10.

Agatha’s eyes closed and reopened again, her mind in a daze while all she saw was occasional lights blinking at her. Little did she know that it was she herself blinking at them.

Her body felt on fire. Every single fibre in her body felt like lava had been coursing through them, and that her bones where melting.

What will I look like if my bones melted?

Would I look gross?

Maybe if my flesh would melt, I wouldn’t look that bad…

Agatha had no idea what she was thinking, all she knew was there was immense pain coursing through her body, and that she was lying down on something, getting wheeled away.

Maybe…in a bed?

Can a bed move on its own?

Her eyes tried to stay open for more than thirty second, trying to take a look at her surroundings. When she noticed Romeo, Lucian and Soralina beside her, their faces filled with worry and horror, with Soralina still crying, she closed her eyes again, feeling the pain increase as black dotes begin to appear in her vision.

Ahh. The bed isn’t moving on its own. They are moving it.

Wait, why are they moving my bed?

And why do I feel so cold despite the fire in my body? And why does my back feel so…sticky?

Slowly but surely, Agatha turned her head sideways, looking around her and realizing that even her cheeks felt sticky.

It was only then did she notice the changes.

She wasn’t in her room, and this wasn’t her bed. She was on a hospital stretcher, being wheeled by Romeo, Lucian, Soralina and a bunch of doctors to Lord only knew where. But one thing she knew now clearly, she was in a hospital.

The sheets that were once white were now a dark crimson, and so was Agatha’s cheeks and the rest of her body.

But…why? Why am I in a hospital? How did I end up here?

“R-Romeo…” Agatha croaked out, catching the said man’s attention. “Miss Agatha! Miss Agatha don’t talk! Save your energy! You will be fine soon!”

Fine? What happened to me?

Agatha glanced away from a worried Romeo who was still screaming instructions at her and looked at Lucian and Soralina, who was still crying like a child.

Why does she always cry?

“Luc…ian…”

Soralina’s eye turned wide as she heard her sister’s voice, pulling Lucian’s shoulders as if she couldn’t believe her ears. Lucian looked surprised as well, but he still kept focus.

“What is it Agatha? You mustn’t talk. You need to save you-“

“Out.”

“What?” Lucian looked confused now.

Agatha’s eyes flew open and she glared her signature glare, surprising the three of them. But the one who was most surprised was Soralina.

Because Agatha was glaring at her.

“Get her out of here. Now.” Agatha all but hissed, her teeth gritted not only because of the extreme pain anymore, but because of the sight of her burdensome sister. “I don’t want to see her.”

Soralina’s face lost all its colour, while Lucian glanced at the girl, then turned to Romeo. The man gave a curt nod, having no other duty but to protect the woman he was assigned to and sworn to protect with his life.

Lucian’s face fell, but he pulled Soralina’s fists away from the stretcher, and the duo stopped following it, coming to a stop as they watched it get wheeled away.

The doors to the surgery theatre slid open, and Romeo let go of Agatha’s bloodied hand, looking at her one last time. “You will be fine. I promise.”

Agatha didn’t care about the promise. She didn’t care about anything. For she was slowly starting to recall what had just transpired, and why she was getting wheeled in a hospital stretcher covered in blood. Her blood.

Romeo came to a halt, while the doctors made the rest of the way inside the room.

And then, Agatha fell asleep.

***

Soralina sat outside the surgery theatre, her hands intertwined together while Lucian stood hovering above her, Romeo busy in a phone call a few distance away.

Occasionally Soralina would sniffle, bringing new cracks in Lucian’s heart every time he heard it but could do nothing.

This whole situation was ugly. He had no idea who was to be blamed, or who to console. Everyone here was just so… odd in their own way.

When he heard Soralina sniffle for the eleventh time, he finally lost his calm, kneeling down in front of her and taking her hand in his. “That’s enough. Stop crying now. I know you are having a headache.”

“I deserve it.”

“What did you just say?”

“I said I deserve it okay! It’s my fault! It’s all my fault! Agatha wouldn’t be like this if it weren’t for me!”

“That’s not-“

“Don’t tell me it isn’t true! You know it too! You know Agatha is like that because of me! Because I wouldn’t stop crying!”

Lucian was at a loss for words. All he did was stare at the girl as she sobbed violently, breaking his heart all over again.

“I’m so weak, Lucian. I’m so weak in every way. I can’t hold a gun, nor learn how to aim a sword. And now, I can’t even stop crying when I’m supposed to! How will I live the rest of my life?”

That’s not true. Lucian wanted to say. But he knew it was useless. For Soralina had already made up her mind.

And in a way…she was right…

“If I had just stopped crying, if I had just not wailed to father like that, this wouldn’t have happened. I’m so dumb Lucian! I’m so dumb!”

Soralina released another long sob, and this time Lucian tightened his hold on her hands, looking her in the eyes. “It’s not your fault! You hear me? It’s not! You were upset for Morris death and there is nothing wrong with that! You cried because you felt the pain of loss, which is also not wrong! You are just being yourself!”

“Why am I like this!? Why am I so naive! Why can’t I be like Agatha!? At least we wouldn’t be in this mess then!”

“Agatha scared you! She scared you by talking like your father so it’s her fault! Stop thinking she is right!”

“She was trying to save me!” Soralina screamed, staring at Lucian in the eyes. “She wanted me to shut up before father saw me, because she knew this would happen! She is looking after me! You know nothing!”

Lucian stared wide eyes at the girl as she resumed crying, wondering why she was this dumb, and so very different from her sister.

Oh Soralina…poor poor Soralina. If only you knew…

Lucian looked down at his feet, not knowing how to explain Soralina the truth.

That the world wasn’t all cupcakes and rainbows as she thought, and there was great danger lying in every corner of her life, even more so because of who she is.

That she won’t forever stay the small fragile girl that she is, and will soon have to grow up, and when that time comes, no one will be there to walk with her. Not her father, not Agatha, not Lucian. No one. Just…her.

He wanted to explain this to her, tell her how wrong she was, but he feared her weak heart wouldn’t be able to take so much at once.

So all he did was nod, agreeing with her for now.

“Yeah, you are right. She was looking out for you.”

Soralina didn’t reply, rubbing her eyes in her hands like a baby.

Romeo stood beside Lucian, both of them staring down at the girl who was so oblivious to the outside world, so cocooned in her own tiny little ball of colours and happiness.

She didn’t deserve this. Thought Lucian to himself bitterly. She didn’t and neither did Agatha.

Agatha didn’t deserve to be beaten to a pulp for her sister’s mistake.

No one did.

Except Gustav himself.

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