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"If you're done then you should come help me with some chores. Her slight smile was mischievous and her voice was better than I remembered; the memory of it a cheap copy when compared to the real thing. "Or do I have to beg you again?"
My head shook, a child-like giggle escaping my lips.
"Well then," she said, standing and walking away with smooth, brisk motions. "Tidy up the table then come over to the front yard. We've still yet to finish with the plants."
I should probably tell my mother how much I've missed her. From her slight frame to the way she stepped so lightly, almost as if she was floating, to her stern, calm yet good humoured way of talking. I willed myself to call to her, but instead of that, my head nodded and turned to the table. What? That's not what was supposed to happen. I watched as my arms gathered up the yellow plate, cup, and silver utensils that I had apparently used in eating. But I hadn't seen those in years. As my body walked to the kitchen, it dawned on me why I wasn't in control. A quick glance at myself passing the dining mirror confirmed it. I look so young! This must have been a past memory, before that day that took everything away.
I watched through my body's eyes as it walked into the new room with neatly tiled walls and a polished wooden floor, a fire blazed in the furnace that sat in one corner and something was currently bubbling away in a pot. If I had the power, I would have stopped and marvelled at the sight of it all. Didn't remember it being this clean. Younger me carefully kept the plate and its companions on a nearby table before getting a rag, skipping back to the dining room. While I had remembered the large wooden dining table, the chandelier that hung above it, and the magnificent looking glass showcase that stood to one side of it, the white marble pillars had escaped my memory. How could they though? I thought as more memories came flooding back. That's where Nia would hide if she wanted me to find her and end the game quickly. Also they hadn't always been white but grey! Yes, they were grey until father decided to have them painted white so they would match the walls better. My body had begun wiping off the table when a little flicker appeared at its centre. What was that?
"Mom!" My voice was soft and frankly, more shrill than it had right to be. "Nia's sending a flower!"
A...flower?
"Already?" Called my mother's voice from outside. "Well make sure to tell me what colour it is so I know what to prepare. Just in case I forget."
While that wasn't very likely to happen as mother rarely forgot anything, my head nodded, turning and staring at the flickers hovering above the table. Nia would be sending a flower and the colour would tell my mother what to prepare? How did that—oh! How could I have forgotten? Nia's Crux could teleport any object smaller and with less weight than she had. While it was pretty useful, there was one thing she used it for almost everyday.
Nia was a sales girl at the local market most days after school and on Saturdays. She didn't work for a specific merchant but made things easier for all of them, doing things like helping them off load, helping their customers with their goods, or by just simply being around, her good looks and good nature were enough to bring plenty of customers. So much so that most days, she would get gifts from customers as tips, merchants as gratitude for her work, or from one of her many suitors who tried in vain to impress her. Nia had tried to tell them time and time again that she was only sixteen and wasn't interested but they were adamant that they could change her mind. So they kept giving her gifts and Nia, who had grown tired of refusing and with permission from our parents, began accepting these gifts, adding them with what she got from customers and merchants, and sending them back home.
Sometimes the gifts were monetary, a few bronze Quarters or silver Dimes or rarely, an Ari or two. However, most times the gifts were food items, probably gotten from the merchants around them. Logalian fruits, Ajurian vegetables, maize from Nenib, eggs, a loaf of bread or two, meat from Kunada or Kigo, sometimes pink milk from Oderian cattle, once a rainbow fish from the Port of Rivers. My sister had gotten all kinds of food as presents, some of which she'd thought better off left behind. Nia would always sends those that were good enough to the same spot: the centre of the dining table. The only problem was knowing exactly what she was going to send in order to avoid wastage. My mother hated situations where she would prepare something only for Nia to send that very same item, sometimes prepared in the exact same way she had. And so after his suggestion to abandon the gifts had been scorned, my father thought up a solution. An hour and thirty minutes or so before sending her daily 'earnings', Nia would send a symbol to alert mom on what she would be bringing back.
