All My Life// Sebastian Sallow

8- Birthday Woes Part 2

When we entered in Feldcroft, it was several degrees colder. 

Ominis had given Sebastian and I the lecture of our lives before and after we floo traveled, and we were completely drained from it. I saw Sebastian flexing and unflexing his fingers in frustration as if he was going to smack his friend. I placed a hand on his shoulder and felt the slump under it.

When we opened the door, Anne didn't budge. When Sebastian called her name, she didn't move and immediately we all went into panic mode. Sebastian had pulled her off the small bed and into his lap and I reached down and searched for a pulse. My fingers found the cold skin of her neck and frantically searched for the beat underneath while Ominis put his finger under her nose to check for breath.

Almost immediately we both heaved out a sigh of relief, because very faintly, there was her heart beat thrumming softly underneath her skin. Ominis must have felt her breath at the same time because he was now slumped against the wall with his face wearing something that was a cross between relief and grief. "She's alive," on of us called out.

"I'll go get Mr. Ndiyae," I promised Sebastian who had tears still running down his cheeks. He didn't even hear me. The potions seller and Ominis were the only things keeping Anne here in Feldcroft. Ominis somehow was getting money from his family but he refused to talk about how, and Mr. Ndiyae was giving her potions to help with whatever was going on in her weak body.

A few moments later I rushed back in with the potions merchant and let him get to work, hanging out in the door frame. While he was pouring something yellow down her throat, I walked out and went around the back of the house before I heaved my guts up.

____

"Jo," Ominis called, placing a hand on my shoulder. I felt a wand and then my body felt lighter, as if someone got rid of all the dirt and grime I didn't realize was on me. "Sorry, you reeked. Anne's awake and you've been out here for nearly two hours." His voice was quiet, calm, and the smell of leather wafted around me as helped me to my feet.

I don't recall passing out, but I wasn't surprised at this point. My head was still being ripped open. "Vial," I choked out and Ominis immediately patted my robes searching for the pocket that had it. When he pulled it out, he didn't offer it to my waiting hand but instead placed it to my lips. When I parted them, he tossed it back for me. Choking and waiting for the burning to stop, I could feel it subsiding ever so slightly that the nausea went away.

"Better?" His voice sounded...broken almost. "Josephine, don't scare us like that. Is that better?"

"Yes," I muttered, letting him lead me to the front of the house. "She's awake?"

"Yes, she's almost back to normal..." he trailed off and I braced myself for what I would see when that door swung open. Immediately two pairs of chocolate brown eyes fell on me, one icy and one fiery. 

"Where have you been? Are you okay?" Sebastian started almost widely. I could tell just by the way he moved and paced that he was not doing good. Seeing Anne like that probably drove him mad and to a point of misery I couldn't begin to understand.

"I'm fine," I bit out. "Lets just start over." Ominis led me to a chair which happened to be close to Anne's bed and she was eyeing me with such disscontempt that I was looking anywhere and everywhere but at her.

"Sebastian, I found her. Now let's go get the rest of the potions she needs," Ominis ordered from the door and I'm wondering if that was just to get Sebastian out of this cottage for a moment before he lost his mind. I stood up to join them but Sebastian pushed me back down in the chair as he passed. "Stay here and rest," he demanded before joining Ominis and the door shut with a snap behind him.