Chapter 7 - The Little SentinelWhile the adults spoke downstairs, eight-year-old Chloe took it upon herself to guard her brother's room.
She sat cross-legged on the floor outside Leo’s bedroom door, holding a wooden toy sword from her playroom. When the maid came up with a tray of soup, Chloe checked the bowl first before letting her pass.
Inside, Leo sat in the center of the massive king-sized bed, surrounded by soft pillows. He wore clean flannel pajamas, but he looked small and lost in the grand room.
Chloe stepped inside, closing the door quietly behind her. She walked over and dumped a large velvet bag onto the duvet, spilling dozens of colorful building blocks between them.
"You used to build big towers when you were little," Chloe said, sitting beside him and holding up a blue block. "And then you'd smash them and laugh."
Leo looked at the blocks, then slowly reached out a small, clean hand. He picked up a red block, turning it over in his fingers as if trying to re-learn its purpose.
"Do you remember me?" Chloe asked softly, her big brown eyes searching his face.
Leo looked at her for a long moment. He reached out and gently touched the tip of her nose, just as he used to do when they were toddlers.
"Chloe," he whispered, the name coming back to him like a faint song heard through a fog.
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A bright smile broke across Chloe’s face. She threw her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. "I won't let anyone take you away again, Leo. I'm your big sister now—well, I'm younger, but I'm bigger than you were when you left. So I'm protecting you."
Leo didn't pull away this time. He rested his chin on her head, feeling a strange, solid sense of safety he hadn't felt in four long years.
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