Matter of Life and Death (New Version) ~ Chapter 03

Chapter 3:

~ Brian ~

The drive to the station was terrible. With capital letters. It was the worst thing Brian had experienced in a long, long while. The drive from the village to the station was forty-five minutes of pure agony. Of course rural streets in Greece were in bad condition and everyone knew that, but for once, Brian was feeling it – bone deep. Every bump on the street sent knives through the wound on his leg. After the first couple of kilometers his vision was all hazy from the pain.

He dared not tell Marta to slow down though. The point was to get out of the country as soon as humanly possible.

Sylva on the other hand enjoyed the ride a lot. Her face was stuck on the window as she looked in awe at the herds of sheep and cattle scattered around the empty fields.

Brian closed his eyes and tried to drift off and forget the pain in his leg, but it proved practically impossible. Just as he was about to tell Marta to slow down though, the car came to a halt. His eyes flung open, half expecting the blasted creatures to have surrounded them. The sky was a bright blue though, and he could see signs pointing toward the direction of the train station farther ahead.

“I’ll drop you two at the entrance of the station and I want you to wait for me there. I’ll go find some parking space for the car far away from the station and come back with the bags,” Marta said.

Brian nodded and opened his door, walking out and helping Sylva out afterwards. When they were both off, Marta rolled down the window and looked at him. “Are you okay? You’re as pale as a ghost.”

Brian rolled his eyes. “That isn’t possible.” Ghosts are silver. I’m sure I’m not.

“Well, if you say so.” She shrugged and grinned. “Sit someplace and I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

The minutes turned to a quarter of the time though, and the quarter to half an hour. Brian was starting to get frustrated. He’d found an empty bench and sat down, and Sylva had fallen asleep with her head on his lap. He was beginning to lose his patience. Honestly, he considered leaving without Marta, but the bag with all the money was in the car with his beloved aunt.

Damn her. Sneaky dog walker, he thought in frustration. I bet she did it on purpose. She knew I’d try to leave her behind if she gave me the bags from the beginning.

“Brian!” she called from the entrance, waving. “Come on, I’m here!”

Brian felt like he wanted to hide his face and crawl into a hole to die. Why did she have to yell so loudly in the middle of the station? He gave her a glare and bared his teeth for a second, uncertain himself if what bothered him was that he felt like being a kid waiting for their parent to pick them up, or if it was because it was more likely for the personnel at the station to remember them. Quietly though, he picked up Sylva and walked toward the ticket booth. Luckily for them the train to Blagoevgrad was leaving in half an hour, so they had just enough time to get their tickets and get on the train.

“Oh…I see there are no seats left,” the girl at the booth told them.

“What?!” Brian exclaimed. “There’s no way! How many people mean to go to Blagoevgrad this early in the morning?”

“Well…There still is a cabin free though. I know it’s not necessary since it’s only a nine hour ride, but that’s all we have left.”

Marta exchanged a glance with Brian. “We’ll take it,” Brian said with determination. Maybe it’s better like that. Less people will see us this way.

“Okay, then three beds,” Marta said and paid for their tickets. From that point on Brian stopped paying attention to the rest of the exchange. When his aunt was holding the tickets in her hand, he limped to the platform. The train was already waiting and lines were formed with people waiting to get on. Brian’s leg was sending waves of pain through his body, and there was a creeping feeling of annoyance as well. He kept on holding Sylva in his arms even though the extra weight wasn’t any good to him.

When Marta and he reached the line, some people who didn’t appear to be in a particular hurry to get on made way for them to pass. Right. As if I was some cripple. I seriously hope the limp will go away. Still, the wait went on and on, and Brian was starting at the clock, every tick of a passing second sending another prickle of annoyance in him. So that’s what it’s like to literally tick someone off, he thought. Even when they stood before the man at the entrance took his sweet time, going through some papers and checking at his cell phone while they stood there waiting.

That was when he felt it. A shiver ran down his spine, and he held back a hiss. He leaned forward to Marta’s ear and muttered, “Can’t we speed it up a bit?”

“Oh, great. Just tell me we’re in trouble,” she muttered back.

