"Big brother, I want an apple!"
'!?'
Who?
My hand tightened around hers instinctively.
What—?
I stood frozen in my place.
"Big brother?" She called me again, her small fingers squeezing my hand, her bright red eyes staring up at me with worry.
My lips moved on their own.
"Lucy."
What?
Did I just—?
That name…
"Yes, big brother?" She smiled, tilting her head slowly.
Lucy.
That was her name.
But how did I know that?
That face, those red eyes, her soft silver hair—they didn't feel unfamiliar to me.
It felt as if I had known the name Lucy forever.
A part of me wanted to question it, to deny the impossibility of it all. But another part of me… didn't want to.
Such a small face.
Such a bright smile.
A strange overwhelming feeling surged in my chest, it was a need—no, it was a duty of mine to protect her. I didn't know why, but I knew, deep in my soul, that I would do anything to keep that smile safe.
It was the same feeling I get whenever I see Elise.
