Amelia POV:
"I already told you, prices' ve gone up with the increase in tax. If you can't pay, fuck off."
The man speaking to me was the butcher. His name was Francis and I would buy meat from him for my parents. It had been that way for a while we had began to talk to each other. We would talk about useless things, but they were very precious to me. He was the first peeson who wasn't one of my parents to not treat me like a disease. I had thought we were friends. But I guess he didn't feel the same. And being the desperate an naive girl I was, I got on my knees, and begged.
"But sir please, this all I have. My parents, they'll starve. Please, I'm begging you."
"Sorry kid. Nothing I can do fer ya. If you're so desperate for money, try sellin yaself. I know a buncha guys who pay a good amount. But I doubt you'd be able to so it."
I was shocked by his response. Just picturing myself doing such a thing made a shock run up my spine shiver.
"Yeah, that's what I thought. Guess all that talk bout'cha parents was just that," he spat at me before continuing, "worthless brat."
I never looked up from my position. Those words reverberated in my brain. My parents had done so much for me, yet I couldn't even do this much for them. As much as I tried to stop them, tears flowed from my eyes.
"He's right. I am worthless."
I walked back home with my head hung low. I seriously was contemplating doing what Francis had advised. My parents were practically killing themselves trying to provide for me. This shouldn't be too much but I've seen what happens to women who do that. It was scary just thinking about it. Not to mention my parents would never let me do such a thing. But being part of the poorest family in Aboa made it very hard to find a good paying job.
These thought kept flowing in my mind as I approached my house. I looked up at it with a solemn expression. I then walked inside and saw my parents sitting in the dining room. They both had their head down on the table.
"Sleeping," I thought.
I walked into the kitchen and opened a brown wooden box which had water leaking out. Opening it, I saw the fishes I had bought a while back that had been inside was sitting in a pool of melted ice. It also had a dull grey tint on it and when I picked one up, a trail of slime was coming off of it.
"Maybe it's not too bad."
Getting close to it, I took a whiff and jerked my head back catching the smell of ammonia coming off it.
"Nevermind. Definitely no good."
I threw the fishes out the broken window. I then went outside too wash my hands. The bucket was full of dead flies but I set aside my disgust and dipped my hands inside it.
I walked back inside and my parents still hadn't woken up. I decided not to bother them and went to my room up the stairs to take a nap. Stepping into the familiar odor of my room, I jumped onto my bed and started to cough with the dust that flew off the bed. Before long, I had entered the land of dreams.
When I woke up, the two moons shone in the the sky. The beams of light passing through my window illuminated my room giving it an ethereal look. In that moment I remembered a story my father had told me when I was a child. A story of how humans lived in constant fear of the demons and how entire kingdoms were destroyed due to their ravaging. Then one day, the aeons decended from the heavens and granted humans the power to fight back. The power called anima.
I then, got off the bed, went to my knees, clasped my hands and closed my eyes in prayer. I didn't know if it was going to work, or if I would even be heard. I mean, why would god's want to help some worthless little girl. But if there was even a slight chance of it working to help my parents, I would do it without a moments hesitation.
When I finished, I walked to the dining hall and my parents were still there, sleeping silently.
"Weird. They should've woken up a while ago."
Walking up to them, I was able to get a close look and I immediately froze. My father's eyes were still open but they lacked any of the blue that brought me joy everytime I saw them. A sudden feelings of dread begun to rise in my abdomen.
"Dad? Mom?"
The lack of a response should've all but confirmed it. But I wouldn't accept it. I could never accept a world without them. There was no way that could. A small chuckle left my lips.
"Okay. Very funny. You can stop now."
I walked closer to my father and grabbed his hand and just as quickly retracted it after I felt it.
"He's....he's cold."
I then rushed to my mother's side and grabbed her hands. Suddenly, my knees buckled and I fell to the ground.
"NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!"
My body began to sweat and convulse and then I expelled whatever contents had been in my stomach onto the floor. I looked back up and saw my mother's face. She wore a cold and indifferent expression, her eyes seemingly staring into nothing. In that moment, something in my mind shattered. It felt like my body had suddenly become a husk without a spirit residing in it. I started to crawl backwards until I hit the dining room wall. I sat against the wall with my legs stretched and arms dangling lifelessly at my side. I remained in that position for rest of the night. No movement. No words. Not even a thought. It wasn't until the sun's light shined in eyes that a thought finally rang through my mind.
"My parents," I slowly looked up at them expecting to see the lifeless bodies of my parents sitting their.
"Oh, goodmorning Annie. Just what in the world are you doing sleeping on the floor young lady."
"...m....mom?"
Without even giving her a chance to reply, I quickly shot up and embraced my mother refusing to let her go. I could tell she was surprised, but she wrapped her arms around me her hands rubbing my back with a warmth the summer sun couldn't match.
"Well two seem to be enjoying yourselves."
I looked over the table and saw my my dad with a bright smile on his face. His expression then quickly turned into one of concern.
"What's wrong darling?"
My mother finally released me from her embrace and looked at me, but her smile never left her face. She then wiped the tears I didn't even know were falling from my face. I then wiped the tears myself and smiled brightly at my dad.
"Nothing. It was just a nightmare."