Those Who Fall

A strange rattling noise woke me up. It was 8 AM on Sunday. I had school the next day but I didn't want to go. Either Matt had to stay at home or come with me. I didn't like either of those options. I sat up. Wiped the crust from my eyes. I still didn't have on clothes so I put on some sweatpants and a bra and t-shirt. I walked to the bathroom near my room and brushed my teeth twice and then ventured downstairs.
When I peered around the corner I saw Matt, at the kitchen counter. He had three orange pill bottles in front of him on the counter. His back was drenched in sweat and so was his face. He threw the bottle onto the counter and leaned against it. His hands, neck, and ears were red and a few droplets of sweat fell off of his forehead. He ran his hand across his face and through his hair. I could see him flexing, ready to hit something in frustration. He tried again with the pills but no luck.
I slowly walked over, I didn't want to frighten him, and poured him a glass of water. I opened the other two pills bottles for him and tried to grab the third out of his hands but he wouldn't let go. First I tried grabbing his hands but he shoved mine off. He tried again with the bottle and it wouldn't budge. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and just leaned against the counter with the bottle in his hand. I rubbed his arm to get him to decompress but he just moved away from me. He completely ignored the water and two opened pill bottles behind him and kept trying to open that one stubborn bottle.
"Matt. Let go."

"I got it," he said sternly.

"Stop." I stopped fighting him over it for a second and lowered his hands. "Here," I occupied his hands with the proper dosage of the other two pills and the glass of water. I opened the other bottle, I will admit, it was stubborn. I gave him the right number of pills from that bottle too.
He downed the glass of water and handed it to me. I grabbed his arm to keep him there, I refilled the cup and gave it to him. He drank that one faster than the first one. I let go of his arm and he wandered to the living room couch. He was sweating less but his face and neck were still really red.
We both had the same idea, walking to the television. He'd taken off his shirt by the time he laid down on the brown fabric couch. I couldn't help noticing his abdomen, which was more yellow than it had been at the hotel. I was no doctor but I was pretty sure your skin wasn't supposed to look like that. He looked down and back up in annoyance, he knew it too. His body took up the entire couch and his feet were resting on the arm on one side and his head was resting on the arm on the other side.

"Do you want an ice pack or something?"

"Yea, please."
I brought him a cold damp towel and an ice pack wrapped in a paper towel. He put the towel on his head and hesitantly put the icepack wrapped in a paper towel on his abdomen.
He eventually fell asleep while I watched reruns of The Office and Parks and Recreation on television.
I didn't think he'd gotten enough sleep the night before because we slept for five more hours. Before I fell asleep I got up and brought over all the ingredients to make cereal and had myself...many bowls of cereal. I then fell asleep after putting the milk away. I tried my hardest to stay awake but I kept giving myself reasons to fall asleep.
When I woke up I panicked. Matt wasn't laying on the couch anymore. I hoped he hadn't gone to explore.

"Matt?" I whispered. I whispered his name again and there was no response. I went toward his room and I could hear rushing water and became nervous that Vic had gotten to him. That he'd slit his throat and put his body in the shower so his blood wouldn't pool. The sound got louder when I entered his room. I didn't want to go in his bathroom, not because he could actually be taking a shower but because of the possibility that Matt was dead.
I hadn't been in that part of the house in the daytime before. The room was a pastel green and had a pretty cream-colored trim along the ceiling. The bed was made up with a blue comforter and cream colored pillows. The trim around the windows was a similar color to the comforter. The bathroom door was open and the shower curtain was closed only halfway. I didn't walk in.
"Matt?" no answer. I closed the bedroom door and called a little louder, "Matt?" still no answer. I walked closer to the shower curtain, "Matth-"

"Ah!" I heard him slip and almost fall but he grabbed the side of the tub. I saw his arm reach forward and turn off the water.

"Can you grab my towel? Please."
I handed him his towel and he stepped out onto the bath mat with his towel wrapped around his waist.

