Anomaly

(POV: Protagonist)

After my sudden appearance, it took a while before everyone calmed down enough for us to deal with the current situation again. The scare had been significant, and the tension that filled the room left everyone visibly uncomfortable. My little sister's family seemed particularly horrified by my presence.

Their gazes carried a mixture of fear, concern, and suspicion that didn't go unnoticed by me. I wasn't entirely sure why, but considering how they had always tried to keep her away from me at all costs, it wasn't difficult to imagine what was going through their minds.

Most likely, my little sister's parents believed I was trying to take her away from them somehow. Well... that wasn't exactly a lie. I really did want to get closer to my little sister and be a part of her life. However, it wasn't as if I was planning to rip her away from the family that raised her and take her by force.

Just imagining something like that sounded ridiculous. In fact, I had no intention of taking her away at all. If she wanted to continue living with her human family, surrounded by the people she loved and who had cared for her all these years, I had no intention of interfering with that choice. Regardless of what I felt or wanted, that decision belonged entirely to her.

"How long have you been following us?" Rupert was the first to speak, finally addressing the elephant in the room. His tone was casual, but there was obvious tension beneath his words.

"To be honest, I don't really have a problem with it" He shrugged, letting out a brief snort of laughter: "I mean, I've already seen you do way stranger things than sneaking around and following people" He paused for a moment before continuing: "But that doesn't make it any less creepy. Knowing someone was watching me the whole time... and I never even noticed" His expression grew slightly more serious: "That's actually kind of scary"

Rupert's body shivered slightly as he said that, as though merely voicing the thought made him uncomfortable. While most of his words had been spoken in a humorous, almost teasing tone, those last comments reflected his genuine feelings.

And honestly, I couldn't blame him. Being watched without realizing it, having someone follow your every move without leaving the slightest trace of their presence... that was probably enough to make anyone uneasy.

"Well... to tell the truth... since the beginning" My voice came out much calmer and more controlled than I intended, almost indifferent to anyone listening. Internally, however, things were very different.

The problem wasn't a lack of concern, I simply didn't know how to express emotions properly. Convincingly showing regret was far beyond my capabilities, so the best I could manage was trying to look at least a little embarrassed.

Everyone continued staring at me without looking away, as if waiting for some additional explanation that would somehow justify everything. I swallowed hard: "I got curious..." I admitted, discreetly scratching my cheek: "So I decided to observe what methods you were going to use with my little sister"

The words came out more naturally than I would have liked. No positive reaction followed. My eyes quickly moved from one face to another. No one seemed particularly impressed by my honesty.

"Uhh... so..." I hesitated for a moment, carefully searching for the right words: "Sorry?" The attempted apology sounded terribly weak even to me. In fact, my voice conveyed far more confusion than remorse.

I was genuinely trying to understand the problem. I really was. While everyone continued watching me with increasingly complicated expressions, I mentally reviewed the entire situation for what felt like the tenth time. Technically speaking, I hadn't even interfered with the process.

Emily and Victor looked exasperated, both wearing the familiar expressions of people who had long since given up trying to control the situation. Rupert, meanwhile, simply watched me with a faint smirk, giving me a look dripping with irony, as if he were watching a particularly entertaining show.

Laura was the only one who seemed genuinely relieved by my presence. Her shoulders, previously tense, visibly relaxed when she saw me. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for my little sister's family. Charlotte's parents looked at me as though I were a threat about to attack them at any moment.

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There was fear in their eyes, but also anger, distrust, and a heavy dose of denial. It was obvious that each of them had their own opinions about me, and none of them seemed remotely favorable: "This is completely insane!" Charlotte's mother exploded almost immediately after hearing my words.

Her voice came out louder than she had probably intended, filled with indignation. She stepped forward, instinctively positioning herself in front of her daughter like a mother protecting her child from a predator: "My daughter is not one of those monsters!" she continued, pointing at me with a trembling hand: "She's human! So stop calling her that!"

Her face was red, and her emotions made her words come faster and faster: "Charlotte has absolutely nothing to do with... with whatever kind of freak you are!" she shot back: "So leave us alone! Just disappear from our lives!"

