Alex watched as Uncle Sam’s temporary van sped away, turning away to head home. As he trudged down the familiar streets, he replayed the week’s efforts in his mind. It was already Friday night, a few days having passed.

There had been some reward to show for it, having gotten an attribute-less crystal, while working in the mines. But other than that, not much. Especially in his most important directive, no progress had been made.

He and Cortez had tried nearly everything they could think of – trying to engage in friendly conversations, subtle hints, even a ‘let’s all study together’ idea that had fallen flat. Aquilo had just shrugged it off, ignoring their nudges, while Austin barely looked up from his work.

He was running quickly out of ideas, and Cortez seemed to be in a similar position. At this rate, he really wouldn’t know what to do. There had to be a solution if only he knew what. With a sigh, Alex shook his head.

‘I was really never good at this.’

Still, if nothing else, he felt he was becoming a much better conversationalist than otherwise possible. Too bad he might not end up with anyone to use it with. Reaching his apartment block’s base, he pulled himself out of his thoughts.

“How was your day today, Alex?” The guard stationed at the entrance asked as the boy walked through.

“Good as usual, what about you?” Alex continued the small talk.

“The same, as you’d guess. Well, take care.” The older man directed his attention back to the street, keen to continue his watch.

“You too.” Alex waved behind him as he went inside.

He’d seen the guard when the man thought no one was looking. He’d often just be scrolling through his phone, hardly paying notice to anything. He only put up pretences when there were people.

Alas, he came off as a kind soul, and Alex did not have the heart to report him. Someone else would soon enough anyway. Maybe he should warn the guard that he was making it too obvious.

He reached just before the elevator, only to see a sign put up in front. The dreaded ‘Elevator out of Order’. With a groan, he turned around, stepping in the direction of the staircase. This was going to be a long walk.

***

By the time he was opening the door of his apartment, he was panting with exhaustion. It had already been a long day in the mines, and this extra exertion was doing him no good. Nonetheless, all he could do was complain and grit through it.

As the door creaked open, Zara and Archie were there as expected.

“Alex!” The younger boy waved but didn’t jump on him like the crazy fellow would normally do.

The remainder of that conversation had yet to fully fade, but it was getting there.

“Hello, Brother.” Zara gave a weak smile as she spoke hoarsely.

“Hey, both of you.” Alex said as he passed the door, managing a tired smile. “I’m home.”

His eyes glanced over his sister. She had been trying to put it off for some time now, but he had kept watch over the last few days. It was hard to deny it any longer, she was clearly not feeling well.

“And Zara. Take a rest.” As he put his hand on her shoulder, he was surprised by the heat emanating from her. “Lie down on a bed.”

“But I—” She opened her mouth to speak but was spoken over.

“You aren’t looking great. Please, just listen.”

She looked reluctant, but upon a thoughtful nod, finally relented to his advice.

“Good. I’ll try to see if I can find something to help you.” He said while pulling out his device. “Oh yes, just before you go Zara. Can you describe how you’ve been feeling and any symptoms?”

But instead of a reply, he heard a soft thud. In the corner of his eye, he caught Zara’s small frame crumpling to the floor.

As his face turned to face her, he stood motionless for a moment, frozen. His mind struggled to comprehend what it had witnessed, disbelief anchoring him in place. But as the gears started turning, and realisation set in, the world snapped back into motion. He practically screamed.

“Zara!” His heart hammered as he rushed to her side, dropping to his knees.

His hands trembled as he cradled her head. Her skin was warm – too warm. He frantically checked for a pulse. It was there, fluttering faintly beneath his fingertips, and she was still breathing, but faintly. A small wave of relief mixed with dread hit him.

“Alex, what’s happening to Zara?” Archie anxiously asked, his voice tinged with fear.

Having Zara look after him every day, he had naturally also noticed her lack of energy. But that was it, he hadn’t made the connection to what that might mean.

“Not now Archie. Just stay there.” He fumbled for his phone, his hands shaking.

The stupid device seemed intent on jumping out of his hand.

“Stay with me, Zara.” He called emergency services. “Come on, come on…”

But no matter how hard he pressed the screen, as though it would make the line pick up faster, nothing changed the annoying beeping.

“Archie, can you get the guard from the entrance?” Meanwhile, he gave his brother a new initiative.

