(Alis)

After Matt dropped me off I went straight to Haddy's house, watering her flowers again on the way in.

"Haddy! I'm here!" I shouted from the doorway, plopping my backpack on a rickety dining room chair. 

"I'll be right there, Allie!" She shouted back at me in her gruff, irritable voice. I only let her call me Allie because that's what my birth mom used to call me.

She came out in an oil-stained tank top and her dusty work cargo jeans. She had yellowish-brown hair and pale skin filled with wrinkles. She was taller than me and thicker than me. She wore her signature scowl, the corners of her mouth turned down in a frown. She still had angry red burn scars on half of her body, just as bright when she got them. I didn't know much about the accident but that it was a result of a faulty engine in the workshop.

"Hey, kiddo," She said with a half-smile. A half-smile was all she could really muster because the other half of her face was filled with dead nerves.

"Hey, do you have any aluminum spray left? I don't want my leg rusting in all this rain." I asked her, plopping down on her ratty couch.

"Lemmie check," She said, taking off her gloves and wiping her hands on her pants.

She came back with the can in her hands and a wrench in the other.

I pulled up my pant leg, revealing the old tarnished metal leg that I wore for years. I was lucky because this was one of Josh's hand-me-downs which the government paid for, so at least I didn't have to worry about that part. 

The metal reached half of my calf, where my leg ended in a stump. Only Haddy, Crissy, and Bugs new about my leg.

"Looks worse," She grumbled. Haddy knelt down and loosened the bolts so it could slide off. My leg stump still had the ugly red burn scars, just a tiny bit faded because of the metal causing friction.

"Yeah," I sighed, jumping up and hopping over to the kitchen to get a snack.

I was fine without my leg in the house but walking outside without it was a different story. 

"It'll take a little longer to dry this time, now that it's more tarnished," Haddy said, inspecting it closely.

"Mmkay, I need to go take care of Josh so I'll come back later," I said, hopping off the counter I had sat on. I slung my backpack on my shoulders.

"Take Petrina with you, just in case," She replied. "Be safe,"

Petrina was Haddy's service dog, but Haddy barely used her to get around anymore.

"Come on girl," I said patting my thigh. She jumped up from her corner and wagged her tail happily, staying at my side. 

I hopped out the door, using Petrina's lead to make it easier.

Luckily, my house wasn't that far from Haddy's.

I got home in time to see Matt's car pull up in the gravel driveway. I watched him hop out of the car and turn towards me.

"You forgot your- Whoa," He cut himself off, gaping at my leg.

-------------------------

(Matt)

I had just noticed that Alistair left his hoodie in my car when I was almost leaving the mobile home park.

I rolled my eyes to myself, turning around and heading straight to his house.

I saw him in the driveway when I pulled up. I hopped out and turned to inform him of his forgotten hoodie when I stopped short. 

Half of his left leg was gone. Gone. 

I stared at him, unable to think of something to utter at that moment, but luckily he cut in.

"Look, I can explain," He said, leaning heavily on the dog that sat at his side. He turned to the dog and told her to go home, which she happily obeyed, running off in the opposite direction.

"Do you mind?" He asked, holding out his hand, leaning treacherously on his right leg.

"Uh, S-sure," I said, taking his in mine. His hand was small and warm, but bony and skinny. I felt my heart flutter dangerously and I silenced in angrily.

He put another hand on my arm to steady himself and lead me inside.

The house was just as small as it looked on the outside, painted a dull grey color. There wasn't much decoration except a rug and an entryway table.

A man sat in a wheelchair at the table, large scars covering his face and exposed arms. Both his legs were prosthetics and his eyes were a misty grey color. His expression seemed distant and far away like he was a million miles away.

"This is Josh, Josh this is Matt," Alis said, still clutching my hand.

Josh flinched and his face twitched, but other than that he stayed silent.

Alistair sighed, and then we began to talk.