I ran as fast as a farm boy could. How could I have been so careless as to lose track of time? Drago depended on my punctuality, as I was the only one who could inject the medication into his system. If I was even five minutes late of being able to inject it, his symptoms could worsen to the point of his almost death. I opened the door swiftly; careful not to slam it shut. Maria would’ve lectured me for hours a day if I had.
I entered Drago’s room tentatively, careful not to awaken him if he was asleep. I walked towards Drago’s Victorian cupboard that he received when he arrived. It had used to belong to Maria. I unlocked the lock with its key, which I always had around my neck. I delicately touched the vile of clear liquid which help the vaccine. Gods, it looked…wrong. Like it shouldn’t have belonged in my hands. Like it shouldn’t have been pulled into a syringe and injected into a small, helpless boy of the age of ten. It was so wrong, it was just inexplicable.
I gave him the shot, and made my way to Maria’s old bedroom, which I had converted into my own. I sat upon my bed, looking at the books that surrounded me: typical textbooks of what someone in grade ten would be using. They might’ve been a bit outdated, but they worked. I read all the titles over again, as I had done so many times before. Biology, Chemistry…Physics…A look towards Globalization, Maths 10, Romeo and Juliet, French Workbook. I had already finished them, yet I kept reading. Perhaps, what drew my attention was the notes on the pages, written in crisp, Italian writing. “Remember the equations, piccolo.” This was from when Maria lived with her real children, Tonio and Abbegeilla. They were homeschooled, as was I, and their only teacher was constantly out. Maria wrote notes all in advance, up to their university courses.
Sadly, they were never used. When Tonio was sixteen, and Abbegeilla, fourteen, they were caught in an accident where Tonio’s car got stuck on train tracks, just in time for the midnight express. They were both dead on impact. Maria was never the same, according to our neighbours. At least, not until she found a small box with a glittering sun…
I smiled, rubbing away a stray tear that risked escaping. I began to read as the phone commenced ringing.
It was her….Her! (I had realized at that point, their names were still unknown to me.) It turned out they were travellers, nomads, really, and they needed a place to stay for a couple weeks. During that moment, I had noticed that there was only two rooms in this house…That were both occupied. The only place that could even be available was my room, which barely had anything. I rushed towards my room, grabbing all that I could and transporting it to Drago’s room. I wouldn’t be staying there, of course, but the living room would look horrendous with everything placed randomly about.
After my thorough examination and disinfection of my room, I breathed a sigh of relief. I could finally relax and just wait for the girls to show up.
About two hours later, the girls knocked on the door. The blonde one, Roslyn, did all the talking. The younger one, who had not revealed her name yet, just clutched her books, which I could now read the titles. “Magick”, “Spell book”, “Potions”, the names went on and on.
“So, I have just one suggestion…” I said quietly, yet clearly. “Please stay away from the left side of the house.” The nameless one peered at me, then moved her lips to form a question.
“If you don’t mind me asking…Why?” She clutched her books closer everytime I spoke, as if she was worried I would attempt to steal them. Her eyes never quite made contact with mind, and she licked her chapped lips nervously.
“Well, uh, you see…My brother is quite ill. It is not contagious, but…he’s quite self conscious about it. I’ll ask if he minds, but…” Both girls made recognition of my rule through a pity filled sigh. I turned my back towards them, and led them to their room.
We began talking, and soon Roslyn, who preferred being called Rosie, grew quite comfortable around me. (At least, it seemed like it.) Even the younger girl, who was actually my age, managed to place her books on the shelf and was able to smile once in a while. I was in the midst of telling them about my family, when suddenly coughs filled the room and echoed through the hallways. My eyes widened, and I ran.
I slid into Drago’s room, just in time to see my brother flopping around in his bed, while coughing. I rushed to his side, attempting to pin him down while rubbing his back. I finally got him calmed down within twenty minutes, and made sure he fell back to sleep.
I was about to fall asleep as well, when I heard a tiny “ahem” behind me. I flipped around, staring at the girl in Drago’s doorway.
“Um, I figured you’d need this.” She stuck out her arm, which contained a vile of transparent, light blue liquid that glittered. “It’s a potion.” She explained. “It should calm him, but only use one or two drops. The full vile could be fatal.” I nodded, and gratefully took the vile in the palm of my hand. “My name is Elanja.” She said clearly, and walked away.
“Elanja…” I smiled, repeating it within a breath. “Thank you.”
