(I'm doin it)
Suddenly, the front door opened and a small voice called out. "Lloyd? Val brought me here… are you in here?" Then, a little angel boy stepped around the corner. He couldn't have been more than four or five years old. His hair was coppery, fluffy, and messy. His eyes were hazel and he had a pair of bent, crooked wings upon his back. He wore a sort of white tunic with a simple belt, and he spotted the three others in the room.
Darren turned around startled, "What the heck?"
Lloyd turned towards the boy, taking a few moments to realize who it was. "Nathaniel? What are you doing here?" He quickly walked over to Nathaniel and picked him up, careful not to crush his wings.
Darren though, he vaguely remembered Lloyd saying he had a younger brother, and the boy did look like him. "Your brother?" Darren asked.
Genatrix was surprised at the young one. Why would a young angel be down here? She turned to address the angel.
"You are the 'Lloyd', correct?" She spoke, trying to keep her voice as one. And failing.
Lloyd nodded, Nathaniel laying his head on Lloyd's chest. "I'd say he's… four, five years old now. Nate, this is Darren." The boy looked up at Darren. "Hello! I came here on a pegasus!" He said, sounded excited and a bit exhilarated. He seemed not to notice Genatrix.
"Yes, I'm Lloyd. Who are you? How do you know me?" Lloyd turned towards Genatrix, confused.
Darren laughed, he had always wanted a younger sibling and probably would've gotten one if it weren't for his mom. He smiled at the boy.
(SHADE)
Lloyd set down his brother and Nathaniel trotted over to Darren, grabbing onto his pants leg and looking up at Genatrix.
"Hey buddy," Darren smiled at the boy.
"Hi! I'm Nathaniel Tobias Windsor, Lloyd's my big brother! At least that's what Val said… I don't remember him a whole lot."
"That's a cool name," He laughed, "I'm Darren Everett Anderson and Lloyd is my friend. It's good to meet you," Darren put his hand out assuming the child knew what a handshake was.
Nathaniel shook his hand before holding his arms up to be carried. He only weighed about five pounds, and was often simply carried since he couldn't fly.
Darren smiled and pick Nathaniel up. He looked at Lloyd, "Your brother is going to be my new best friend,"
Lloyd smiled softly. "He's fairly sociable. Keep in mind, you may have to carry him everywhere. He can't fly, and he's gotten quite used to just being carried instead." Nathaniel wrapped his arms around Darren's neck, looking back at Genatrix and cocking his head to the side curiously.
"I- I'm sorry I'm incredibly confused. Why on earth is there a young-ling here? Isn't there strict rules that forbid young Pure Ones from leaving its walls?" Genatrix shook her head. She was revealing too much of her knowledge.
"I'm good with carrying him where ever he wants! He's adorable." Darren smiled.
"What? I'm not sure. For battle, it's allowed. Usually it's impossible for young angels who aren't in battle to leave unless they…." His eyes widened. "Unless their guardians have died…" His voice dropped to a whisper. "Nate, where's mom and dad? Are they okay?" Nathaniel thought for a moment. "They left and they didn't come back. Peter told me they were 'gone'." (Peter's the leader of the soldiers btw) Lloyd turned away, his breath catching in his throat. "Oh, no… this is bad, very bad… he'll have to stay here…"
"Lloyd are you okay," Darren had a flashback of when his mom died and knew Lloyd would need someone even if they weren't close.
"Y-Yes… fine.. fine…" Lloyd said quietly, his voice cracking. Everything seemed to be… dull. And spinning. Pull yourself together! You hardly knew them! True, but they're my parents, and now they're dead! And Nathaniel's stuck with me! Nathaniel seemed confused, as though he didn't quite understand the concept of death, which he didn't.
"I can help with Nathaniel, and whatever else you need," Darren reassured.
"Yeah!" Nathaniel said brightly enough. "It's okay, mom and dad go out all the time! I'm sure they'll come back soon." Lloyd sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. "I… N-Nate, it… it doesn't work quite like that. Mom and dad…. t-they won't be coming back…" "What do you mean?" "I mean… I-I mean they're gone, Nate. Gone forever. T-They won't come back home…"
Darren rubbed Nate's back, "Do you understand what he's saying?"
"Are they on a trip? Did they move away to the 'beach'?" Nathaniel still seemed confused. "Um… yeah, s-sure. We'll go with that till you're old enough to understand…" Tears stung Lloyd's eyes, and he turned away from Darren and his brother. Don't let them see you cry…