The Invisible String: Matt Murdock/ Daredevil

2.

"Thank you."

Her gaze shifted back to Mathew. He was the only person she knew who seemed even remotely like her, yet he still looked just as confused.

Annalise groaned quietly as pressure intensified beneath them. A train rumbled beneath the city, shaking the ground. The vibrations shot up her body in a powerful wave. She saw Mathew wince and quickly cover his ears. Sister Margaret looked between the two, baffled and unsure what to do.

Falling asleep was the hardest thing she had ever tried to do. That night, she had a vivid dream—her 'carer' coming back for her, dragging her away. She woke in a cold sweat, gasping for air, unable to breathe for what felt like forever. The room was dark. Intense. Oppressive. And someone had entered.

"Are you okay?"

Mathew's voice came from the doorway, frantic.

"Oh, um, yeah, sorry. Nightmare. Did I yell? Sorry if I woke you."

She rambled, guilt rising in her throat.

"No, no. Um, I just heard stuff."

She tilted her head, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked again, clearly still worried.

"Yeah, no, I'm fine. Sorry for making too much noise."

"You can't help your heartbeat."

He shrugged, rubbing his eyes as he turned to leave.

"You can feel them too?" she asked curiously, desperate for confirmation she wasn't going insane.

"I can hear it. Yours is really fast."

"How do you cope?" she asked quickly. Her eyes adjusted to the dark. She saw the outline of him still standing there, unsure what to say.

"Sorry. It just won't stop."

Slowly, he walked to the end of her bed and sat with his legs crossed.

"I try to focus on things I can feel instead of hear. But yours isn't about hearing, is it?"

"No. I can't stop feeling things. It's like I can feel movement and noise."

She hated how hard it was to explain.

"How did it happen?" he asked, staring into the distance.

"I don't remember. Last thing I remember was being electrocuted, I think. What about you?"

She still wasn't certain it was the wires, but everything had changed since then.

"Some kind of acid. It got in my eyes. I couldn't see. And then I woke up hearing everything."

Her head tilted.

"Wait, you're blind?"

"Yeah."

He paused, maybe to gauge her reaction.

"Do you wear those cool glasses like in the movies?"

"Cool?"

"They're so cool. You'll look like a spy."

Annalise grinned. She always thought spies were the coolest people. Mathew laughed, and it made her proud. He always looked so sad.

Months passed. Annalise began homeschooling at the church with Mathew, where she now lived. The two became close friends, learning to manage their abilities and helping each other through the worst of it. Sometimes, things became overwhelming. They talked each other down when they felt like the world was too loud, too fast, too much. They also had their share of fights.

After a disagreement, they'd go to their rooms. Annalise would blast music loud enough that the sisters couldn't hear. Mathew would flip every switch and plug in every device he could. They'd torment each other until they both agreed to stop, usually at the same time, wordlessly.

Two years passed like that. Annalise was now thirteen. Mathew—who she now called Matt—was fourteen. Both of them dreamed of helping people. Matt had decided to become a lawyer. He could sense truths in people, and Sister Margaret always said he had the mind for justice. Annalise wanted to become a nurse. She could feel people's injuries, emotions, and actions. They had shaped their abilities into tools, and Matt had learned from a mysterious man named Stick. He believed Matt could help win a war. But he never knew how to help Annalise—maybe because he didn't have her powers. She'd shrug it off.

That day, they skipped mass again, sitting on the roof across from the church and listening to the rhythm of Hell's Kitchen. A car pulled into the lot. They didn't recognize it.

A middle-aged woman stepped out, clearly annoyed, and stormed into the church. Matt tilted his head, listening closely. His face fell.

"Hey, hey, what are they saying?"

She placed a hand gently on his shoulder.

He opened and closed his mouth, tears welling in his eyes.

"They're saying you're going with her. Like, getting adopted. Apparently she's your aunt."

Annalise's mouth fell open. No. No, no, no. They couldn't do this. She couldn't lose her best friend.

She started pacing the roof.

"Maybe I just go down and act crazy. She won't want a crazy kid, right? No one would."

She rambled faster. Matt listened, quietly thinking. He had learned to recognize her anxiety. If her racing heartbeat hadn't given her away, her rapid thoughts surely did.

Hours passed. The sun began to set. The woman below grew more impatient. Annalise could feel it radiating from her. Finally, they accepted that the woman wasn't leaving. They shared a tight hug before climbing down, bracing for what might be goodbye.

And goodbye it was.

Annalise and Matt fought hard. He really was born to be a lawyer. But the woman wouldn't listen. She dismissed every argument. Sister Margaret had tears in her eyes but didn't push harder. When Annalise looked at her for help, she found only pity.

Eventually, Annalise was dragged away, her screams ignored, her heart shattered. She looked back only once, and Matt called after her.

"Don't take too long."

She smiled through the tears streaming down her face.

"I won't"