“Probably big.”

His aunt clutched her fists, whispering a half-hearted “yes” under her breath. “Just the way I liked to start my day. So… how big is that trouble you’re talking about.”

Brian was starting to lose his patience. “We’re getting in that train right now or we’re getting killed big. Big enough for you?”

The color drained from her face and simultaneously the smile that usually was on her face turned into a worried frown. She took a step closer to the man’s desk and leaned slightly forward. “Excuse me… Could you please make this a bit quicker? We have a child sleeping and my nephew has hurt his leg, so…”

The guy nodded carelessly, without even bothering to look at Marta. He put aside his cellphone and straightened his papers a bit. Slowly, he picked up a smoking cigarette from the ashtray on his desk, took a whiff , and looked stupidly at the child in Brian’s arms, then at Marta herself. Brian knew what he was probably thinking. It sounded a bit like a joke calling Brian her nephew after all; they could be considered to be the same age from someone at first glance.

“Right. Well, missy, just wait like everyone else. Your turn will come.” His voice was raspy from years of smoking, and rather mocking.

And time was pressing them.

Brian glared at Marta, shouting inside his head Do something! so loudly that his aunt looked like she could almost hear it. He was shifting his weight, trying to position himself in a way that he could flee if he had to. But where would he go? With that stupid leg he couldn’t even get far enough from the station, and hiding would be as good as nothing.

Marta turned back to the man, sucking in a deep breath. Oh, boy, this is gonna be good, Brian thought.

“Okay, that’s it. You know, sir, you have absolutely no manners and if my request isn’t fulfilled this instant, I’ll refer to your superiors. Be sure they’ll be informed about everything, the fact that you’re smoking during work hours and refuse to help a child and a cripple included! And just for the record, my turn has come. It’s you who’s not taking the damned tickets to let me pass!”

Brian stood back, a satisfied smirk in his face. It was fun when his sweet aunt raved like a madwoman at some random person. She could honestly be scary. And nobody, honestly nobody could tell her no when she got like that. She might actually be just a little helpful after all, he admitted to himself.

The chill seemed to intensify suddenly. They were almost there.

The man seemed to be touched from some part of the lecture Marta had given her. The part about his superiors, if Brian had to guess. “I’m sorry, ma’am. Right away.” It barely took him three seconds to check the tickets and let them get in.

Marta had a proud look in her face as she led her nephew inside. “That didn’t go so bad, huh?”

Brian tried to hide his smirk. “You might actually be a little useful,” he said coldly.

She rolled her eyes and turned serious as she glanced out the window. “Are you sure they won’t follow us in here?”

Just how many times do I have to say it to get it? “Hundred percent. Let’s find our cabin now, your cripple nephew needs to lie his sister down.”

“Okey dokey,” she said merrily, as if all here worries in the world were washed away, just like that.

Wow, what a mourning sister you are, Marta. Who would have guessed it’s such a pleasant thing to know a member of your family has been killed. You really should try acting, I do insist.

“What did you just say?” She whirled around furiously, her hand slapping in his face with unexpected force. She was clenching her jaw and was face was turning a deeper shade of purple by the second. “You–” She paused, squared her shoulders, and shaking her head she stomped away.

Brian did his best to follow after her, but she found the cabin and stepped in before he’d managed to take five steps. Did I say that out loud? Damn. He managed to reach the door as well, in his own time, and relieved, he finally lay his sister down on the nearest bunk.

Marta was standing across them, fists clenched to her sides, her face so purple Brian couldn’t help but wonder when she had last taken a breath.

“You know nothing about how I’m mourning! You don’t know what grief means! You need to get a grip…you insolent…rude….uncaring…child! You may think you have a thick skin because you’ve been running around since you were little and you never really grieved your father because the wounds of him abandoning you were still fresh! You may not be able to feel your mother’s loss because you’re focused on getting your sister away, but I…I can feel it! It affects me greatly and I’m just putting on a brave face because of her!”

She pointed at Sylva, clueless, little Sylva, who in her sleep curled into a ball and turned to the other side.

