Borderline

chapter fourteen.

Y'AAALLL...

I.am.going.to.lose.hair.cuz.of.the.stress. and I'm not even kidding. I just had my first national test after three years and it went ok I guess??? BUT, I have pictures to draw for my school application and my hand is dying and it feels like I haven't written in a decade (which I haven't) and I'm just dying inside right now cuz we have even more tests coming up and AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

But here, have a very late chapter :D

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"ALLURAAAAA!" My words rattled the walls, resonated the castle corridors as I rushed to search for my sister, finding her in the dining room with our mom, Melenor, as they sat bended over a couple of holograms, chatting away in subdued voices.

But as soon as I barged in, both their heads whipped up at the same time, looking at me with large eyes. Allura dropped something she held to the table, and the clang of it made both the women flinch. My sister scrambled with the dropped item as she put it to the side, her eyebrows twitching.

"L-Lance...You sca..." She began to stutter, but I quickly interrupted her.

"Could I please have a word with my dearest, kindest big sister?" I batted my eyelashes innocently, adding a strained, wide smile afterwards. When I met Allura's gaze, I tried to put a clear message into my eyes, one that said get your princess ass up this chair in this instant and COME WITH ME. She must have gotten the hint, because her eyes widened, and she very hesitantly and carefully stood up, her hands gripping the edge of the table firmly. She began turning her head towards our mom for a dispensation, but before she could ask, I beat her to it.

"This won't take long mother, I'll just have to burrow Allura for a minute. She'll be back in no time", I vowed, putting my hand on my chest as I shut my eyes intently and bowed forward just slightly, before dashing forward and took a death grip of my sister's arm and yanked her to the exit. Allura gave out a little squeak at the sudden movement, but let me drag her out nevertheless.

"...sure...", mom began to say but me and Allura was already out of the door, turning the corner to stand out of earshot from our mother. I stopped so abruptly that my sister practically walked straight into me, her face hitting my shoulder blade. She squealed again.

"What is up with you, Lance? Me and mother were actually doing some very imperative preparations for the imminent ball", she snapped, her white eyebrows set hard over her bright eyes. Normally, I would have felt daunted by her look, but now I was terrified for a completely different reason, one that included a certain Galra boy and what had exactly happened him. But before I could let my mind wander off into perilous paths of assumptions, I opened my mouth to explain the situation - thus, lie about it all.

"Allura, Allura!" I said sharply, gripping her arms and staring her dead in the eye. She pursed her lips together. "Nyma, she's finally back! And I'm seeing her, like, right now! You'll have to cover up for me, come up with an excuse if someone notices I'm gone. I'll tell you what, if someone asks, tell them I'm visiting Hunk and Pidge. Be convincing, don't panic. I trust you." Now I placed my hands on her shoulder, and she flitted a look sideways at one of them, before pinning me with a hard stare.

"Lance", Allura began, her voice leaning towards vexation. I knew this would turn into some kind of sisterly lecture, and I definitely didn't have time for such a thing. The timer in my mind was ticking, my worry for Keith's well being increasing. My thoughts was beginning to run free, throwing horrible theory after theory inside my head, until the only thing that existed in my mind was all the different kinds of trouble he could have gotten himself into. He got kidnapped, one voice inside my head cried out. He could kill that intruder with only his stare, the other, more judicious, voice reassured. But they both dispersed as my sister spoke again. "I'm happy that Nyma is back again, I really am, but you can't go now. It's almost dinner time. If you could at least wait until tomorrow morning..."