"It's been two days," Marryanne quietly whispered to Fallon, looking at Cyrus's back. "He hasn't touched his food ever since big bro, Soren disappeared."
Fallon gently shook his head, "he rarely leaves his room. He only comes in meal times but he never touches his food. He just sits at Big bro Soren's usual spot."
Cyrus sighed. He leaned on his arm with his elbow against the wooden table. Soren has run away. He can't. He had promised he would stay as long as him or the other orphans needed him to.
Fallon sighed, whispering to Marryanne again, "I forced him to eat something." Fallon's gaze swept over Cyrus's back, "I don't want him to be sickly thin…"
Mealtime was almost over. Cyrus stood up from his- well Soren's spot and began walking towards the door as the whispers of the kids fill up his ear-drums.
"Did Big bro Soren really go away?"
"He can't run away right?"
"Even the younger ones are crying in their rooms now."
Cyrus wanted to rip out his own ears so he won't have to listen to all this. He blinked as he passed the threshold and out of the cafeteria.
Fallon and Marryanne watched him leave. "I will take food to him later." Fallon said then looked at Marryanne, "how's Ray and Jay holding up?"
Marryanne sighs, "honestly," she looked at the plate of peas in front of her, "they look like they've been hit by a carriage."
"I get that feeling." Fallon hummed.
"Don't you think he is gonna be okay?" Marryanne looked back at the now empty doorway.
"I hope so…"
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Cyrus walked down the hallway, towards his and Soren's- well it's his own room now. He stopped before the balcony. He looked towards the balcony. Soren had Maelis in his arms here. He goes out to the balcony and looks towards the ground below. The backyard of the orphanage. Here they had that play.
Soren had held him by the waist as they danced like Cinderella and Prince Charming. Cyrus still doesn't like the idea of him being Cinderella. Before everyone fell ill.
On the way to get the cure, they had stopped at a place to rest for the night. Soren had gotten off the carriage. His movements had woken Cyrus up. He had followed Soren out afterwards. He looked so ethereal under the moon's gentle glow.
Cyrus breathed in the night air. The cool breeze filled his lungs as he turned away from the balcony to leave. He felt two pairs of tiny hands on him. He looked down to see Maelis and Levi sticking to him.
"Big bro…" Maelis swivelled burying her face in Cyrus's shirt.
"Bro Cyrus…" Levi looked up at him with the same big eyes.
If Soren was here. He wouldn't have hesitated. Instead he would have picked these two kids up. Cyrus decided to do the same. He picked up Maelis and Levi with both hands with a slight smile.
"What are you two doing out of your rooms?" He tried to keep his smile, "did you two eat dinner?"
Maelis nods, "we ate."
Levi buried his face on Cyrus's shoulder, "Big bro?" He said, "would big bro Soren be back soon?"
Cyrus stilled at that, then forced himself to relax as he answered, "yes…" he sighed, "Soren's just on a mission by his own." He doesn't know who he is lying to. The kids? Or himself?
"Really?" Maelis murmured.
"Yes," Cyrus blinked to push his tears back, "really."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After some minutes Cyrus had managed to lull both of the kids to sleep. He pulled the cover on them and sat back on the bed- well Soren's bed. He looked under the bed to see if he could find something belonging to Soren. Cause if Soren really had run away. Why are his belongings still here?
Instead Cyrus found a red liquid in a glass bottle. He reached and picked that bottle up. He swirled the liquid inside the bottle. It's the cure that Soren and he had gone looking for. When Marryanne, Ray and Jay decided to tag along with them.
Cyrus thought they were out of the cure because they had to give everyone in the orphanage some. He put that inside his pocket as he heard a knock.
He stood up and walked to the door opening it. Fallon was standing there with a tray of food in his hands. He had been feeding Cyrus since Soren disappeared and Cyrus stopped eating.
"Big bro, Cyrus…" Fallon said, "come on, eat something, please."
Normally he would have scolded Fallon for bringing him food. But now he has no energy to do that. He just sighed and took the tray of food from him and murmured a quiet thank you.
"It's no issue," Fallon said looking past Cyrus towards the bed where Maelis and Levi are still sleeping, "I will tell Mary that Mae is with you."
Cyrus nodded. He watched Fallon go down the hallway again. Cyrus gently closed the door. He put the food on the side table and lay down on Soren's bed, taking out the glass bile from his pant-pocket and just stared at it before putting it back in.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cyrus woke up. It was the middle of the night. The cold air swept through the open windows. He must have forgotten to close that damn window. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and then he looked at the two sleeping kids on his bed. They were still there. Sleeping soundly. He walked up to the window to close it. He was about to but then he saw a figure walking in the courtyard.
It was undoubtedly a nun. And no one dresses like a nun except Matron Nell. Where is she going this late at night? He knows it's stupid but his mind says to not follow her but his gut says to follow her. He decided to listen to his gut today.
He ran a hand through his blonde hair and sighed. He quietly walked out of the room. He can't leave the children in his room alone. So he went to Fallon's room. He stood outside Fallon's door and knocked slightly.
Fallon opened the door, eyes full of sleep. He looked at Cyrus standing there, "big bro?" He yawned.
"I'm going out for a walk…" Cyrus lied, "I need some fresh air… but I can't leave Mae and Levi alone in the room. So I was thinking that you could stay in my room for sometime?"
"Walk in this late at night?" Fallon wondered.
'Yes."
"Alright Then," Fallon agreed, "I will be with them until you come back." Cyrus nodded as Fallon went to the direction of his room.
Cyrus then quietly walked out of the orphanage. He went to the courtyard and there she was, the matron, walking towards somewhere. Cyrus stated hidden and out of sight as he walked towards wherever the Matron was going. He hid behind a rock as the Natron entered a sinister looking cave. The cave looked like it had been grinning ear to ear. And to think that something creepy was just behind the orphanage.
He waited for the Matron to come out and after sometime. She did come out. He waited for her to leave. And after Cyrus was sure that the coast was clear. He quietly and cautiously walked towards the cave entrance. It was dark and it was cold. He swallowed his fear and kept walking forward. After some time there was light in the cave. Fire lamps on the cavern walls
But what Cyrus saw next sent a shiver down his spine. He saw a figure in chains. He stepped closer to the figure tied up with chains.
"Soren?"