After a couple of different signal attempts, Nia had settled on using flowers she would get from an Anaara flower merchant, the colour of which would indicate what she would bring. While my mother objected, asking why she couldn't simply write a note and send that back, Nia and I insisted on using flowers and so she let us. We assigned the meanings to the different flowers and colours almost randomly. It was almost like a game to us. A yellow carnation meant there wouldn't be anything that day, chrysanthemums meant fruit, a clover was for milk or dairy products, daisies were for vegetables, hyacinths for baked goods. Blue, red, yellow, purple, pink, white, lilies, jasmines, tulips, the system went on and on but before long, our parents accepted it, even attempting to learn what the colours and flowers represented. How did I forget all that?
"Anything yet?" Came her mother's voice, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"No..." My voice sounded worried, or rather, impatient, almost like it wasn't supposed to take this long once the flickering began.
"Well," said my mother. "Maybe she's having a hard time picking a flower. You know how confusing it gets."
"Maybe..." She was right. While the number of flowers gave us a rough estimate of the quantity, sometimes the flower combinations would be so varied that mom's confusion would have been less without it.
"It would be so much better if you two finally decided on writing a list instead." She muttered in a melodic tune, drawing out the last word.
My body only grunted in response, still focused on the flickering spot. I gasped as something began to suddenly materialize in the air, a stem of some kind.
"It's here! It's here!" My voice could barely contain its excitement. I watched as the rest of the flower appeared, falling with a soft thud. My body ran over, picked up the flower then scratched its head in confusion.
"Well? Which is it?"
"Uh..." I paused and looked over at the rose in my hand. "Well, it's a rose."
"Okay, and the colour?"
"That's the problem."
"How is that a problem?"
"Well...it's black." My body looked over the dark rose again. It was an elegant looking thing, small yet beautiful. Almost like someone had put a regular rose in an oven till it was burnt to a crisp. Burnt almost like—
"What does black mean again?" Asked my mother after a few moments of silence.
"That's the problem." I replied, voice still bewildered. "She's never sent black before."
"Hmm. Odd."
* * * * *
Seeing as there were chores to be done, my mother decided to ignore the flower and instead opted to prepare whatever she could and have Nia explain herself when she returned.
"Now," my mother said, a gardening spade held up in one hand. "Remember to be careful. I know you can just patch the plants up if you make a mistake but that's beside the point." I watched as she carefully placed a large ovule-like plant into one of the holes she had dug earlier. I'd forgotten how much my mother loved this hobby, the light in her eyes, the smile on her face as she made sure it was properly planted. "Just because you have a Crux, doesn't mean you should abuse it for any little thing. After all, do you see your father and I using ours as frantically as you and your sister do." She chuckled at the look on my face. "Then again, I guess we did a little when we were younger."
I'd forgotten that they had Cruses. What were they again? How did I not know this? My hands reached for the next plant, lifting it carefully, and placing it in the hole in front of me. Why was there so much I didn't remember? Even if it had been five years, I shouldn't have this much trouble with these many details.
After the planting was done, my mother looked up and smiled at me, wiping sweat off her brow with an elegant flick of her wrist. "Now, all we have to do is water them and they should sprout in about a week or so. You know what kind of plants these are?"
My head shook.
"Well that's the fun part." My mother said with a conspiratory grin. "Neither do I."
She then told me to keep the tools, as she cleaned up the yard. The small tool shed was behind our single story house. As my body walked, I looked up at where we lived. Where we used to live. Its wooden exterior was polished and its glass windows gleamed. Mother usually did all the cleaning in the mornings and while Nia was busy working in the afternoons, I would help her with the remaining chores if there was no homework to be done. The old tool shed was in a better condition than I recalled and as my body walked towards it, I noticed a rough carving a little above the door. 'Antonia & Minerva: Sisters Forever.' When was that made? How did I forget something so important? My body looked up at the carving, giggling a little. "Sisters forever." I muttered, before opening the door, keeping the gardening spade, the small bag of fertilizer, and the water can on the shelf they belonged, then making my way back with out a backward glance at the shed. Turn back! Let me see it again! Please! Instead my body began to run in an attempt to catch up with my mother as she entered the house.
It didn't make any sense, so much so that I would have cried if I had control. Antonia and Minerva: Sisters Forever. The words played themselves over and over in my head as my mother and I entered the kitchen to prepare dinner. They kept me distracted from the casserole dish we were making, my body following commands automatically.
"Go prepare the table while I finish up."
A quick nod and then my body grabbed a few plates, glasses, and cutlery. As I set the plates on the table, there was a hurried set of taps on the front door. "Hold on!" Called my mother. "Minerva, be a dear and get the door."
