Take My Breath | Catnipz

twenty

𓄼 Mara Jace 𓄹

A profound panic spreads across my face when I find Mason sat on the wooden floorboards in the dimly lit hallway leading up to the staircase.

Her back is pressed against the cold white wall separating the kitchen from the living room.

Mason's belongings are spread across the floor: her notes, her pencil case, her textbooks and even her phone. In her hand is a small white bottle of labelled medication that I can't quite read.

"Mace." I breathed.

I rush down to her aid, hurting my knee in the process due to the sudden impact as I knelt down on the wooden floors. She smiles softly as she cups my cheek with her left hand. "Hey, I thought you were making dinner?" Her voice was weak.

"I heard a thump while I was prepping dinner..." I tuck the loose strands of my hair behind my ear. "It was quite loud so I came to check and—"

I watch Mason's eyes well with tears. An uncommon occurrence that I'm not quite accustomed to. In fact it feels strange. "Gosh," She breathed loudly . "I must've worried you."

I hold a hand over her own. "What happened?" I asked. "Are you hurt? Is it painful? Wh—why are you tearing up?" I felt my heart pick up its pace as she avoids my gaze for the very first time.

Mason held her breath as she shook her head.

"It's..." Her eyes were darting across the room as she spoke. "It's not painful...kind of, but not really." She chuckled nervously while wiping away a tear that ran down her cheek. "It feels numb and tingly." She explained. "So um I lost balance. But that's all there is to it." She smiled.

I take her hands in mine. They felt cold and clammy to the touch. "Are you sure?" I asked.

She clicked her tongue and nodded. "Even I'm not quite sure." She chuckled again. It was nervous laughter; the kind that leaves you questioning. "I don't know, Jace...I feel like I've been a terrible terrible person and all I want to do is just..."

I reel her into a tight embrace as she lets the tears course down her face endlessly. "Mace. What the hell is happening?" I questioned. "Is there something wrong? You have to tell me if there is."

Mason curled her fingers around the hem of my hoodie. "I have to tell you the truth." She sobbed.

"The truth?" My forehead creased.

"The absolute truth." Mason replied. "The truth that I've been hiding away from you for a while."

She looked heavenward to avoid any more tears from rolling down her face, but it was useless. It was like a river with no end, on a constant move.

"Mace, you're starting to scare me." I shuddered.

"Earlier this afternoon at school...you noticed that something was different about me. You were so fixed on the fact that you know me so well and," She intertwined our hands. "You're right."

I swallow the dryness that had inevitably formed in the back of my throat. "Are you saying that there's actually something different about you?"

Mason ran her thumb against my dorsal as she nodded in return. "Mm." She hummed. "I'm not the same Mason that you grew up with." She stated. "And the reason is that I'm really sick."

I felt a sharp pain in my chest. "What?" I fretted. "Like you have the flu or something?" I chuckled nervously. "I think we have some meds in the cabinet above the stove. I can go grab them?"

I press my palm against the floor to help me onto my feet, desperate to get the medication she needs, but Mason reels be back in and urges me to take a seat next to her. "Jace. It's not that."

"Then what is it?" I queried. "Is it the stomach flu? Or maybe it's just allergies or uh..."

Mason rests her head against my shoulder.

"It's a little more than that." She answered softly. "In fact it's a lot more than just a common cold."

I feel a tension headache begin to build up on both sides of my head—it felt heavy, like I'd been wearing a brick for a hat. "Heh, so what is it?"

Mason hovers a hand over to me. The white bottle is still clutched between her tight grasp.

"Here, hold this." She hands me a white bottle with a bright blue label. The bold black text written across reads Dapsone Tablets. I take the bottle and inspect it further—it has 1000 tablets.

"I don't think I've heard of this medication before." I tilt my head slightly. "Dapsone..."

I turn the bottle around for some sort of clue for its purpose, only to notice that the bottle is half empty. "Have you been taking these for a while?"

Mason nods once more. "I take them once a day." She replied. "I've been taking them for a few weeks now...which is why it's nearly empty."

"You haven't told me what these are for..." I replied. "Or why you have two more bottles beside your pencil case." I stood up promptly to take a closer look at the bottles on the floor.

I pick them up and hold them under the light.

"Rifampicin and Clofazimine."

I hear Mason move behind me. "Jace..." She lets out a stiff groan as she inches closer. "Wait. Pl—"

I wrap my hand tightly around the bottle of Clofazimine capsules. "Mace. These meds..." I breathed. "The bottles say that they're for..." I let the bottles roll out of my grasp. "Leprosy."

The pain in my chest tripled. "You have Leprosy?" I turn my head to face Mason, knelt down on her knees with her head hung low. "Mason. Answer me now." I urged. "Mason, do you have Leprosy?"

Her palms are pressed against the wooden floors. Her tears have stained the ground below her.

"I wanted to tell you..." Mason whimpered. "I wanted to tell you as soon as I found out. But I didn't want to be the reason why you worry."

I take a deep breath. "That doesn't matter, Mace. I'm going to worry about you regardless...you didn't have to keep this away from me." I croaked. "I could have helped you. I don't want you to feel like you have no one. Because you have me, and you know that, Mace. You always have me. And that doesn't end here. Trust me."