Chapter 24 - Sleep is a luxury

"Ruby?"

I looked around my room, thinking the crow boy should be back any moment now. I mean Raphael was gone so ... why wouldn't he be back?

My bedroom door opened. It was Victor with Lance following right behind him. My brothers eyes full of tears.

"Mallory! Mommy locked me out of her room! She hates me!" He started towards me and I braced back in fear.

He was after all twice my size and didn't seem to grasp that understanding. Before he made impact Lance stopped him with a bewildered face.

"Victor you can't do that to a baby. You might hurt them" he scolded.

That was uncalled for! Oh... yeah... I'm a baby. I kept forgetting.

"Mallory's a baby?" Poor Victor... he was already going through so much and to learn that his one year old sister was, in fact, a baby? Give the poor kid a break.

My sarcastic train of thoughts seemed to accurately describe him and he started bawling.

"No!!!" He wailed.

What? I frowned and headed over to him, patting his head and trying to sooth him with little 'hush' s.

"It's alright Victor. It's okay. It's late now and Martha will be mad if we don't go to sleep soon, okay?"

He lifted his tearful eyes to me and shook his head, "I don't want to sleep alone!" He cried, crushing me with his arms.

"You won't be alone. Lance will be with you, won't you Lance?" I glanced at the quiet blonde, pleading with my eyes.

For someone so young he was an intellect and nodded with a small, almost unnoticed sigh.

"That's right Victor. Let's go now. Tomorrow the sun will come up and your mom will feel better", he also patted Victors head, despite them being the same age.

Victor pouted for a few moments before he nodded reluctantly and left with Lance.

Maybe I should keep him around longer?

I crawled into my bed, getting beneath the sheets with a happy smile. It was an awful day but it ends in a warm bed. That makes it better, I thought with a delighted sigh.

My dwindling consciousness was bitterly interrupted as someone knocked on my door. My eyes opened and with a frown I spoke up.

"Come in".

The door opened, and Edmund walked in. He looked nervous, maybe a bit guilty.

"What is it?" I sat up, staring at the boy with annoyance.

I really just wanted this day to come to an end.

"Mallory... about what I was talking about in the garden", he started.

The garden? Like a painful flash I recalled his words and gasped. How the hell did I forget?!

"Yes!" I nervously shouted, standing up on my bed.

Edmund flinched at my eagerness and looked away, his eyes covered by his growing silver hair. The moonlight seemed to bounce of it and for a split second a ray of violet could be seen before it was hidden once again behind his tousled hair.

"Don't think too much about the dreams, that's all I wanted to say", he started to step back but I couldn't let him go just yet.

"Edmund! Wait!"

He stopped and turned to me in surprise.

"Do you hate me?" My voice seemed to tremble when i asked.

At the sound of my words his face scrunched up, he hid it behind his arm and began to furiously shake his head.

"I-I don't hate you!"

"Are you sure?" Doubt etched in my voice at the sight of what was probably tears.

"No!" His dropped from his and was replaced by the palms of his hands, "I came here because I was afraid you might think that, but even if the dreams feel real, when I see you I realise that it was just a dream".

Damn...

"But it's a realistic dream..." I wanted to curse.

It felt like a black shadow was always going to follow me. That I would never escape the fate of Mallory, the unnoticed princess.

"But, before that Harlow creep interrupted I wanted to say that the dream I had last night was really different to the usual one", he started, this timed his face properly visible as were his red-rimmed eyes.

"How so?" I leaned forward in interest and just like that we were interrupted once again. I sighed when I caught sight of the shadow leaning against the door, right behind Edmund.

He wouldn't speak up with Edmund here and despite my eagerness to hear the rest of what Edmund had to say, I had bigger plans.

"You look just like"-

"Sorry Edmund. I think I won't be able to listen tonight. I'm realllly sleeeeepy" I gave an exaggerated yawn and started to rub my eye.

I was, in all truth, really tired.

"Oh... I forgot you were a baby" he snarkily replied.

"Yes. Yes I am a baby". I laid down on my pillow expecting him to leave but instead he stood beside me. I ignored him, opting to pretend sleep and consequently almost dozing off.

"You're so small and weak. I keep forgetting that." it was all he said before the door shut and Ruby fell on the bed next to me with a groan of agony.

That shot me right up in panic.

"R-Ruby!?" I hadn't even noticed he was injured! "What happened? Are you okay?" I started to shake him, trying to find any open wounds, flowing liquids or abnormally shaped bones.

I couldn't find anything!?

Was it internal?!

With tears brimming in my eyes, I asked, "Ruby, listen to me carefully. Does it hurt somewhere inside?" I leaned closer to his groaning body.

"Yes". I managed to just barely make out.

"Where?"

"My stomach..."

"Did someone hurt you there?" I lifted his shirt to check for any bruises, but it was clean. Just pale, healthy skin.

"P-Princess... I- I'm so hungry..."