EXTRA I – A Shattered Family

Dinner that night was just as quiet as yesterday and Matt was still finding it hard to adjust. Truth be told he could understand why he was finding it hard to cope, but it was nothing like the movies he'd watched while sleeping over at his friends' apartments. Perhaps it was because they always jumped ahead of time in movies, or maybe (and more likely, Matt believed) the movies his friends always wanted to watch were just really, really badly made.

But then again Matt hadn't exactly been prepared for what had happened to poor, little Danny. Most of the stuff he watched were about horrible creatures or monsters attacking cities or people, programs that were a common sight on the television in Unova at least. What had happened to Matt and his sister was real, and if he hadn't acted like such an ass, then maybe she would still be here and he'd be none the wiser. He was still rolling over these thoughts when his mother placed a plate down in front of him. He glanced passively at it and repressed a sigh. Spaghetti and Bolognese again – just like yesterday and the day before that, easy meals that didn't take much time to cook were frequent nowadays and with the heavy weight of Danny's disappearance heavy in the air, Matt couldn't hold it against his mother for trying to keep it simple.

He didn't touch the meal at first, instead squirming instinctively in his seat, attempting to keep the movements solely in his lower legs. He didn't want his parents seeing him like this – not during dinnertime anyway – another argument with his parents over the responsibilities of being a good, sensible brother was the last thing he needed. But he couldn't help but think back to Danny's expression shift from one of annoyance to alarm, the bitterly cold wind that had come out of seemingly nowhere forcing her to teeter. Her arms stretching out and her legs wobbling and then tilting back and –

Matt clenched his teeth together. Stop it. It isn't worth repeating. Not again. He could already feel the swelling feeling in his chest and he crossed his legs to stop himself from putting a hand to his heart and bringing up another watery croak. He pressed his fork against the plate and consciously didn't tap it – he feared that even doing that would set his mother off again. He shuddered internally, his mother's vicious tone whispering in the back of his head. He didn't even think about what his father would do if he didn't just sit there and let his wife have at her son.

Matt had honestly thought that the first night would be the worst of the lot. He had come home, pale-faced, trembling and without his baby sister. He faintly remembered hearing the Guards explain the situation to his mother clearly and calmly, as well as watching his mother slowly fold in and take her heads in her hands, shuddering and wailing. One of the guards who had been female placed a hand on her shoulder and had consoled her.

But it hadn't done much to comfort his mom. Matt stole the chance to glance at her and his shoulders grew heavy when he saw her. She had put little effort to keep her hair back in a bun – greasy and scruffy, he was sure she hadn't washed it since hearing the news. She hadn't gotten much sleep last night it seemed (though neither he nor his dad had gotten proper rest either so it wasn't really all that surprising) for the creases in her skin were blatant against her bloodshot eyes.

Then there was dad – who was just as stone-faced as he was when he arrived home from work. His mouth had been set into what seemed to be a permanent frown and he had tilted his gaze down so that he was looking at his plate again. Matt suppressed a gulp. His dad hadn't spoken a word to him after he found out the news beyond the odd yes or no. In fact he usually responded to Matt in grunts now and hearing each and every one of them caused Matt's abdomen to shrivel up a little more. He knew fully well that losing Danny was his fault – and he was pretty damn sure his dad was going to remind him of this for the rest of his life.

There was a sharp knock – it was the front door. What was once a solemn dinner time shifted into a frantic rush into the living room. Matt's mom left the table first, followed by Matt and his father. There was another knock before his mom's hand met the doorknob and, as expected, the two guards from the first night were waiting for them. His mother didn't even start with a hello, she stood there, chest heaving and arms trembling. 'Have you found her?'

The two guards offered each other a glance and the female guard took a step forward. 'We'd like to have a word with you and your family, Mrs Solomon.'

All three of the Solomons opted to sit on the couch, with Matt sandwiched between his parents. He felt his spine and posture straighten as he glanced at his mother and then his father. It was probably the first time they'd been this physically close since Danny fell.

