A Brotherly Chat

It all started with a whimper, not a bang. My guts would twist and cramp with burning agony until my stomach got what it wanted — Craver blood. Or I would die.

Thankfully, my illness shouldn’t act up today because all I wanted after a double shift was dinner with my younger brother before bed.

When I opened the door to our apartment, I saw a candle lit in the middle of our two-person dining table. Fairer’s blanket was half falling out of his hammock in the corner again, but lecturing him on being careful wasn’t worth the argument tonight. Even though he’d be getting my blanket if it tore much more.

Skreech.

Fairer had pushed the chair on the opposite side of the table out with his feet and his stupidly long legs. He said, “You have three days left.”

I closed the door and sat in one of our chairs. The rough wood prickled the dragonfly wings attached to my shoulder blades. If I leaned back, we would be picking splinters out of my wings for hours, so I leaned forward.

Blue hair fell in front of my eyes. It was past time for me to convince Fairer to take a knife to it. I brushed my bangs away and asked, “I have three days until what?”

Fairer’s green dragonfly wings twitched, a sure sign of his irritation, as he crossed his pale arms. “It’s your health, not mine. Can’t you track when you need more Craver blood?”

I, as the oh-so-responsible older brother, snapped at him, “When are you going to get some sunshine? You look like a ghost.”

Fairer rolled his green eyes, “Well, you’re in a mood today.”

I huffed, then stared at the near-empty dish-board behind Fairer as my stomach churned. Fairer had helped manage my unofficial medical condition for years when he hadn’t needed to. I shouldn’t have snapped at him.

Fairer sighed and uncrossed his arms. He leaned over the table. His school books and his open notebook were in front of him. He must have been studying before I got home. He asked, “Do we have enough blood for your next dose?”

My voice shook as I said, “No.”

I looked back at my little brother. He bit his lip like he didn’t want to ask the next question. My gaze drifted to his school books. “We don’t have enough saved to buy it either.”

Fairer closed his eyes and said, “Dragon shite.” Translation, Fairer thinks we’re screwed.

I said, “I’ll handle it.” There were ways of getting enough money or Craver blood. Of course, getting the blood directly from the monster was the most dangerous method.

The green fae markings on Fairer’s cheeks scrunched as he narrowed his eyes. “How?”

Pickpocketing drunks passed out in an alleyway was a plan, not a good one, but a plan. We’d need a better one. I tapped my hand on the smooth table and said, “I can make a few more silver, maybe a gold, by selling more aura. That should be enough.”

Fairer frowned and leaned forward as he said, “Do you even have enough aura to sell it safely?”

Not having enough aura would make me ill and eventually kill me. So would not getting enough Craver blood.

I groaned and rubbed the blue markings under my eyes. “Yes, Fairer, I have enough aura.” Why was I making us broke by supporting my brother’s dream of becoming a healer? All he’d done with that education was fret over me more.

Fairer crossed his arms and said, “I’m coming with you. You’ve been taking extra shifts.”

I snapped, “No. You have to study. I can handle it on my own.” Right, it was because he was all I had, and I couldn’t lose him too.

Fairer was glaring at the door. But he wasn’t glaring at me.

I stood up and went over to my bed in the corner. I pulled out our coin purse. Fairer’s school fees and our rent were due tomorrow. Removing enough for our bills left us with six gold and forty silver.

Buying enough Craver blood for one dose would be nine gold. We’d need an extra sixty silver in two days.

I put our money back under my bed and went to the door. Relaxing with Fairer over dinner was no longer an option. The anxiety and memories of missing my last dose of Craver blood were far too fresh. I said, “I’ll try picking up another shift at the Aura Generation shop.”

Fairer stood up and said, “I’m coming with you.”

I turned and looked at Fairer. We had spent too much money on getting him books that he could’ve read at the library because I missed being able to see him every day. I said, “You can come with me.”

Doing two shifts at the Aura generation shop was hard enough. A third would hurt like hell. It also meant I couldn’t spend the time I wanted with my brother.