Mortis

"Lily!" Mortis called out.

Where is she, he thought. Their home was a small shack consisting of two rooms. One for where they ate. The other, where they slept. A small enough home you can't not hear a knocking on the door. There were't much furnishings. A bed for him and his sister. A cookpot that he scavenged from the nearby eatery. And a small chest where he stored his knick-knacks.

"Lily!?" he shouted quietly again.

He waited at the door another tense moment.

Dread filled him then. He started frantically twisting and turning the door knob. His earlier feeling was coming back to haunt him. Someone else knew about Lily. He always told her to never leave the home. No one could've seen her. He promised her anything she needed, he would get. How did anyone find them after all this time? They weren't important anymore. No one should even be looking for them. Any importance they may have had died with their parents. What if it was the Boss instead. Maybe he took Lily. Would the Boss have come looking for him here? He shouldn't. They had an agreement. A mutual understanding. His service for their freedom.

"Just hold on, okay!" a high voice inside yelled back.

A latch clicked. The door opened.

"I was doing a ladylike duty in there. Praise Ultor, couldn't ya' wait a moment" Lily scolded.

"Why didn't you answer right away! I was worried sick!" Mortis quietly yelled back. "I thought maybe they came and took you away from me. Or someone broke in and had their way with you. Or possibly..."

She blushed and quickly interrupted, "Like I said! I was doing my lady duty!"

Understanding dawned on him.

"And anyways you worry too much. I'm fine. See." Lily twirled around.

"Right." Mortis exhaled. "Right. Thank Ultor." He visibly relaxed. Deciding that she was fine and all his worries were for naught he creeped inside their little home. Heading straight for his small chest in the corner of their bed he took out the extra items he swiped and quickly stashed them inside. Only retaining the ignis stone, pocket knife, and a canteen for his later trek through the woods. He needed to try the stone to see if it was the real deal. If it was, they would eat handsomely this summer. If not, well, he remembered Jay calling him a liar and this nice rock may have his name on it.

"And what did you mean with what you said earlier?" Lily came into their bedroom and asked. She had a puzzled expression.

"What do you mean what did I mean?" he replied.

"What do I mean? I mean what do you mean," she replied back.

"You mean...? Wait...You mean to say...what did I mean about someone having their way with you?" Mortis questioned.

"Yes! That's what I mean," Lily retorted.

"OKAY!" Mortis shouted as quietly as possible. "We're not going to use that word for the rest of the day. Understand?"

"Which word?" Lily stood thoughtfully."Mean?"

"YES!" he replied immediately.

"Well...what if you're being mean to me and I need help, how will I tell people you're being mean to me?" Lily asked.

"That's not the word! The other word," Mortis was trying to lower his voice to a whisper to calm himself down.

Lily looked at him and opened her mouth to respond.

"Zip it. Not one more word out of you or, Ultor help me, you'll have one less brother," he admonished. She closed her mouth and quieted down. Seeming to fall into herself she became even smaller than her usual small frame.

"I'm sorry," Lily meekly whispered.

Seeming as she was about to cry he quickly wrapped her up in a hug. He held her.

Close. So close no one can ever take her away.

"I'm sorry too," he whispered. His eyes watered. "I didn't mean that. I was just worried and a little frustrated. That's all."

He continued to hold her. His little sister. So small. Only coming up to his elbows. She was all he had left. All he remember ever having if he was being honest. His life before this became a blur. His father and mother passing away in some nightmarish raid a long time ago.

A giggle came from nearby. From his arms. A small one. Pure and wonderful.

"What's so funny?" Mortis asked.

"You used the word mean again," Lily giggled back.

He grinned. "You little..."