"Alright." The tapping on the door didn't stop. "Nia, quit it. I'm opening it." Within a moment of opening the door, a blur of auburn hair rushed past me.
"Gotta go! Gotta go real bad!" She called back as she rushed to her room. My body sighed, apparently used to that kind of thing but watching, I'd forgotten how loud and full of energy she was.
"I take it that Nia's back." Came my mother's voice from the kitchen, laughter in voice.
"And then some." I replied, shaking my head in amusement.
I continued setting the plates, putting one on each side of the table. Glass cups and cutlery followed suit. I returned to the kitchen to find Nia with mom, chatting away, barely a pause between words.
"And then honestly I wondered why they even tried because everyone was watching and even though anyone else would have had the common sense to know how embarrassing that would be, they still continued—"
"Who are you talking about?" I asked.
"Ah," she turned to me with a grin. She was as pretty as my mother, a youthful beauty instead of that aged elegance. Her auburn hair, despite being shiny was not that copper bronze my mother had. "So there was this thing earlier today when Thomas—I told you about Thomas didn't I?—yeah, I'm sure I did well anyway about Thomas and his friend so Thomas has this friend Aaron and the two of them decided to approach me as I was helping Mrs. Tiku with her fruits." A rare pause before she continued. "And honestly I'm glad they embarrassed themselves 'cuz Aaron was all cocky and then him and Thomas started arguing about who would be the one to ask me out and pushing and shoving each other out the way until Mrs. Tiku yelled at them in that language of hers, scaring the blazes out of—" We were already laughing when she paused and so I'm not really sure her next word, as quietly muttered as it was, was heard. "Blazes."
Nia's mood seemed to dampen a little after that but I'm not sure our mother noticed. In fact, judging from the way my body continued to pester her, I hadn't noticed it too. What was bothering her? I tried bringing up the black rose multiple times but she would change the topic with a smile and a round about story.
Shortly after sunset, there was a soft knock on the door that my mother went to answer. "Hey, handsome. Welcome back." She said as she opened the door.
"Are you ever going to quit the flirting?" He said with a laugh. "It worked a long time ago. No need to continue."
He walked into the sitting room where Nia and I were, dropped his black suitcase, and held out his arms.
"Daddyyyyyyy!!"
"Dad!"
I ran up to our father and jumped into his arms as Nia walked up to meet him. "Hey girls!" He exclaimed, putting me down and adjusting his square rimmed glasses after giving Nia a hug. He was tall, slim, and had the same blonde hair I did, neatly cropped with a matching moustache. "How was school today?"
"Pretty good. Well there was—" I stopped abruptly and looked at Nia. She should have interrupted me by now but instead she just stared up at father, a sad, contemplative look on her face.
"There was what?" My dad prompted me to continue and while I did want to talk to him, to try and tell him how the last couple of years had been, my body kept looking at Nia.
"Uh sis," I said instead. "Anything wrong?"
"Huh? No." She gave me one of her classic grins. "I was just wondering something about dad's job?"
"Oh, is that so?" Asked my father as he walked to sit on one of the leather couches. "Hit me with that question." What question had she asked again?
"Well," Nia began, sitting across from him. My body followed her. "Is there any way a school teacher like you could attract the attention of Rrists?"
"Well it depends."
"On?"
"It depends on what he teaches or where he teaches." Answered my father. Their voices were casual, yet held airs of stiff formality. "Since I teach Crux management, I doubt that's very threatening to what they do."
"Or?" Why'd she ask for another option? Was there something Nia knew?
My father raised an eyebrow, the only sign of emotion on his now straight face. "It depends on what he teaches, where he teaches or what he does when he's not teaching." There was a pause. "Anything you wanna talk about, hun?"
"No. Not now." Replied Nia with a quick glance at me. "Maybe after dinner."
My father nodded solemnly as my mother came into the room. "Did somebody mention dinner?" She asked with a flourished wave of her hand.
* * * * *
My body was in bed when the smoke started.
My family talked and shared stories, from our day or otherwise, for a few hours after dinner before I was sent to bed since there was school the next day. My body had begun walking to my room before it realized that Nia wasn't following. I turned back. "You not coming?"