“It touches me! It may not touch you, but it touches me! So back off! Shut your mouth for once and stop being a smartass! Just try to act less like a teenager, and more like the responsible adult you so insistently claim to be! You don’t even know what to feed the child! If they didn’t find you, she would still probably die, out of starvation! And it was oh, so clever of you to hide  her mother’s death from her! Like it will be easier to deal with it if a few days pass, or even weeks. She’ll figure it out. I promise you, Brian, she’s going to figure it out. Even five-year-olds understand things. And then she is gonna be very angry with you for not telling her the truth earlier.”

“Will. You. Stop?” Brian growled. “You don’t know anything about what will happen if she finds out! She may go crazy! She may even destroy herself! Have you ever wondered why we’ve been chased in the first place? Why do they want her so badly? Why mom died? Apparently, no, that never crossed your simple, human mind. Because there are complications you can’t even imagine. Because they’re none. Of. Your. Bloody. Business! I took you with me, because you asked me to. So now you will either play by my rules, or you may get off this train while you still have time.”

He sat back on the bunk next to Sylva’s feet, feeling the exhaustion taking over him. He was mad at her, but he couldn’t keep on standing any longer. Marta was crying, that was plain enough, but still she brushed her eyes with the back of her fist and pretended she didn’t. “I–”

Suddenly, the door snapped open.

“Oopsie.” Brian heard the girl’s giggle before he saw the girl herself. She stood at the door, a big duffle bag swung over her right shoulder. “Awesome…I have to share a cabin with a fighting family. Sweet,” she mumbled. Brian couldn’t tell if she was talking to them, or to herself. He felt his cheeks getting a bit warmer though. “I could…like go out and come back later?”

Marta turned to face her, her usual kind smile in place. “I apologize. We didn’t think we’d have another person in the cabin,” she told her calmly.

“Yeah, I’d like a cabin with a single bed better myself, but those things cost a fortune. Not that there were any more cabins left if I had that fortune.”

Marta nodded in understanding and picked up her stuff from the bunk of hers. “Would you rather have the bottom?”

There was another giggle. “Nah. I like the top better. The view’s always better.” Something about the way she said this, made Brian turn to take a closer look at her. Her hair was ebony black, falling in waves over her shoulders, and thick lashes surrounded her big, almond shaped eyes. She had full lips that were a natural deep shade of red. A faint blush covered her pale cheeks. The curves of her body were outlined by the dark red and purple dress she was wearing. Brian remembered a cartoon he had watched with Sylva. There, the narrator went like this: “The snake looked at the little brown mouse. And the mouse looked good.” Other than that quote, his mind felt quite blank.

“So, name’s Lillian. Just thought I might as well introduce myself to the people I’m going to spend the next nine hours of my life with.”

“I’m Marta,” his aunt said back, in that same merry way she had walked in the train. She’s impossible, Brian thought angrily but tried to ignore her.

“Brian,” he said. “And that’s Sylva.”

“Aww, she’s cute,” the girl said, leaning forward to take a closer look. She turned to Marta. “Your daughter?”

“What? Ah, no.” She chuckled. “I don’t have children. I’m Brian and Sylva’s aunt from their mother’s side.”

“Oh, I see. Nice.” She placed her bag on the floor and started climbing on the ladder and kicking her shoes while she was halfway up. Brian had a nice view of her ankles in the meantime. And the mouse looked good, he thought again. “So, if you don’t mind, I’m gonna hit the hay, I’m beat. Don’t worry though, I’m not the snoring kind.” And just as easily as she rabbled, she fell silent, and covered herself with the rough-looking, train blanket.

Without exchanging another word with his aunt, Brian looked for the least painful way to climb up the ladder to the bunk above Sylva’s. He saw Lillian looking at him through her long lashes, and blinking several times before closing her eyes once and for all. He shifted uncomfortably on the bed, and turned his back to her and Marta while he looked out the window. The train started moving, and off they went. If they were lucky, they would be safe. For a while.

~ Sylva ~

Sylva awoke to the view of a wired grid and a stripped mattress over it. She didn’t understand where she was. Am I dweaming? she wondered, and pinched her arm, just like heroes did in fairytales. It huwts, so I must be awake. She let out a yawn, and rubbed her eyes.

