Angel With Broken Wings

63 - Kat Ride and Lance Crown (1)

[POV CHANGE | LANCE CROWN]

My fingers twitch slightly as I walk beside Kat, mind racing as we slowly approach my home. It had been a long time since I returned to this place, my heart aching as I recall the last interaction I had with my parents when they discovered Anna's illness and what it would do to her. I bite my bottom lip as we slow to a stop in front of the double doors, my head turning to land on the two beside me.

"My parents won't be home, I timed our visit to when they wouldn't be here..." My words trail off slightly as they move their gazes to me, Kat and Gazzy briefly sharing a look before nodding in sync. "That's fine, we're mainly here to meet your sister after all." Kat was the one who responded vocally, an encouraging smile painting across her features as I offer a weak one of my own, finishing the approach to the doors and opening them for my friend and her brother to enter the entrance hall.

I ignore the hushed whispers of the servants in the area, focusing primarily on leading the two to where Anna's room is. "Wow...it's huge." I hear Gazzy mutter behind me softly as I notice him gawking around the room, another small smile forming on my lips as I give a small nod. "It is pretty big..." My response is halfhearted, my body tense as we finally arrive at my sister's room, a servant slowly stepping out at that moment.

"Oh! Young Master Lance, you're home..." Their words trail off slowly as they speak, the servant glancing nervously to the door behind them as I shift in my spot. "Yes, I'm here to see Anna." My voice came out strong as I spoke, my arms tight as I force my body to remain still. "Oh, well...she is awake, but..." The servant makes a sour expression at my words, stumbling over their own and I couldn't help but suck in a deep breath at the sight before me.

"We're here to see her, not you. We'll be entering now." Kat spoke up for me, her hand reaching to grasp my tightly enclosed fist, the action being noticed swiftly by the servant who quickly stumbles off to the side with hasty apologies. "R-Right, sorry! Please, go on in!" A deep bow is received from the servant as I watch them swiftly hurry away, my eyes soon landing on Kat, her own expression sour as she glares in the direction the servant ran in.

"How annoying...what gives them the right?" I let out the breath I had been holding, my hand relaxing into hers as I raise my other to knock on the door in front of us, Gazzy soon clasping onto his sister's other hand, eyes containing a hint of sadness. I was slightly relieved that the Headmaster agreed to letting Gazzy accompany us both for this trip, the man having placed a fake mark on the boy to hide his magic-less identity before sending him on his way.

I had no issue with lackmagics, I thought it was unfair how they were treated, after all – it's not like they asked to be born without magic. I let out a sigh of relief when I hear the, "Come in," from the room, my free hand soon opening the object slowly. I smile widely when I note how Anna's eyes brighten upon seeing me, her expression turning into one of surprise upon landing her eyes on Gazzy and Kat, specifically on the girl's hand holding mine.

"Oh, big brother! You're home, and you brought friends?" Her voice came out sweetly, the confusion obvious in her tone as Kat and Gazzy enter slowly, the younger boy shutting the door gently. "This is Kat and Gazzy, they're siblings too." I introduce the two comfortably, my sister brightening even further as she finally calls out our clasped hands, "Are you two dating?!"

The excitement floods out of her quickly, the question bringing a faint flush to my cheeks as Kat coughs slightly at the inquiry. "Uh, well...no, we're..." She stumbles over her words as she attempts to answer, my ears perking up as I hear Gazzy responds casually, slowly approaching my sister's bedside, "They're not, but he's one of my top picks."

I hear Kat let out a little laugh, my own huff leaving my lips as I try to ignore how my heart soars at gaining her brother's approval, the strawberry blonde questioning him at that moment, "Since when did you have a top pick?" Gazzy shrugs in response, gifting his sister a teasing smile as he answers, "It's hard not to."

I notice Anna basically vibrating in her spot due to the excitement, a small tinge of disappointment in her eyes before she begins chattering away, "You won't be disappointed if you choose my big brother, he's the absolute best!" I smile tightly at her words, finally approaching alongside Kat and pulling out three chairs for us to sit comfortably.

"He's kind, and strong, and he really looks after others!" Kat laughs slightly at Anna's selling points, the girl watching my sister fondly as she continues to ramble, my eyes remaining on the strawberry blonde. It was the first time I didn't want to keep a watchful eye on my sister, my heart feeling peaceful as I take in the interaction between two of my favorite people.

"You're brother really is a kind person, he's also extremely smart." I slip slightly on my seat when I hear compliments coming from Kat, my eyes widening partially as I finally let out a cough and respond, "We're still going on about this...?" I grumble a bit as I manage to lean back against my chair, attempting to be cool despite the chaos happening internally.

"Sorry, sorry, your sister is just too cute not to join in." I snap my fingers at the comment, a spark of excitement reaching my own eyes as I let out quickly, "You get it, see?!" Kat's laughter is loud and melodic as she nods at my words, my cheeks warming once more as I allow myself to relax back into my chair, Anna and Gazzy watching the interaction before sharing a look.

Kat and I both settle into a silence as Gazzy and Anna begin to interact, sharing tales of us both to each other in exaggerated detail while we watch and occasionally add in our own thoughts and voices. I glance over at Kat once more, watching her warm expression as her gaze remains set on Gazzy and Anna, the two younger kids interacting with each other kindly.

"I love seeing him act his age..." I hear her mutter softly, my eyes returning to her with those words, noting how the two kids didn't notice the sentence. "Thank you for inviting us along." Her gaze turns towards me, eyes mesmerizing despite the differing appearances, and I respond with an equally as unnoticeable mutter, "Thank you for coming along...her sickness can take away her magic, so...our parents are saying that if she doesn't get better, she'll be sent to the Bureau..."

I hear the small gasp that slips from her lips, my gaze noting how her right eye shows an image of anger, my words slipping through once more to continue, "It's been so long for me too...seeing her smile and act like this. So, thank you."  She offers me a smile as I finish speaking, my heart nearly singing as she speaks carefully, "I'll fight to protect your sister too, I won't let anything happen to her either. We'll do it together."

Her words spiral in my ears as I take in the sentence, my eyes slowly beginning to water as I attempt to blink back the tears, my head nodding as I turn my eyes back to the two kids chatting away. The word slipping from my lips as I respond to her words, a feeling of comfort and warmth enveloping me as my voice escapes, a small smile forming across my lips as I grab her hand once more in a tight hold,

"Together."