"Go ahead." She replied with a smile. "I'll be right there. There's just a few things I need to talk to mom and dad about."
My body hesitated, an objection about leaving my mouth, but the serious looks from mom and dad sent me hurrying away. What could they possibly want to talk about that I couldn't be a part of? I continued wondering as my body brushed its teeth, wore pyjamas, and entered her room, tossing and turning for a long while after entering underneath her covers. Clearly she wasn't used to going to bed without Nia. Mother gasped loudly and I began hearing other parts of their conversation, their voices rising, as my body continued its struggle to sleep, oblivious to what was being said in the other room.
"So there's nothing we can do?" Fathers voice.
Do about what?
"There's only one thing we can do." That was mother. The next set of words was too quiet to hear. "... The girls..."
My father spoke softly. "...otherwise they would just continue to come after..."
"Unless," suggested Nia. "We..."
"That might be risky but its better than all of us..."
"When is it supposed to happen?" Asked my mother. When was what supposed to happen? What was risky?
"An hour or two."
"Well... Better head to bed." My father said, a sadness in his voice. "Let's hope it all works out."
"I-I love you guys." Why did Nia sound like she was on the verge of tears? What needed to work out?
"We love you too, honey." Replied my mother. "Now get going. There's not much time left."
Nia made her way to our room, opening the door as quietly as she could but regardless of that, my body stirred.
"What were you guys talking about?" I asked, my voice tired and sleepy.
"Oh, nothing much." Nia replied with her usual cheer.
"Oh." I yawned. "But you'd tell me if it was important right? Sisters forever?"
"Yeah." Her voice sad as she bent down to give my forehead a light kiss. "Sisters forever."
And with that, my body seemed satisfied, falling asleep and leaving me in a dark, quiet state. What was I seeing? What were they hiding? If only I could remember what day this was then maybe I'd have more of an idea.
My body coughed then turned to its other side. The it was getting harder to breathe almost as if the air was thicker. Someone tapped me gently.
"Minerva." She said with a cough. "Get up."
My body sat up groggily, coughing and putting a hand to its nose. Why was the room so smoky? Smoke. No. No. No.
Minerva.
"Mom, what's going on?" I asked.
"Don't worry hun, everything is gonna be okay." It was my father that replied. Why were they both here? Where was all this smoke coming from? "Moneta, it's the only way."
"I know, Horus. I know." Said my mom disheartenedly. "It's just...I hope she'll forgive us if she ever finds out."
"Forgive you for what, mom?" Asked my body nervously, the coughs becoming more frequent. "What's going on?"
My mother placed her hands on the sides of my head with her fingers spread out, her palms touching the temple on either side. "We love you. Always remember that."
There was a blinding light that was gone just as suddenly as it came.
"It's done. I couldn't bring myself to remove everything. Just dulled things down to make it all hurt less. Would last for a couple of days." My mother hugged me tightly. "Nia, you're sure you can do this?"
"What other option do we have?" She was crying. They all were. What had they done?
Minerva. Come on. Come on.
My mother reluctantly released me from her hug. "Do it before I change my mind."
Nia walked up to my bed, and gave me a hug. "It might be a while but I'm hoping it all works out."
My body blinked and next thing I knew, I was outside our house. And it was on fire.
Minerva.
That's when the screams started, puncturing the once tranquil night. My body scrambled towards the door. Maybe I could pry it open. Maybe I could actually save them this time. Maybe things would be different. No. No. The door wouldn't open. I was completely useless.
Minerva.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Said a laughing voice. "It seems like everywhere is barricaded. Nyx did a good enough job but it seems she missed a spot."
Miner—Aed?
My body turned and sure enough standing beside me was that man. The red haired Rrist walked towards me, bathed in the light of my burning house, flames dancing all over his bare arms. "Now," he continued as he drew nearer. "What to do with little Ms. escapee?" He leaned over me as my body fell unto the grass, scrambling back in terror.
"D-did you do th-this?" I managed to stutter out.
"You bet!" He grinned maniacally, his red hair seeming to glow in the heat of the surrounding air.
"Wh-why?"
"Why?" He stopped and put a flaming finger on his bare chin. "Well, daddy and his team made some people mad and now they've gotta die. I volunteered to do it. Seemed fun. Is fun." He breathed in deeply. "Smell that? The smoke, the screams, the flames!"
