Protector of Lost Children

| CHAPTER XVIII |

Hello, Readers! This is the second chapter that I've posted in a row since the new year. I'm keeping up with my promise.

~CSP2708~

| Chapter 18 || Twin Telepathy |

Going to bed that night wasn't easy. Not only was she not tired after sleeping basically all day, but Lupa just couldn't calm all her thoughts, which had been running rampant since her father and sister's attack on the Pole.

Of course, she'd made sure that the guardians were all up and comfortable in the guest rooms of the Pole, their battle wounds tended to and their bodies positioned in bed to allow them to get some decent rest. Lupa had no logical reason to worry, but she still did.

When she finally did get to sleep, it was anything but restful. She spent hours upon hours running through darkened halls, tunnels without end in her chaotic dreams. One tunnel, however, did have an end. She stepped toward the light, hand up to cover her eyes as she left the darkness.

It was glorious. A lush green forest, complete with tall, ancient trees, shrubs of all sorts, and critters running to and fro. Birds chirped high in the branches, and squirrels chattered mindlessly to one another as they nibbled and munched on acorns and walnuts.

"Lupa..."

Lupa turned sharply, her hair whipping around her face as her eyes searched for the speaker. There was no one.

"Lupa...!" The voice was louder than before, though still distant. It was almost like someone was yelling directly into her ear, but was also underwater as they did.

"Lupa!"

Suddenly, Emily appeared next to her. Her sister. Emily. She was standing there, her clothes as leafy as ever and her eyes still shining with happiness and her general love for the world. She was the same as she had been when Lupa had first found her before she'd gone and joined Pitch in his quest to take over the world of children's belief.

"Emily!" she cried in surprise, immediately reaching out to hug her long-lost sister. As she saw the other spirit standing there, memories of their childhood flooded her mind, and a deep love filled her heart, making butterflies flutter in her stomach. "I've missed you! Goodness gracious, I've missed you!"

"Lupa...?" Emily's voice was confused; she stared at Lupa with her eyebrows furrowed and her head tilted. "How could you miss me? We haven't known each other long, and I...I betrayed you guys to join Pitch...to get what I want."

"Why wouldn't I miss you? You're my sister! You've always been my sister! We complete each other, Emily. We belong side by side, protecting the children and nature of this world, as a family."

Emily just grew more confused. "Sisters...?" she wondered aloud. Of course, it made sense to her. They looked alike and talked alike, and she'd felt a pull toward the other spirit as soon as they'd met in the Amazon rainforest – though she hadn't been able to piece together the clues until it was all laid out for her. They were family – sisters even – and she had still betrayed them. The guardians, as Emily had found out, stood for the protection of children's hopes, wonders, and dreams, and she was helping a man who wanted to destroy all that.

Emily fell to her knees. Her leafy clothing didn't do much to protect her skin as she knelt in the dirt, feeling the earth give way underneath her. She sobbed, her face pressed into a comforting shoulder as warm arms wrapped around her body like a safety blanket. She sobbed and sobbed, feeling the weight of her guilt bear down upon her. She'd hurt people – good people – for selfish reasons, even if those reasons weren't her own.