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Lanson cleared his throat and turned away. Maekus and Lanson weren’t that close, but anyone with a heart would be shocked by his death. He was quiet and kind, the type that nobody would have a conflict with.

Nobody but Ryder.

Ryder told Headmistress Katherine that the incident had been accidental, a simple mishap with his magic. If she planned to expel him, she was taking her sweet damn time.

He didn’t deserve to be here. Maekus did.

Lanson stepped forward to the small table beside Maekus’s bed, picking up a letter. “His mother put this in his bag before he boarded the train.”

He passed me the paper. The edges were wrinkled and torn, as if Maekus took it with him everywhere and read it over and over again.

My perfect boy,

Your family is beaming with pride. Your sister awaits you in The Golden City, and I know you will do whatever it takes to be reunited with her. Real life begins beyond those walls.

I have nothing but faith in you.

See you soon. Stay strong.

With endless love,

Mother

I sucked in a sharp breath. Not only was Maekus innocent, but he had family counting on him to make it inside.

All of that gone, an entire family shattered because of one arrogant brute.

I wanted to fucking kill Ryder for what he did.

“It must have been nice.” Lanson shoved his hands in his front pockets. “He had so many people caring about him.”

“Yeah,” I whispered, passing back the letter. “People like him usually do.”

I felt Lanson’s attention slide from Maekus’s letter to me. “I’m sure you have family waiting for you to get in, right? People who are rooting for you to get inside?”

“My parents are dead.” The words slipped from my mouth in a single breath. I instantly regretted them, turning my attention to Maekus’s bed. Lanson’s gaze became too direct, too heavy as I stood there waiting for his response.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I had no idea.”

“I was young,” I explained. “It’s not a big deal.”

The words were true. The death of my parents became a dull pain throughout the years. Now, I could think of them without feeling anything. I couldn’t remember their faces, couldn’t remember a single detail of my life with them.

Lord was my family now. Rummy was my family. They were everything to me.

My old life was dead, along with any memories of my parents.

“If it makes you feel any better,” Lanson added, “I sometimes wish my parents were dead.”

My attention snapped back to him. It was his turn to look away, to stare out of the tiny window in the bedroom. “What?” I asked. “Why would you say that?”

Lanson shrugged.

I stepped closer to him and placed my hand on his tense back. I wasn’t sure why. Something within me pushed me to comfort him. Maybe it was because I had nobody to comfort me, had nobody consoling me when I really needed it.

Lanson needed somebody, too.

“I don’t want to bore you with the details,” he breathed.