Love Can Mend {An Aphmau Fanfiction}

Laurance

I sat in the cold wooden room, hearing the sounds of the ocean slamming against the hull of the ship. My hands were in my lap; cold metal manacles were wrapping around my wrists and connecting them to the wall. My head was bowed, and I could literally see my own breath.

The door creaked opened, but I kept my gaze down. Zane could do anything he wanted now. Cadenza was dead, and it was my fault.

"Laurance!" I heard a feminine voice hiss, and I immediately lifted my head. Emma was standing in the doorway, cheeks wet and eyes red. In her hand she held a piece of bread and a cup of water. "I brought you something to eat." She walked over and placed it at my side. Before she could pull away, my hands reached up and wrapped around her wrists.

"Why are you doing this?" I growled, pulling her face close to mine. "Why are you betraying your sister?" Her face hardened, but she didn't pull away.

"I'm saving everyone else in the world my sister cared about!" The past tense still stung, and I hated the reminder. But her words echoed around the cell.

"What do you mean?" I whispered, releasing her wrists. She leaned back, rubbing her sore wrists and looking down.

"I let Cadenza down. We both did. And I want to do her memory honor by protecting and helping those that she loved. Starting with you." I shook my hands, rattling the chains.

"Not being very helpful are you Sister?" She huffed, crossing her arms.

"I can't be obvious or Zane will find out! But I'm making him trust me. As soon as that trust is strong enough, I can cause real damage." I sighed, leaning back against the wall.

"If you say so." Then my voice dropped, as well as my gaze. "But for the record, it was my fault she's dead. If I had agreed to go with you two months ago, she would've still been safe at home. Besides, my life doesn't mean anything, her's did. You should've killed me anyway." She took a step and grabbed my shoulders, pulling herself close to me.

"And have Cadenza hate me forever?! Besides, I couldn't have done it anyway. You two are the only family I have left! And to everyone in Phoenix Drop, you mean a lot." I was startled by her sudden show of... affection? Whatever it was, it helped relieve a bit of the guilt weighing on my heart.

"Thank you Emma. Now go before someone finds you." She nodded, leaving the food with me.

But before she left, she looked back at me one more time. "I'm sorry." Was all she whispered. And then she was gone and I was all alone with my thoughts.

I reached out and downed the glass of water, it doing nothing but instigating my parched throat. I sighed, leaning against the wall and trying to block out the noises that made it impossible to sleep.