzle, but the two times I have spoken to him, he seems like he would be a nice and polite person."
"Uh, Rebecca, I don't think you need me to tell you how this sounds to me." he said softly, and she glanced up to meet his gaze, only for him to quickly look away with an odd look in his eye.
"Yeah, I know, what everyone else is saying. But you know what, I would like a to make friends with him, so I stuck myself in a position where I knew I would be able to spend some time with him without those two stupid body guards hanging around and throwing me into more tables." she snapped, frustrated that he didn't see what she was seeing. That something told her she needed to do this because she wanted to move into a place where she could get to know Kalin better. Also, she wanted to free him, and she just needed to gain the courage to do it.
Suddenly though, Philips gaze was once again locked on her with a serious intensity.
"What did you say?" he asked in a low voice.
"I said he is in a straight jacket and a muzzle."
"And he is in your school? Why?"
"I dunno, but his body guards don't like me, so they stuck me with baby sitting duty because they just let him sit in class and do nothing and then claim he practices by himself."
"They threw you around? Are you seriously injured?"
"No, I healed quickly, like you know I do. But he seems so solemn, Philip, ans I can tell he has so much to say. They keep claiming he is crazy but the small time I have spent in his company argues otherwise. It was the only thing I could think to do." she watched as Philip sighed, finally looking away from her with a few muttered words.
"Calm down, you know it isn't good for you body."
"Yeah, yeah, how many times are you gonna tell me the same information in one sitting?"
"As many times as it takes for you not to show up in my office with red eyes and high blood pressure and with your emotions so haywire your stomach cannot even handle anything. When you walk into my office with a calm smile on your face, that is the last time I will ever tell you to calm down and the effects it has on your body. Do we have a deal?"
"Yeah, sure." it was never going to happen, and they both knew it wouldn't. He family would never leave her alone, and she would always be used and pressured by them. The only one who didn't seriously use her was her older sister, Clara, who had moved out her as soon as she had found out their brother had. She was a preschool teacher and often let Rebecca come in and spend some time with the children when their brother was too harsh on her and she needed to wind down. She enjoyed it, and it always helped her calm her sisters frazzled nerves. She was the oldest out of them all, and she had never even made a small remark about how Rebecca looked nothing like her brother or her older sister.
"Um, Rebecca?" she barley heard him as he was bent over the machine lens, no doubt looking at her blood. Her head was whirling, and she felt oddly dizzy. Her stomach was churning, and the only thing she wanted to do suddenly was sleep, but she was also uncomfortable, as if her skin was a little too tight.
"Hm?" was the only articulate response she could form.
"This can't be right," she heard him say, seeing him shake his head out of slightly blurred eyes.
"What?"
"Your blood multiplication has almost tripled in speed, what have you been doing?" She frowned just as he began to turn to her.
"What does that . . ." and suddenly her vision just went black.