He felt like breaking down, but in this moment, more than any other time, he needed to stay level-headed. With a nod, the younger boy was already sprinting off.

Alex faced his device again, the screen the same. Finally, after an arduous wait, just before he had decided to end the call, someone picked up.

“Hello, this is emergency services. How can we help?” A feminine voice spoke, professional in its tone.

“My sister fell down, unconscious.” Eager to skip the meaningless talk, he went straight to the topic at hand. “I need an ambulance here, now.”

Before she could ask, he was already blurting out his address and everything she would need to know to get here, his voice croaking on several occasions.

“I understand. Can you hold the line while an ambulance reaches you?” Her voice didn’t seem to react much to what he said nor to his young age.

“Sorry, I need to contact some other people. Please, get here quickly.” With that, he ended the call, already ringing Uncle Sam.

This time, his call was picked up much faster.

“My boy, Alex, I just left you a while ago. Eager for me, heh?” Sam laughed at his own words.

“Uncle Sam, I need you here right now.” Alex nervously spoke, not in the mood. “Something has happened to Zara, she’s fallen unconscious.”

“Understood.” His voice instantly switched to sombre.

The call beeped away, the man already on his way. Subsequently, the door opened as Archie walked in with the guard.

“I need your help in getting her down. With the elevator…” His hand motioned to his sister.

He wouldn’t trust any other person with her, apart from a notable few of course, but there was no time to waste. He had no choice; he simply wasn’t strong enough. Looking at her body, the man nodded, his face becoming grim.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Thus, they found themselves at the building’s foot, in the dark. And Uncle Sam arrived not long after, worry etched deep in his face.

“Is Zara okay?” But the sight gave him his answers.

He quickly ran up to her, taking her from the guard’s hands, who had looked over at Alex to verify the action before handing her over.

“She’s still breathing.” He spoke worriedly as he checked her pulse too. “Do you know what happened?”

“I don’t know. She felt sick, I think.” Alex mumbled to the air. “One moment, she was standing. And then, she fell.”

His low volume made his ramblings incoherent. Uncle Sam shook his head, realising he wasn’t going to get much out of Alex at this moment. They stood in silence, minutes ticking by. Zara lay pale and still, with Archie watching anxiously from the corner.

Every second, Alex started to feel his rage grow. There was nothing more he could do, and it ate away at his rational side. Why would he need that now? All he could feel was his intense emotions. And it finally tipped over.

“I’m sick of this!” Alex said bitterly, a surge of anger flaring in him. “Why does everything take so long?”

He gave a quick glance to Sam, who stayed silent.

“If we lived in the central district, they’d be here by now!” His breath came in ragged gasps as he bit back the next words, his hands curling into fists at his sides.

His foot slammed against the curb, the hollow thud doing nothing to ease the knot tightening in his chest. Doing nothing to make the ambulance appear quicker.

“It would have been better to take your van, Uncle. Everything in here is fucking broken!” He rarely swore, wanting to set a good example for his siblings.

But those were secondary thoughts now. No, they weren’t on the table at all. All he could feel was anger and grief.

“Alex, calm down. Don’t lose your cool now.” The older man finally spoke gently.

But that was not the response Alex was looking for.

“Calm down?” His voice rose, his anger now redirected towards Uncle Sam. “Do you think I can calm down? My sister is lying there afflicted with who knows what? And you are telling me to calm down? Fuck off.”

The boy’s nails dug into his own skin. The older man felt stung, but he stayed quiet. Anything he said now would only work to aggravate Alex. He felt as much pain holding her in his arms, as the boy did, but there was no way to get that across with Alex’s current state.

“Alex…” Seeing how his brother was acting, combined with Zara’s circumstance, Archie started openly crying.

That was the impetus that finally toned Alex down, his face momentarily softening.

As the guard comforted the boy, the sound of sirens in the distance finally appeared.

“Thanks for your help.” Uncle Sam nodded to the guard, who rubbed the back of his hand.

“Comes with the job, no need to thank me.” The man said. “I’ll leave you to it then. I hope she’s okay. An angel, she is, that Zara.”

As he walked away, Sam turned his gaze towards the siblings.

“There won’t be enough space for all of us. Archie, you come with me in the van.” He gestured the boy towards him. “And Alex, you can get on the ambulance with Zara.”