"Sorry. For scaring you. You didn't answer me so I thought-"

"no, it's fine. I wasn't expecting you to come in here."

"Just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"Why wouldn't I be?"
Other than the fact you're living in a house with a homicidal demon who comes to visit everyday, "you looked really sick this morning..."
He didn't seem fazed by it, almost like it had happened before. He playfully shook his head to get some of the water out as he walked over to his bed.

"all your stuff is still in your car isn't it?"

"yea."

"I can get it. Just let me get a sweater."

"Do you guys have a washer and dryer?"

"I can do your laundry too."

"You don't have to do that, Jane."

"I want to."

"It's okay-"

"Stop." I didn't want to feel useless so I was determined to do his laundry.
I ran back downstairs form my room with his giant sweater from that day he beat up Vic. He recognized the sweater but didn't really have an extreme emotion toward it, probably because he thought that traumatic moment in our lives was done. I grabbed his keys and ran outside in my socks.
When I got inside with his clothes I felt outrageously neauseous. I walked quickly to the sink to get water. I wasn't sure if it was clean or not but my nausea lingered so I gulped an entire glass and a half. I could feel the saliva building up in my mouth afterward so I fast-walked to the bathroom on the first floor. I vomited into the toilet after lifting up the seat. It was disgusting. I'd never thrown up that much. After getting rid of the boat load of food in my stomach I continued to dry heave. Over and over, Matt tried rubbing my back but I finally waved him off.

"I'm fine. Go!" I said holding the outside of the toilet bowl. I kept spitting out all of the gross stuff when I'd stop vomiting for a couple of seconds. I didn't want to look up at him. I didn't want him looking at me either.

"Jane, I'm not afraid of some puke."
That wasn't what I was worried about; I was fat, sweating bullets, had glasses, and now I was vomiting like someone with alcohol poisoning.

"Please leave, and don't try to convince me that you're okay-" I dry heaved again, "with me vomiting like this. I don't want you to look at me like this."
The soothing back rub vanished and I heard him walk into the kitchen and eat his first meal of the day. I dry heaved a couple more times and then I looked up and saw two bodies. Matt's mom and mine.

"I just met Matt's mom and apologized," my mom told me. "we both know this situation. You're pregnant, sweetheart."
All I could hear was pregnant. Pregnant, pregnant, pregnant. This was happening way too quickly, as a matter of fact I wished it wasn't happening. I flushed and sat on the other side of the bathroom.

"I'm not...he made sure I wasn't," I whispered the last part. I didn't know if they knew. They came to sit beside me. Each grabbing one of my hands.

"I don't particularly like your mother, because of obvious reasons, but she is right," Matt's mom said.

"I've touched him. Like nothing I've ever felt before. Stronger, hungrier, aggresiver." It was just like my mom to have a fifth grade education. I didn't have the energy to correct her grammar.

"I don't know about all that stuff but you're definitely pregnant." Matt's mom patted my hand after she spoke. Giving me a reassuring smile.

"Jane." As much as I didn't want to look at her I had to. "It is growing faster than you are. I don't know who that man is, always sneaking in your bedroom, but this is his doing. I followed him once, the things he does, with other women. Disgusting!" she exclaimed.
My left hand got warmer and when I turned my head Matt's mom was gone.

"What do you mean?" I asked my mom.

"He's...it is too gruesome. I can't say." I made sure the bathroom door was closed and locked it.

"You have to tell me! I need to know. Nothing is too gruesome."

"He's fucking these other women, then killing them. Slicing them open with a pocket knife then burning them. He even bites a few of them. His bloodlust is out of this world."

"Better them than me." She hit my arm and all I could do was stare at her. "I don't want to die! He's not as aggressive as he used to be. He's gotten better and if murdering other people is what it takes...I'm fine with that."

"I can't believe- Better no one. You need to tell someone."

"No one will believe me, you didn't even believe me when I told you I was raped."

