New World

15 | Something for Nothing

Kit was woken by the sound of Livvy's door being slammed shut. He sat up, aware he was aching all over, as Ty left the room first, Lila second and wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

"You're on the floor," Ty said, looking at him.

Kit couldn't deny it. He and Alec had come to Livvy's room once they'd finished in the infirmary. Then Alec had gone off to check on the children, and it had just been Magnus, quietly sitting with Livvy, occasionally checking to see if she was healing. And Ty, leaning against the wall, staring unblinking at his sister. Lila had sat on the bed with her sister and held her hand, falling asleep against the headboard. It had felt wrong to be with the triplets while Livvy was so ill, so he'd left.

He's gone outside of Livvy's room, sitting on the floor, remembering how Ty had slept in front of his own door his first days in Los Angeles, and he'd curled up on the worn carpeted floor, not expecting to get much sleep. He didn't even remember passing out, but he must have.

Kit struggled up into a sitting position. "Lila, wait a second—"

But she walked off down the hall like she didn't hear Kit speak. Ty was going in the direction of the main hallway, his hands closing into fists and opening again. He heard Ty speaking to someone then; it sounded like Mark.

So Kit scrambled to his feet and followed Lila. He wasn't sure why. But he still wanted to talk to her. He realised he didn't know the Blackthorns at all, not Lila or her triplets. And yet she was sort of his friend.

He followed her as she pushed open the door to the roof of he Institute. Cold air blew into the building. He frowned. Lila was wearing a dress which seemed to be from the 1940's, sky-blue and knee-length; she looked freezing cold.

It was early morning, Kit noticed when he looked up. The sky was grey and cloudy and the sounds of the city were around them.

Lila had walked over to the railings and leaned against them, looking down at the city, her arms crossed to push her hands up and down them in the hopes of getting warm.

"Are you alright?" Kit asked, stopping beside her. He glanced at her.

"Just cold," she replied. Her teeth were chattering slightly.

"Then maybe we should go back downstairs," Kit said. "It's warmer inside."

"I'm not going in there until Livvy's better." She was adamant.

"Livvy's going to be fine," Said Kit. "She'll be alright by tomorrow."

"If Livvy had a parabatai," Said Lila quickly, "then she'd be okay. But she doesn't. Because Ty wants to go to the Scholomance and I don't want a parabatai."

"She'll be okay," Kit told her again. "I promise."

Lila shook her head. "What if Livvy dies, Kit? What if she doesn't wake up?"

She'd reached out and grabbed hold of his wrist, her hand tight on it, eyes brimming with tears. Kit didn't know what to do.

"What can I do?" He asked.

Lila moved then, wrapped her arms right around his middle and rested her head on his chest. Her hands tightened into fists, holding his knitted sweater tightly. She didn't say anything.

So Kit just her her, awkwardly at first but then he adjusted his arms around her shoulders and held her tight, under the brightening sky.

—

Instead of sitting with Kit, she decided to sit next to Livvy and Ty instead that morning at breakfast, which happened to be late. Kit looked slightly confused when he saw the empty seat beside him, and he thought has she moved because of last night? but then looked at Livvy and realised that she wanted to be with her triplets, the people she was connected to the most.