At first nobody said a word, the silence thickening with every passing second, but after a while the female guard laced her hands together and gulped. 'Our apologies for coming on such short notice,' she began. 'We've been sent here by order of the king.' She pressed her legs together. Matt's throat dried up. The king? As in King Michael himself? He stole a peek at his mother and his chest tightened when he noticed that both her lips and her hands were trembling. The guard straightened her posture. 'It is about your daughter, Danielle –'

Matt's mother lurched forward and met the guard eye to eye. 'Did you find her?'

The female guard looked to her cohort and then back to the family. 'I-I'm…' she lowered her gaze and frowned before taking a deep breath and starting again. 'I'm sorry, Mrs Solomon, but I'm afraid to say that our rescue teams haven't found a single trace of her.' She shook her head slowly. 'While she is still considered missing, I'm afraid there isn't much more we can actually do for you.'

Another silence fell upon the room and the tight feeling in Matt's chest gave way to one of hollowness. His mouth opened slightly. This isn't happening, he told himself. It couldn't be happening. But it was and even if he tried to pinch himself Matt knew that he was fully awake. His mother had pulled back, what little colour remaining in her skin draining away while his father leant inwards, propping his elbows on his knees and knotting his hands together.

The male guard opened his mouth to say something but Matt didn't hear it, his voice was nothing more than muffling sounds in the back of his head as he ran the memory of his little sister falling from view played over and over in his mind's eye. He squeezed his eyes shut when the stinging sensation in the corners of his eyelids started welling up – he didn't want to be caught crying. Not here, not now.

The guards went on to talk about things that Matt didn't really want to pay attention to, but did so nonetheless. Therapy, rehabilitation, the list went on and on. Matt drew his hands to rest on his legs. What did it matter? The hairs on the back of his neck rose when the guards discussed ways to help him recover from the trauma, but not because of their words. It didn't take much to feel his father's eyes burning angrily into the side of his face while the guards weren't looking. No, Matt was very certain that his parents wouldn't be considering therapy for him at any point right now.

The rest of the evening felt numb and passed like a blur. At one moment Matt was watching as the guards left through the front door, the next he was staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom aimlessly. The choked sobs of his mother still permeated through the walls and when Matt finally became aware of it he finally let go and heard his voice hitch slightly, his face moistening with tears. He fought against the urge to wail, supressing the volume to a rasping croak and shoving a fist into his mouth. It was over. It was all over. Danny was dead and it was his fault, her blood was on his hands and his family would never forgive him for it.

It took a minute for that thought to sink in and when it did Matt began to tremble, just as he had done on the first night. Shaking his head, he pulled the duvet away and got up, not even bothering to turn the light on. There was no point – it wouldn't make his room feel any less heavy.

He decided the best thing to do was to sit at his desk and stare out the window at the vast skyline of New Castelia. Danny had always told him how much she liked the lights of the city, maybe it would help him if he saw what she meant?

Matt stared at the yellow and red dots in the distance for what felt like hours, eventually propping his head up with his arms, elbows pressing against the surface of the desk. His thoughts lingered back to the chilling breeze once more and frowned. Out of all the things that had happened, this was the strangest thing in his opinion. Granted, it wasn't unusual for a gust of wind to pass through every once in a while, but that wasn't what bothered him. No, what bothered Matt the most was just how cold it had felt. Even now, days later, his nerves still shrunk away from the iciness that had been in the air.

There was something else about that breeze too – something that was probably a lot easier to explain, or at least that was what Matt told himself. For while he had flinched and gritted his teeth when the intense cold had hit him, he could've sworn that he'd heard someone – or something, more likely – talking in possibly the deepest voice he'd ever heard, and it had said a name – his sister's name, no less. Matt's shoulders hunched over. Where had the voice come from? How on earth had he managed to conjure such a voice? Was it just a figment of his imagination or something else?

He yawned, gave one last lingering look towards the window before going back to bed and sighed. Regardless of how he felt, deep inside Matt knew that he probably wasn't going to be getting any answers to his questions anytime soon, and perhaps it was just better to go back to bed and start again tomorrow.