Beats and Breaths-Lifelines

Chapter 7

Wow guys! I haven't given up on this story XD (Even though no one reads it!) You know what's incredible, though? I have 1223 views on my fanfiction! Thats...Really amazing. I don't know what to say about that, really. But....I must admit, even I have gotten confused about where the storyline is going! If I can-no promises-I will TRY to update SOMETHING before Christmas. Any way, my few fans, enjoy! XD

-Nightsong

Shan passed out on their front doorstep. She awoke moments later, brushing Frederik off.

"I'm fine! I'm great!"

In all honesty, she didn't feel fine. She felt hollow and empty. Her skin was no longer cold, just slightly clammy, and overall wrong.

Instinctively, she moved to draw in breath, and practically choked. She forgot that she could no longer breath. It felt stupid, as if any moment she would suffocate.

Frederik was little better, but his eyes felt sunken and his limbs were overly droopy.

Biting her lip, she rose to open the door. Before she could, it was flung open. Shan just blinked tiredly. Frederik looked shocked.

"JUO! Wha-what in Hemm are you doing up?"

Juo blinked tiredly.

"Muma needs you..." He said, his voice slurred. His head drooped.

Frederik scooped his frail body up and brought him inside. Juo wasn't helpless, and there were times where he was happy-and seemingly healthy.

They grew less and less frequent as time went on.

He was certainly a fighter, whilst Muma had given up her battle right after she had found Lily.

See, Shan and Frederik were her only genetic children. During better times, Muma had been a foster mother for the homeless children in the city.

Supposedly, their father had helped for a while too.

They loved each other very much.

That was always how the story went.

Then why had he left?

Shan tried to walk in behind him, but was pushed back sharply.

"Get. Back." He hissed.

Shan leaned over his arm and bit down hard on her lip. A steady trickle of blood waterfalled off her chin.

Muma lay in bed, a dagger in her bicep. A pool of blood puddled under the bed. Her face was pale and pasty.

Smeared across the wall, in a crusty scribble, was:

You can't hide, Lifeliners, for long. I'm in your past, present, future. And everything in between. You can't run. I will see you soon, darlins.

Leo stiffened.

Shan stumbled back, gagging.

Frederik jumped into action; taking out the dagger, cleaning the wound with their slightly dirty water, and staunching the blood with his coat.

Shan remained in the door, her face slightly green.

Once she got over her shock, they both turned to the message.

There was absolutely no doubt who did it.

Frederik swiped a hand over his forehead. Drops of sweat and Muma's blood mixed and dripped silently down his nose.

After flicking it off, he turned to his sister gloomily.

"Hopefully, since our Lifelines are gone, we'll be ok."

"OK?" She lashed, "OK?! How is any of this-" She gestured around at their straggly house, their soggy clothes, their sick siblings, their stabbed mother.

"HOW IS ANY OF THIS OK?" Tears dripped down her face, cutting rivulets in the dust caked on her pale cheeks.

Shan's teeth ground, and she fell to her scabbed knees. A few bits of brown peeled off on the hard, uneven ground, and dirts clotted the wounds.

With a sob, she buried her matted hair in her dress.

Frederik looked at his sister oddly. In his opinion, she was overreacting a little. Things could be much worse-but then he began to think about her different world view.

Shan tried to see the world in soft sunshine and red roses and twinkling stars, but life wasn't always that way. Sometimes you needed a little shower to start a rainbow.

Slowly he got down on his knees next to her. As the oldest of 4, he was used to dealing with shadow and heartbreak. At least....more used to it. Tragedy could never be accepted easily.

Realizing something, he smiled and stood up abruptly. Shan looked at him with puffy eyes; a little curious.

Quickly, Frederik dashed over to his hammock. Rummaging under his lumpy blanket, he procured a tiny shell.

On one side it was gray and cracked, but on the other side was a beautiful, pearly shine.

"This." He whispered, displaying the old dirty side. A small flake fell onto Shan's eyelash.

"This, this is life."

"Gray and dreadful?" She croaked.

"No." Frederik shook his head, smiling, "No, this portrays the bad part of our lives. But if you just work at it a little," He dug his fingernail under the crack, "You'll get your prize."

Shan looked at the pearly flake of seashell. Then she looked at him and smiled.

She took the piece, and cracked it in half. Then she handed the larger part to him.

"There." She smiled at his confusion, "There's a slice of happiness for us both."

"More of a crack of happiness." He took it, and pocketed it.

"Doesn't sound as good." She yawned, rubbing away the remaining tears.

"Maybe."

Everything could be ok.

But just like the shell, sometimes you have to fight for it.