The Glass Alchemist ( An Envy x Oc Story )

♕Breakfast♚

The tunnel ways that the Helms children had mapped had turned out to be quite impressive- while there had been a FEW turn arounds where Joseph or Tom had accidentally made a wrong turn, it was only a few occasions and quickly had been fixed or redirected.

By the time we had picked up the girls from their station and had resurfaced in a bolted up garden shed that had been abandoned by the school it belonged to on Conduit Street the sun was already beginning to crest in the sky.

Which, while I was relieved we had made good time, I found myself still egging the kids on to rush or pick up the pace in fear of being late to see Ed.

"Corrin?" I turned around- the rest of the children were having a pretty good time chatting up ahead, but Corrin had dragged behind the rest of the group.

He seemed tired, blearily wiping at his eyes, and Clementine sat right next to him, her eyes barely open.

I glanced up ahead towards the group. "Hey, Camilla? Joseph?" I shouted to get their attention and crouched down to the two tired toddlers, giving them a pat on the back.

Camilla jogged over without much of a second thought, and sighed, scooping up Corrin.

She gave me a bit of a side eye. "Go on, pick up Clem. After all, she's yours now aint she?"

I blinked slowly for a minute, a bit thrown off by the jab, before picking Clem up in my arms and cradling her to my chest.

Camilla and I walked side by side behind the group with the toddlers slung over our shoulders in awkward silence.

I could tell she was upset with me.

It... was warranted, of course. After all, if not for me her sister wouldn't be like this. If I had never stepped into their life and business, this mess wouldn't have happened. I'm sure Camilla wasn't happy with this chimera business either, and I was starting to feel guilty for ever leaving the chimeras for these kids to handle. I wish I could think of another way, and maybe I would later- maybe this was just temporary- but there was nowhere else and no one else that I knew could do the job.

But, despite my guilt, it didn't change anything about the situation, and instead of sitting and feeling sorry for myself, I ought to face the repercussions and try and make a change. After all, that's what I had come to Central to try and do- help.

"Hey Camilla?"

"Yes?"

I took a breath. Despite all that, it didn't make it any easier to say, or know where to start off.

"I'm sorry... for everything." I started, slowly as I tried to figure out my words. "Ever since I showed up, I've caused nothing but trouble for you all. I never meant for any of this to happen, really. I came to Central to help, but I only made things worse with my own incompetence. Ever since I got here, I feel like I've done nothing but mess things up for everyone, and like I don't really know what I'm doing. And Clem... all of you... none of you deserved to get raked into that all, none of you deserved to be pulled into my mess. And now, you've lost a sister because of it."

Camilla turned her head away, inhaling sharply.

I felt a rush of hot shame in my face, turning away also.

"I never meant... I never wanted to take Clem from you all. I never wanted it to end up like this."

"Just because she's under your legal custody doesn't make her any less of my sister." Camilla said. Her voice was sharp, but it wavered still with an emotional side that she never let out.

"She's my sister, god damnit. I watched that damn baby be born, and she slipped right out of my momma's womb! For the past three years I raised that child! She's MY sister, no matter what the government says. If you think a bit more hair and a bit more teeth is gonna change Clem from being my blood and family, you're wrong."