The youngster didn’t react, so Sam could only hope his voice made it through the haze.

***

Aquilo lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling, going over the past week. He kept remembering their, especially Alex’s, expression - earnest, maybe a little exasperated, but still hopeful - as they’d tried, once again, to bridge the gap between him and Austin.

Every suggestion Alex had made, Aquilo had deflected with a shrug or a half-hearted nod. It wasn’t that he was refusing to listen, but rather he was afraid to… No, he couldn’t say it.

But no matter how he tried to shy away, here and now, with only the quiet of his room and his own thoughts for company, Aquilo couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt tightening in his chest.

He’d seen Alex trying his best, putting in effort that most people wouldn’t have bothered with. And Cortez too - he’d shown up, tried to make jokes, and even brought up past memories. Better memories.

‘Have I been… unfair?’ The thought unsettled him.

Maybe he’d been so wrapped up in his own pride and frustration that he hadn’t noticed how his friends were trying to help. No, he noticed, rather he didn’t want to admit it. That he was wrong. That is how he increasingly felt about that outing too.

Aquilo quickly sat up, a wave of determination washing over him. He knew he owed all three of his friends more than his usual indifference. Maybe it was time to swallow his pride and apologize, even if it meant admitting he was wrong. Especially to Austin.

But before he could decide how to approach it, the sound of his father’s voice broke the quiet.

“Aquilo, we need a word.”

His thoughts were distracted; his resolve was already wavering as he glanced toward the door. He slowly got up, shelving the apology he’d just resolved to make. With a heavy sigh, he rose, casting one last glance at his reflection in the darkened window.

‘I’ll deal with it tomorrow.’ He told himself.

***

Uncle Sam waited outside the hospital room in which Zara resided. They weren’t allowed inside, so were sat here instead. Sam thought about the boy in the suffocating silence, nothing else here to fill his mind.

It was a peculiar thing, Alex’s reactions. They seemed to fluctuate between a silent seething rage and an erupting explosion of fury at seemingly random. It was hard to predict what prompted this.

What was certain was that he was angry. It always seemed to be his primary response, more than sadness, even in a time like this. Or maybe, he was just trying his best to mask his sorrow under that guise. Better to feel angry than empty.

He looked over to the siblings. Alex was hunched over as he sat stiffly. His hand gripping Archie’s small shoulder, who was leaning against him, eyes red-rimmed and unfocused. The younger boy was still occasionally sniffing, but Alex barely noticed.

He kept quiet, his face not showing a thread of his feelings, as his sight was fixed on the scuffed linoleum floor, his knuckles white against his thighs.

Sam himself was sat on Alex’s other side, his face a mask of worry as he glanced at the clock every few minutes. Shaking his head, Sam’s eyes wandered over to the surrounding corridor. It was a dim space, filled with restless murmurs and distant beeps from medical monitors.

He watched as a strange pair, consisting of the most mismatched individuals, passed by. One was exceptionally tall, if a bit lanky, while the other was quite short and notably quite wide. But what had caught his eye was the Griffin family’s insignia, displayed proudly on their clothing.

Such people would have access to the best medicine had to offer, while they had to get by on scraps. Alas, jealousy could not solve their current peril. They should still be glad of what did go their way. When they arrived, it hadn’t taken long for Zara to be admitted to a room.

However, that could be interpreted negatively as well. If the doctors had let her in so quickly, her situation might be dire. But he had to stay positive, for his own and their sakes. After a long stretch of silence, Sam placed a firm hand on Alex’s shoulder.

“She’ll pull through, Alex. Zara’s tough.” He spoke carefully, not intending for another spat.

Alex briefly looked up, before turning away again. For a moment, he stayed quiet, nary a response. But he finally began to softly speak.

“I know. It’s just… she’s so young. And it’s not fair.”

Sam nodded slowly, his gaze soft.

“It’s not. But that’s why we’re here - to help each other through.” He paused, then added quietly. “I’ll make sure you don’t have to worry about work tomorrow. Family comes first.”

As they waited, Alex noticed a figure in dark clothes standing near the far end of the hallway. For a brief moment, he felt the person’s eyes lingering on them before vanishing around the corner.

He got an uneasy feeling. It was their weird attire, maybe that explained it?

‘I’m overthinking.’ His mind wandered back to his sister.