When she finally finished speaking, the woman took a deep breath, as though she had just run a marathon. Her breathing came in short, uneven bursts while her chest rose and fell rapidly.

The place fell into complete silence. Not a single person spoke, yet every gaze converged on me. Somewhere in the room, I heard someone swallow hard, the small, nervous sound feeling far louder than it should have in that moment. But my mind was elsewhere.

Well, to be honest, my little sister’s mother is a pretty rude person. It had been obvious for a long time that she didn’t like me, but wasn’t this going too far? Still, even after practically insulting me in front of everyone, I just couldn’t bring myself to hate her.

Not when her body was trembling like that. Her shoulders shuddered every so often, and her hands looked like they were struggling to stay steady. She reminded me of a soaked cat left out on a harsh winter day, desperately trying to look bigger and more threatening than it actually was.

And then there were her eyes. Even though they were pointed at me, it was obvious she didn’t want to meet my gaze. Her eyes kept darting away, as if searching for literally anywhere else to focus. The wall behind me, the floor, the people around us... anything would do, as long as she didn’t have to hold eye contact for too long.

In short, she was terrified. Absolutely terrified of me. Which was pretty ironic, if I stopped to think about it. After all, she had just called me a freak without hesitation. And yet, at that moment, the one who looked like she was standing in front of a monster wasn’t me. It was her.

And strangely enough, all of this made her hostility feel less like hatred and more like the desperate reflex of someone trying to deal with a fear that had long since gone past the point of rationality, all just to protect her daughter.

Moving on, perhaps because she realized no one else was going to break the silence, Emily cleared her throat. The sound was oddly loud in the stillness, almost out of place, as if she were trying to buy herself a few seconds to organize her thoughts: “Anyway...” she began, straightening her posture in the chair: “I’m assuming you heard everything we’ve said so far, [Angel of Death]. Can I take that as a yes?”

Putting aside how surprisingly formal Emily sounded, I simply nodded. Seeing my response, she continued right away: “Good. Then you must’ve also heard our theory. Is there any way to know whether we’re right or not? Any way to tell the difference?”

I thought for a moment and tilted my head slightly. Was it possible? Honestly, I wasn’t sure. It wasn’t a simple question, and before I could organize my thoughts or properly form an answer, a familiar voice cut in: “Wait!” my little sister blurted out.

Her tone came out louder than she probably intended, carrying such genuine surprise that everyone immediately turned to look at her: “Is your name actually [Angel of Death]?”

I blinked once. Then again. For a brief moment, I just stared at her in silence before replying: “More or less” I shrugged, not particularly bothered: “It’s more of a codename than a real name. My real name is Zentharys”

I paused slightly: “But aside from my other little sisters, pretty much everyone calls me [Angel of Death]. I guess it’s easier to remember a flashy title like that than a complicated name” I gave another small shrug, completely indifferent.

By the way... that was the only part she focused on? Strange. But who am I to question it? Still, it didn’t seem like her curiosity had ended there. Charlotte tilted her head slightly, watching me with childlike fascination. Her eyes moved across me as if I were some creature straight out of a fantasy book.

“So... are you some kind of anomaly-angel or something?” she asked. Her gaze naturally drifted toward the wings attached near my coccyx. She studied them for a few seconds without any fear at all, just genuine fascination: “They’re beautiful...” she admitted, her eyes faintly sparkling: “And honestly, they’re pretty cool”

Then her gaze moved up to my head, focusing on the horns growing through my hair. She wrinkled her nose slightly as she examined them: “The horns are kind of creepy... but also cool” she said after a moment. Then, after a brief pause, she asked completely seriously: “If I become an anomaly too, do I get stuff like that?”

The silence that followed was almost comedic. Charlotte’s mother reacted exactly how any mother would upon hearing her daughter express interest in gaining monstrous traits: “Charlotte!” she exclaimed, eyes wide in shock.

Charlotte simply blinked a few times, then shrugged, completely unfazed: “What?” she replied, spreading her hands innocently: “They’re cool”

“That’s not the point!” her mother shot back immediately.

“But it’s still true” Charlotte insisted, casually pointing at me: “The wings are amazing”

The calm, matter-of-fact expression on her face only made the entire situation more absurd, drawing stunned looks from everyone around.

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