"I wasn't in my right mi-"

"I went to the police and they laughed."

"You're in a different state now."

"I refuse to be publicly humiliated again!"
She lowered her head and I took that moment to deliver an important message, "and don't ever pop into my room like that again. It is infuriating and if he finds out about what I can see I don't know what he'll do to me," I whispered.

Matt came over and knocked on the door, "are you okay, Jane?"

"Yes. I'm done throwing up." Then I whispered to my mother, "now go."

"At least tell him," she asked.
I felt like I was telling the worst story ever all over again. "I did. Ugh! He tried to help me but that's how he got a broken foot. He rescued me once..." I smiled to myself. "and you rewarded him with two knives."

"Tell him Jane."

"I can't. I don't know what will happen."

"Tell him."

"Wait."

"What?"

"if I got this gift, seeing ghosts," I whispered, "from you, why couldn't I see them until you told me?"

"you could. You just weren't aware. You could see the ghosts at your old school couldn't you? But what humans did you actually know that died?"

"Grandparents..."

"They all died before you were born, hon...tell him."

"I can't." Now my other hand became warmer. She vanished right before me. I got up and brushed my teeth and washed my hands. I unlocked the door and grabbed Matt's arm. I led him to his room and sat on his bed and patted the spot next to me. He refused and stood next to the bed.

"Fine." I got up and locked the door. "I need to tell you something..." I couldn't tell him both secrets so I picked the harmless one.

"I can see things...things you can't see," I was searching for words around the room. "I can see ghosts...don't laugh. I'm being completely serious." His head was bowed and his hand covered his mouth. His eyebrows looked furrowed. He glanced up at me and I tried to make my eyes look as innocent as possible.

"I saw your mom...at my mom's funeral. She is the one I laughed at when she said bimbos." His eyes immediately met mine. I could see his thought process.

"Seriously?"

"In all seriousness. I would never lie to you." That one hurt.

"Where is she now?"

"Not in this roo- She's walking over here from that window there." I pointed. "She wants to hold your hand." We both smiled, his mom and I. I stood and showed him where her head was.

"She's extremely beautiful."

"I know. I've seen pictures," Matt said. "Long brown hair, dark green eyes, a great smile...can she hear me?" he asked.

"Yes, I'll speak for her."

"She doesn't know where to begin," I said.

"I love you so much. I miss you." He said.

"She says that she is sorry for your dad's behavior."

"It's not your fault, mom."

"She wishes she could hug you."

"I wish you were still alive."

"She does too."

"Has she been with me my entire life?" he looked at me," even right after I was born?"

"She says she didn't know what was going on at first, but once she did she was with you."

"How does she think I turned out?"

"Perfect. Sweet, noble, courageous, smart, understanding."

"Understanding?"

"I added that one in."

"Well...what does she think about you?"

"Beautiful soul, sweet, and lucky..."
Matt came over to me and stroked my cheek. "thank you so much. I know it was hard for you to tell me that secret."

"She said she'll always be near."
Our mouths met and parted just as quickly.

"You've given me the greatest gift I've ever gotten...ever."

"Thank my mother. She's been haunting me too." he gave me a blank look so I changed the subject as I unlocked and exited his room. He was holding my right hand as he pulled me toward him. His kissed my lips again and stared at my face. It should have felt weird but it didn't.

"Wanna watch some tv?" I asked him, our faces inches apart.

"Sure." we sat on the couch for four hours when I realized I had homework due tomorrow. My backpack was all the way upstairs in my room and I was so comfortable with my legs on top of his and my head strategically placed on the arm of the couch. It was placed so that my ear didn't hurt but also so that my glasses didn't move so I could see out of them.

"Shiiit."

"What?" he grabbed my leg that was on his lap.

"I have work due for school tomorrow."

"oh," he relaxed into the couch. I walked upstairs to go grab it when I saw Vic climbing through my window. I immediately closed the door.