“You’re up, sweetie?” Sylva would recognize that voice anywhere.

She spun around and saw Aunt Marta sitting by the bed. “Mmmm. Whewe awe we, Aunty?”

“We’re going…we’re going on vacation. We’re on the train.” Train…They were in a station. Sylva remembered that before falling asleep on the bench.

She nodded happily. But someone is not hewe…she thought worriedly. “Momma?”

Marta glanced up. Sylva mimicked her, and came face to face with the grid and the stipped mattress again. “We’ll find her later,” her aunt said again.

Sylva slid off the bed and landed on her feet. She investigated the room, the small end tables near the bottom bunks, the door, the view outside, and eventually the top bunks. “Bwian!” she squealed excitedly, and started climbing up.

“Sylva, wait, you’ll fall!” Her aunt was there at an instant, stretching her arms near Sylva's body, as if to catch her.

“I’m fine,” she grumbled and climbed up. It looked like she was so high from the ground! “Bwian,” she said, poking her brother’s cheek. She liked her brother when he slept. His face was all smooth and he didn’t look angry like he often did when he was awake. But right now she wanted him awake. “Hey, Bwian.” She poked his cheek again.

He slowly stirred. “What is it?” He sat up quickly, and alert he looked around.

“I’m awake!” Sylva announced proudly.

“I see, you little poking monster!” He pinched her cheek, and mussed her hair. “And why do you go around waking others as well? You little–” He started tickling her side and she fell back on the bed, giggling and rolling around, tangling herself in the blanket.

“Stop, that tickles!” she managed between giggles.

“Will you promise not to go waking up people like that?” he asked, continuing the merciless tickling.

“Yeah, yeah, I pwomice!” Sylva continued to laugh for another good minutes after Brian had stopped, and had fallen back to his pillow, almost asleep again. She finally sat up, let her legs dangle from the side of the bed and stared at the opposite bunk. A small mountain formed there, all going up and down every few seconds. “Bwian…?” she started in a quiet voice.

“Yeah?”

“Eh…is that…is that the snowing monstew?” she asked, pointing at the mysterious creature opposite them.

“Oh, for crying out…do you still believe in the snoring monster?” Brian asked in disbelief.

“Kinda…” she admitted embarrassed. “Nick said that it’s–” It had been Nick who’d told her about it in the first place. He lived across the street, and he was a couple of years older than her. He knew all sorts of stories, about all sorts of creatures. There was the snoring monster, and the boogie man of the old willow tree, and the tooth fairy. He knew all there was about them. He had said the snoring monster was a creature that loved to sleep, and wanted to snore the loudest of all. So when you were snoring too loudly, he went to steal your voice in your sleep, and then went to sleep and snore louder than before. She always checked in secret if the snoring monster was anywhere in her room.

“Oh, I’ve told you not to believe what Nick says! He loves saying stupid things. I’ve told you he’s a liar.”

Sylva frowned stubbornly. “No, he’s not! He said the twuth about the willow’s boogey man!” He really had! The boogey man was big and all silver and had mean gray eyes! Sylva thought. She’d told Brian and her mom before about it after all.

Brian let out a huff of air in frustration. “Fine. There is a snoring monster. But that one isn’t it. That’s Layla, or however she’s called. She’s our co-passenger."

"Oooh." Sylva was relieved with her brother's answer. The person on the bunk turned around and her dark hair appeared underneath the blanket, proving she was indeed no snoring monster. Besides, Nick had said that the snoring monster had a big crooked nose and red spiky hair.

"Sweetie, why don't you come down here now?" Aunt Marta asked anxiously. "We can go for a walk around the train."

"Yeah!" Sylva agreed excited at the prospect of an exploration of the train.

"No!" yelled Brian though at the same time and sat up straight glaring at Marta and her as if he had a bad dream. "Absolutely not," he continued. "You're staying here."

Marta stared back at Brian just as angrily, and helped Sylva get off the bunk. "We're going to take a walk around. If you wish to, you can join us."