"Y-you volunteered?" I could feel the rage in that question. "My family is dying all because you volunteered for fun?"
"Yessiree that's exactly what I just said. You deaf? Maybe I should cauterize your ears." He stretched his hand towards me but stopped abruptly. "What the?"
I followed his gaze, looking down to see that the grass around me had shrivelled, turning into black, ash-like patches. My Crux, or at least that part of it. The Rrist's whistle seemed appreciative.
"Maybe that's why she kept you alive." He straightened up and started walking away. "Oh, you'll be an interesting one. Maybe they'll make another 'K' out of you." He chuckled. "We could always use more of those monsters."
He'd seen my Crux. I didn't remember that? I barely remembered anything about what had just happened. I looked up at my house, crumbling away as the fire continued to rage. This, I remembered. The screams had died out, leaving the night dead silent, with only a flicker of flame or crumble of the house to disturb it.
I remember sitting in front of the house in despair, as night turned to day and our house and everything in it turned to ash. The last time I felt that hopeless was when a merchant had caught me trying to steal a few days later. That was the day I'd met Wise.
Wise!
Instantly, the scene changed and I was watching the kids from the Burrows.
"Took you long enough." That was Silver's whisper of a voice. "Hurry up and make sure this is the right place. You've wasted enough time as it is." He paused. I-I I'm sorry..."
Somehow Silver had seen what happened with my family and while I planned on addressing that, now wasn't the time. Looking down at Wise and the others as they spoke with a frantic quiet, I noticed that they weren't any more harmed than when last I had seen them. Wise gestured towards the door at the front of the large, rusty, steel box they were being transported in. Jay, his signature bandana tied over his platinum blonde hair, nodded in response and began making his way there.
He's gonna try and pick the lock. Wise turned to the others, and explained what he was planning. I need to get closer. Why can't I hear him?
"Because you're not actually there..."
A few of the Rabbits nodded as Wise finished talking. Benedict, large and brown haired, gently touched the wall of the box, pointed at the ground, and small spheres of metal began appearing where he pointed. Aki and Nik nodded and began working, the ebony skinned boy turning each small metal sphere into a coconut of equal size while the freckled, black haired one made made each coconut sprout, stems creeping towards the door. Wise called to Jay who had finally—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sudden noise was extremely loud, like someone fired a series of gun shots in my brain, each one echoing in ways I had never thought possible. The scene faded instantly, dragging me back to Silver's shack. I still felt each and every bang, resonating deep inside me despite my efforts to cover my ears with my hands. Silver had his gaze fixed on the entrance, a murderous look in his eyes. I gingerly turned towards the door to see Baker standing there, scolding a scowling Naiad.
"I'm sorry okay?" She replied, her voice much louder than Baker's. For some reason, she held a plastic bag full of water bottles in one hand. "I didn't know."
Silver got up silently and grabbed my arm, pulling me to where the other two stood. They looked up, Baker protectively stepping in front of Naiad. Silver shrugged him aside and stood staring down at her, my arm still firmly in his grasp.
"Why so fricking loud?!" A yell? From Silver? I cringed at the volume, putting my free hand to my ear. Was this what he always felt?
"I-I." stammered Naiad.
"Now, Silver, she had no ideah." Began Baker placatively.
"Yeah!" My eardrums rang at Naiad's affirmation. Way too loud.
Silver twitched, an intense scowl on his face. "Out! Out! Get out! All of you! Out!"
He let go of me and started pushing us out the door.
"But," my voice was barely above a whisper as I turned back. "Please I need to—"
"Fine!" Silver yelled as he reached out, grabbing both Naiad and I. "It seems like you don't get it so as one last favour to everybody, I'll send you there! I'll send you both!"
"What does he mean send us b—"
Naiad's question was cut of as soon as the fall started. Upwards, like before, but this time I hit the ceiling twice. As my vision cleared, I heard the thunderous sound of hooves, looked up and saw a big, horse drawn metal box on wheels with plants growing out of it. That's them! Running towards the box, I took a glance back at Naiad who was shocked stiff, water bottles scattered on the ground around her. Ha! Serves her right. I turned my attention back to the metal cell where Wise, Amber, Jay, and the others were held just in time to see it explode.