❝𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞❞ ||𝐊. 𝐊𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐱 𝐋. 𝐌𝐜𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧||

4: Step to Freedom

A/N: Yeah, here's a time skip, to the time he goes to the Garisson. However, I will explain somethings but that just may be explained in the chapters, btw how am I doing? Things making a bit more sense now or is still jumbled? Genuine question really. Also there may be a few time skips and a few scenes that feel random but it's important details that will be explained possibly more in detail when that chapter gets written. And I'm hoping to reach the same chapter amount like I did in the old version I'm excited! So, ye, also I feel like these chapter titles are gonna be the death of me THIS IS WHY I DON'T DO CHAPTER NAMES JUST A PART NUMBER OR CHAPTER NUMBER SO MUCH EASIER BUT ALSO CONFUSING AT THE SAME TIME WHEN YOU WANNA REVIEW A CERTAIN SCENE 😭

But you can't say I didn't try, I mean it's a bit better then just immediately jumping from earth scene to in the castle scene without what led up to it. Maybe... Possibly... Right? I need answers!

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𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝: 𝟓/𝟐𝟖/𝟐𝟒

Rachel looked up from the table as she did her homework, and then leaned back a little in order to see down the hall with four doors and then the stairs that were in the middle of the found doors. Two on one side, two on the other and slid out of her seat in order to sneak to the kitchen to snag some food and some water for Lance. After all, he was really going to need it after yesterday. Even as she remembered last night, it brought a very uncomfortable shudder to her bones and it left her chilled, she hated how she saw Lance in that state, or any state he's been in under the eyes of her stepfather. Even she knew at her age what a bastard was, and her stepfather was just that, a bastard, even to his own son. But her stepfather wasn't priority in her mind right now, Lance was.

Her mother was at work and her stepfather was asleep in her parent's room, so she took the opportunity to sneak up stairs and take care of Lance. He had been asleep since yesterday and not at all did she blame her little brother, stepbrother as he may be, she treated him like her full-blooded brother and unlike Luis, Marco actually made a stand and was there for Lance. Luis was just a prick with an ego. It sometimes made her wonder how he was even her brother. However, for now she'll push those questions from her head and check on Lance, she didn't even sleep last night and truthfully, she didn't feel tired, her reason for not sleeping was her worry for her brother and the fact his painful screams are beginning to echo in her ears every now and then. It was horrifying, she knew that the moment she tried to intervene, Lance would be more in danger of possibly dying and that she'd also get hurt but she wanted to protect him. Be his shield from the pain. To be his big sister and protect him like he should be protected, but unfortunately, Lance was a kind and protective boy even for his age.

He wouldn't let anyone else get hurt for him.

And he wouldn't let others feel his pain, he had decided in his mind that no one but him will take the hurt he's given by the parents that are supposed to love him unconditionally. It made her sick to her stomach, but Lance was a very stubborn individual, you could tell him Veronica was taking him to the mall and he'd resist like no tomorrow, and he'd hide until either her, Veronica or Marco found him and carried him out the door. Poor guy had known anxiety, and he did not do well socially with others outside of the three siblings that actually cared for him.

Sighing she finished sneaking to Lance's room and softly turned the knob to his room, she knew he'd wake up from the slightest noise, then again, he was like half cat, so it made a little sense? Or he just had high hearing sensitivity. Either or could pass with him really. She slid inside the room and set the food and water on top of the dresser and quietly closed the bedroom door, she then turned her attention to her brother and frowned. "Lance, hey buddy, I got you some food and water," she called out softly to him and felt her heart ache when she heard him whine in pain, in less than three weeks their mother would send him to the Garrison. In Rachel's opinion, it was a better place for him to be than at home. "H-hurt..." she shushed him gently and sat on the side of the bed next to him, as usual, no matter how much they dyed his hair light brown, silver white always came back after just a day. Sometimes after only a few hours. It was weird. "I know buddy, I know. Hang on just a second, this'll hurt," she set the food and water aside and slipped her hands under his back, wincing in sympathy for him as she propped him up to lean against her while at a semi comfortable angle as she could get for him without him feeling more pain than he was already feeling. She then reached over and grabbed the water, bringing it to her hands she unscrewed the top and helped tip it down into his throat to soothe his sore throat. "I got you some food," she told him as she kept her voice down, she was not going to stand by longer and let her stepfather and oldest brother keep Lance from food that he desperately needed.