Excerpt: Matte--Part 3: Glass

Grinning, Layra struck his forehead with the heel of her palm playfully. “You are in a lot of trouble for travelling in a blizzard!”
Unable to tear her eyes away, Diana stared at him, her heart speeding up at his slightly crooked smile, a smile he had never given her. And he didn’t shove her away in terror, didn’t even glare at her for smacking him. “It’s not that bad of a blizzard.”
“Altan, it’s a blizzard!”
“A mild blizzard.”
“Blizzards aren’t mild. You could have frozen out there, and you’re drenched in mud.”
“Layra, I’m fine!”
“No, you’re not. You have been walking in a blizzard and… oh my goodness, you’re bleeding, Altan!”
“Oh,” Altan muttered, glancing down at the red, stiff stains on the side of his shirt. “Oh, it’s not bleeding that badly.”
“You didn’t even notice?” she shouted shrilly.
Altan shrugged. “Not really.”
Slipping her arms from Altan’s neck, Layra stomped on his feet viciously; Altan flinched and glared at her, putting a little distance between them. “Do I have to take care of you every split second of your existence?” Layra demanded, but her voice had a playful lilt that made Diana’s heart burn with jealousy. “You don’t just walk around covered in blood. It’s not proper and it’s absolutely unacceptable.”
Glancing between them, Diana felt faint, noting their similar appearances. They were both unusually pale, with gentle but clearly defined features and completely unkempt hair; Diana looked down at her nails to make sure their carelessness had not somehow affected her. So this was why she couldn’t stay with him.
“Have you been wandering around alone again? If you have been, you are so dead. You know I hate it when you go off alone into some random place; you’re bound to get yourself killed that way. Were you—”
“Layra, I wasn’t alone.”
“Liar. Did you know you are horrible at—”
“No,” Diana piped up, stepping forward hesitantly; she retained a composed, generous expression despite the loathing that crawled up through her chest when she looked at Layra. “No, he wasn’t alone.” She pierced Altan with an accusing glare, and he just stared at her in bewilderment.
Layra turned her head slowly and she gazed at Diana for a few still seconds, making sense of the strange girl who had randomly shown up and gauging her honesty. Her glare surviving, Diana did not even attempt to act amiable when Layra grinned at her. “Altan, you brought back a girl!”
Altan ran one hand through his hair. “Oh please no, it is not like that,” he said in a distressed voice.