Sylva saw Brian's face get as angry as it usually was when he was awake. "You know I'm in no condition to do that."

Aunt Marta shrugged her shoulders. "I don't see how that is my problem. Come on, Sylva." Sylva glanced back at Brian, waved at him and followed her aunt out of the cabin.

They kept walking through halls with windows, but they were too high for Sylva to look out from. Just when she was about to get bored though, she noticed a shadow boy chasing a shadow cat and rushing right through Marta. She giggled at them and her aunt stroked her hair. The next carriage was full of wide seats and incredibly crowded. The windows were lower and Sylva saw that the train was crossing a thick forest.

Sylva observed the people. Some were tapping their feet nervously, others were dowsing off with their heads against the window, and others were talking or playing cards. Her mom and Marta also played cards a lot. They always told Sylva was still too young to play, but she didn't mind either way; she couldn't tell what was so fun about it anyway.

While she was too busy looking around, something bumped against her dropping her to the floor. It was a girl about her age, with a big head and dark skin. “Tag, you’re it!” she yelled and giggling she ran off. Sylva looked up at Marta for approval and after a little nod, she followed the girl around the carriage.

~ Brian ~

I will kill her. She’s already dead. Dammit, why does she go off, doing as she pleases when I tell her no? I honestly wonder who’s more immature here. She’s got nothing from Mom’s wits. Stupid dog trainer. This and more was Brian thinking ever since his aunt and sister left the cabin, swearing on revenge and listing Marta’s flaws over and over again inside his head. He was hoping to fall asleep after a while, but the pain in his leg wouldn’t let him. It was somehow getting more intense, and Brian had no choice but to quietly endure it.

Ever since that Laura girl had fallen asleep, she hadn’t moved an inch. When she stirred though, Brian tensed up, waiting for them to jump out of nowhere any time now. After a few seconds though he realized that he felt no chills. They weren’t there. He tried to relax.

“Hi, there,” the girl said, looking at him with sleep hazed eyes. Even with bedhead there was something really attractive about her.

Brian raised his hand, as if in a lazy wave, glancing at her.

Her eyes were looking curiously straight at him. He started to wonder why, as she spoke. “You’re sweet. Really not taking chances with your sister now, are you? You’re this big protective brother but deep down inside you’re soft and kind.”

“You had it right until you said soft and kind,” Brian mumbled. What the heck am I? A teddy bear? “I hadn’t realized you were awake. Were you up for a long time?”

She yawned and covered her mouth with her small hand. “Naw… Just a few minutes before. I think. I heard the whole conversation about your aunt taking your sister for a walk though.”

“Take her for a walk…” he murmured thoughtfully. “Don’t say it like that. It sounds like my sister’s a dog.” His mind ran back to the short conversation he had with Marta about walking dogs.

“You’re funny,” she said with a smile.

“I’m tired, as a matter of fact. And that’s not funny, that’s cynical.”

“I think I like cynical then.”

“Really?” He lifted my eyebrows slightly. She seemed like a smart girl, she’d probably realize the irony behind his words.

“So what’s the deal with your aunt? Taking you away for vacation while you wanted to hang out with friends? Keeping you out of the house while your parents are preparing to get a divorce?”

He let a dark chuckle escape his chest. Brian really wished that a similar scenario could describe his situation. It may have been better like that. “Let’s just say my relationship with Marta is built on a bizarre ground of uncertain trust.”

“How can you trust in someone be uncertain?” She sat up, letting her uncovered legs hang freely under the bunk. The snake was looking at the mouse, and the mouse looked good. “Isn’t trust all about certainty?”

Brian tried to focus on their conversation. “Normally,” he agreed. “That’s what the use of the word ‘bizarre’ in my sentence stood for. I don’t do well with people on the whole. Marta’s one of the people I’m closest to.” He hated to admit it, but it was true. She was the third– no, second person he trusted most.

“Seriously? Wonder what you’re like with people you dislike then.”

“You really don’t. You don’t want to see that; it’s a really ugly sight.”

She let out a light chuckle, and interwove her fingers over her knee. “So you’re the kind of person someone wouldn’t want to see the bad side of… Right?”

