Elysian Fields

Six

    By the time Lux was able to shepherd the very innebriated Matthias back into the car and drive him home, the sun was beginning to set upon the grounds of Elysia. Despite the nervous grip she had on the wheel, she sped across the property, intent on ridding herself of her drunk companion. Upon pulling up to the drive, Lux put the car in the park and leapt out of the driver's seat, running around to the other end of the car. Matthias, about to be rendered unconscious, had released the door lever and was on the verge of toppling out onto the ground, when Lux caught him.

   Her nose twitched involuntarily at the strong scent of mixed alcohol emmanating from his breath, so she opened her mouth and tried breathing in short, slow turns. Grunting, she lifted his arm, placing it around her shoulder in an attempt to support him. Turning him towards the front door, Lux whirled around to a displeased looking Cecily, arms sternly crossed. Perfect. Lux cursed her bad timing under her breath as Cecily strode up to her. Dark circles had formed under her usually carefree eyes.

    "You got him drunk?" she asked pointedly.

    Lux's jaw dropped in disbelief, but she promptly shut it. "Really, Cecily? You think I, of all people got him drunk? He can do that on his own, you know how he is."

    Rubbing her eyes in exhaustion, Cecily halted her advance, immediately regretting her accusation. "I know, I'm sorry to blame you Lux. I haven't been well today."

    "It's alright, we've all been on edge lately. Come on then, help me get him into the house."

    Cecily obeyed, grabbing Matthias' free arm and draping around her own shoulder. The two half stumbled across the gravel, nearly dragging the dozing Matthias with them; Cecily ever careful with him, and Lux growing ever more careless. They hoisted him up the stairs to the door with grunts and sighs, his dead weight stifling their slow progress.

    Deciding it would be a useless attempt to bring him up the stairs and into a bedroom, the girls laid him down on the couch in the library. Lux grabbed a couple blankets and tossed them over Matthias hastily, while Cecily dutifully fluffed the pillow currently under his head, only for Cecily to carefully straighten the blankets out.

   Giving up, Lux resolved to watch her sister from the doorway in her useless efforts to make a drunk man comfortable. Earlier in the summer she would have found her sister's devotion charming, but now, in light of the earlier conversation with Matthias, she found it to induce the feeling of nausea in her stomach.

   "Cec? Can I speak with you a moment?"

    "Sure." Cecily pulled a chair up by the fireplace and motioned Lux to do so as well. Lux, however, hesitated, before eventually shaking her head in protest.

    "Not here."

    "Honestly, Lux? It's not like he's going to wake up."

    Lux looked over at Matthias sleeping soundly before taking a deep breath and walking over to her sister. "Alright. I'm just going to come out and say, that I don't think you should be with Matthias anymore." Lux looked up expectantly, waiting for her sister's eyes to be covered in steely armor, but saw no such effect. On the contrary, Cecily remained quite composed.

    "I see."

    "It's just he makes you sad so often, and you two fight all the time. Maybe you would be happier without him."

    Cecily was silent for a moment before giving her sister a false smile. "Lux, I appreciate your concern, really, I do. But I think I know where this is coming from."

    Lux felt a nauseous sort of tremor release involuntarily in her stomach. Cecily was smart and perceptive for the most part, but the notion that she knew of, and more, tolerated Matthias' noncommittal treatment of a relationship which she so ardently poured her heart into made Lux shudder in sympathetic frustration for her sister. Lux felt her eyelids go heavy, wanting to blink, but for some reason remaining decidedly open. Her mouth felt dry as she tried to swallow. "You do?"