A Scale of Sapphire

Evelyn

Matt was alive.

He was alive, but somehow I didn’t know what to feel. I should’ve been excited, I was excited, but that singular spark of joy was being drowned out by a swirling vortex of… everything else. I was nervous to speak with him. I was absolutely terrified to stand in front of him and apologize for what I did, not just because of how he might react, but because even now, the guilt was eating me alive. I was furious as well. White hot rage flowed through every ounce of my borrowed blood when I thought about the man who’d taken him after I had run away. When I thought about the things he’d been made to do, the horrible things he’d no doubt been manipulated into believing, I wanted to sink my fangs deep into the throat of that sunny freak.

I was excited… but I was so many other things as well. Too many.

I was right outside the door, sitting on the steps, leaning on a woman half my age, shaking and crying and notably not walking in and facing this. The goblins had all gone by now, the sun still hung high in the sky, and I could feel it beating down on me, leaving me with a strange, itchy sensation that kept crawling deeper and deeper beneath my porcelain skin.

Then there were footsteps, two sets of them, in fact, and a shadow was cast over me. I looked up through teary eyes to find Nori, currently in the process of setting up a beach umbrella, and Cass, gently extracting Aoife from my grip before taking her place at my side. Without a word, she produced a plastic water bottle about half full of blood, kept cool in the fridge that the Fletchers had managed to get working. Nori took a seat at my other side, gently rubbing my back as I drank the blood Cass gave me.

“You don’t have to do this if you’re not ready for it.” Cass said softly, her hand resting gently on my knee. “He’s not going anywhere anytime soon. We can come back later, if you need to.”

“Would you?” I said around my drink. I didn’t have to say more. She knew exactly what I meant. My son was in there. I wasn’t even sure if he was alive until today, and I'd never forgive myself if I didn't at least try to see him. If it was Ana, Cass wouldn’t wait, and since it was Matt, I wouldn’t either. Simple as that.

“We can go in with you then, if you want.” Nori continued rubbing my back, matching Cass’ gentle tone. “I can’t imagine what you must be feeling right now, but I want you to know I’ve got your back. Whatever you need, I can do.”

“That’s a big promise.”

“And I meant it.”

We sat there for a few minutes, just soaking in each other’s company. I had no idea what I’d done to deserve friends like these, but I certainly wasn’t going to take it for granted. With a few more kind words, and more than a few hugs, I finally started to feel like myself again. I was still out of sorts, and I still had no idea how I planned to do this, but by this point, I felt the only way to figure it out was to try, and I finally felt ready to try.

“I want to talk to him alone. Just… would you maybe wait for me outside? I might want a bit more support once all this is over.”

The two of them agreed, and I rose to my feet. Nori pulled a tissue out as I did, and set to work wiping the bloody tear tracks from my face, a vital step that I definitely would’ve forgotten if she hadn’t been there. I turned towards the door and stepped away once she was finished, I raised my fist, and I knocked.

Willow answered the door moments later, a tiny cup of tea in her hand.

“Hey Evelyn! What’s up?” She looked relaxed and comfortable, clearly intending to spend the night here. As I understand it, she and Erica decided they’d take turns staying in and around this house, and they were going to keep a small group of plants here as well. They were worried Matt or Chelsea might hurt themselves or others, so they wanted to keep an eye on things.

“I was hoping Matt and I might get a chance to talk.”

Something like recognition dawned in her then, and she spoke in a much more serious tone.

“Wait, is that seriously your Matt?”

“It seems likely, yes.” I nodded.

“Shit, Evie. I’m so sorry I didn’t realize sooner.” She seemed lost for words for a moment, floundering at the sudden interruption of what she’d expected. Eventually, she settled on somber and understanding. “He’s up and he’s talking, but he’s also locked himself in a bedroom and tells me to ‘leave him the Hell alone’ any time I knock. Maybe Chelsea could get through to him, she’s been a lot more open minded over all, but she’s also dealing with a boatload of her own shit. They’re both… they’re not doing too great.”

“Has he eaten?”

“A little, but both Matt and Chelsea are pretty malnourished. If they eat too much too fast, they might just puke it back up.” Willow stepped back from the door and led me inside. “I actually just finished growing them a fruit salad while my tea was brewing. You wanna try taking it to them?”

“Ok, sure, I think I’ll do that. Any idea where Chelsea is now?” I asked, following her into the kitchen as we spoke.

“Bedroom across from Matt’s, I can show you.” With that, she flitted over to the counter, plucking strawberries, blueberries, bananas, and even a pineapple from the branch that had snaked its way in through the window. I stepped in when I saw her straining to carry the pineapple and quickly made short work of the gathered fruits, chopping them, tossing them together, and splitting them into two bowls. In no time at all, I was standing in the open doorway of a large bedroom, where a teenage girl eyed me suspiciously from the bed.

“You’re Chelsea, right? My name is Evelyn, and I’d really like to talk to you.” I stepped towards her ever so gently, extending the bowl of food in her direction. “Want some fruit?”