“Maybe. Yeah, I guess. That’s what most people say about me at least.”

“And what do you suggest?” She leaned forward, still far away from him but it somehow felt as if she was closing the distance between them. He wanted to lean forward too and reach out to her.

“It’s okay to see me angry. As long as I’m not unleashing my anger at you.” A grin spread across Brian’s face, his typical challenging look, which he hadn’t let many people see though. He didn’t act like myself in front of many people; his limited family members were more or less the only ones.

Another twitch on his leg made him turn his attention to that. He lowered the sock to loosen the bandages a little; they were too tight and were bothering him. He had been hoping the movement would go without notice, but her eyes instantly fell on his leg, spotting the injury quicker than he’d expected.

“Sore muscles? Want a rub?” Something in the way she said it made it sound almost…seductive.

Brian lifted an eyebrow. “Do I?”

“Trust me, I’m good. Really. I promise, I won’t give you any cramps.”

He crooked his head to the left, giving her permission to come. “Then sure.”

She leapt gracefully from the bunk and onto the ground and reached over to his. She sat on the edge of the bed and curled her bare legs on the blanket. There was a lot of skin exposed and Brian was afraid she was all too aware of it. He tried to discreetly move his gaze to her face, but she had already noticed him.

Damn! That leg’s going to be the death of me! My defenses are all down! This is a really off day for me. I don’t usually let my guard down like this. What the heck is going on with me?

“Like something you see?” she asked, and reached for his leg gently, placing it on her lap and softly massaging his ankle with her fingers, tracing circles over it.

“There’s a lot to like,” he told her. …and the mouse looked good, he thought again. Our eyes locked for a few seconds and then she focused on the leg. It didn’t take her long to spot the bandages.

“Got an injury recently?”

“Running around a lot means falling down a lot. Broken glass. It’s okay.”

“Hmmm…Overprotective brother needs to protect himself a little more, huh?”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Brian murmured. He was losing his focus, caught up in the feeling of her fingers on his leg. She was actually making the pain withdraw momentarily and Brian enjoyed every second of it. “You’re good,” he said.

“If I weren’t, I wouldn’t have offered to do it in the first place.” She lolled her neck to the left, causing her dark locks to slip away and expose a perfectly beautiful pale neck.

Brian remained silent, taking in every detail of her for the next few moments, letting myself be aware only of her gentle massaging on my leg and the beautiful sight before me. Her fingers froze on my ankle and she let one hand slip across the blanket and find mine. He had sat up straighter, leaning closer to her, their eyes locked.

“Is your mom okay with you kissing strangers?” she asked breathlessly.

“Do you think I could care less right now?” he asked and pulled her face to his. His hands found the curve of her neck, bringing her face closer to his while he explored her lips. With his leg totally forgotten now, she lay on top of his, her fists clutching his hair. Her breath was hot against him and he slipped my tongue in her mouth, deepening the kiss. Her body responded eagerly to any move he made, their lips leaving each other’s just to catch their breaths. When he tried to roll so that he was on top of her, she held him there, as if she didn’t want to shift position for some reason.

And that was when he realized something was really wrong.

Trying to pretend he was clueless about what happened, he let her have the upper hand, virtually, and reached with his hands to her shoulders, running them across the length of her arms until her little wrists were cuffed in his grip. When she realized what he was doing, it was too late. She was trapped in her own game.

She opened her eyes and pulled away, but not too much; Brian wasn’t giving her much space to move. And just then, he flipped her on her back and held her there, wrists held together behind her. She struggled a little under his grip, but soon realized she couldn’t escape. Staying as motionless as she could, she turned her head as much as possible to face him. He wasn’t sure he wanted direct eye contact at the moment though, wondering if it would distract him.

“Who are you, Lillian? Who sent you?”

“And why would I tell you?” Her voice was still velvet and seductive and Brian felt the urge to roll his eyes. Does she honestly still believe her charm worked on me now?!

“Apparently something more than cheap tickets made you end up in our cabin. So spill. Unless, of course, you’re not interested in seeing the daylight again.”