The Blood of the Covenant

Chapter Forty: Matthew

 Matthew knew where he had to go.

There was no other place in this whole world he was more reluctant to return to, except maybe Pardus's estate, but there he was, standing in front of his dorm as he waited for Cecilia to pick him up and take him there.

It had been a few days since he had discovered that his brother was alive. After being convinced for three years that he had died before his very eyes, the thought that Micah was alive made him feel numb. He didn't know how to feel, so he didn't feel at all.

The image of Micah's face was ingrained in his brain, along with the idea that after being apart from him for so long, his dear brother had gone down a far darker path than Matthew could've ever imagined. It seemed that in their separation, the two of them had become just what their guardians had wanted them to become. Villains.

Except Matthew was working towards changing that. He had never wanted the life that was given to him. He had never wanted to become the villain Pardus wanted him to be. But Matthew wondered if Micah enjoyed what he did, or if he thrived amongst the scum of Amberchase, or even if he wanted to become what Stephen and Fidel had made of him.

Every piece of evidence pointed to things Matthew didn't know if he wanted to acknowledge. He didn't know if he was ready yet to wrap his mind around everything yet.

Which was why he was returning here.

Where it all began.

Home.

Standing in a red and black checkered flannel and blue jeans, Matthew felt for the crystal shard in his pocket and pulled it out. Platinum had let him keep it, but the jacket wouldn't be returned to him just yet. Platinum had promised it to him once they solved this case and the villains were found.

Matthew was worried about what they'd do to Micah once they caught him, or if  they'd catch him. The last thing he wanted was to visit Micah in a prison cell, but he supposed it was only fair. After all, Micah and his pack of rag-tag villains had almost burnt TAFAH down to its ironwork, had maimed several students in the process, and had kidnapped another. That was, unfortunately, worthy of a prison sentence.

Matthew looked down at the crystal shard tucked in the palm of his hand and sighed. "What are you doing to yourself, Mikey? What have you done all these years?"

But then a thought occurred to him. A terrible thought. What if Micah had become a villain in his process of grieving his brother? Did Micah think Matthew was dead? Surely he did. If not, he would've come after him. He would've saved him a long time ago... right?

Matthew was shaken out of his head as he heard the gates at the front entrance squeak open and a car pull through. Cecilia's car. He swallowed hard and tried to push away the lump in his throat. He knew he couldn't explain much to her, but he also knew she would press and press for answers.

Or maybe she wouldn't.

She had called him the day after the TAFAH incident, just hours after Matthew had discovered that Micah was alive. He hadn't been very talkative. Cecilia knew by now that Matthew didn't want to talk, so she left him alone. Mostly. He only hoped she wouldn't ask why he wanted to go to the place he wanted to go to, or what it meant to him. It was inevitable, though.

As the car pulled up, Cecilia opened the door and stepped out, leaving it idling as she stepped up to Matthew and threw her arms around him.

Matthew didn't worm out of her embrace. Instead, he tucked the shard in his pocket and threw his arms around her in return. She smelled of flowers—it was probably her perfume—and the yoga mats from the gymnasium. He wondered if she had just come from working out. She was dressed like it, sporting a white crop top and black latex pants.